Posted: January 7, 2010

John Flanagan, CEO Green Island Interactive shares his thoughts on why Irish Golf Clubs need to make their website a priority to reap the rewards in today's tough economy. 

A number of years ago I was pitching a website to a prospective golf club in Dublin when I was asked  "What is the most important factor in creating a successful website?"  Luckily I had been considering that very question just a couple of days earlier so was prepared with an answer, one I still stick by today: to be successful the website must be a priority at your club.

I'm pretty sure they were expecting a somewhat more technical answer like Search Engine Optimisation or Pay-Per-Click Advertising.  But making your website and online presence a priority will reap many rewards and it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. In fact it will help you reduce costs and is much easier than you may think. 

So why should your online presence be a priority?

Having a website is not enough today: Golfers look online to book lessons, tee-times and purchase merchandise. Members use the web for information on upcoming fixtures, events and member activities. Simply having a website is not enough- it needs to be up to date and provide the services your members and guests expect.

The world is changing: Even in the current economy almost all news and research channels are reporting increased spending and success in the online sector. For golf clubs, it's imperative to have a strong online presence. Use it to reduce your marketing and administration costs while increasing tee-times and membership.

Online sales and marketing is easy: Do not fear the web. Embrace it!
Start small, both in terms of ambition and budget. But get started today. There are many tools available on the market to help and we can advise if necessary.

Online sales and marketing is cost effective: There are systems available that provide services to manage and update your Club’s website, communicate with members and promote your Club online for just a few Euros per day. Compare the cost of online promotion with the cost of print, postage, radio, television, or other traditional forms of advertising.  The savings are significant.

I invite you to take the 'Site Caddy Return on Investment Challenge' to estimate how much you can save with online promotion and communication.

You can target local, national or international golfers: You do not need a large marketing budget to compete online.  A website + a little online marketing + a bit of creativity = global audience. If global is not your target then you can just as easily target your message locally or nationally.  It all depends on what regions you are interested in.

Your competition is doing it: If your friend jumps off a bridge, you don’t need to follow. But if other clubs are effectively using the internet to sell tee-times, attract new members and fight attrition… don't get left behind.

How to Make Your Web Presence A Priority

By now I hope you have realised that a solid web presence and online marketing is critical to the success of your Club. But also that it is cost-effective and easy to achieve.  But how do you make your website and online a priority?

Find a champion: You need to have one person in your Club that is tasked with the website and online marketing and they need to believe in the power of the web. They do not need to be technical or an online expert – just willing to learn and to make room in their schedule. And it doesn't have to be you. Why not recruit a staff member or committee member but someone has to be responsible.

Create a Budget: There are a ton of great things you can do on the web for free, especially if you're creative. But you will probably still need to spend something.  With online marketing you can start small, measure your results, and increase the spend on the areas that work. It is a lot easier and more cost-effective than you may think. So get started today and we are always here to help!

Online is best: There are a number of traditional software systems on the market that will help you manage and update your website. But choosing an online system offers many advantages. There is no software to download or update. You can access the system from any location with internet access and share the workload to multiple team members. This makes it easier to work on your site and helps to ensure progress is steady.

Subscription Services: Traditional website projects typically result in a large upfront payment to create the site and updates to the site are charged at an hourly rate. Choosing a low monthly subscription option allows the Club to spread costs evenly over the year. These systems are typically upgraded regularly at no cost to you, helping to future-proof your investment.

Share Responsibility: Look for a system that provides shared access. With an online system you can provide staff and committee members with log-on access restricted to various aspects of the site and online communication. One staff member could be tasked with sending text message alerts to members while a member of the social committee can ensure the website is regularly updated with member news and photos.

Effective Communication: Increased member communications fights attrition. I recommend sending regular e-Newsletters and SMS text message alerts to give your members a sense they belong to a community and an active Club. Sending targeted messages to potential members is always a necessity but ensure you use a solution with customer relationship management included.

Offer Website Member Only Access: Build a membership community around your website with password protected access to Member Only content. This offers members a networking resource, helps to increase club revenues and cut costs and is a value added service to offer members. It can include member only online event and tee-time bookings, news, calendar of events, intra club communications, message boards, forms, rules, social networking and more.

Create an Online Marketing Budget: There are dozens of ways to promote your Club for free, especially if you're creative. But unless you've got time on your hands or IT/Marketing departments at your disposal, you will probably need to spend something on your online presence. If it is a priority, then it should be budgeted as such. Start small. Measure your results. Increase spend on the areas that work.

Cut Costs or Increase Revenue: In today’s tough economy I regularly hear Club Managers mention the need to cut budgets. But is it better to cut costs or increase revenue? What if you could do both? With an effective online solution you can reduce the cost of traditional marketing (even eliminate it in some instances) while increasing revenue through bookings, pro-shop merchandise sales, ticket sales, membership sales and more.

Be Vigilant: If you're not used to having your web presence as a priority, it can be easily forgotten. A few simple tricks can help you to keep the web on the brain. For example, make your website your browser's home page so it's the first thing you see each time you go online. Set reminders to update the site at regular intervals. Always look for opportunities to leverage your website and online communications. Always look for ways to drive visitors to your website.

Get Started: There is no reason to fear the web. Modern solutions are easy to use, cost effective and can help you quickly save costs and increase revenue. Don’t let budget cuts affect your ability to generate revenue for your Club. Take action today and take it one step at a time. Find staff and committee members who will support your initiative.

Take Control: Having an out of date website is almost as bad as having none at all.  Whatever solution you choose for your website you need to have full control so you or your staff can update the website at a moments notice. So ensure your website is powered by a 'content management system' that is 'online' and 'easy to use'.  No more waiting for your 'webmaster' or helpful member to update the website - take control today!

Take Action: You have established that having an up to date website is essential.  You realise that online marketing is cost-effective. You know your members and golfers look online and expect more. Now you just need to take action!  Remember to start small and build from there and we are here to help you every step of the way. 

And yes- we got that gig in Dublin! They have made their online marketing a priority, they have doubled their online bookings in each of the last two years, even in the middle of a tough recession.

If you would like to discuss this article further or you need advice on how to make better use of your Club's website and online marketing, please feel call me on 01 657 1964 or email me at john@mygreenisland.com. 

I will follow up on this article in a few weeks with one that explores how it is 'The Little Things That Lead to Online Success'.

I wish you well and best results for 2010!

John Flanagan
Founder & C.E.O.
Green Island Interactive / Site Caddy
Kandoy House
2 Fairview Strand
Dublin 3
Tel: 01 657 1964
Email: john@mygreenisland.com
Web: www.sitecaddy.com

About Site Caddy

Site Caddy offers Irish golf clubs the control they need to create and update their own website, to effectively communicate with members and visitors as well as promote the club and its services.  We can customise a new website design or simply plug your current site design into Site Caddy. You will then be able to:

• Post club news, schedules, results, photos, bulletins, and more
• Sell tee-times, pro-shop merchandise, event tickets and membership online
• Promote member events and increase attendance
• Provide 'Member Only' access area on the site
• Import member contact details from popular golf software packages
• Send regular email and SMS text message alerts to members and groups
• Promote the Club through effective online marketing

For more on Site Caddy visit www.sitecaddy.com.
 

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