Include Text Messaging In Your Country Club Marketing Strategy
The country club has been a cultural mainstay for generations and today its rolling golf courses and manicured gardens continue to carry some serious panache. As desirable as country club membership is, new members can be hard to reach and retain. There are many challenges facing country club owners and operators today, including the tendency for families and couples to move more frequently than they used to. Developing robust mobile marketing for country clubs is one way to address these challenges and keep membership applications coming in.
Strategic Changes to Country Club Marketing
Twenty years ago and more, people tended to seek out country clubs for golfing, light recreation, and relaxed opportunities for social networking. The number of golf rounds-played has fallen across the nation, while other recreational outlets have grown to take the place of the volleyball and racquetball courts that used to be only found at country clubs. People today have other opportunities to pursue the kind of activities that country clubs are best-known for offering. For this reason, some country clubs have chosen to make some strategic changes in order to increase club usage and member satisfaction. Some of these have included:
Family-friendly programming – Child-care services, kid-friendly dining options, playground facilities, and other amenities attractive to families have grown considerably.
Relaxed dress code – Gone are the days strict dress codes. Today’s country club dress codes are finally reflecting this shift to casual.
Health and wellness – Families are looking for more health, fitness and general wellness program like spas, gyms and yoga classes. Clubs are also offering healthier food and beverage options and lectures on nutrition and diet.
Reaching Club Members by Text Messaging
Along with demographic shifts that have prompted the strategic changes mentioned above, country clubs must be able to reach new members and retain current members by mobile phone. U.S. adults are now spending over 3 hours a day on their mobile phone, so country clubs that don’t include mobile in their strategy are missing out. Some examples of how country clubs can use text messaging include:
Club Updates and Alerts – Let members know when the club is closed for holidays or severe weather or if operating hours are changing.
Mobile Coupons for Dining or Merchandise – Send texts asking members or prospective members to show message for free glass of wine or a giveaway.
Class Schedules – Allow members to text and receive a link back to the week’s class schedules or send reminders when classes are about to start.
Member Surveys – Get feedback on your club’s services by asking people to text and receive a link to your survey.
Membership Drives – Drive registrations for new members by promoting a text call-to-action on all club marketing materials.
Members can be attracted and maintained with the help of a great mobile marketing campaign that features SMS marketing options Contact TextMarks at 800-696-1393 or email tmsales@textmarks.com to learn more about SMS Marketing for Golf Courses and Country Clubs.
