_Aug/bottomlinemarketing.jpg "Bottom-Line Marketing")
Email is everywhere. At work, golfers check email on their computers. During lunch, they check it on their phones. And at home, golfers watch movies on tablets with their kids, interrupted regularly by new email alerts. What this means is that it’s vital for course owners and operators to master email marketing.
Like any technology, email marketing is always changing. At best, it boosts revenue by giving golfers incentives to play a course or shop online while fostering customer loyalty with relevant news and promotions. At worst, email marketing comes across as spam.
There are four email marketing rules to master. First, know who you’re emailing. Collect a database of relevant addresses. Use giveaways and trivia contests to entice visitors to enter email addresses on your website or at your pro shop. Second, craft compelling subject lines, which is the best way to get your emails opened. Third, keep your frequency consistent—once a week or three times a week, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you stay consistent week after week. Lastly, all emails must promote value, which can be promotions and golf deals or news and events, and be relevant to your audience.
Email marketing is extremely important, and that’s not changing. Invest time and master it. Both your bottom line and your golfers will thank you.
—Alan Stalcup