How to Collect Golfer Emails

Top 10 Most Effective Strategies for Collecting Golfers eMail

Digital Marketing and broadcast eMail is proving to be the most cost effective means of generating an increase in your course revenues. Using exceptional photography of your golf course, creating dynamic stationary and upgrades to your website are critical elements to effective digital marketing. Increasing the size and quality of your email database is also vitally important.

Here's our Top 10 Ways to Collect Golfer Email:

1. Digital Photo Shoot at Your Most Scenic Hole

You can collect emails from virtually every person who plays your course by offering to send them a digital photo of their group. Have a trained staff person stay at your most scenic hole with a digital camera and photo registration form. They should ask each group if they would like to have a complimentary digital photo taken of themselves or their group. Collect as much data as you can on this form, including special offers they may want more information on. You can download these photos to a computer and send their photos via email with thank-you note and a special offer. People will appreciate this as a classy gesture. A good data base is worth a great deal of money - this is an inexpensive way to collect names.

2. Preferred Golfer Loyalty Program

The most effective strategy for successful marketing is to reward your most loyal clients. It always costs less to retain a good client than to gain a new one. We've developed a complete marketing program that will allow you to collect as many as 5000 new eMail addresses every year. The Preferred Golfer Loyalty package is so strong that golfers will actually pay you to give you their eMail address.

3. Website Collection

One of the primary purposes of your website should be to collect email. Your website can promote the same contest give-a-way as you do with a registration draw box. You can create a survey check box so customers will automatically be sent information on specials or sales one week before the public is informed.

4. Auto-responders and Send to a Friend

For website data collection to be done properly, you should have auto-responders set up so the people who enter your contest can opt-in to several of your emailing lists. They should also have the option to send the promotion to a friend (where you collect another email address). Our Golf eMailer program has all these data collection tools, auto-respond and broadcast capabilities.

5. E-Postcards

This "free service" can be an excellent addition to your website. People love to send postcards from where they play - it's a "Bragging Right." When you have an E-Postcard, you are automatically collecting two emails: Both the sender and the receiver. Again, you should set up your collection tools with auto-responders so you can get people to opt-in to your emailing lists.

6. Joint Venture E-mail Promotions

There are many vendors and retail golf shops you work with that own large golfer databases. Resorts, hotels and your Chamber of Commerce can be excellent joint venture partners. You can create arrangements where they send your email promotions out to their databases and you pay them a referral fee for everyone who responds. This is a win/win because they make extra money from your promotion and you gain new prospective clients. Be sure to have a hot-link to your database collection tool so these people can "opt-in" to your mailing list.

7. Contest Registration Box

Provide a drawing for a foursome round of golf or a set of golf clubs or a trip to an exotic golf destination. You can simply put up a sign up behind an elegant glass bowl or a in a plexi-glass box and suggest people enter their business card to win. This strategy can work very well at tradeshows and public counters.

8. Lessons

You should have a student registration form for every golfer who takes lessons from your facility. If you'd like a complimentary sample form that you can modify for your own use, just send me an email and I'll send you one - no charge.

9. Coupon redemption

Any vouchers or coupons you use in your adverting should be redeemed with a registration form with valid email required for redemption. All specials, vouchers or coupons found online should only be "unlocked" by providing an eMail address first.

10. Tournament registration with give-a-way

At the tournament registration desk you should have a registration form from every golfer that they need to submit in order to qualify for a special tee gift and a return discount voucher. The most effective voucher's our clients have used previously are VIP Business Card offers.

Another way you can access golfers is through renting lists of golfer emails. It's a little more expensive but can be highly cost effective.

Renting lists can be very tricky because you can rent bad lists and get blacklisted. Make sure that your list broker 's list is a double opt-in and is strictly identified as golfers. Also, make sure to test a small batch before you roll out a campaign.

Having said that, I've tested marketing campaigns and had great success with a few reputable list brokers. Typically you can rent the lists for 10 - 15 cents / lead. The most important thing you can do with this type of campaign is to ensure that you have a great FREE offer.

If you'd like to talk more about improving the response to your advertising or email promotions, slip me a note.