With a marketing budget of nearly half a million dollars annually, Morton Golf’s reach to Northern California golfers is unparalleled.
Advertising
With a marketing budget of nearly half a million dollars annually, Morton Golf’s reach to Northern California golfers is unparalleled. Utilizing a key strategic partnership with local golf television/radio/print media person, Frank LaRosa, the combination of direct media, social media and natural PR is a powerful combination. Based on each facility’s need and budget availability, you can expect:
Brand development
First things, first. A logo development committee would be created in conjunction with home club members, the General Manager, our graphic design team and our marketing team to develop a course branded logo and/or slogan for each of the two golf courses. This would be presented in all of the marketing going forward and help differentiate the courses from any old stigma associated with past management.
Website development
Nearly as important as the logo would be the development of two different websites developed by our Social Marketing Media Manager and created by our third party partner out of Texas, Blazer Six. Online tee times would be front and center and all social medias- including Twitter, Facebook and blog- would be seamless integrated into the home page for updated news, specials and programs. Detailed Google map directions, details on all programs, home club information and player development programs would be key components. Also integrated would be Morton Golf’s proprietary digital golf ball fitting tool as well as hyperlinks to their online storefront at www.mortongolfsales.com where the pro shop would earn a to-be-determined percentage credit back on the sale.
Retail Radio
The right music keeps customers in your store longer, and encourages them to spend more. We would keep our customers entertained with our own customized radio station. This in-store music services provides properly licensed music that our customers will love — and with our own advertising and messaging between songs.
aWeber email database development
Each golf course would begin actively building and utilizing an email database that would be captured through the home clubs, any junior programs, each point of sale transaction and through the websites via contest sign-ups. Green fee offers, player development programs and any other facility specials would then be emailed out in a once-a-month email newsletter to this database. This database is a double-opt-in program that does not get blacklisted from any email service around the world, resulting in an uncharacteristic 50% plus regular open rate.
Billboards
Clear Channel and CBS are long-time partners with Morton Golf in Northern California and both handle billboard advertising in addition to radio and television. We would leverage these long-standing relationships to try and maximize a key-located billboard in the heart of town to announce the new management in town and new services being offered (such as Foot Golf.)
Radio
While our budget is limited, we feel that there are some key golf-specific radio medias that would be important to have a presence.
Television
Cable television and the utilization of ESPN and Golf Channel would be centerpieces of the media spend- vendors such as Comcast can provide 30-second commercials in such content at fairly reasonable rates of $30-$100 per commercial and we would plan on a dual commercial for any golf course properties that would cost in the $1,500 to $3,000 to produce.
Newspaper
Newspaper is still critical on two fronts. Local golf writers will be welcomed out to the facilities and informed in great detail of what the immediate and long-term plans for the golf courses will be. It will be imperative that they are partners on the PR front. Secondly, many local newspapers have programs in which golf courses can trade/barter a green fee discount for space in the newspaper. We have found in Sacramento that these programs are bringing extra golfers and revenues to the facilities and it will allot us some additional advertising spend without any hard cost.
Direct Mail
Winning over the home clubs will be of critical importance right off of the bat. Our General Manager will be welcoming the board of directors from each of the clubs in for lunch to hear from them and will be sending out a mailer in early 2014 announcing some of the new initiatives for the year. Direct mail would also be utilized to help promote our fall lesson promotions, fall range promotions and home club promotions.
Brochures (Lessons, courses, home clubs)
Collateral materials with the new course logos and missions would be created for all of the new lesson programs, the golf courses themselves (that would go into the local hotels) and on behalf of the home clubs to help create new members.
Gift of golf promotion
Nearer to Christmas time, a green fee gift certificate package would be created and promoted to be sold as a Christmas/holiday gift idea for golfers and non-golfers to give as presents.
Groupon-style offers
There is no shortage of the Groupon/Living Social/Daily Deal type of websites out there and great care needs to be made to make sure that we’re selecting the proper offers that don’t negatively impact the rounds and daily average green fees. However, there is great value in utilizing some of these offers to fill our new golfer player development programs. (Haggin Oaks recently had 1,000 new golfers sign up through a Groupon program.) There could be retail, food and beverage, green fee or lesson offers that make great sense to get in front of these databases that are upwards of 100,000 people strong.
Chamber of Commerce membership
It will be of critical importance that our General Manager is well-connected in the community and involvement in our local Chamber of Commerce will be part of our annual advertising expenses.
Facebook account created
Each golf course will have their own Facebook account created and will get daily or weekly content updates to the followers and will receive a handful of promoted/advertised posts each month to help generate new “likes” and stay at the top of our customer’s news feeds.
Twitter account created
Each golf course will have their own Twitter account created and will get daily or weekly content updates to the followers and will receive a handful of promoted/advertised posts each month to help generate new “friends” and receive multiple tweets per message to hit the maximum of customers on Twitter.
Yelp! Site(s) claimed and listed
Each golf course and golf course restaurant will get a Yelp! Listing that will be claimed by our Social Marketing Media Manager and monitored daily for good and positive feedback. The content will be updated with the latest course offers, new photographs and feedback will be given on less-than-positive customer posts.
Entertainment Book
Another opportunity to explore will be the local Entertainment Book. The object for the golf courses will be to reintroduce as many of the players that have passed on these facilities back to try them again. A 2 for 1 green fee or restaurant promotion just might help generate some additional traffic.
Lessons linked at PGA.com
The PGA of America’s Play Golf America and Golf 2.0 sites can help drive interested new golfers to our facilities. Our new golfer classes as outlined earlier in this RFQ proposal will be all listed on these sites nationally so that they’ll be the first to be chosen when regional golfers check into the site.
Media Day
Once the management company gets it’s feet on the ground and gets relationships working as they should in the community, Morton Golf would hold a media day where all of the Northern California Golf Writers Association members, local newspaper writers, local radio hosts and television sportscasters would all be invited out to play the golf course and have lunch with the thought that we’d be able to take a minute and promote the new initiatives of the facilities and all of the positives we’ve got going at the courses. It’s a PR win with all the media content it would generate.
New monument sign at entrance
First impressions are everything and new monument signs as you drive into the two facilities with the NEW course logos would be one of the first marketing expenditures- most likely highlighting the home clubs to help them drive in new members and strengthen the relationship between course operator and the club that plays the most rounds there.
Logo Shopping Bags Created
Furthering the propagation of the new logo would be new retail and food and beverage shopping bags with the new golf course logo on it.
Customer Relationship Management
Customer relationship management (CRM) is a system for managing a company’s interactions with current and future customers. It involves using technology to organize, automate and synchronize sales, marketing, customer service, and technical support. Morton Golf is different from other management companies in the golf industry because it utilizes a full-time staff of two to oversee this key personal marketing initiative with each golf professional, salesperson and departmental manager at each facility it manages. Individualized and personalized digital and physical messages are sent out to specific groups of customers that find their passion with a specific brand, product or employee relationship. Titleist fans get Titleist messages and offers always speak to their interests.
Social Media
Morton Golf is one of the few management companies in the industry with a dedicated full-time staff position to promote their facilities via social media. The Social Media Marketing Manager (SMMM) is the voice of our brand within the social communities and environments. The SMMM is a passionate representation and emissary of Morton Golf’s stores, products, initiatives and causes; both with consumers and within the organization. The SMMM has a passion for social media and can clearly demonstrate experience: proactive social engagement and dialogue through platforms such at twitter, YouTube, blog planning and posting, community development and management through both platforms like Facebook other social marketing communities as identified by the manager and Morton Golf management.
In addition to working with the Marketing team, the SMMM connects with other cross-functional members of the organization to define, plan and execute long-term social engagement solutions as well as create messaging for marketing campaigns, web sites, social media platforms and other communications. The SMMM is the go-to-person for the entire organization in helping Morton Golf properties create maximum value through participation in the important area of social media marketing & consumer engagement.
Unique Service Points
Very few businesses are one-of-a-kind. Just look around you: How many other golf courses, driving ranges, apparel stores and restaurants are in and around your immediate area. The key to effective selling in this situation is what advertising and marketing professionals call a “unique selling point” (USP). Morton Golf Management will identify and then promote what makes your business unique in a world of homogeneous competitors- without which, you cannot target your sales efforts successfully. Through careful analysis, we will provide and identify not just your positive product or service characteristics, but how you can differentiate your course from your competitors.
Event Planning
Morton Golf is known for their ability to put together a major shindig and their history of record-shaking events is known industry-wide. Consider these facts: Morton Golf oversees the largest Special Olympics golf tournament program in the country, the largest stroke-survivor golf event in the country, the largest Play Golf America Day in the country, the largest golf demo day event in the country and a country music festival and pro-am (www.golfandguitars.com) that gets 6,000 people out and raised over $100,000 for charity. In addition, we hold events like Golftoberfest, our Annual FREE Easter Egg Hunt and Pancake Breakfast out on our driving range, special shopping events and a summer entertainment series on the driving ranges. The Haggin Oaks Golf Expo (www.hagginoaksgolfexpo.com) in late April generates over 22,000 people in attendance and features dozens of initiatives.