How to make your golf club picture perfect

In the first of a series of articles advising golf clubs on how to make more from their social media accounts, marketing expert Lily Hymes looks at Instagram and demonstrates how your club can have an account that engages with customers, both existing and potential.

Welcome to the first The Golf Business ‘social media clinic’. I’m Lily and I’ve been working with golf venues, events and hotels for over eight years now in varying marketing roles as well as freelance, and I absolutely love it! I’m passionate about social media and how it can help your business, so without further ado, let’s get started!

How to set up an Instagram account that ‘wows’

Facebook has been integrated into our lives for more than 15 years now and almost all brands are using this regularly, but for some, its little sister – Instagram – still feels very new, and understandably so. The platform actually celebrates its 10th birthday in 2020 but while all social media platforms change like the wind, none as much as Instagram.

However, Instagram is perfect for marketing because although its membership is lower than Facebook, Instagram users are keen to see brand content, more so than any other social media platform. In 2020, 83 percent of Instagram users are discovering new products and services on the platform, 81 percent are researching products and services using the platform and 80 percent use the platform to help them decide whether to buy.

Brands therefore need to ensure their Instagram presence is strong. I’ve put together some advice here on how to set up an Instagram account that attracts customers, to give you the WOW factor!

1. Make sure your Instagram account is set up as a business account to ensure you’re able to use Insights. You can change or check this in settings.
2. Remember that your Instagram name, shown in bold above your bio, is a searchable term, so it’s advisable not to shorten this, to ensure customers can find your account! It’s also worth bearing in mind what potential customers would search for when looking for a venue and include this here, if there’s space.
3. Is your venue more than a golf club? Perhaps you have event and wedding space? A restaurant or bar? An academy? Make sure your followers know that! Add everything you offer into your Instagram bio and ensure information about those areas can be found on your image grid or when customers click through to your website.
4. Ensure your contact details – website, email, phone, are added to your Instagram profile and check your direct messages regularly. Many customers use these instead of calling / emailing, and they’ll expect a timely response! Within your direct message inbox, you’ll also see ‘message requests’ if someone that you don’t follow has tried to contact you, so it’s important to check these too.
5. Use Instagram Highlights. These sit right at the top of your Instagram profile, so they’re perfect for helping new visitors discover what your venue is all about. You can use highlights as a mini showcase! Separate into sections so that visitors can find things clearly.
6. Post regularly, ideally once a day (weekdays) but a minimum of a few times a week. Your followers want to see you!
7. Don’t forget about Instagram Stories. Again, posting regularly is ideal – a few times a day if possible. Stories can be used as mini updates, an opportunity for you to ask and be asked questions, share a countdown to an event, mention sponsors or partners, and more. Check the Instagram story stickers (in the top right corner) for ideas!
8. Stay positive! Always remember that your social media channels are an extension of your club marketing and the venue itself. If appropriate, posts should remain upbeat and professional.
9. Check your Insights each week. Your stats will only stay on the platform for one week, so checking them on the same day each week ensures you don’t miss anything. Here, you can find out which posts have been the most popular, what time of day your followers are online and so much more.
10. Plan ahead! Social media content should be planned, rather than adhoc or rushed. Set aside a little time each week to decide on strategy, themes, what you want to showcase, what videos or images you need and so on. Or, hire someone to do it for you!

Give the above tips a go and see how you get on! In my next article, I’ll be sharing 2020’s latest social media trends and how you can incorporate these into your social media marketing.

Future clinics will include topics such as how to reach more potential customers using social media and social media content ideas for the busy club manager. If you have a social media question you’d like answering, a topic you’d like to see covered, or if you want to let Lily know how you got on with the above advice, drop her a note at lily@19social.net – she’ll try to answer any questions in upcoming articles.

In the meantime, if you’d like more advice on ensuring your venue gets noticed using Instagram, you can download Lily’s latest ebook here for free: www.19social.net/instagram-guide1