INTRODUCTORY GUIDE: INSTAGRAM FOR GOLF COURSES JULY 2014
GUIDE OUTLINE What is Instagram? Registering your account Getting started What makes a good photo on Instagram? Is this guide right for you? If you are a golf course owner or operator and are serious about engaging with the golf community and increasing your influence in your customer base, this introductory guide will provide new insight to help you achieve your goals.
ABOUT NEXTGENGOLF Grow your revenue in 2014 through Nextgen Hosting tournaments Nextgen golf will run over 100 golf tournaments in 2014 all across the country. Nextgen tournaments can be either competitive or recreational and are exclusively for 18-29 year old golfers. Promoting college daily play rates Nextgen supports over 12,000 college students across the country and has over 700 golf course partners. Courses interested in generating more revenue from students can offer a collegiate rate through Nextgen Collegiate and take advantage of direct marketing to non-varsity college golfers. Inviting Graduate Raters to your course Nextgen will be developing a platform for public and private golf courses to offer membership packages and daily play promotions targeted at young adult golfers (22-34). Courses will extend similar promotions as your college offerings or develop distinct packages for young professionals.
GUIDE AUTHOR Instagram for Golf Courses By Margaret Efthim Margaret is a Social Media & Marketing Intern at Nextgengolf and a contributor to the Nextgen blog. She is also the Founder and Director of Ready Set Golf, a golf mentorship program for teens in Boston. Margaret is in her junior year at The University of Texas at Austin. Follow Margaret on Twitter @MargaretEfthim
WHAT IS INSTAGRAM? Instagram is a mobile photo sharing application owned by Facebook with over 200 million monthly users. The app is unique for its active social media community and photo filters that add a professional touch.
MOBILE PLATFORM Since Instagram runs primarily on a mobile platform, you must register for Instagram by downloading the free iphone/android app.
ACCOUNT REGISTRATION Starting via mobile Notification settings Linking Instagram photos to your Facebook & Twitter
MANAGING NOTIFICATIONS You receive notifications when other users follow you, comment and like your photos, tag you and mention you (i.e. @nextgengolfclub). To get these notifications to appear in real time on your phone, go to Settings and select Push Notification Settings.
LINKING YOUR PHOTOS TO FACEBOOK AND TWITTER Since Instagram is a mobile application, it is important to link your photos so they also upload on Twitter and Facebook to increase visibility.
CONNECTING ON INSTAGRAM Posting photos Who to follow
POSTING YOUR FIRST PHOTO Instagram is ALL about posting photos. Get started by pushing the blue camera button at the bottom of the screen. Take a photo through the viewfinder or choose from existing photos in your phone.
FOLLOWING USERS Want followers and likes? Search and follow users by typing in a name or keyword. The more users you follow, the more followers you ll get in return.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD INSTAGRAM PHOTO? Photo quality & filter Effective hashtags (#) Mentions & tags
PHOTO QUALITY & CHOOSING A FILTER The key to growing on Instagram is good content. High quality photos are a must avoid blurry or low-pixel pics. Editing and filtering your pictures within the app will also help your photos look better and get likes.
HASHTAGGING ON INSTAGRAM Hashtags (#) will help you get discovered by users who explore Instagram based on hashtags. Use simple, popular words or phrases related to your photo content. You can learn more about hashtags in my Intro to Twitter Guide.
MENTIONS & TAGGING USERS Interacting with other users is a great way to increase your Instagram presence. Join the fun by tagging friends and related users in your photos and mentioning them by their handle (i.e. @nextgengolfclub) in captions.
3 WAYS INSTAGRAM WILL HELP GROW YOUR BUSINESS 1. You ll get discovered by new customers. Cool photos, effective hashtagging, and interaction will inevitably grow your Instagram presence to users outside of your regular customer base. 2. Millennial golfers will love you. The majority of Instagrammers are Millennials (18-34). By simply being on Instagram, your course s cool factor is hugely elevated. 3. It s an easy channel for giveaways/promotions. Weekly promotions or special giveaways are a great way to increase your following and build brand loyalty. For example, post a photo of a sizeable reward such as a new putter in your pro shop or a free round at your course and caption it with something like, Repost this photo and tag us and you ll be entered to win a free round! don t forget to include a contest deadline!
CONCLUSION 1. The golf industry needs to embrace social media platforms used by Millennials to engage them. 2. Golf courses taking steps to better their businesses for young consumers can create shortterm revenue and long-term customers. 3. Social media is here to stay. Don t only use Instagram, get on the three most powerful networks -- Facebook, Twitter, Google+ -- and stay tuned for our next guides on how to use them! 4. Cost is a concern for young adults. Courses that understand how to properly package and market young adult offerings via the appropriate social media channels will gain more revenue. 5. If your course technology is not up to par, spend the money on fixing your website and mobile presence.
4 QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER 1. Does your course have a plan to reach the next generation? 2. How does your web and mobile technology stack up against other courses? 3. Do you and your staff treat younger consumers differently than your core members? 4. Do you have active profiles on Twitter, Facebook and Google+? Nextgengolf will be producing more detailed & FREE marketing guides throughout 2014 to help course owners and operators better market to the next generation of golfers.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Want to learn more about social media and marketing for your golf course? Read our other guides: Introductory Twitter Guide for Golf Courses Golf Course Marketing to 18-29 year olds Stay tuned for more marketing guides from Nextgengolf throughout 2014: Intermediate Twitter Guide Golf Websites For Dummies Guide Introductory Facebook Guide
LET NEXTGENGOLF HELP Nextgengolf connects the golf industry to 18-34 year old consumers by providing products and services to meet the needs of the next generation of players. Learn more There is no cost to become a partner golf course of Nextgengolf. We can help your business through: 1. Tournament revenue 2. Daily play revenue 3. Course consulting for Gen-Y Set-up your profile today, visit: http://nextgengolf.org/courses/owners/ Contact our team: Mike Belkin Director of College Golfer Happiness 781.864.6430 Mike@nextgengolf.org @nextgolfer