2.5 The Influence of Social Media on Marketing in the Golf Industry
Social Media is About Influence
Social media platforms have enabled golf courses to foster online communities. Platforms are effective mediums for sharing information about the golf course, such as leagues, tournaments, promotions, and membership details. This level of interaction enhances customer service and strengthens the relationship between the club and their customers.
Specifically, YouTube has transformed how golf content is shared and consumed online. It allows anyone to upload golf-related videos, ranging from mini-tour events and lessons to podcasts and tourism. This benefits the consumer by providing additional value and helps expand the sport by introducing the sport to new people (Lee, 2022).
Social media plays a crucial role in connecting with the younger and older generations. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok have made the sport appealing to younger audiences, inspiring them to take up golf after seeing engaging content from professional players. Additionally, social media fosters communal experiences, enabling groups of friends, regardless of age, to come together and enjoy golf, making it a unifying activity for many.
Golf Example
Copetown Woods Golf Club in Southwestern Ontario has one of the hottest social media accounts in the industry. Social media has reached a new market segment with a passionate and youthful GM, a terrific golf course and location, great food and activities, and a golf-addicted local population. Copetown Woods’s social media accounts came alive during COVID as a means of communication in an uncertain time and began to post content, good, bad, and ugly. Now, Copetown does most of their staff hiring from social media; out with the resume, in with the 2-minute video pitch, they communicate everything at the Club over their platforms, and they go live to capture the magic of a moment for the audience.
Social media platforms have also addressed some serious topics related to being a famous athlete. While social media can be heavily one-sided, it only highlights the good. It’s rare to see what’s behind the veil of everyday life. Social media has opened a place where athletes can show some vulnerability. A snapshot into their lives, the high success you see on the course and the daily grind. For the good and evil, social media has humanized many professional golfers. Netflix created the popular show ‘Full Swing’, a look inside a professional golf tour, inside the ropes with everyone’s favourite golfers/influencers. This allows fans to glimpse the tour life and professional golf, as well as an opportunity to measure engagement and new reach with the brand, creating a marketing dream.
Social media is about influence and persuasion using appealing language to the consumer. With the rapid advance in technology for golf equipment and data analysis in today’s golf industry, influencers can create loyalty and trust with a brand by using accurate data. Take Titleist, for example; each week on the PGA tour, they are the number one ball manufacturer as chosen by the golfers in the field.
