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Were you aware of the importance of correctly identifying your golf resort target market? Did you know that there are multiple segments and demographics you could be targeting with your marketing strategy to attract more golf enthusiasts? Are you ready to learn about a few effective ways of marketing your golf course to these segments? Find out about the main segments that make up the target market for your golf resort, learn about their spending habits, and which methods they will most likely respond to.
The Target Audience For Golf Course Marketing
Before you start formulating your golf marketing strategy to attract more golfers to your resort, you need to identify what your target audience is. While only the wealthiest and most powerful used to play golf, the sport has become more accessible due to many golf resorts and clubs now offering memberships and packages at more affordable prices.
Your brand image is also important to this discussion. If you’re a high-end resort, you have to be careful not to devalue your branding when you offer more affordable packages. Exclusivity and a more premium touch to your services may work better instead. Your affluent customers may prefer a golf course that is not crowded when they play. You also need to keep the age of the golfers you’re planning to attract in mind since golf today appeals to more than one age demographic.
You should perform some market research to narrow down who your ideal customers are before you start thinking about how to attract them. Here are some of the customer types you could be targeting. Keep in mind that you don’t have to target every segment of the market to achieve success. Which audience suits your golf resort, in terms of your brand identity, location, competition, and level of exclusivity are up to you to decide.
If you wish to learn more about why you should be investing in a comprehensive marketing plan in the first place, read Golf Resort Marketing: 8 Benefits Of Investing In Marketing In 2023.
The Middle-Aged Demographic
The average age of most golf players is about 45 to 65. They are mostly males who play golf for both business and pleasure. Their income is stable and they are usually business professionals or white-collar workers. These customers have money to spend on premium brands, travel packages, and obviously a stay at your high-end golf course resort. They are also able to afford a golf course club membership.
Studies done in the United States have shown that this demographic has 61% more free time than younger generations since about 49% of them are not employed full-time. If they have children, the kids have most likely grown up, giving the parents more free time to travel. This demographic has consistently outspent others in the past and has contributed massively to the revenue made by the golf industry.
If there are no other golf courses near your resort or the ones near yours are not as high-end, you could go focus on marketing the sense of exclusivity and premium quality of service you provide. This would appeal more to the wealthier segment of the market which prefers privacy, luxurious accommodation, and a serene natural environment.
If you’re looking for ways to increase revenue, this traditional demographic is still the best segment to target with your marketing. While it may not be obvious, many customers in this age group use social media regularly and are highly likely to make purchasing decisions from a brand or business they already follow. Remember to use social media when developing your golf course marketing strategy later.
The Millennial Demographic
A majority of the millennial demographic is fully employed and therefore does not have as much free time to travel and play golf. Some of them may be under financial stress as well, making them less likely to be regular customers or a member of exclusive golf clubs. However, if your golf course is located in a place with a lot of competition, and your rivals are already serving the older more affluent customers, the millennial demographic could represent a secondary target segment for your golf resort.
The best way to convince them to come to visit your golf course once and then generate some interest would be through special events. This demographic will not care as much about golf courses getting crowded and will enjoy it if the event has a fun atmosphere. This type of young golf player requires a less traditional approach when marketing your business and brand.
If you engage with this audience and get them interested in playing golf, they will eventually grow into your main target segment as they age. As their financial stability increases, so will their spending habits. Eventually, they will be able to afford to go to high-class golf courses and resorts. So while millennials may not contribute much to your business now, you should not completely write them out of your marketing strategy.
Families With Kids
Parents that fly into your exclusive golf resort may bring their kids along for the ride. You could benefit from this by having golf course facilities that can accommodate these types of families. While the kids themselves may not bring in much revenue, you could introduce them to the sport at an early age. If you engage with this market at an early age, it could pay off many years later when they become golf enthusiasts themselves.
Effective Golf Marketing Ideas For Your Golf Resort
If you have decided which target segment you wish to attract to your golf resort, you can use the following marketing strategies to get their attention.
Market Extra Facilities Your Golf Clubs And Resorts Have
Many golf clubs nowadays have a clubhouse that offers accommodation, a pro shop to purchase equipment and dining options in addition to the standard locker rooms. Where you can separate your resort from this is by adding extra facilities that cater to your specific audience. If your golf resort is in an exotic location far from the hustle and bustle of the city, you definitely need a few extra things to keep your guests occupied after they return from the greens.
Golf Training Facilities
Customers that arrive with kids can benefit from having activities that keep them occupied while the parents are out golfing. You could even have golf instructors and kid-friendly golf equipment at your pro shop which can be a great opportunity to introduce golf to this younger audience. And finally, remember to highlight these extra facilities you offer when you launch your marketing campaign for your golf resort.
Spa, Swimming Pool, And Gym Facilities
Depending on your clientele, you can include activities such as clay pigeon shooting or croquet if you already have acres of space to spare at your golf resort. Any type of resort should ideally have a swimming pool (unless it’s near the ocean), and a gymnasium. Since most of the older demographic of golfers are male, it’s also a great idea to have a spa and beauty treatment center at your golf resort. This will appeal to the female guests that may be accompanying your primary target segment.
Host Golf Tournaments And Events
If your golf resort is relatively new, it may take a while to be picked up by a major professional golf tournament. However, you could organize your own amateur tournaments at your golf resort and invite past guests as well as reach out to new ones. If you know any famous golf players, this would be an ideal occasion to invite them for a bit of publicity as a guest of honor. Thailand golf courses in various regions collaborate to host golf events during the festival season where they offer packages with great value for money.
Market Your Golf Course As An Event Venue
Your golf resort, depending on where it’s located, will have peak seasons when it’s full of guests, and off-peak seasons when hardly any show up. During off-peak times, you could open up your premises as an event venue. Since your golf resort is fully equipped with facilities like accommodation, restaurants, and naturally a gorgeous backdrop, it’s the perfect place for a destination wedding.
It would be worthwhile to open up for corporate events as well, which will bring in more business professionals to your premises. Many of the older guests will be your primary target segment which may wish to return to the fairways another day. The millennial generation may also be impressed with the scenic beauty of your golf resort and may wish to return to check it out. Events are a great opportunity to reach a whole new audience and introduce them to the world of golf.
Use Tee Time Apps And Websites
There are many tee-time smartphone apps and websites that a customer can use to find the best deals and make reservations at your golf course. While these third-party sites will bring you more guests, you would ideally like to have their book through your own channels. This means you need to learn how to live with these websites and figure out ways to convince these customers to come directly to you the next time.
When a customer that has used a tee time reservation arrives, be sure to impress them with your excellent level of service like any other guest. When they leave, offer to put them on a loyalty program or membership. You can also find creative ways of directing them to your website and social media channels. This will help you retarget them, and attract them through your own channels instead of third-party booking sites.
Build A Website And Use SEO
By having a professional-looking website that can impress visitors, you can increase your number of direct bookings to your golf resort. The trick here is to properly optimize the content on your website through search engine optimization (SEO) methods. This will push your website to the top of search engine results when people look for golf courses, resorts, and packages. This will help you divert traffic that will otherwise end up on tee-time booking sites, bringing in more revenue for your business.
Use Email Marketing
If you maintain a customer database, you can keep track of your regular members and other one-time visitors. Email marketing is a great way to communicate with both of these groups. You can grant loyalty rewards to existing members, and even entice one-time visitors to come back by offering great deals. Of course, if your clientele is on the rich and high-society end, you might have more success by adding value to your existing packages rather than slashing prices.
Email marketing is also a great way to let them know of upcoming events such as golf tournaments being hosted at your resort, and to thank them after a visit. It’s important to not be too spammy with email, and use their preferred name to address guests if you already know who they are.
Use Social Media
As mentioned before, your primary and secondary target segments use social media, although they may be present on different platforms. The older generation will typically use Facebook, while the younger ones will be on Instagram and Tik Tok. You can create videos that offer pro tips, and instructions on proper swinging techniques, do reviews of golf gear and provide the latest updates from golf tournaments you are hosting. Even stunning photos and aerial footage of your golf resort will look great on an Instagram feed.
The content you create should encourage users to engage with it, and it’s also an opportunity for you to interact directly with them. The millennial demographic may even respond better if you approach them through social media influencers that they are already following. The potential appeal of influencers is to make something feel more approachable. By collaborating with them, you can make golf seem more accessible to younger audiences that are not currently interested in it.
If your target customers are in a country like South Korea, you would need to be familiar with social media platforms Kakao Story and search engines like Naver which are used almost exclusively by that market. For more on how to market a resort in South Korea, read How to Increase Your Digital Footprint as a Resort in South Korea.
Need Help Marketing Your Golf Resort?
If your business has been entirely focused on crafting the best golf course experience possible, it is entirely natural that you may not be having the internal resources needed to manage search engine optimization, or social media marketing in regions like South Korea. If you need an expert hand to handle your digital marketing strategy, then Inquivix is the partner for you.
Based out of South Korea, we have years of experience providing professional digital marketing services such as SEO, email marketing, social media management, and web design. To learn more about how we can market your golf course and resort to your target market, visit Inquivix today!
FAQs
The financially secure 45 to 65-year-olds represent the primary target segment that generates the most revenue for golf courses and resorts around the world.
While millennials are not the main target segment, their interest in golf has been growing in recent years.
Apart from marketing the golf course itself, a resort could market other facilities like training centers, and pro shops with gear, by hosting tournaments. You can open up the venue to host events like weddings. You can also utilize tee time sites, and develop your own website to encourage more direct bookings. Social media is a must since both the older and younger target segments use it regularly.