Finding the right mix of marketing vehicles and messages is a challenge for any business, none more so than golf courses. It’s one of the reasons third party tee time providers like GolfNow and Golf18 Network are so popular – they give course operators an easy alternative to the hard work good marketing requires.
Pellucid Sharper Edge Marketing client Heritage Bluffs in Channahon, IL doesn’t mind the hard work. It doesn’t appear on any third party website. It does not discount indiscriminately. Rather, it uses strategic reasoning to set prices based on Pellucid’s monthly tracking and reporting. And it utilizes email marketing to get its message out to over 40,000 area golfers.
“All of our competitors are on GolfNow, yet I don’t think any are doing as well as we are”, reports Heritage Bluff’s general manager Brian Smith. “The key for us has been Pellucid’s ability to identify customers by type and value and message them accordingly. Every month we send emails to people who haven’t played here since last year, and it pleases us to no end to see them come in with a copy of the email in hand to redeem the offer. We’ve learned that if you don’t stay top of mind, there are lots of other places people can play.”
Heritage Bluffs also licenses through Pellucid a database of area golfers, enabling it to reach over 40,000 potential customers with a single email blast. Recently, one was sent and read by nearly 4000 golfers which resulted in a 10-15% increase in rounds played that week. The message? “We alerted golfers that the weather looked great for the week and they should get out and play. That was it”, Smith said. “No discounts, no giveaways, just an invitation to come and play. We averaged over 200 rounds a day Monday through Friday.”
Heritage Bluffs also utilizes Pellucid’s Risk Free, Full Value rain check promotion. “We get more play now when the forecast is calling for 60% or 70% or 80% chance of rain because people know that too often the forecast is wrong, and if it isn’t we have them covered with the full value rain check. My competitors think I’m nuts, and I like it that way,” concludes Smith.
To learn more about how Pellucid can assist your marketing efforts, email us at info@pellucidcorp.com, or call Stuart Lindsay at 262.241.7088. We’ll be happy to talk with you.
About Pellucid: Pellucid is a Chicago-based golf market research, insight, and marketing services provider. For well over a decade, Pellucid has provided fact-based information on golfer demographics, weather impact analytics and customer relationship management metrics. These services have been used by over 600 golf industry participants ranging across individual golf courses, appraisers, management companies, equipment manufacturers and technology developers.
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