INTERMEDIATE GUIDE: INSTAGRAM FOR GOLF COURSES - AUGUST 2014

INTERMEDIATE GUIDE:
INSTAGRAM FOR GOLF
          COURSES
         AUGUST 2014

GUIDE OUTLINE

     Content

     Video on Instagram

     Growing your presence

     Useful applications

Is this guide right for you?
If you are a golf course owner or operator serious
about engaging with the brand-boosting social media
tool that is Instagram, this intermediate 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 for you professionals
and collegiate club golf team sin the NCCGA.

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
Starting in 2014, 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
can extend similar promotions as your college
offerings or develop distinct packages for young
professionals.

                Follow us on Instagram:
                  @Nextgengolfclub
                       @NCCGA

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   Follow Margaret on
University of Texas at
Austin.                              Twitter
                                @MargaretEfthim

WHAT IS INSTAGRAM?

Instagram facts:
 40 million+ photos uploaded per day
 1,000+ Instagram comments per second
 Increasing in popularity for Millennials versus
   facebook

CONTENT

 Posting frequently
 What makes a high-quality photo?
 Cultivating authenticity

CONTENT TIP #1: POST DAILY

  Frequency of posts is an important
 factor in building a strong Instagram
 presence. Posting daily will help you
stay relevant – the more your name is
  featured on users’ feeds, the more
interaction you will get. This will drive
             new followers.

CONTENT TIP #2: POST HIGH
     QUALITY PICTURES

You don’t need a fancy camera to take a high quality
  photo. A smartphone will do the trick. Just make
 sure the lighting is good and the photo is clear. Why
 not go out on your course and take a #golfgram? A
           golf course is a beautiful subject.

CONTENT TIP #3: BE
     AUTHENTIC AND FUN

Instagram is where real people share their
 moments. Engage by showing humor and
  authenticity. Have some fun! The best
  company accounts on Instagram show
                personality.

VIDEO ON INSTAGRAM

 Filters
 Trimming
 Cover frame

FILTERS

Start by choosing a video from your camera
   roll and press “NEXT.” The wand allows
     you to choose from a variety of video
  filters giving your video a pop. You don’t
   have to put a filter on your video – this
         is optional, similar to photos.

TRIMMING YOUR CLIP

  Instagram allows up to 15 seconds per
video. This is plenty of time to show off a
golf swing or feature a short clip. Use the
scissors icon to edit your video from start
                  to stop.

COVER FRAME

   Instagram videos appear like photos on a
feed, with a thumbnail. Users choose to watch
  a video by clicking a play icon. Entice your
followers to watch your videos, with appealing
             covers for the video.

GROWING YOUR PRESENCE

 Strategic hashtagging
 Interact with the industry
 Giveaways & promotions

STRATEGIC HASHTAGGING

Two recent hashtags taking Instagram by
     storm are #whyilovethisgame and
 #dontsleeponsummer. Think about using
   these and other popular hashtags to
increase visibility to the golf community.

INTERACT WITH THE INDUSTRY

The only way to attract new followers is to
 show people you’re out there. Gaining new
 followers is as easy as following influential
      people in the industry, using smart
 hashtags, liking, and commenting on a LOT
            of users’ golf photos.

GIVEAWAYS & PROMOTIONS

A great way to encourage interaction is to do
   giveaways and promotions exclusive to
 Instagram followers. Try giving away a free
  foursome in August for the best #___gram
      taken at your course this month!

USEFUL APPLICATIONS

                   Repost
     Repost lets you post other users’ photos
        while maintaining photo quality and
        properly crediting the original post.

                Whitagram
       Whitagram creates tasteful white space
      around portrait and landscape photos, so
      you don’t have to crop photos down to a
          square shape and cut off edges.

                 Pic Stitch
      Pic Stitch enables you to make collages of
          multiple photos and post directly to
                       Instagram.

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 18-34 year olds.
     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 for the best on-course photo (and make
     sure the person follow your account too!).

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. When was the last time you communicated with a
   customer on Twitter, if ever?

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:

 Golf Websites For Dummies Guide

 Intermediate Twitter 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
           COO & Director of Course Relations
          781.864.6430
          Mike@nextgengolf.org
           @nextgolfer