Thu Feb 23 2012How a Mobile Strategy Strengthens the Bond Between Player and Club
~Contributed by a Golf Industry Central reader~
Australia has embraced the world of smartphones and everywhere you look there is someone who has their head buried into a screen searching the internet for information or sharing content with friends across social media. Just behind Singapore, Australia has the highest smartphone penetration in the world and we're also consuming more apps, recent research from IPSOS revealed.
"The rise of smartphones is dramatically increasing the use of the internet overall in Australia and we're seeing mobile usage and smartphone usage starting to approach or even match PC usage," said Ryan Hayward, Google's mobile product marketing manager for the Asia-Pacific region.
Australians are also using their smartphones to find local businesses and a third of Australian smartphone users have made a web-based purchased after conducting a local search.
Therefore mobile website design and a clear mobile strategy is becoming necessary to meet the expectations and demands of your customers who are increasingly using their mobile phones to access the internet to search for golf courses, book tee times and browse club shops. There have been a number of reports and stats recently that indicate that businesses are not keeping up with consumers and their mobile web demands.
Thankfully it’s easy to get started with the basics and develop a cost effective mobile friendly website, that ensures you can provide a seamless experience to users whilst their browsing the mobile web. The growing importance of mobile optimisation cannot be understated it can increase sales, generate more traffic, and boost customer engagement. Delivering a good first impression and a better user experience generates more interaction and research has shown these users are likely to do more business with you. It has also been recognised that not only is the interaction within mobile devices, but also outside of the mobile device and it is more likely a relationship develops with the business.
With consumer expectation rising, it is now considered damaging to your brand and business to offer a poor mobile website with long page load times, confusing navigation and cluttered information. Consumers will just move on and find a competitor that can deliver the information they require fast and without fuss and in turn you will lose revenue.
Another component of your mobile strategy to consider is a customised golf app unique to your club. The adoption and proliferation of apps has created an incredible opportunity for golf courses to market and promote their facility. And with Australians again leading the world with an average of 25 apps on their phone, versus 23 for the US and Britain, there is an insatiable demand from golfers to use the latest technology to improve their game.
There are numerous marketing benefits to be gained by developing your own app, for example your facility and logo are always present on the device most people carry around at all times, so you remain top of mind. People also love to share and let friends know what score they shot, by adding social media integration; players can post their latest scores to their network of friends and family. This means your facility and logo will appear in their news feeds and bring your business to the attention of countless potential customers.
Due to the unique features of smartphones, golfers can receive a better playing experience by having an app that can give them the correct yardage, a bird’s eye view of the hole, weather forecasts, the ability to book tee times, place orders from the clubhouse menu and browse the club shop. Alerts can also be sent to make them aware of special promotions, golf lesson packages and social events, again further enhancing the relationship between player and club.
Paul Coleman is the founder of Fuse Mobile, a full service mobile marketing agency. They help their clients to best understand how to connect and engage with their customers through mobile devices to drive actions, brand awareness and increase revenue. Visit www.fusemobile.com.au
To read the new Golf Industry Central online magazine look below and click on it to enjoy it in full size.
