If you are in a golf business and are using social media, maybe knowing how others are failing at their attempt of using social media will give you a better understand of how to use social media effectively.
The following are some reasons why businesses fail in social media.
1. Fail to be social
The reason people are popular in social media is due to them being social. They discuss, interact, make noise, learn and have fun. It is because other people like having them in their circle of friends is why they are accepted in their social space. Therefore, when golf businesses fail to get social, they do themselves, and the entire golf industry, a great disservice.
2. Talk only about the product
Some golf businesses get into Twitter thinking they can make noise about their products and get people’s attention. That does not work and now is turning people away from those who just take for granted Twitter and Facebook are just billboards for product/service ads. Even the major icons of the golf industry, like PGA, LPGA or Titleist ,have had to move away from the billboard method of marketing and hire people to reach out to the few golfers in the social spaces to have conversations. People, especially golfers, are less tolerant to the steady stream of promotions. If you are a golf business person, you have to have conversation with others until you become an authority and posting just Links to redundant news items does not make you an authority.
3. Don’t answer responses
Golfers are human and have human reactions to things. Most of the time their reaction to posts from golf businesses comes in the form of asking questions and even make a constructive comment. What they are looking for is answers. When a golf business does not respond in any way, people will quickly remove them from their list of ‘trusted friends’ so their irresponsive posts do not clog up their timeline feed from golf businesses and golfers who add value to their social space. It is important to respond in some form to every type of response..if the spammers should get a response like hitting the Block Button.
4. Fail to understand people
Golf businesses exist only because of people who play golf. Online that is a very, very small market. When golf businesses, large and small, don’t understand people, they fail on a grand scale. To gain market share of the few golfers online a golf business person needs to understand people. For the many golf businesses who find it difficult to understand golfers the key is to just be yourself..a person. When a golf business does not appear to be human they generate distance between the golfers and the business.
5. Fail to give value to followers
Being a good quality business is only half of the work. The other half is giving value to the people who chose to follow the business. Offering exclusive product review or an exclusive discount is good only of it is presented in a social manor. The key is to reward and give value to your followers by giving them a feeling you sincerely care.
6. They are not fun
Many golf businesses are wary of getting social but still want to have an impact in social media. In an attempt to keep things under control, many golf businesses will have rules for everything. This takes the FUN out of the social space. If you appear to have no sense of humor you are not looked at seriously by the people in the social space. What golf businesses fail to understand is the rules in social media are set by the consumer, not companies. To succeed a golf business needs to be a fun person in the social space.
7. They have poor products
If a golf business has a bad product, they cannot expect any magic to happen in social media. Many of the golf businesses in the social space need to rebuild their product rather than pushing a bad, or yet unwanted, product to people.
Make the Change-PLEASE!
There are many, many (too many) golf businesses who take it upon themselves to launch out into the social space with their own ideas of what social media is all about. As a result they fail and fail miserably. Their failure reflects badly on the other golf businesses who have a better grasp on how to use social media.
Social media is simple and a very productive tool for golf businesses to use if they will keep the social part before the marketing part. Most golf businesses would also benefit more if they set up shop as a person in a social space that offers more of an opportunity for real conversations…like Facebook. Then once they get a support group of fans, and a feel of how powerful social media really is, then venture off into Twitter. Doing it the other way around is a huge time suck and will again result in a golf business person becoming frustrated with social media.
I was told that once a person knows which end of a hammer to use to drive a nail they can build anything. Let me know how I can help.
