Send Your Customers Birthday Wishes

A great time for giving is just around the corner. Holidays are a prime time for giving and to reinforce customer loyalty. But celebrations are not limited to Thanksgiving and New Years. They are happening all year long. Every one of your customer has a birthday and they are the perfect time to celebrate your customers… and to drum up sales and generate revenue at your course.

Too many courses don’t take the time to send a birthday salutation to some of their best customers. Remembering and knowing a customer’s birthday can be especially important. And more important to the customer if you are offering something tangible But, just simply doing something like sending an e-mail as a birthday acknowledgement is more than just a smart move in good marketing. Birthday greetings will get customers thinking about coming in for their free or discounted perks, and all will almost always bring someone with them. Use your product as gifts. A birthday is a personal gift-giving, gift-receiving holiday, and e-mail can be the best medium for these targeted messages.

Of course, a great perk of e-mail marketing is its ability to cost-effectively deliver information to targeted customers and prospects. If you haven’t already, consider Cypress Golf Solutions as the most effective way to collect, store and utilize your customer’s e-mail addresses. Meanwhile, here are some other ideas to make your customers’ birthdays a branding, loyalty and revenue-generating event.

Inquire.
Quite simply, make finding out the birthday of your customers and their family member a priority. And remember, it’s easy and should of course be voluntary. To do this, tell customers what is in it for them. Offer something to entice them during their special month and/or day (a discount on a tee time or a free tee time, a percentage off pro shop items or a free sleeve of balls, a complimentary or 2 for 1 birthday cocktail in the clubhouse). Your customers will more than likely be happy to tell you when their special day is.

Remind.
Not only do you offer them great perks in celebration of their big day, you remind them. Send your customers an e-mail a few weeks before the customer’s birthday.

E-mail Wishes
On or around the big day, send a second e-mail acknowledging the occasion. Create an e-mail messages that offer a greeting such as “Happy Birthday from everyone here at [course name]” in addition to any other nice sentiments. Re-offer and remind them of what great gifts and/or perks they’ve earned in celebration of their big day gift-appropriate items (a golfing package including shirt, balls and higher-end merchandise) or a free round of golf. You will generate customer loyalty and appreciation. Additionally, golfers are generally not going to play by themselves. They will bring friends and most likely will have food and drinks to celebrate the special occasion.

Be Professional
Use a professional e-mail marketing tool. Although customers should be treated friendly, do not send your greetings from your personal e-mail account. While your e-mails need not be elaborate, they do need to be engaging (like any other marketing message). Birthdays can easily influence the power of marketing and increase your return on investment from one of your most valuable assets—your existing customers.

Don’t forget that while some your customers may not want to share their age, they will always be happy to accept a celebration at their favorite course. Remember, a few birthday wishes can go a long way.

GCSAA Education Open - Register Now!

Registration is open for the 2009 Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Education Conference from Feb. 2-7 in New Orleans. The GCSAA Education Conference, held in conjunction with the Golf Industry Show (Feb. 5-7), is the largest educational conference in the turfgrass management industry. A total of 123 seminars and 60 additional hours of educational sessions are offered, covering all ranges of golf course management, including agronomics, communication and business management.

GCSAA members can register online for the conference, or by calling 1-800-472-7878.

Non-member registration opens Oct. 30. Hotel and travel arrangements can be made through Golf Industry Travel, either online or by calling 800-442-7220. Registration is also open for the 2009 GCSAA National Championship and Golf Classic presented in partnership with The Toro Co., Feb. 1-3, in Gulf Shores, Alasaka, online at GCSAA Eduational Conference Website, or by calling 1-800-472-7878.

Media and non-member registration for the GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show opens Oct. 30.

"The GCSAA Education Conference and the Golf Industry Show is recognized for its high quality," GCSAA Chief Executive Officer Mark Woodward, CGCS said. "It is a must attend event in the golf industry because of the diversity of attendees and exhibitors. In addition, the education and networking opportunities are unmatched. In these challenging economic times, one cannot afford not to attend."

One of the highlights of the GCSAA Education Conference is the Opening Session Feb. 5. GCSAA's highest honor, the Old Tom Morris Award, will be presented at this session. The winner of the award will also headline the event as the featured speaker. Other GCSAA top awards that will be presented at this session are the Leo Feser Award, Excellence in Government Relations Award, GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards, President's Award for Environmental Stewardship, and the Col. John Morley Award, formerly the Distinguished Service Award.

GCSAA and its partnering associations of the Golf Industry Show are teaming up with New Orleans Habitat for Humanity to host a series of work days (Feb. 3-4) before the trade show opens to help build homes in some of New Orleans' most devastated areas. To support this first-ever volunteer project, register to participate in the event online at www.gcsaa.org/conference (or use registration form A-2 in the conference and show brochure) or support New Orleans Habitat's efforts through a donation on the registration form. Participation requires a $25 registration fee. The Golf Industry Show will provide transportation from the New Orleans Morial Convention Center, lunch at the work sites, water, sunscreen and a t-shirt. The deadline for registration is Jan. 2.

Registger now!