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.