According to the study that the National Golf Foundation has carried out in recent years to try to determine to what extent golfers participate in the online world. One of the key areas they analyzed was social networks and, to say the least, the results were surprising.
Golf and social networks
They define “native golfers” as the group that plays 85% of all rounds and are responsible for more than 85% of all golf industry revenue. As you can imagine, this group is quite conservative and not close to the type of people you would expect to be very active in the social media world. Well, it turns out it is quite the opposite: they are very committed to social networks and are a very active group. In fact, they are more engaged with social media and user-generated content than the general population.
The statistics are enlightening:
- 60% of native golfers maintain a profile on at least one social network.
- 3.7 million native golfers regularly read blogs about brands, courses, travel, and professional golf.
- 6.9 million native players visit their main social network at least once a week.
- 3.9 million native players visit their main social network every day.
These figures increase year after year, with no real signs of slowing down. Hundreds of millions of euros in purchasing decisions in this sector are influenced every day in the social media world. Whether through branded social media sites, blogs offering opinions, or golfers sharing their experiences.
It is clear that the golf community is interested in communicating through social networks, which makes one wonder how so many brands and professionals can be missing out on this great opportunity. The core audience is asking for more social media, and the brands and players who step up will soon see the results materialize.
The negative side of social media
All of this sounds great because it is a world of opportunities that exists on social networks. But there is a negative side, and that is the possibility of doing things wrong. Nowadays, it doesn’t take long for a mistake to travel the world and become a trending topic on Twitter. Yes, you can draw attention to your brand, but is it really the attention you want?
Obviously, the answer is no. The best option is to hire a company or professional to help you with your social networks to ensure you are doing everything right. This does not mean that you must keep a consultancy forever, but even so, laying a solid foundation is a critical component for a successful presence on social media.
You must understand the rules and expectations of your audience on social networks, and you must remember that social media is a two-way conversation. You must have the time, desire, and ability to create quality content on a regular basis and then be prepared to answer questions and comments. Your social media company could help you at the beginning and then teach you how to handle the situation in the long term.
Conclusion
Remember that there is a great opportunity to do things right. Just because you can participate in social networks for free does not mean it is easy.
After all, most players have taken golf lessons from a professional or coach to improve their technique.
Don’t you think it is possible to do the same with your actions on social media?
