In last week’s 2-minute tip, we raised the idea of having a step by step systematic approach to your club marketing (in the same way you might have systems for other things in your club). And we shared a free report on 7 Steps to Marketing Success which outlined one suggested systematic approach called Duct Tape Marketing.

This week’s tip shares some thoughts on how Step 1– Narrow Your Focus – applies to clubs.

This step reminds us that marketing resources (whether time or money) are always limited. And yet, it seems to be human nature that many of us want to divide our focus and efforts.

The easiest way to do avoid this diverse focus and identify your ideal customer is to answer this question: ‘If you had $1 to spend on marketing, where would you spend it, bearing in mind that the customer base needs to be sufficient to sustain our growth.’

Or to put it differently ‘What will give you the maximum ROI on your marketing investment in such a way that we can sustain your business.’

Think about how much of your marketing, promotions and advertising budget is designed specifically for the ideal customer you want to attract?

This ideal customer may or may not be the same as your traditional customer basis. One of the most important points to remember about marketing is this – your marketing focus is not necessarily the same as your current business focus.

The time you spend on this exercise will be invaluable and might produce some surprises.

For example, if you are a Bowling Club what does your ideal customer look like? Is it the member who comes to your club once a week to play bowls and goes home as soon as the game is over?  Is it the customer who bowls twice a week? Or is it the customer who bowls at least once a week but has disposable income to spend on other services? Or are you going to get the biggest return on a customer who doesn’t bowl at all but is attracted by other things? (Note that if it is the last of these, it doesn’t necessarily mean that tomorrow you should close down bowling – which is what we mean when we say that ‘your marketing focus is not necessarily the same as your current business focus’.)

Some Golf Clubs might  identify the ‘company seeking conferences in a golfing atmosphere’ as their ideal customer. This wouldn’t mean that you suddenly stop providing golfing services to members or to the public. But it may mean that you might find you get a bigger return on investment for marketing effort (dollars and time) spent on conferences than on golf.
 
Once you have decided your ideal customer, gradually expand your description of them. In the above example, this could include types of conferences, ages of attendees, compliance with dress and behavioural standards, type of food required and many other characteristics. Once the ideal customer profile is clear the strategies to increase the number of those customers can start to be more directed and productive. Some companies might not be ideal customers and they might even be refused as a booking.

This step 1 is a good way of clarifying where your greatest marketing efforts should be directed and it helps you look at your business from a different angle. It is a step that will open up creative thought about strategy and return on investment.

If you would like to read more about this step and the other 6 Steps, download the free 25 page report here.

Next week’s tip: Step 2 –What Is Your Core Difference?

Previous 2-Minute Tips and Blog Posts

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