Tag Archives: John Hakim

Episode 72: The Social Golf Course Part 2

The Social Golf Course was written by Zeb Welborn and John Hakim.

The Social Golf Course by Zeb Welborn and John Hakim

The Social Golf Course

In Episode 72 of the Defining Success Podcast we go through our book chapter by chapter and discuss the ideas presented in the book. At the end of each chapter we present a question in our book, which we encourage readers to engage with on our website, SocialGolfCourse.com.

In Part 2, we discuss Chapters 9 – 14.

‘The Social Golf Course’ with John Hakim, Part 2

Chapter 9: How to Become a Social Golf Course
Basically, in this chapter we walk through each platform and the basics of how to use each platform. Create a social culture and reflect that culture online through your website, email list/newsletter, Facebook, Blog, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Social media is constantly evolving and each platform will offer different ways to reach out and encourage golfers to play your course.

Which platform is the most important for golf courses to utilize to reach more customers?

Chapter 10: Greenskeeper.org Golf’s Social Network
In this chapter we discuss how golf courses can leverage Greenskeeper.org. How they can use it for free, and why Greenskeeper.org is a media buy.

How do I get more GK’ers playing my golf course? More ideas!

Chapter 11: Creating Content to Build a Golf Community
Creating content for social media is not easy. In this chapter we have lots of ideas and examples for creating content that will resonate with your golfers. Macro content is larger pieces of content designed to educate, entertain, or help tell the story of a golf course. Including 19th Hole Stories, the golf stories you share in the clubhouse before and after a round of golf. Micro Content can be posted more frequently. It is smaller pieces of content that are designed to build engagement.

What is your favorite 19th hole story?

Chapter 12: Implementing Social Media: Getting Your Staff Involved
To transform your course into a social golf course it’s important to have several members of your staff contributing. Staff members from marketing, top level management, turf management, the pro shop, tournament organization, event planning, and outside services can all be a part of your course’s social media presence.

What ideas do you have to get golf course staff more involved in the social media presence at your golf course?

Chapter 13: Managing Your Reputation
Today, customers naturally filter sales messages because the internet, search engines and social media provide a more accurate representation of your golf course. Properly handling negative and positive reviews on your social networks can not only bring more golfers to your course, they can help you make your business better.

How do you handle positive or negative reviews at your golf course? Have any examples?

Chapter 14: The Social Golf Course
Creating the social golf course will take hard work commitment and dedication. The social golf course is proud of their product. They strive to give the best golfing experience to every golfer that visits the course and then work to share that experience with as many people as possible.

Use social media effectively and turn your golf course into The Social Golf Course.

Do you have questions about how to turn your golf course into a social golf course?

Visit www.SocialGolfCourse.com!

Check out the book on Amazon.com, The Social Golf Course: Increasing Rounds with Social Media. Available for Kindle (you can download the kindle app for free on most smart phones, tablets, and computers!) and as a paperback.

Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail

Episode 68: The Social Golf Course Part 1

The Social Golf Course was written by Zeb Welborn and John Hakim.

The Social Golf Course by Zeb Welborn and John Hakim

The Social Golf Course

In Episode 68 of the Defining Success Podcast we go through our book chapter by chapter and discuss the ideas presented in the book.  At the end of each chapter we present a question in our book, which we encourage readers to engage with on our website, SocialGolfCourse.com.

In Part 1, we discuss Chapters 1 – 8.

Chapter 1: The Death of the Traditional Golf Course. When I think of the glory days of golf, I think back to the time my grandfather played the game as the men’s club president at his local golf course.  The times have changed and we must think about the game differently. The local golf course must take the responsibility for developing and enhancing their local communities — online and offline.

Question: When were the glory days of golf?

Chapter 2: An Industry in the Rough Golf has been in decline since 2005.  It’s been a scary time in the golf course industry with more courses closing than opening and the outlook doesn’t look pretty.  Golf courses need to take a much more active role in promoting the game.

What is the biggest problem facing golf today?  How can we fix it?

Chapter 3: The St. Andrews Model St. Andrews is the undisputed home of golf, but it is not by luck.  St. Andrews marketed themselves and their golf course to the world which has made St. Andrews the most recognizable golf course in golf.  The most important thing golf courses can do is to market their golf course effectively.

What are some interesting ways you’ve seen golf courses market themselves? How do/would you market your golf course?

Chapter 4: The Mulligan Tee time wholesalers have been detrimental to the golf course industry.  Social media has created an opportunity for local golf courses to eliminate the need for tee time wholesalers and create a strong personal brand for themselves.

Are tee time wholesalers good or bad for the golf course industry?

Chapter 5: Golf is a Social Game Golf is a social game.  It’s a no brainer that social media and golf go together.

What makes golf special?

Chapter 6: Marketing in Today’s Economy Effective marketing methods change all the time.  Right now, social media is outperforming all other forms of advertising methods.  We all must learn how to market effectively as technology is changing the way we live and the way we consume information.

What is the future of marketing in the golf course industry?

Chapter 7: The Golf Niche Golfers are really easy to reach through social media.  Targeting features on different social media platforms offer a great opportunity to connect with your target market.

Who is your ideal customer? How can you get them?

Chapter 8: How Being Social Can Increase Profits at Your Course The big question is, how can social media make money for your golf course.  In this chapter we go in detail about how social media works and how you can profit from using social media at your golf course.

How has social media impacted your relationship with your customers?

Part 2 will complete our discussion on The Social Golf Course.

Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail

Episode 65: Creating an Online Community with Zeb Welborn

Creating an online community is no easy task.  The key ingredient toward building an online community of people who take action is consistency, persistence and greatness.

Online Community, Online Golfing Community, Bunkers Paradise

Bunkers Paradise

I came into contact with Bunker’s Paradise while working for Los Serranos Country Club in Chino Hills, CA.  Bunker’s Paradise is an online golfing community where they talk about anything and everything golf.  Mostly they focus on reviewing golf clubs and golf equipment, but they’ve created a great golfing community here in Southern California.  The key to creating a vibrant golfing community online is creating good, quality content according to Ken Lee, the Editor-in-Chief at Bunker’s Paradise.  Ken is a full-time police officer, yet in his free time he’s been able to build this online community of golfers.  If you’re a small business, work to build a community like Ken Lee’s Bunker’s Paradise.

Greenskeeper.org Online Community Online Golfing Community

Greenskeeper.org

Greenskeeper.org is another great golfing community in Southern California.  Greenskeeper.org started as a website to notify golfers when golf courses were performing aeration.  The community has expanded substantially since it began more than 10 years ago and is working to make the golfing experience more enjoyable for golfers.  The owner, John Hakim said that whenever he invested in his community he’s seen rewards come from it and he works hard to be of service to his GK’ers.  By creating a vibrant golfing community which now regularly rates and reviews golf courses he’s been able to create a community of 60,000 golfers here in Southern California.  He routinely holds golf outings and gets his golfers involved.  In fact, we’ll be having a golf outing this week on March 14 at Los Serranos Country Club in Chino Hills, CA.  All are welcome!  Contact Zeb Welborn at Zeb@WelbornSocialMedia.com

Scrapbook Expo Online Community

Scrapbook Expo

Scrapbook Expo is another great company that has been able to build an online community which have helped them increase sales for their business.  They started by developing an extremely active Facebook presence, now with more than 120,000 Facebook followers.  These followers are very active online and contribute regularly to the Scrapbook Expo Facebook page and in turn, build massive word of mouth exposure for the events Scrapbook Expo holds all over the country.  Look to Scrapbook Expo if you’d like to build a strong online community. Creating an online community is no easy task.  Many who set out to achieve that goal quickly realize the amount of work it takes to establish and develop an online presence and quit.  To develop a strong online community it takes consistency and persistence.  Develop a loyal customer base and have those loyal customers promote and build your brand online and you’ll be well on your way to developing a strong social media presence.

Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail

Episode 35: Making Your Customers A Part of Your Business | Johnny Hakim from Greenskeeper.org

Johnny Hakim from Greenskeeper.org shares his insights on how to make a customer feel like they are a part of your business and how he uses that to keep customers for longer and become active promoters of his business.  Learn how to create raving fans by making your customers become a part of your business and learn how to manage your online reputation in Episode 35 of the Defining Success Podcast.

Johnny Hakim | How to Make Your Customers Become a Part of Your Business | Greenskeeper.org

Johnny Hakim

Johnny Hakim (JohnnyGK) is the owner of Greenskeeper.org.  Greenskeeper.org is a free online community and golf social network providing golf course review, aeration alerts, overseeding schedules, photos, specials, tee times, score tracking, outings, product reviews and more.

Greenskeeper.org started back in 2000 and Johnny was doing record promotion and he was always golfing on Wednesdays.  There was too many times where he encountered golf courses that were doing aeration that he decided to see if there was any place online that was giving golfers aeration alerts.  He couldn’t find anything.  While he was doing this record production he decided to make his own website and wanted to do more with it.  He interviewed some programmers and found what he was looking for.  He’s been inspired ever since.

His website started working in Ventura County, Los Angeles County, Orange County, and once he put those up other places were asking for it including San Diego County, Riverside County and San Bernardino County.  A lot of people highlighted their appreciation of the program and loved what Johnny has been able to do at Greenskeeper.org.

Johnny has set up his website and it has pretty much spread organically since its inception.  People come up to him all the time and tell him how wonderful the site is and how much they love what he is doing with Greenskeeper.org.

When Johnny started his website, he just wanted to let people know about the aeration schedules at golf courses.  But, he knew that the website was a work in progress.  The users have helped determine the direction of the website and all the things you see on the Greenskeeper.org website comes from the users themselves and suggestions from golf course owners.

Right now, the website revolves around the “GKer” the people who are giving back and helping others understand the condition of local golf courses.  Johnny’s website gives people an opportunity to share their experiences at golf courses, for the benefit of those who are involved in the game.  Most people come to Greenskeeper.org to read the golf reviews.  People use Greenskeeper.org for aeration alerts, they use a score tracker, they are now using the community forums where people can discuss and share their thoughts about golf and local golf courses.

One of the biggest challenges Johnny had faced in building his business was actually making money. When he started the site, he was hoping that golf courses would be eager to advertise on his platform where he was reaching enormous amounts of golfers.  The problem was that the golfing industry was way behind the times when it came to their online presence.

The biggest problem Johnny sees in the golf industry is that they are not adapting to the changing world.  They are still marketing traditionally and are not investing in the online world and are losing to competitors who are taking advantage of the opportunities available online.  In order to succeed golf courses need to control their online presence and promote themselves online.

The people who are going to succeed are the ones who are looking into the future and not the ones who are holding on to the past.  This is probably the biggest reason why golf courses are failing today.

On the Greenskeeper.org website golfers can leave reviews on golf courses all over the United States and one of the things Johnny has had a hard time doing is convincing golf courses to reach out to the people that are playing their course and say thank you.  By being proactive on the Internet and thanking those people who have played the course, you are creating an opportunity for massive word of mouth promotion.

By responding to criticism or thanking people for using your business.  You are now able to show that you are being authentic and that you genuinely care about your customers.  Before the Internet, each customer was valuable, but now, other customers can see how you treat your customers in a public forum and they can connect with that.

The large majority of people who visit Greenskeeper.org are not the people who are leaving the reviews.  They are what Johnny calls, lurkers.  They visit the site to get information about golf courses and then make decisions about the golf courses they plan on playing from there.  So, even though there are only a few recommendations on the golf course pages themselves, those reviews are being seen by hunderds and, in some cases, thousands of golfers.

Monetizing Greenskeeper.org has been no easy task.  Johnny has spoken with golf course owners and decision makers for years trying to understand their needs and figure out how he can service those needs with his website and it has been a struggle, but he has come up with a solution that works.  Golf courses are now using Greenskeeper.org to highlight their golf courses on the website for a small monthly fee and the golf courses who utilize these features have experienced a lot of success.

One of Johnny’s greatest moments working at Greenskeeper.org was recently when he set up his first golf outing for golfers in Central and Northern California.  Many people in the GK community took part in the tournament.  They came together and had a great time.

John Hakim from Greenskeeper.org on the Defining Success Podcast with Zeb Welborn Know Before You Go

Greenskeeper.org

Engaging Discussion Questions:

  • How do you make your customers feel like they are a part of your business?
  • Do you think the Internet and online marketing can help in word of mouth marketing?
  • How do you handle reviews about your business?

Links to Great Stuff:

  • Greenskeeper.org – “Greenskeeper.org is a free online community, golf social network, providing golf course reviews, aeration alerts, overseeding schedules, photos, specials, tee times, score tracking, outings, product reviews, more.”
  • Gary Vaynerchuk – “I love to hustle!”

Success Quotes:

  • “Success is inspiration.”
  • “When you’re following your heart or passion, you’re successful.”
  • “When you’re inspired, you’re successful.”
  • “To be a GKer is to be someone that appreciates the site in general and is a part of the community concept.”
  • “To be a GKer is to be active in writing reviews and a part of the community.”
  • “Every time we do one of these GK events there is just a good vibe.”
  • “The most active pages on Greenskeeper.org get 1,000’s of views a month.”
  • “When a golf course is being authentic and thankful, golfers will see that as that’s how they treat their customers.”
  • “Just saying thank you can make all the difference in the world for a golf course.”
  • “It boils down to word of mouth.  That’s what drive most business.”
  • “Golf courses need to take their online presence seriously.”
  • “They are getting the pants beat off of them by the wholesalers and they weren’t identifying that there customers were going online.”
  • “The golfing industry is way behind the times when it comes to their online presence.”

Special Requests:

Zeb Welborn Golf, Defining Success Podcast Golf and 19th Hole Media Golf are offering you a free 3-month membership to Golf Card International

Free 3-Month Membership to Golf Card International

Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail