Erika Larkin, the 2012 Middle Atlantic PGA Section Teacher of the Year, is the PGA director of instruction at Stonewall Golf Club in Gainesville, Va.
Erika Larkin on the importance of moveable advertising reaching more students:
Finding new and fresh ways to advertise yourself around your facility can be challenging. I recently created an A-frame message board structure that has proven very valuable to me and my teaching programs. Installing a white board and slats for letters on the A-frame, I am able to display daily or weekly messages for my students and potential students. I often put a quote from the likes of Bobby Jones, Bob Rotella or Arnold Palmer on the board to inspire golfers. The message board contains information about current instruction programs, my website and where to go to find out more information about programs. This structure can be moved around the facility and placed near my lesson tee, outside the golf shop or near the first tee, avoiding stagnant advertising. When I am in a lesson or talking to some of the golfers or my students, this board acts as another form of advertising for me and my programs. As branding is important to all teaching professionals, the color theme of the board remains consistent with all of my publication materials so that golfers can easily recognize my name around the facility.
Erika Larkin on the business impact of moveable advertising reaching more students:
The cost of the board was roughly $300. The board has easily paid for itself after only recruiting a couple of new students for lessons. I feel I receive at least two or three inquires per week as a result of my mobile message board. This form of advertising is great after I leave the facility for the day as well. I have positioned the board closer to the clubhouse so that those customers who are at our facility for a wedding or a banquet have an opportunity to read about my lesson offerings. I have a larger audience from which to recruit more students by keeping the board visible throughout the entire facility and not just the practice range.
