Keith Bennett is the PGA Teaching Professional at The Golf Club at Newcastle, in Newcastle, Washington.

Keith Bennett on the importance of offering internet-only deals on big holidays:

For the last three or so years I’ve really tried to expand my social media presence, especially on Instagram, where I have amassed nearly 33,000 followers and where I offer free tips and other interesting golf swing nuggets. More and more, tech savvy golfers are getting into the social media space and are used to being marketed on those platforms by various brands and manufacturers. I saw an opportunity as a PGA Professional to put myself out there, and by doing so have been able to expand my student base beyond Seattle, while also reaching golfers within the Seattle area who didn’t know about The Golf Club at Newcastle.

Keith Bennett on the business impact of offering internet-only deals on big holidays:

I, of course, have my students I’ve attained through the normal way – the golf shop. But through the foray into Instagram, I started giving online lessons through an app called Skillest. With an engaged base of students online and at The Golf Club at Newcastle, this holiday season I decided to run two special deals. For the holiday season at Newcastle, I’ve been offering 20 percent off all lesson packages, with the session having to be redeemed by March. I’ve sold 15 of those so far, which is trending above the norm, especially for this time of year in the Pacific Northwest. Simultaneously, I offered a Cyber Monday deal for my online lesson business – also 20 percent off a lesson – and I sold 30 in three days. Normally I get 15-20 in a month, so getting 30 in a three-day timespan is huge. Furthermore, I often get players who will find me on social media, take a lesson from me on Skillest, realize we’re in the same general area, and come out to Newcastle to have a playing lesson and continue our work in person. That’s a win for all and a potential new recurring customer playing golf at Newcastle. So, when assessing your marketing and social media strategy, examine your digital footprint and seek to take advantage of it.

If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email keithbennett10@gmail.com