6 Tips for Private Club Marketing
Members are the bread and butter of any private club. Whether you’re a city, country, or alumni club, memberships are what make up the community— and sales— of your business. But in an age of competing recreational opportunities, how does a private club keep these numbers up?
Marketing, of course!
For more insight into private club marketing, we spoke to Mallory Horner, Director of Member Experience at The University of Texas Club in Austin, Texas. She offered some helpful tips for clubs trying to get their name out there amid a rapidly changing club marketing landscape.
Marketing Tips for Private Clubs
Here are six tips to keep in mind when building your city club or country club marketing plan.
1. Understand the changing private club marketing landscape.
To effectively market your club to audiences, it’s important to understand the history of the industry and how attitudes have shifted in recent years.
“Previously, we had focused on being exclusive and the ‘best-kept secret’,” Horner says. “Marketing had been frowned upon— you didn’t necessarily want the general population getting this membership invitation.”
Over the last five or so years, however, that belief has changed. “We no longer want to be the best-kept secret. We want everyone to know about us,” she explains. This means that more and more clubs are adopting the methods of outreach like social media that are used across other industries.
Instead of exclusivity, private clubs have pivoted to match what consumers nowadays are looking for— authenticity with the brands and businesses that they align themselves with.
“The genuine nature of the marketing is super important when you talk about private clubs,” Horner notes. Marketing is an opportunity to share stories, educate, show respect, and seek conversations with your customers. Make sure that you’re taking advantage of this opportunity and using it to build a relationship with your audience, not just sell them a membership.
2. Know who your audience is— and where they are.
As a private club, your marketing strategy will largely depend on who your audience is and where they are. Start by asking yourself some basic questions:
Who is your current and prospective audience? For example, are you an alumni club looking to bring in graduates and fans of your respective university? Are you an urban club looking to create a community of artists? Are you a country club hoping to attract younger members and families?
Where does your audience consume content? Does your audience use social media? Do they interact more with email campaigns? Find out what platforms they are on.
What are the interests of your audience? This will inform what type of content you post. Does your audience follow your local sports team? Are they interested in networking opportunities?
Because there is no one-size-fits-all marketing strategy, it’s important to take the time to understand who you are talking to. You may also find that your club has several audiences across channels.
“We have different audiences on each of our distribution platforms,” Horner says. On Instagram, UT Club’s audience is much younger and more prospective. Facebook, on the other hand, is where current members engage with the club.
Once you identify your audience across channels, you can work to ensure that your messaging matches their interests and what they want to see.
3. Show potential members the benefits of joining your club with video.
Sure, you can tell people what your club offers. But telling doesn’t carry the same weight as showing your audience.
“Video helps convey the intangible quality that you feel when you walk into a club,” Horner explains. “Like the sense of belonging— that’s not something that you can get from reading copy and it’s not something you can get from looking at a photo.”
The video above demonstrates how the medium is perfect for showcasing what makes your club special. Though there are no words, the message is clear— The University of Texas Club is the place for gourmet meals, tasty drinks, and networking with your community. Though you can easily tell your audience that your club provides those things, it doesn’t engage your audience nor draw them in the way that video does.
4. Don’t forget to keep your current members in the loop.
Private club marketing isn’t all about bringing in new members. It’s also important to keep your current members coming in to enjoy all your club has to offer. Here are a few ways that you can use content to promote and enhance your club’s member experience.
Promote upcoming events: Don’t assume that people are checking out your website’s events page to see the latest happenings. Make sure that you are taking time to promote events at your club.
Share recaps of previous events: If you recently held a big event, share photos and video footage. People love seeing content that they’re in, plus you drum up interest and excitement for the next gathering.
Use video for member how-to’s: Video can be used for much more than advertising your offerings. You can also use the medium for how-to and explainer videos for your current members. For example, The University of Texas Club uses videos to show members how to use their app.
Hold virtual interactive events: Virtual events online are great for those who can’t make it to an in-person event in the age of social distancing.
5. Do good and get your name out there with philanthropy.
Marketers often overlook the power of philanthropy as a marketing tool. If you’re going to be spending money towards raising awareness of your organization anyways, why not do some good in the process?
Horner noted some local Austin businesses who stepped up and donated food and water to people in need after the historic 2021 winter storm. “They’re spending money for good, but they’re also spending money in a way that is getting them noticed for all of the right reasons.”
Some ways that you can incorporate philanthropy into your club include:
Donating money to a nonprofit organization
Hosting charity events
Holding a charitable drive among your members (e.g. canned food drives, coat drives, etc)
It’s important that you are genuine with your efforts. People can tell when philanthropy is done to be self-serving. Let other people talk about your efforts; don’t flaunt your generosity. If you don’t get the recognition you had hoped for, it’s okay. Know that your efforts never go completely unnoticed and you are still making an impact in the community.
6. Anticipate where the industry is moving.
Successful marketing is more than staying up-to-date on the current trends. It’s equally as important to anticipate where the future of your industry is heading. That way, when things do start to shift, you can be ready to meet the new demands of consumers.
For example, the golf industry is growing right now and golf course advertising is changing. “You'll see a lot of those clubs singling themselves out and really telling their story,” Horner notes. “It's going to be super important to have things like aerial photos of every single hole on the golf course with all the stats on it.”
In the past, golf courses were advertised more as a homogenous product. The future of golf course marketing is differentiating yourself and showing people what makes you unique.
City clubs, on the other hand, are starting to take the opposite approach. Club groups are homogenizing their offerings so members know that they can expect the same great upscale experience, no matter what club they go to.
Other types of clubs, like stadium and alumni clubs, are seeing an increase in popularity as well. For these, leaning into their affiliation and identity will be extremely important.
Conclusion
There are several unique considerations to take into account when marketing a private club. First and foremost, it’s important to know the industry and who you are. This will allow you to successfully reach your audiences with messages that are relevant and engaging through mediums like video on social media. Marketing is the place to set yourself up for success and let people know about all the great benefits of joining your club.