What is Google AdWords?

Before we get into what kinds of golf facilities would benefit from Google AdWords, let’s talk a little bit about what it is, exactly. AdWords is an online advertising service created by Google that allows advertisers to display ads to users based on keywords they search, websites they visit, topics of interest, and more. In most cases, advertisers using AdWords are charged on a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) basis. Google has two main networks, Search and Display. The Search Network hosts all ads displayed on Google’s search engine. The Display Network is for all image or interactive ads that are shown on third party websites. Below are examples of the two.

Why has it become so popular in recent years?

A lot of AdWords’ success is due to the fact that it is arguably the most trackable, measurable, and targeted forms of marketing there is. Gone are the days of purchasing an advertising spot (billboards, newspaper, etc.) and wondering if your investments yield a return. With a properly setup Google AdWords campaign, businesses can see exactly what their ROI is, allowing for smarter marketing decisions. Having this data helps companies spend their marketing budgets on advertisements that are actually making them revenue. Not many other advertising channels can say that.

While measurability has been a driving force in the success of Google AdWords amongst business owners, the ability to precisely control advertising campaigns is enough to make marketers jump for joy. AdWords campaigns can be made narrow enough to target audiences that are nearly microscopic or made large enough to achieve worldwide exposure. Budgets ranging from $100 to millions can be spent effectively on AdWords. Due to this unmatched control and versatility, AdWords campaign managers are able to achieve a wide range of marketing goals.

Lastly, Google AdWords provides instant results. Since AdWords search ads are typically used to target people that are looking to take action, there is very little lag time between initial interaction and purchase. In contrast, traditional forms of marketing can take days, weeks, or even months to finally yield a new customer.

Would AdWords work for you?

Golf facilities, both private and public, can benefit a great deal from Google AdWords. For public golf courses looking to sell more tee times, AdWords ads can help target people that are currently searching for a place to play. For example, many people search on Google using keywords like “golf courses near me”, especially when in unfamiliar areas. Using AdWords, your golf course could be the very first thing people see when they perform a search on Google. And with 89% of consumers using search engines to make purchasing decisions, you can imagine how powerful it is to be found first. This ultimately leads to more tee time bookings by NEW customers. The same can be done if you’re looking to book more golf lessons, weddings, banquets, and more. With proper tracking in place, golf facilities can see exactly how much revenue is generated from AdWords.

Here at 1-2-1 Marketing, we have clients that have experienced up to 19x return on advertising dollars in tee time revenue. Not to mention all the collateral benefits that come along with performing this type of advertising, such as increased awareness and return business. Private golf clubs looking to increase membership can target people searching on Google for “private country clubs” to achieve a similar result.

To really know if Google AdWords is right for your golf facility, it’s best to have a Certified Google Partner analyze the market that you plan to compete in. Forecasting data can provide some insight as to how effective the ads will be at reaching your marketing goals.

Click here to have your AdWords potential analyzed by 1-2-1 Marketing

Most golf courses spend thousands of dollars a year on marketing efforts that fail. That’s just the truth. Golf facilities waste their marketing budgets on newspaper, radio, television, and print advertising, without any data to prove that they are actually generating more business. Can you relate to this? Then it might be time to try a more measurable form of marketing like Google AdWords.