On Facebook specifically, posts that contain video content are receiving more likes, shares, and comments, which ultimately is leading to more exposure. Brand are quickly jumping on the bandwagon, posting more short clips and receiving much higher organic reach from their Facebook efforts. Because of this, Facebook is quickly taking market share away from Youtube for video content.
Knowing that short videos are the ideal form of content to users in 2016, most golf courses have yet to catch on. Capturing, editing, and sharing videos can be done on nearly every smart phone in a few moments, so that time to start leveraging videos for social media is now. Between brave wildlife, interesting weather, special events, and talented golfers, there is always something interest taking place at a golf facility. You just have to film it!
Engagement Stats
Still not convinced? Let’s look at some statistics.
- Video content receives nearly 3x as many views as images
- Videos posted to Facebook receive 600% more engagement (likes, comments, shares)
- Videos reach 135% more people than other posts
- Users post 75% more videos than a year ago
- 59% of users would rather watch a video than read a post.
It’s clear that videos are the new king of social media. However, there’s a few things you should know before you start posting short clips of your golf course.
- 85% of Facebook video is watched without sound
- Videos under 30 seconds receive the best engagement
- 41% of Facebook pages use paid ads to promote their videos
This means that when you’re filming these videos for your golf facility’s Facebook page it’s important to focus on the length of the video, whether or not the video will require sound to enjoy, and how you’re going to get it in front of your target audience. Try to keep Facebook videos short and with little to no dialogue. If dialogue is necessary, try to catch people’s attention early in the video to help with engagement. They will be more likely to turn up their sound if they are interested in the content.
How Golf Courses Can Use Facebook Video
Find a beautiful swing
Every golf facility has at least a few scratch golfers that regularly play there. Get a couple clips of them warming up on the range or at the first tee. A great swing is always fun to watch and makes golfers want to head to the range after work to polish up on their own.
Animals
People love nature and golf courses typically have plenty of it. Animals wandering the course is a great opportunity to record social media gold. The abundance of cat videos on Facebook solidify the fact that animals are always a big hit with followers. You may even consider some of your customers to be animals, but I digress.
Junior Golfers
Nothing is as heart warming as cute kids enjoying the game of golf. There's something about a 9 year old with a better swing than you that makes people want to click the "like" button. Junior camps and tournaments make for fun video content that your Facebook followers will adore. It goes without saying, always get the parents permission before videoing or posting their child to social media.
Incredible Course Conditions
Proud of how well the greens are looking recently? Take a short video of a few holes and showcase them on your Facebook page. Anyone can apprecaite a well manicured golf course.
Weather
Good weather is one of the main stimulants for getting more golfers to a course. Is it a bright, sunny, and just an all around beautiful day? Perfect opportunity for a Facebook video. Poor weather can be a spectacle as well. Lightning and heavy storms can be an interesting thing to share with your followers, but it obviously won’t be attracting golfers on that particular day. We advise only sharing a video of a storm when you're certain weather won't be improving anytime soon.
Special Events
Many golf courses host special events and fundraisers that can make for fun video content. It can also prompt someone else’s interest in having a golf outing for their next event.
Real Life Examples
We wanted to give you an actual example that showcases how well videos can gain traction on Facebook. A customer of ours, Anchorage Golf Course in Alaska, posted a short video of a moose chasing ducks in one of the ponds on the course. Shortly after posting the video went viral, receiving over 1,100 likes, 5,300 shares, and 220,000 views! The post reached over a half a million people in just a few days! Needless to say, a short video ended up generating more exposure than anyone would have imagined. You would have had to pay thousands of dollars to receive the same results with other traditional marketing efforts.
You may not have moose swimming around at your golf course, but chances are there is something interesting going on from time to time. All you have to do is capture it. In fact, you may not even have to do that. Your customers are also a good resource for video content and are typically happy to share what they've recorded with you.
Less than 37% of businesses post videos to their Facebook wall. With the increases in engagement and exposure you can receive from a short, 10-30 second clip, golf courses should be scrambling to get on board. It’s fun, it’s easy, and your followers will thank you.
Have questions about a Facebook strategy or want to know more about how to leverage social media to improve your golf business? Shoot me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. today!
