According to Wikipedia.org, conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms. Norms are implicit, unsaid rules shared by a group of individuals that guide their interactions with others and among society or social group. This tendency to conform occurs in small groups and/or society as a whole, and may result from subtle unconscious influences, or direct and overt social pressure. Conformity can occur in the presence of others or when an individual is alone.
People often conform from a desire for security within a group—typically a group of a similar age, culture, religion, or educational status. This is often referred to as groupthink: a pattern of thought characterized by self-deception, forced manufacture of consent, and conformity to group values and ethics, which ignores realistic appraisal of other courses of action. Unwillingness to conform carries the risk of social rejection.
When it comes to golf course marketing, most people tend to conform to the norm. This approach can (and will) be deadly. Golf properties have to get away from what they have done for the past fifty (50) plus years and start re-thinking how they present their product to the market. Most golf marketers have no idea why they market their golf facilities the way they do other than that was the way they were taught. If you asked 20 want-to-be golf marketers why they market their golf facility the way they do I bet 5 of them couldn’t give you a logical reason other than something silly like “this is what has always worked”. Of course these challenged individuals are failing to realize the reason we are even talking is because “this” isn’t working.
People buy golf products and services for different reasons today than they did in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s and even in the 90’s. Until you grasp onto this fact you are always going to be chasing your tail. You must be creative and think outside-the-box. If the new marketing plan doesn’t fit your business model, maybe it is time to rethink your business model. Maybe it is your business model that isn’t working and therefor hindering your marketing efforts.
Everything is advancing at lightning speed in today’s world, so don’t let your golf facility conform to unsaid rules from the 50’s shared by a group of individuals who had absolutely no competition for market share. It’s time to start performing and quit conforming.
For more free tips on growing the game, increasing rounds through golf course marketing, golf marketing, golf course campaigns, golf campaigns, professional golf membership sales and advancing your golf career visit us today @ www.golfmarketingmmc.com or call 904-217-3762.