The private club—whether a bustling city club, a seafaring yacht club or a full-service country club—evokes images of a gracious and active lifestyle that get played out against a backdrop that is interesting, diverting and frequently quite lovely.
If one picture is worth a thousand words, then is it any surprise that as digital communications has intertwined into broader communications efforts, that social media has accelerated the advance of all things digital by its signature reliance on images? This new look and feel of communications technology can evoke strong and enduring emotions from its intended target audience.
Social is Visual
Experienced Facebook users will testify that extended editorial opinions will scarcely register a blip as they scroll across friends’ real-time feed. Carefully crafted commentaries—however forcefully or passionately worded—typically evoke a ho-hum response, whereas a photo of a pet or a baby or a birthday is celebrated by all manner of “likes” and similarly emotive responses.
Twitter was founded on the principle that more is less. A “tweet” is by definition limited to 140 characters. But this micro-blogging tool can now be amplified by a photo, image or video—and often to great effect.
The social media preferences of the next generation, whether WhatsApp, Instagram or Vine, are all similarly powered and enlivened by its capacity to capture the moment in an especially visual and evocative manner.
The Club Imagined
The Baltimore Country Club has incorporated a number of social media channels to support the image this club presents both to its membership and the larger world. The portrayal of club life on social media delivers a dual benefit. It visually memorializes the fun had by its members while also showcasing the unique benefits of club life. The message is clear: Engage. Join the fun.
The Baltimore Country Club has a great story to tell. It’s a family-oriented club that has earned widespread recognition as a top club, including a place among The Clubs of Excellence and Platinum Club designation. This club has approximately 3,000 members, two clubhouses and two golf courses, as well as full array of services and activities that include aquatics, fitness, tennis and an active social calendar.
A good deal of this club’s energy and activity gets portrayed on a variety of social media platforms. This diversification extends the reach and impact of the club. While few club members may participate frequently in multiple media, the percent of members who use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or YouTube represents a substantial percentage of membership.
Baltimore’s Marketing & Communications Manager, Cris Gillies, observes that by deploying multiple social media tools, the club can refine its focus and message so that each vehicle takes on a special character, distinctive following and communication objective. Thus the club’s Twitter account may be connected with golf (@bcc1898golf), while Facebook may be more “institution building” with historical posts or those featuring the clubhouse in a particularly seasonal or social context. Pinterest, by its intended purpose, offers a great vehicle for showcasing ideas and innovations; thus, the club uses it as a kind of inspiration board for weddings, parties and events. And Instagram is gaining great traction as well reports Gillies. Instagram has the fastest growing following among all ages, appealing to men as well as women, and even to the club’s business partners.
The social media feeds collected in the nearby exhibits illustrate the club’s multi-media approach.
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A Social Strategy
Though the Baltimore Country Club’s utilization of social media is extensive, there are a number of managerial guardrails that keep it on track and serving the club’s larger communication objectives. Here are a few guidelines that Gillies endorsed in our conversation:
Build the brand. Gillies understands that club communications gets organized in and around the club’s brand. Therefore the club wants to make every effort to present the club and its brand signature—its logo, its language and messaging, its look-and-feel—in a consistent and strategic manner. Therefore the club exercises control of its social media assets in a manner that is protective of the club brand. This is done with a light touch, but the club’s control of its image provides the context and background for the content that fills the media feeds.
Feed the (content) beast a steady diet. Be careful what you wish for! Once up and running, social media accounts require time, attention and curation. Many forays into social media have been undertaken with the best of intentions and with an initial flood of posts, pictures and patter, only to fade into silence and inactivity. Gillies takes a steady and disciplined approach to content management. The club’s accounts average about three to four posts per week. They also smartly leverage the content of other, related sites and posts; they have a strategy with respect to hashtag utilization. Content gets placed in the context where fit and audiences are likely to maximize its relevance and share.
Take the broad view. The fundamentals of communications require a certain perspective. There is timing: the club has a busy season and down time. There is audience: members and potential members, the young and the life-tenured, the men and the women. There is message: build awareness, spark interest, engage members in actual participation. The challenge is one of integration and planning. Gillies mentions that Hootsuite (a web-based software tool that aggregates all social media activity) is an important tool she utilizes that provides her with a dashboard view of what happening across her multiple social media accounts
Storytelling rules! Communications is more than the conveyance of information. It is frequently the creation and extension of meaning and significance. While clubs rely on more established forms of communications like newsletters and email and websites to publish its calendar of events and publicize important news, they are increasingly turning to social media to tell the story of what animates club life. This requires vivid portrayals of people enjoying the warm glow of friendship and the endless vignettes that tell the story of club life.
Club Trends Spring 2016