As we bask in the glow of the pandemic’s “light at the end of the tunnel,” the demand for private club memberships is at an all-time high, as the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that high-income consumer spending increased in March 2021 by 45% in the membership clubs category. Last year and even more so this spring, Strategic Club Solutions (SCS) has seen higher numbers of new memberships, prospective member interest and waitlists at clubs we’ve worked with than ever before—even prior to the start of the popular summer season.
This momentum is expected to continue throughout the summer. People are ready to get back to enjoying in-person socializing and experiences as safety and comfort levels continue to rise. The pandemic put lives “on hold” for over a year, and this combined with living a year in fear has put people in the mindset of being ready to make the most of every moment.
This is great news for the club industry, as it is able to provide exactly what people want and need at this time: meaningful connection, enjoyable experiences, and a trusted, safe, private environment. Understanding the variety of factors motivating people as the pandemic nears its end will help clubs provide value to take advantage of—and continue to escalate—this membership surge.
Help Members Live Life to the Fullest
After more than a year at home, people are ready to get out and enjoy new experiences and hobbies. Furthermore, research shows the pandemic caused Americans to question their mortality. After an extended period of intense fear and feelings of “lost time,” people want to make the most of every moment.
Members and prospective members are ready for exciting new experiences, and they’re in a position to pay for these experiences. During the pandemic, people saved more and did not use funds budgeted for vacations, entertainment and dining. Data from Ernst and Young forecasts 70% of consumers plan to spend in a “cautiously extravagant” way in 2021, specifically in two categories: activities/leisure and vacations/holidays. This willingness to spend minimizes the pain points associated with club costs.
Take advantage of these factors by providing members and prospective members with entertaining experiences and activities so they can live life to the fullest. What additional amenities or programming have you thought about adding to the club in the last four years? Would your members enjoy pickleball, a short course, or more social leagues? Now is the time to add these sought-after offerings.
Consider how you can help members learn a new hobby or skill. Offer a free lesson with your golf or tennis pro or start a cooking school led by your chef. Bring in guest athletes, coaches, chefs or pastry chefs to add excitement to the experience.
You could also host an “expert in residence” such as a well-known hair stylist, interior designer, mixologist, card player, artist or author to offer services, teach a skill, give a presentation or all of the above.
When developing new offerings, keep in mind saving time is still a top priority for members. Clubs adapted to make members’ lives easier during the pandemic and need to pivot again to continue doing this as life goes back to normal. Services including dry cleaning, car detailing, meal prep, childcare and more all make members’ lives easier and will allow them more free time to spend at the club.
Pre-pandemic, clubs were looking for ways to resuscitate golf, and the pandemic did just that. Don’t let the momentum fizzle out at your club. Serious golfers will still use the course, but make sure you give social golfers plenty of incentive to get out and play. Can you offer three-hole events for those who are still learning the game or crunched for time? What about a marshmallow long drive contest where a marshmallow replaces the golf ball? Or a golf tournament where staff golf and members caddie? Expect to see events that combine being active and social trending this year.
Case Study: The Crags at Country Club of Castle Pines
Strategic Club Solutions recently helped Country Club of Castle Pines in Castle Rock, Colo., with a logo design for “The Crags,” the club’s new putting course built on a series of rocky crags behind the clubhouse. The course showcases stunning views of the club’s beautiful Colorado scenery and provides an entertaining golf opportunity for 12 to 18 holes complete with music, fire pits and beverage service. The Country Club at Castle Pines team not only created a new logo, but also a fully branded experience for this unique, fun, family-friendly offering. The club added to the experience by building a fire beacon basket on The Crags. The beacon will be lit for special events with a five-foot flame to be seen from the clubhouse and beyond. SCS incorporated the beacon into the logo to serve as an iconic symbol of the course. This is a great example of creating a fun, time-conscious, no-pressure and unique golf experience for members—and branding it to ensure members participate.
Most of all, clubs should focus on providing more opportunities for joy. Members are used to celebrating the expected holidays—Easter, Mother’s and Father’s Day, Christmas—but delight them by also celebrating the unexpected. Could you celebrate National Ice Cream Month in July with a weekly ice cream social or dessert specials incorporating ice cream? Could you host a cookie bake off for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day in August? What about a book exchange or book donation drive for National Book Lovers’ Day? Celebrating unexpected moments like these will help members appreciate the uniqueness of the experiences they can only get at the club.
Don’t forget to invite prospective members to join in the aforementioned experiences. Research shows more than a third of consumers are reappraising what they value most at this time, with a focus on friends and family. Give prospective members a taste of how they can get back to being with people while making the most of every moment, and they’ll easily see how being a member will align with their values.
Fulfill the Desire for Vacation and Relaxation
According to a 2021 survey by Airbnb, the activity Americans missed most during the pandemic is travel. After a long period of isolation, people’s top travel priority is to spend more time with family and friends in a setting that is comfortable, familiar and secure. Better yet, one in five want their vacation destination to be within driving distance of their home. The emotions people want to feel on vacation this year are relaxed, comfortable and safe.
Provide value by positioning your club as the ultimate “staycation” destination—offering the amenities, services, relaxation and entertainment people seek from vacation while also being a safe space in which people can form meaningful social connections. Weave vacation-related language into your brand story and marketing material. Do you offer a staycation-worthy pool? Can members enjoy a day of relaxation and pampering with their families? Use imagery showing fun in the sun, at the pool, on the course, at the spa, and appreciating a sunset to align your club experience with the vacation mindset.
Case Study: North Shore Golf Club
SCS helped North Shore Golf Club in Menasha, Wisc., get clarity on their brand by creating a brand identity guide. Member focus groups revealed the club’s fun pool experience overlooking spectacular lake views makes them feel like they’re on vacation. This was expressed in the brand guide with communication keys including “a Wisconsin summer’s paradise,” “staycation mindset” and “sunsets and gratitude happen daily.” This staycation branding is woven into all of the club’s marketing material from brochures to the website.
Consider how you can add more vacation or travel-like elements to your club experience. Can you offer tropical-themed drinks or spa treatments? Feature a wine dinner with wines and food pairings from around the world or offer dining nights featuring cuisine from different cultures? What about offering travel planning services or featuring member-submitted travel recommendations in your newsletter?
Show members and prospective members how your club can fulfill the desire for a vacation not only for a week but for the whole summer, or even all year. And if your club chooses to have reciprocal agreements, be sure to promote them for those wanting to travel farther away.
Be a Safe and Trusted Space
Pre-COVID-19, time was the most important consumer currency. Coming out of COVID-19, trust has moved to the top of the list as the second-most important factor in creating a loyal customer, following only cost.
Consumers are looking for a place they can trust and feel safe with their families. Once again, clubs have the advantage. We are private micro-communities, offering members a place to go that feels like their home away from home—where they know the people, know the protocols, and know the staff. Convey this in your marketing materials to show prospective members they can be part of a safe community where they can relax and have fun.
Case Study: Western Racquet Club
SCSs created a member referral program for Wisconsin’s premiere tennis club, Western Racquet Club, promoting their “home court advantage.” The campaign used the play on words “home court advantage” to showcase the club as a fun and safe space where members know and trust the staff and fellow members. The club’s racquet sports, including tennis, paddle and pickle, were highlighted as year-round social distancing sports, and members were encouraged to take advantage of in-person and carry out dining at their “own” private restaurant. The club was shown as being a place where families can have fun while also trusting their environment and it helped Western Racquet Club gain a record-breaking number of new members in the spring 2021 season.
Build Trust
In times of fear, people choose familiar brands they know and trust. One example of this during the pandemic is while soup sales increased across the board, Campbell’s soup sales rose disproportionately. As the pandemic ends and you introduce new experiences for your members, be sure to also mix in familiar experiences and traditional events to give people a much-needed sense of control.
Clear communication is key for building trust with your members. When introducing a new concept to your members, whether it’s changing pandemic protocols or a first-time event, be sure to explicitly communicate so people know what to expect. All of your communication and messaging should be clear and on-brand. This means not only aligned with your brand’s design standards, but also with your brand values. As mentioned previously, the end of the pandemic has people rethinking who they will trust and what they will value. Help members trust the club by making your values evident across all communications.
You can also use social proof to increase trust and participation. Social proof is the idea that when we see others take action, we will too. For example, if you visit a new town and see two restaurants, you’re more likely to choose the one with more cars in the parking lot, simply because your brain registers other people have already chosen to eat there so it must be a good choice. This is how product reviews work as well. More than half of people will read at least four reviews before making a purchase, and websites with reviews have 3.5 times more conversions than websites without reviews.
Use this concept to your advantage at your club. When promoting an event, tell how many members are already registered. Send thank you emails after an event including turnout numbers. Praise those who have already referred a prospective member to get more people to participate in your member referral program. Share photos of people using the club on social media. This social media proof will show members the club is a trusted place and that other members have gotten back to normal levels of participation—and they’ll be more likely to participate, too.
Focus on Service and Enhance with Tech
Clubs’ exceptional service has always given them an advantage, and this is heightened further now as many restaurants and other hospitality businesses cut down on staff and offerings. Don’t cut corners like this at the club; in fact, now is the time to focus on service more to make this differentiator further stand out.
Technology can be used to strengthen service but should not be used to replace the personalized touch that makes this industry so special. Sure, a member can use your app to place their carry out food order, but it’s a staff member greeting them by name when they pick up that order that will make them feel special. When we hear our name, our brain releases feel-good hormones like dopamine and serotonin. Someone using our name increases excitement, empathy and trust. Can your club use technology to put names to photos of members’ faces to ensure each staff member knows every member’s name?
Your club should also be using technology to create member experiences 365 days a year. When members aren’t at the club, they should still experience the club through emails, social media posts, newsletters and more. Consider how staff can reach customers when they’re not at the club to make them feel even more special. Can someone on your team write a handwritten note to a member thanking them for event attendance, referring a new member, or simply to check in? Can you mail a branded, framed photograph of the member attending a Club event to their home as a surprise memento?
People are looking for exceptional experiences and service and hoping to feel safe and relax. Make it clear to members and prospective members alike that your club is equipped to provide all of this and then some, and you’ll see new member numbers and event and club attendance continue to grow.
Allie Jeka is director of marketing and communications at Strategic Club Solutions, a consulting firm serving the club community. She can be reached at [email protected]. For more information, visit strategicclubsolutions.com