• Provide an opt-in mechanism to get permission;
• Have a working opt-out mechanism;
• Be truthful in subject fields, and
• Give your real world contact information.

Recently, four new rules have been added to the Can Spam Act, none of which really impress me as a marketer. All of these rules are already being demonstrated by most good Internet marketers, so I’m unsure of what this update will do for most of us getting a slew of email we never asked for nor do we want.

The new rules are:

• People cannot be required to pay a fee, provide information other than their e-mail address and opt-out preferences if there are multiple lists or take any steps beyond sending a reply e-mail or visiting a single Web page to opt out of receiving future e-mails from a company. This may have an effect as it now eliminates anyone using multiple pages to sell you something, ask for authentication or require a password before you actually can opt-out of a mailing list. In other words, a simple unsubscribe or one web page that takes your email address and removes you from all lists.
• The definition of “sender” has been modified to make it easier to identify who has to comply with the Can-Spam requirements when there are multiple advertisers on one email.
• A post-office box can serve as a legitimate postal return address under the requirements of Can Spam.
• The definition of “person” has been extended beyond a human person and now includes group, unincorporated association, limited or general partnership, corporation, or other business entity.

So although there are changes, I’m not sure any of us will see a huge reduction in spam to our inbox based on these changes. Filters will continue to be needed for the long term and those of us who want to eliminate the disruptive nature of spam.

Although I think email marketing is still a very valid marketing activity, one has to be very particular about how you build your list, asking permission and respecting those who give you that permission. Then use email to stay in contact with your customers and prospects and provide them valuable information.

Many golf courses haven’t grown accustomed to developing their own in-house email list like businesses in other industries have. Golf courses rely on traditional advertising or word of mouth to get people to come to their course. But the market has changed and the competitiveness of the industry now requires golf courses to be proactive and creative in attracting golfers. An effective strategy is to build an in-house email list that you can use to develop a better relationship with your customers.

Why Develop Your Own List?

Developing your own list of warm prospects, that is golfers who have already shown some interest in what you have to offer, gives you the opportunity to communicate with them regularly and develop an ongoing relationship. In today’s marketplace, extending out to these warm prospects and providing them reasons to come golf at your course can easily increase your revenue. Marketing activities are always much more successful when you’re dealing with people who already know and trust you. Even private courses can benefit from building a list of interested parties when it comes time for membership drives.

Getting golfers to provide you their email address is not a difficult task, especially if you make collecting this information a regular marketing activity. If your course is a winter vacation destination, a public course, or hosts outings or functions regularly, you have many opportunities to collect information and build a distribution list of people interested in what you have to offer.

The primary method used to collect information is through your contact form on your website. Use your other marketing activities to drive visitors to your site and sign up for your mailing list. Keep the form simple and ask only for their name and email address. Don’t get carried away and ask them for too much information as people are hesitant to give out more than their name and email. And make sure you use an email service that requires confirmation before being added to the list and manages opt-out requests effectively. You don’t want someone reporting you as a spammer.

Another way to get people to opt-in to your list is to ask them when they are at your facility. Every month a golf course caters to thousands of golfers. Take advantage of this opportunity while they are enjoying the experience to provide you their email address. Keep a guest book handy for them to sign or have your website form easily accessible in the pro shop and direct folks to add themselves to the mailing list. If you take their information through a guest book, make sure you send a request for them to confirm their subscription before adding them to the list.

Nurture the Relationship

Now that you have started building the mailing list, create a plan on how you will now nurture that relationship. Be sure to manage expectations with your list by being clear about what kind of email you’ll be sending and how often. Then be consistent. Too many or too few emails will result in the same outcome – people will unsubscribe. If you decide to send a monthly eNewsletter, it has to come at the same time each month. Develop an outline of what will go into the eNewsletter and assign the sections to different people so that the burden is not all on one person.

With every email, you should try to acquire a better understanding of your customers. Try different things to get them to provide you with more detailed information so you can begin to segment the list for more personalized mailings. To keep them interested, make sure your email has something they look forward to each month. There are many things you can offer, but a few ideas include:

• Incentives to bring someone new to the course
• Two for one, senior discounts or other specials to fill tee times outside of prime time
• Monthly survey or poll item that they can answer easily on your site
• Calendar of events that highlight something new
• Special sale items in the pro shop
• Special clinics or golf lessons

Be creative and make offers that get people to come back. Remember the golf course is sitting there and when it’s idle, it’s not making you any money. Greens fees are an extremely lucrative part of the golf operation so filling your tee times should be your primary objective. With a little planning, some creative ideas and a person to organize the effort, you can successfully develop your list and use it to better market the value of your golf course.