Social Media Strategy

[Private Tennis Club]

City X, AB

Project Outline 3 May 2012 Prepared by: Jeff Lien

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Project Description Increase exposure and build clientele for [Private Tennis Club] through use of social media. Target Market [City X] has a population of 55,000. The clientele is largely from the middle and upper-middle classes. The primary concerns of this clientele are health and quality. Although the potential customer base may be limited to the population of [City X], it is important to explore whether or not neighboring communities have adequate tennis facilities. If in fact these communities have facilities, it may be possible to establish a competitive advantage through the aspect of quality. Therefore, it is possible that advertising reach should extend beyond [City X]. Summary Social media is of growing importance in marketing for an array of reasons. Relevant use of social media has the power to add significant value [4]. According to Unilever's new chief marketing officer Keith Weed, the consumer is spending more and more time engaging in the digital space [4]. As these social media platforms have evolved over the past few years, they have developed as unique business marketing tools with features that offer valuable insight about consumers. A primary benefit of social media is the low cost, although a sizable time investment is necessary. While utilizing these tools can be time consuming, the dividends in consumer insight are invaluable. Considerations for this investment include the reduced delivery cost (as compared to television) and the fact that a correlation between social media investments and sales increases can be very difficult to determine [8]. However, through this all, choosing not to participate is increasingly not an option in the Digital Age. Historical Consideration The sport of tennis experienced its greatest growth and popularity during the 1970s [9]. This unprecedented growth is attributed to a number of factors including: (1) rapid assimilation of the game into the new television culture, (2) publication of very popular tennis books, (3) increased availability of facilities, (4) marketing of tennis as an element of the good life, and (5) a number of charismatic and highly visible tennis players [9]. While no historical event can be recreated, it can be helpful to consider what caused this growth in order to increase growth on a smaller scale. For instance, creating instructional videos and offering them to members for free online integrates the new digital video consumption. This may also be applicable in the form of general health tips from the [Private Tennis Club] pros (e.g. how to stretch properly, how to warm up/wind down, etc.). Tennis books could be offered in the pro shop to further enhance interest of member (and the added benefit of book profit). Facilities may still be widely available, but differentiating the [Private Tennis Club] in terms of quality and expertise. The Recession has affected consumer behavior and [Private Tennis Club] risks being perceived as a luxury good. Because the target market is largely concerned with health, promoting the health benefit as outweighing cost will likely be a necessary marketing strategy. Finally, it is important to hire charismatic tennis coaches to motivate members of the [Private Tennis Club]. Parameters for Evaluation Number of new memberships Increases in general awareness Increases in member traffic Recommendations 1. Facebook: Social media is an important aspect of marketing because advertisement clicks through Facebook have the added benefit of providing a real picture of who is viewing your advertisement and product [4]. When it comes to fans and being online,

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Facebook is the audience most brands will think of first, says Graham Lee director at the Social Media Library [5]. Facebook is a significant player and sound investment in the world of social media business presence because it has outlasted many others and seems to be going strong [8]. Facebook offers a number of tips for business pages in their help section. This is significant to note because Facebook is already know what makes a business page successful, effectively taking out the guess work for [Private Tennis Club]. Among these recommendations: (1) post at least once per week; (2) use photos, videos, or questions in posts as these are the most engaging; (3) promote the page with in-store signage [3]. Facebook also offers Insights to business page owners which are engagement metrics to measure performance and interaction [3]. Specific suggestions for Facebook posts: -Links to the YouTube videos (instruction, health, etc.)(See below) -Information about upcoming events (tournaments, speakers, pro-shop sales) -Link to Yelp (example: Are you a member? Review us on Yelp! (Link) -Photos of players, recent events, facilities, etc. -Personal/Business Questions posed to members (for a level of interaction) -For example: What is your tennis goal for the New Year? What color should the new PTC tees be? -Links to articles about [Private Tennis Club] -Specifically highlighting the quality aspect that has been identified as being important to members -Links to news about tennis in general -Specifically highlighting the health aspect that has been identified as being important to members -Encourage social interaction between members by creating events on Facebook where members can get a chance to play and socialize -Bring a guest days to introduce potential new members to the facilities Facebook also offers a unique opportunity in the form of targeted advertisements. A thorough help center guides those new to social media advertising through the process. Advertisements on Facebook can be targeted a number of factors including: location, education, work, age, likes and interests [7]. A budget can be set in order to avoid the expense of excessive clicks, in which case re-evaluation may be necessary [7]. 2. Yelp: The Better Business Bureau was formerly one of the best and only sources for customer satisfaction information for a given business [1]. A trend resulting from the Internet age is a turning towards online review sites such as Yelp, whose traffic in February 2012 was 30.6 million to the Better Business Bureaus 4.1 million for the same period [1]. Yelp offers free business accounts so that businesses can update business information, create deals (in a Groupon-like format), message customers, view business trends, and track traffic and reviews [2]. Yelp is a significant platform to utilize because consumers who receive poor customer service or experience unfulfilled brand marketing promises are wasting no time in airing their displeasure on social media platforms [4]. 3. YouTube: Creating content is an important aspect of the social media conversation [8]. While YouTube began as a video-sharing site, it has since added an element of social networking wherein users have personal pages, or channels [10]. These videos can be promoted at [Private Tennis Club] and on the other social media outlets on which [Private Tennis Club] has a presence. YouTube videos are a great way to introduce and promote the trainers/pros who work at the club. This allows the club to highlight their charismatic and enthusiastic trainers. Trainers are an asset and can be a luring factor for consumers in deciding which club to join. 4. Twitter: According to Tim Copp, chief marketing officer at ExactTarget, two-thirds of Fortune 100 companies are active on Twitter because customers want to engage in real time [4]. Twitter offers a number of tools specifically intended for businesses. Twitter allows a company to hear what people are saying about the company, brand or product; respond to comments; communicate with customers in real time (about promotions, etc.); pose questions to customers; and develop a voice [6]. Tweets are short, but must therefore be concise and contain only valuable information. Keep up with this medium can be challenging, as in many circumstances there is pressure to post frequently. Roles & Responsibilities Claim Yelp Business Account

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Create Facebook page (there may be an existing independent fan pagemake sure to link people to the new official page) -Link with/post on local pages to increase interest/awareness (e.g. [City X] page, Tennis fans of [City X] page, etc.) Script writer for YouTube channel videos Videographer for YouTube channel videos Maintenance of social/digital media -This comprises of a number of people including writers, editors, and people who are knowledgeable of social media -Requires constant research to remain aware of trends in social media Timeline Start Date: 3 May 2012 1. Claim Yelp Business Page: This is a task that can be done easily and the potential for positive or negative word of mouth. a. Update businesses information b. Take note of page traffic and customer reviews a. What is being done well? b. In what areas are customers expressing dissatisfaction? 2. Midway Point: Due Date: [See Below]. Conclusion In moving forward it is important to utilize the primary business uses of social media: consumer feedback and maintenance of company image/message [4]. It is important to recognize that social media is a two-way conversation and a relationship that must be maintained in order to satiate customers [5]. Social media is a constant process and for this reason a final due date is not necessarily appropriate. Re-evaluation is crucial. It is necessary to evolve with trends in social media; the social media outlets of today may be antiquated by tomorrow [8]. Additionally, a businesss presence online must be inline with its offline image and therefore must evolve with the company as well. If maintained, social media has the power to not only increase awareness, but also enthusiasm and investment of current consumers.

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Endnotes [1] Fowler, G.A. & Loten, A. (2012, March 7). Old watchdog learns new web tricks. Wall Street Journal Online. Retrieved on May 2, 2012 from Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203370604577261170213098612.html? KEYWORDS=social+media+small+business [2] What is Yelp? (2012). Yelp for Business Owners: Support Center, Yelp. Retrieved on May 2, 2012 from Yelp. https://biz.yelp.com/support [3] Best practices for pages admins. Facebook Help Center. Facebook. Retrieved on May 2, 2012 from Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/help?page=133956243386200 [4] Darling, A. (2011, August 5). Social media & CRM: Conversation starter. New Media Age. Retrieved on May 2, 2012 from Proquest. [5] Fernandez, J. (2009, April 30). Social media: Leaders of the revolution in social media. Marketing Week. Retrieved on May 2, 2012 from Proquest. [6] Best practices. (2012). Twitter. Retrieved on May 3, 2012 from Twitter. https://business.twitter.com/en/basics/best-practices/ [7] Promote your business with ads and sponsored stories. (2012). Facebook for business. Retrieved on May 3, 2012 from Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/business/ads/ [8] Harrison, A. (2011, April 28). Media: Proceed with caution along the social media highway. Marketing Week. Retrieved on May 2, 2012 from Proquest. [9] Palmer-Angell, T. (2007). The American Tennis Boom of the 1970s: Causes and consequences. From: International Bibliography of Publications on the History of Sport 2006 and Index to Sports History Conference Proceedings, Journals and Essay Collections , 123-24. Retrieved on May 3, 2012 from Google Scholar. [10] Lange, P.G. (2007, December 17). Publicly private and privately public: Social networking on YouTube. Journal of ComputerMediated Communication, 13(1), 361-80. Retrieved on May 3, 2012 from Wiley Online Library.

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Works Cited Best practices. (2012). Twitter. Retrieved on May 3, 2012 from Twitter. https://business.twitter.com/en/basics/best-practices/ Best practices for pages admins. Facebook Help Center. Facebook. Retrieved on May 2, 2012 from Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/help?page=133956243386200 Darling, A. (2011, August 5). Social media & CRM: Conversation starter. New Media Age. Retrieved on May 2, 2012 from Proquest. Fernandez, J. (2009, April 30). Social media: Leaders of the revolution in social media. Marketing Week. Retrieved on May 2, 2012 from Proquest. Fowler, G.A. & Loten, A. (2012, March 7). Old watchdog learns new web tricks. Wall Street Journal Online. Retrieved on May 2, 2012 from Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203370604577261170213098612.html? KEYWORDS=social+media+small+business Harrison, A. (2011, April 28). Media: Proceed with caution along the social media highway. Marketing Week. Retrieved on May 2, 2012 from Proquest. Lange, P.G. (2007, December 17). Publicly private and privately public: Social networking on YouTube. Journal of ComputerMediated Communication, 13(1), 361-80. Retrieved on May 3, 2012 from Wiley Online Library. Palmer-Angell, T. (2007). The American Tennis Boom of the 1970s: Causes and consequences. From: International Bibliography of Publications on the History of Sport 2006 and Index to Sports History Conference Proceedings, Journals and Essay Collections, 123-24. Retrieved on May 3, 2012 from Google Scholar. Promote your business with ads and sponsored stories. (2012). Facebook for business. Retrieved on May 3, 2012 from Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/business/ads/ What is Yelp? (2012). Yelp for Business Owners: Support Center, Yelp. Retrieved on May 2, 2012 from Yelp. https://biz.yelp.com/support

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