One of my greatest pet peeves is an absolute hatred for the forwarded email. Of course, not all forwards are created equally. The obvious jokes are an inconvenience, the warm and fuzzy moments of zen are trite, but the unsubstantiated political reports are downright infuriating.

Certain members of my family love to forward these things on. The other day I got one reporting on the fact that Barrack Obama was raised a (God forbid) Muslim and educated in a Madrasa. Turns out that this was a story that only Fox News and internet journalists would touch- and hence 100 percent innacurate. John Stewart had a great explanation of the story.

These kinds of stories have become much more than a mere annoyance. The fact that any schmuck with an axe to grind and an internet connection can publish and disseminate this type of junk is scary. These posts are typically unsigned (an obvious mark of journalistic integrity) and get passed around by otherwise good meaning people (or not).

Luckily for Obama, he understands the absolute necessity of quickly addressing this new virtual rumor mill. He immediately launched a full frontal assault and stemmed the momentum that this type of attack had on John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign.

The danger of this type of bad PR is not isolated to political campaigns. Business interests worldwide are equally susceptible to this type of attack; even golf courses. There are an increasingly large number of online golf course ratings sites and blogs. It is imperative to know where your customers are getting their information and what type of information is being disseminated. This can be a difficult proposition. The sheer volume of content on the web makes this increasingly difficult.

The ideal solution to this problem is to hire professional help. Modern public relations is more than just sending out press releases on the latest happenings at your course. Today, PR will have a new media component, and a good PR person will have the knowledge and resources to address any attacks on your course- online or off.

Short of that solution, here are a couple of tricks that can help you monitor and contribute to your online presence-

1) Create search term alerts- services like Google Alerts will automatically email you notifications when your course name shows up within standard searchable web news services and dynamic content sites. Set up an alert.

2) Learn the hotspots for this type of information and monitor. Sites like the 40 or so sites created by GolfPublisher Syndications (e.g. Travelgolf.com) host dozens of blogs and online columnists. Search these sites for mentions of your course. For many blogs and articles, they provide a venue to respond to criticisms and attacks.

3) Create your own content. The best defense is a good offense, so start publishing positive content about your site. Create a blog on any number of the free blog sites out there (Google has a great one), and link back to your site (this improves your search engine optimization). You will need to register your blog with as many blog directories as possible. Here are some good places to start.

This is a start. At a later point we will talk in more detail.

I am a techie freak. I love all the latest gadgets and toys that are marketed to make our lives easier. I am an admitted sucker for shiny objects with lights and buttons and useless features, but I am a self aware sucker. I do realize that all these gadgets do very little to make my life any easier. In fact, when going through airport security trying to juggle my laptop, Blackberry, Ipod and PS2, I have repeatedly been struck by my own absurdity.

That being said, Steve Jobs unveiling of the new Apple - iPhone filled me with more than the usual anticipation. This device could actually be different. It might actually make my life easier. Why, you ask? Integration. This single device combines the functionality of all my assortment of gadgets into one. I have a feeling that this is the one device that finally gets me organized and efficient.

That might be a bit of an overstatement, but I am very much a believer in the concept of integration and centralization.

Last week I met with the leadership of a New York based golf management company to talk about their communication program. One of the primary challenges of a mid to large golf operation is the same as any other mid to large sized company- good communications. We talked in some detail about the need for integration between the varied communications programs needed by any organization.

Here are some of the keys of a good plan:

Marketing and PR are flip sides of the same coin- all good marketing plans have a public relations component. PR is a separate discipline, but relies on the same information and must be formulated utilizing the same overall branding umbrella.

Internal Communications are as important as External Communications- companies, particularly those doing business in multiple locations will receive better service from employees who feel that they are part of something and that their opinions and ideas matter.

Communications with your audiences require good listening skills- you must be willing to listen as well as enunciate. If you are doing email blasts to members- ask for input in polls or surveys. The same is true for employee communications. Utilize technology to start a dialogue.

All communications need to go through a centralized gatekeeper- it is imperative that a central person or committee review and approve all content that is going out to various publics. This is particularly true if you are working with an outside agency or agencies. If you are forced to have separate PR, web and advertising firms (which is certainly not the ideal), you will need to work a bit harder to coordinate the efforts of all of these entities. If you can work with a full-service firm, that is always a better way to go.

After all- the less devices you have to juggle, the less absurd you will look.

Throughout the industrial era of modern history, thinkers have railed against the real and imagined evils of technological “progress.” From Dickens (Oliver Twist) to Thoreau (Walden) to Carson (Silent Spring), writers have decried the loss of some tangible good to the grindstone of advancement.

We have all felt it in our lives- bottled water, spam, oxygen bars, cell phones, identity theft and the list goes on and on. One of the more annoying facts of modern life is the loss of that personal touch in areas such as customer service. Everyone has experienced the frustration of automated messaging services that never quite reach the needed information. There are entire organizations that exist just to circumvent these systems.

Golf, as an industry, is not immune from this pitfall. With the constant pressure to maximize profitability, the allure of cost-cutting technological deployment is certainly necessary; but how far is too far?

There is nothing wrong with having an automated phone system, as long as it offers the ability to reach a live person (I particularly like clubs that have a good Scottish brogue on their system). Too many clubs, particularly private clubs, use the phone system as a way of taking the responsibility of answering the phone out of everyone’s job desciption. The result tends to be that only the pleasant calls are returned and the disgruntled are left to stew. Technology can lead to a lack of communication.

Technology can also lead to too much of the wrong kind of communication. This is most prevalent in public courses with a variety of amenities. These days you hear a lot of lip service paid to the necessity of consistent email marketing. I am one of the biggest advocates of this ideology. However sending information [emails / ezines/ newsletters/ specials] needs to be constrained by certain parameters. Three really common mistakes are made with email marketing programs.

1) Frequency issues- Too frequent communications are the cardinal sin of email marketing. There are a couple of ways to establish consistent, effective communication- use a periodic newsletter approach (e.g. a monthly ezine that appears on the same day each month) or a less systematic communique that is ONLY triggered when you have something IMPORTANT to communicate.
2) Irrelevant content- Regardless of how structured your frequency is, you MUST transmit relevant content. This is a function of having a properly segmented database and recognizing what messages are appropriate for the different segments within your database.
3) Ill-formulated content- Your communications should be clearly written and as succinct as possible. You have just a second or two to peak the interest of your subscriber. Otherwise your message will be banished to the trash bin. Don’t get too cute and flowerly. Put your top offer at the top and don’t make the reader dig for it. Have a good hook and present it early.

There are certainly other ways in which technology can impinge on a club’s relationship with its clientele, but the potential to communicate more effectively utilizing these tools is infinitely greater than any problems caused. I went to the course to play deliberately….Bad pun. Sorry Mr. Thoreau.

Next time- using technology to communicate effectively.

Yesterday the new BCS rankings came out, and I, like many other college football fans, am once again miffed with a terribly flawed system. Florida was selected out of the list of one loss teams to play Ohio State in the national championship game. As incomprehensible as this choice was, I was even more distubed that a two loss Notre Dame team was chosen for a BCS berth above one loss SEC and Big Ten teams and my own two loss WVU team (no offense Brian).

Every year I find myself complaining about the free pass handed out to Notre Dame by the voters and computer rankings. I mean this team lost to its only two tough opponents all year. But what I am beginning to realize is that my real complaint is against the very thing that I promote- the power of branding.

Notre Dame’s free pass is really a testament to the power of a great brand name. The tradition and history of the Fighting Irish have worked time and time again to push them ahead of other teams in the rankings. Couple this historical positioning with the consistency of messaging coming out of South Bend and you have a powerful public relations machine.

Key to this is the absolute belief by everyone associated with the program that, despite any suggestion to the contrary, Notre Dame is a winner. This mantra has been so internalized by the players, coaches, alumni, students and administration that it has become its own sort of absolute truth- in the Augustinian tradition ( had to sneak a Catholic philosophical allusion in there).

There is a great lesson to be learned in this.

Your product can only be as good as you and your people believe it to be. I have seen this too many times- great courses suffering because the staff doesn’t take pride in their association with the facility. One client comes to mind immediately. This company has a wonderful stable of courses, but has one that systematically underperforms. The reality is that this has nothing to do with the quality of the course, but rather the quality of the management and personal investment of the staff. They have not been adequately infused with pride in their product. They don’t believe that they are winners. They have not internalized the brand.

This piece is too short to get into the need for team building and good management techniques, but suffice it to say that if the GM is doing the job properly, every member of the staff exudes the brand. This ALWAYS leads to better service, improved public perception and increased sales.

Try this- analyze every touchpoint between your club and the public. Watch the staff and the way in which they interact. Look at your website, your email communications, your newsletter. Are all points of contact providing a positive reflection of your brand? Without this internalization of brand you will never be able to move up the rankings, ahead of your competition. And as a true blue Mountaineer fan, I know of what I speak.

Next Time- Balancing the use of technology.

Several months ago my wife and I visited a new church. With the birth of our first child, we thought that it was time to find a congregation that was more youth-oriented than the one that we have been members at. We were impressed with everything that we saw and I, as a marketer, was very impressed when I was handed the bulletin and found a form inserted for visitors to rate their experience. It was complete with snail mail, phone and email fields. I filled out everything fully looking forward to seeing how a vibrant church handled its follow up. The weather has cooled and the days have shortened and I am still waiting. I never received a phone call, email or thank you card. I have to admit that I feel a bit put off by the experience.

Our prospective new church missed a golden opportunity with a prime target. They harvested the information that they needed to make the all important follow up contact and dropped the proverbial ball. This is a mistake that is all too prevalent in our modern world of data collection.

KNOWING IS ONLY HALF THE BATTLE. WHAT YOU DO WITH THE INFORMATION IS WHAT WINS YOU THE WAR!

This problem is probably the most frustrating one that I face in my job of working with golf courses, management companies and vendors. Too many times we build a fantastic system to facilitate the capture and databasing of contact information, as well as the means to facilitate good communication, only to see it used either sporadically or not at all.

In order to be effective, prospect communications must be sytematic, targeted and consistent. Once you have built a mechanism whereby you are collecting data at every touchpoint (through your website, at the point of sale and at special events and shows), you must complete the circle and provide relevant information with a definitive call to action.

Be Systematic- It is essential that you meet the expectations of your audience and have the needed infrastructure to provide this communication. Establish a consistent schedule for communications and abide by it. Make it a function of your operation and make someone accountable for the success or failure of this aspect of your business. It is absolutely imperative to the economic viability of your operation.

Be Targeted- Contact information should be as segemented as possible. If you have a course with large events and F & B operations, differentiate the clients that you have by area of interest. Cross-promotion is a good idea, but you need to know your audience in order to properly craft your message. You wouldn’t talk to your kids’ friends the same way you talk to old college buddies. Make your message, tone and offers appropriate to your audience if you want to continue to reach them.

Be Consistent- The idea of consistency is key to proper branding. Every message should reflect your overall market positioning. This means that you not only clearly enunciate your brand, but that you do it in a professional manner. It doesn’t matter how impressive your clubhouse is if your newsletter is littered with misspelled words, poor grammar or misstated offers. Building credibility takes time, tearing it down takes a mere instant.

This is one of the key sections of my upcoming book. If you have interesting approaches or insights into this process, I would love to hear them. I have a special interview preference form that you can fill out to let me know how best to contact you for inclusion.

Next time we will take a closer look at your touchpoints of communication.