This document outlines a digital marketing plan for Carolina National Golf Club with the following objectives: 1. Increase website traffic, dwell time, and page views through search engine optimization and improvements to website navigation. 2. Increase brand awareness through blogging, social media, and pay-per-click advertising. 3. Increase rounds booked and overall revenue by integrating an online tee time booking system. The plan details strategies for back-end and front-end website optimizations, content creation, and connecting with review and local listing sites. Metrics like website traffic, search referrals, and online bookings will track the plan's effectiveness.

1. Carolina National Golf Club | July 4th
, 2015
DIGITAL MARKETING PLAN
2015

2. A. Increase search engine referrals (SEO)
B. Increase website dwell time
C. Increase page views
D. Enhance customer website navigation
E. Increase brand awareness
F. Increase rounds and revenue across all segments
OBJECTIVES

3. STRATEGY
Achieve objectives using 5-step approach:
a.Back-End Site Modifications
b.Front-End Site Updates
c.Get listed on Referring Sites
d.Create Blog for Website
e.Pay Per Click

4. A key component to an efficient website is
making the back and front-ends of the
website work together.

5. Search Engine Referrals (Optimization )
Google has recently changed the way it assigns value to websites: they look for websites who value the
customer first. If you create a website that is useful, informative, and engaging to your target market, you’ll
see your SEO ranking rise. It was a wise decision to invest in a platform that allows self-managed websites,
and we can leverage that capability to refresh the Traditional Golf course sites and attract new visitors. This
is a program that will help achieve that, and we’ve demonstrated that with Carolina National. This program
is meant to energize the websites, and set them up for success as we head into Summer and Fall.
Key Performance Indicators:
•Total Visits
•Visits Referred by Search Engine
•Length of Visit
•Number of Pages Viewed per Visit

6. Search Engine Referrals (Optimization )
Step 1 - Update the Back-End
Identify a list of 15-20 core keyword targets. Based on these findings, make
modifications on the back-end via CyberGolf to support them. As proposed, this
includes programming and writing time devoted to:
 Page title tags
 Page descriptions
 META descriptions
 Header tags
 Check website load times
 Install sitemap if needed
 Implement webmaster tools

7. Customer Navigation / Dwell Time
Step 2 – Refresh the Front-End
Review each page of the site to evaluate the customer experience. Recent changes
to Google’s algorithms rewards sites who keep consumers longer, and we can do
that by making the site clear, concise, and usable. A variety of visible upgrades
performed were:
 Social media integration
 Edit & update content to align with
keyword strategy
 Add new assets where available –
photography, video, etc.
 Create/optimize small SEO-friendly graphics
with ALT text, file names & descriptions
 Perform an overall review & clean
up of the site
 Address navigation and cross-links

8. Referring Sites
Step 3 – Make Crucial Connections
In this final step, we close the loop by verifying the company’s connections to the
sites that matter most for SEO. We make sure the business is claimed, and the
appropriate contact channels are in place. Renews relationships and citations with
potential lead-generating sites like:
 Google Places listing
 Yelp
 Trip Advisor
 Local destination marketing sites
 Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc
 Yahoo Local
 Bing Local
 Any connections and opportunities
for citations we can find!

9. Over 300 sites were found and claimed.
A 21 page report is available upon request
Referring Sites

10. The weblog is another key part of digital marketing strategy.
It utilizes highly targeted and useful content that site visitors will
engage with and share. The more useful content, the higher
Google will place the site in their search.
Examples:
∗Multimedia presentation - Videos, Slideshows, etc.
∗Articles which could be used as downloadable content,
in exchange for an email address
Blog

11. Brand Awareness
and Social Media
Carolina National has a presence on all of the major social media
platforms. We make every attempt to stay current and relevant in
this fast-paced environment.
Even though social media has and will increase it’s impact on
marketing, it has had trouble convincing businesses
the direct return on investment.
Both through time spent by employees
and through their own
pay-per-click initiatives.

12. Now that the major “holes” in the website have been fixed, and
has been optimized for key words and META tags, we can start
pouring into pay per click . We plan to start with Google seeing as
it is the #1 search engine.
We are starting small by spending a few hundred dollars per month
on select keywords. The campaigns are completely trackable
through Google reporting. We will adjust as we see patterns of
demand.
At some point, adding Pay Per Click through additional media
should be considered. All helping to increase our presence on the
web.
Pay Per Click

13. PLAY18
Reserve Live Tee Times

14. Utilizing an online booking engine like PLAY18 is essential in turning
“lookers” into “bookers”. Once the visitor has reviewed the
information on our site, it is crucial to drive them toward a purchase.
PLAY18 synchronizes their software with our reservation system
offering a live option to reserve an actual tee time.
Two main advantages:
∗The customer pays at the course day of play. Giving us a direct line to
the consumer.
∗Customer information is instantly received upon placing their
reservation. We then can re-market to them using that information.
PLAY18

15. Third Party review sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp are increasingly
influential in the consumer’s decision making process. Customers
now more than ever before have the ability to rely on their peer’s
review of a product before purchasing.
By claiming our business on their pages, we have the ability to
respond to both positive and negative reviews. Maintaining high
quality and service standards are imperative because those reviews
never “go away”.
Internet Review Sites

16. Spend Plan
Category Date Spend
1. Create new background image 7/21/14 $337.50
SEO/Dwell Time/Navigation 2. Home page text formatting, editing, adding links
3. Design Audubon Society Emblem for home page
SEO/Dwell Time/Navigation 1. Claim and/or add over 330 referring websites 10/10/14 $430.00
local listings and local directories
1. Revised membership info page by adding new graphic, 10/10/14 $450.00
SEO/Dwell Time/Navigation SEO friendly text about club membership, and
revised text layout
2. Adjust background images and navigational header
1. Add/edit page titles, META tags, and keyword descriptions 10/14/14 $300.00
SEO/Dwell Time/Navigation for 11 websitepages through back end
2. Embedded Google map into directions page
SEO/Dwell Time/Navigation 1. Embedded CN facebook page feed to homepage 11/14/14 $262.50
2. Added Winding River video to Real Estate page
Blog 1. Create and distribute 6 articles per month of useful Monthly $450.00
content that site visitors will engage with and share
Google Pay Per Click Highly targeted and trackable internet advertising Monthly $300.00
billed by number of clicks onto a campaign
Youtube Pay Per Click Highly targeted and trackable internet advertising Monthly $0.00
billed by number of clicks onto a campaign
Facebook Pay Per Click Highly targeted and trackable internet advertising Monthly $0.00
billed by number of clicks onto a campaign
Twitter Pay Per Click Highly targeted and trackable internet advertising Monthly $0.00
billed by number of clicks onto a campaign
Internet radio Highly targeted and trackable internet radio advertising Monthly $0.00
ie. Pandora, XM, iheart, inet golf radio
PLAY18 Live booking engine service Monthly $500.00
Barter one player each reservation until threshold satisfied
Description

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January February March April May June July August September October November December
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Number of website visits year over year *As of 4/1/16
Tracking

18. Metrics to measure effectiveness:
∗ Number of rounds booked online
∗ Number of sessions referred by search engine
∗ Length of session
∗ Pages viewed per session
∗ Engagement levels when articles are distributed via
social, etc.
∗ Pay Per Click campaign reports
∗ Yelp report
∗ Facebook stats report
Tracking

19. Summary
As the golf customer relies more on the internet each
year for commerce and product information, it is
imperative we continue to dedicate additional resources
to accommodate the demand for those services.