USGA collaborated with OTOlabs to improve the USGA member and non-member experience with a new email marketing strategy. Tasked with developing a visually stimulating daily email, OTOlabs created the “US Open Updates” newsletter which was sent to USGA Members and avid golfers during the week of the U.S. Open Championship.
Objectives:
USGA collaborated with OTOlabs to improve the USGA member and non-member experience with a new email marketing strategy. Tasked with developing a visually stimulating daily email, OTOlabs created the “US Open Updates” newsletter which was sent to USGA Members and avid golfers during the week of the U.S. Open Championship.
The overall program goal was to communicate to USGA members and golf enthusiasts while simultaneously increasing awareness of the U.S. Open Championship. In addition, USGA sought to gain valuable feedback from the email recipients who participated in the survey that was included in the final email.
Approach:
USGA communicated with avid golfers in their email database every one to three months, based upon the recipient’s membership status. OTOlabs encouraged USGA to enrich their member and non-member experience by developing an email strategy that would reach their avid golfers every day for one week, focused around the U.S. Open Championship.
The email newsletter contained the previous day’s highlights from the U.S. Open Championship, delivered each morning. To gain contextual learning (outside of user activity statistics), USGA and OTOlabs developed a user survey asking participants questions that segment them into key target markets for future marketing, as well as offer insight into their database.
Results:
User activity well exceeded industry standards from opens to clicks. User feedback was obtained from the survey with candid remarks that read, “Can you send an email for every tournament?” and “Great Program USGA!”. When “U.S. Open Updates” participants were asked whether or not they planned to participate in the update program next year, virtually all responded “Yes”.
Since program inception in 2007, the “U.S. Open Updates” ranks as USGA’s most successful email marketing program each year. To attest, USGA has rolled the program across several of their tournaments, including the U.S. Open Women’s and Senior Open tournaments.
