Five years ago, John Kaminski, PhD, got interested in social media almost as a hobby. When he realized its potential for promoting Penn State University’s Golf Course Turf Grass Management Program, where Kaminski is an associate professor and director of the program, he was hooked. Since then, he has used his experience to help people in the golf industry learn how to leverage social media. Here, Kaminski shares social media insights specifically for course superintendents.
Why should a golf course superintendent consider using Twitter?
There are lots of ways to use it. It’s my news source. You can follow CNN, ESPN and any type of information you’re interested in. It’s the only spot to get the latest information. You’re 45 minutes ahead of any mainstream media. It’s just instant.
For work-related information, I like it for the interaction between superintendents and people in the industry. You can throw out a question and get the answer in seconds, or get directed to the right place. You can also start conversations. I’ll go on, pose a question, and the conversation will last all day among a handful of superintendents who are discussing issues and problems. It helps me stay current with the industry.
What are some practical ideas for a course superintendent to share information on social media?
When there is a problem with the course, it takes a lot of time to sit down and explain it to a member. Maybe that member tells someone else, and by the time it gets to the tenth person, the story is totally different. When you weigh that against the time it takes to write a short blog post, it’s time well spent. The message comes straight from you. I think it’s useful for putting out fires and setting the record straight.
Secondly, it’s a good self-promotion tool. Course superintendents are often reluctant to sell themselves. How many of you have taken care of a problem on the course by 7 a.m. before anyone saw it? How easy would it be to document your work by taking a photo and sharing it through Twitter? It’s important to share those stories with members, and let them see behind the scenes a little. You can also use social media to promote your crew.
How does Twitter stack up against other social media tools?
Twitter is probably my favorite resource, but it’s just one of many. If you really want to dive into social media to promote your club or organization, you’ll have a very limited audience if you only use one tool. Twitter is a good starting place, but you’ll need many, many outlets to be visible.
What tips do you have for people who are just getting started with social media?
• Start small, and don’t feel like you have to be everywhere right away. Follow a few key people. Ultimately, you’ll be dragged into the conversation, and your involvement will expand from there.
• Be professional. It’s easy to become a little too loose with social media at times. When it’s a personal account, you’re representing yourself. When it’s a company or course account, you’re representing your employers. Remember that everything you say is public.
• Don’t be afraid to be personal. Share personal stories. That’s what gets people interested. If you only post things that relate to deals, sales and things your business offers, you’ll have a very small audience.
• If you want people to pay attention, you must post images and videos. You can’t just write comments. There’s something like an 80 percent increase in clicks when you have media associated with your posts.
• Know your purpose. A lot of times, people think they need to have 1,000 followers. They may wonder what their impact is if they only have 50 followers. But if you’re managing a Twitter account for a golf course, and those 50 people are key members at your club, you could be having a much larger impact than you think.
• Try not to get hung up on the numbers. Constantly evaluate who you are following, and who is following you. Use social media the way you want to use it. If that means you want to follow less or more people, it’s not a big deal.
How can superintendents use social media without wasting time?
Find tools to help you integrate, schedule and automate. I use TweetDeck and Twitterfeed to automate and schedule posts. I usually tell people to link their Facebook page to their Twitter account. If you have a blog, use Twitterfeed to link it to your Twitter page.
Develop a flow on your blog of one or two posts per week, or per month. Your Facebook page might have a post every couple of days, and it can link to Twitter, where you might be posting once or twice a day—maybe more. So your blog has the least amount of content, Facebook has more, and Twitter has a lot.
Follow Kaminski @iTweetTurf on Twitter.