Mindshare: your one thing – Golf Inc Magazine

We each have our favorite brands. They are the companies that build, create or make our favorite things. Within each brand, however, there is that one thing that pops into our head anytime we hear the brand name spoken, see a billboard or watch an ad come across our device. That one thing is most likely our intimate connection to the brand. With Apple it may be iPhone; Chick-Fil-A, personal service; with McDonald’s it could be the fries. With any brand, there is that one item, larger than the rest, that grabs the attention, becomes a part of our head and owns a place in our mind. It is that thing that keeps us interested, excited and loyal.

What is the one thing your members think about when they hear your club’s name spoken? Is there one thing, something unique or distinct that sets your club apart, creates interest, builds a happy image? There is marketing and then there is execution: getting all staffers in the boat, rowing in the same direction. Marketing is storytelling, and it can help create strong images for an audience. At the beginning, however, it is about execution, of taking care of the customer. Once your club has developed consistency of execution and doing things strategically different, it is here where you and your marketing team can identify the thing people can position as special to you. What if 100 members are asked about your club and there is no clear statement of distinction. Maybe “good value or nice people” become the high marks on the report card. What can you do?

Tom Peters, the great management guru says, “Be distinct or extinct.” In a world of sameness where the bar for many might reach average, what is it that you and your team do to create a strong identifier, similar to the iPhone or french fries? In this post I provide three identifiers that might work for your club. The one thing does not need to be magical or the only one of its kind. The smartphone had already been developed prior to Apple’s version, the french fry was an old menu item long before the McDonald brothers set up shop, and personal service goes back longer than we can imagine. It comes down to something extremely unique or execution that simply gets members to stop and take a long look. Here are three ideas for building your one thing:

Personal attention to detail: With a great plan and the discipline to carry it forward, personal attention to detail done consistently well, including the small things many may never notice, can become the thing…