Campaign Best Practices
Learn from proven strategies to create campaigns that engage your members and drive results.
Content Best Practices
Subject Lines That Work
Do:
- Keep it under 50 characters
- Be specific about the value
- Create curiosity or urgency
- Personalize when appropriate
Don't:
- Use ALL CAPS
- Overuse exclamation marks!!!
- Make false promises
- Use spammy words (FREE, ACT NOW)
Subject Line Formulas
| Formula | Example |
|---|---|
| Question | "Ready for Saturday's tournament?" |
| Number | "5 tips to improve your short game" |
| Personalization | "John, your handicap update is in" |
| Urgency | "Last day: Pro shop sale ends tonight" |
| Curiosity | "The change we're making to hole 7" |
Email Content Structure
Follow the inverted pyramid:
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ MOST IMPORTANT │ ← Key message / headline
│ MESSAGE │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│ Supporting Details │ ← Brief explanation
│ │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│ CALL TO ACTION BUTTON │ ← What to do next
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│ Additional info if needed │ ← Secondary content
└─────────────────────────────────┘
Put your main message and CTA "above the fold"—visible without scrolling. Many readers won't scroll down.
Writing for Mobile
Over 60% of emails are read on mobile devices:
- Short paragraphs - 2-3 sentences max
- Scannable content - Use headers and bullets
- Large buttons - At least 44px tall, easy to tap
- Single column - Avoid complex layouts
Personalization Beyond Names
Go beyond Hi {{firstName}}:
| Data Point | Personalization Example |
|---|---|
| Last visit | "It's been 3 weeks since your last round..." |
| Handicap | "Congratulations on reaching single digits!" |
| Preferences | "New arrivals in your favorite brand, Titleist" |
| Membership | "As a Gold member, you get early access..." |
| Location | "Updates for our Westside course" |
Timing Best Practices
Optimal Send Times
| Campaign Type | Best Days | Best Times |
|---|---|---|
| Newsletters | Tue, Wed, Thu | 9-11am |
| Promotions | Thu, Fri | 10am-2pm |
| Event reminders | Day before | 9-10am |
| Weekend content | Thursday | 2-4pm |
| Urgent updates | Anytime | ASAP |
Frequency Guidelines
| Content Type | Recommended Frequency |
|---|---|
| General newsletter | Weekly or bi-weekly |
| Promotional emails | 1-2 per week max |
| Transactional | As needed |
| SMS campaigns | 2-4 per month max |
Over-sending is the #1 cause of unsubscribes. When in doubt, send less frequently with higher-quality content.
Avoiding Campaign Conflicts
Before scheduling:
- Check the marketing calendar for other sends
- Don't send multiple emails in the same day
- Space promotions at least 3-4 days apart
- Consider member preferences and segments
Audience Best Practices
Segment Everything
Never send the same message to everyone. Segment by:
| Criteria | Example Use |
|---|---|
| Activity level | Re-engage inactive members |
| Membership type | Premium-only offers |
| Interests | Golf vs tennis content |
| Engagement | Different content for openers vs non-openers |
| Lifecycle stage | New member vs veteran |
List Hygiene
Keep your list healthy:
- Remove hard bounces immediately (automatic)
- Suppress soft bounces after 3 consecutive failures
- Re-engage or remove members who haven't opened in 6+ months
- Honor opt-outs within 24 hours (automatic)
Permission Matters
Only email members who:
- Explicitly signed up
- Haven't unsubscribed
- Expect to hear from you
Quality over quantity. A smaller, engaged list outperforms a large, unengaged one every time.
Design Best Practices
Brand Consistency
- Use your club's colors consistently
- Include your logo in the header
- Maintain consistent fonts and styling
- Use templates for efficiency
Image Guidelines
| Aspect | Best Practice |
|---|---|
| Size | Under 200KB per image |
| Width | 600px max |
| Alt text | Always include descriptive text |
| Balance | 60% text, 40% images |
Call-to-Action Buttons
| Element | Best Practice |
|---|---|
| Color | Contrasting, stands out |
| Size | Large enough to tap (44px+) |
| Text | Action-oriented ("Book Now", "Get Offer") |
| Placement | Above the fold, after key message |
| Quantity | One primary CTA per email |
Dark Mode Compatibility
More members use dark mode. Ensure:
- Logos have transparent or dark backgrounds
- Text remains readable
- Colors don't clash in inverted mode
- Test in both light and dark modes
Testing Best Practices
What to A/B Test
| Element | Test Variations |
|---|---|
| Subject lines | Length, tone, personalization |
| Send times | Morning vs afternoon, different days |
| CTAs | Button text, color, placement |
| Content length | Short vs detailed |
| Images | With vs without, different images |
Testing Rules
- Test one element at a time - Otherwise you won't know what worked
- Use significant sample sizes - At least 1,000 per variation
- Wait for results - Allow 24-48 hours before declaring winner
- Document learnings - Build knowledge over time
Pre-Send Testing
Always test before sending:
- Send test to yourself
- Check on mobile device
- Verify all links
- Confirm personalization
- Review in email clients (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail)
Compliance Best Practices
Required Elements
Every marketing email must include:
- Clear sender identification - Your club name
- Physical mailing address - In the footer
- Unsubscribe link - One-click, prominently placed
- Honest subject lines - No deception
SMS Compliance
- Obtain explicit consent before texting
- Include opt-out instructions in every message
- Respect quiet hours (typically 8am-9pm)
- Identify your club in each message
Privacy Considerations
- Only collect data you need
- Secure member information
- Allow members to update preferences
- Honor data deletion requests
Measuring Success
Key Benchmarks
| Metric | Poor | Average | Good | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Rate | Under 15% | 15-20% | 20-30% | Over 30% |
| Click Rate | Under 1% | 1-2% | 2-4% | Over 4% |
| Unsubscribe | Over 1% | 0.5-1% | 0.2-0.5% | Under 0.2% |
| Bounce | Over 5% | 2-5% | 1-2% | Under 1% |
Focus on Trends
Individual campaign metrics matter less than trends over time:
- Is engagement improving?
- Are unsubscribes decreasing?
- Is revenue per send increasing?
Learn from Every Send
After each campaign, ask:
- What worked well?
- What could improve?
- What will I test next time?
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Content Mistakes
| Mistake | Solution |
|---|---|
| Too much text | Edit ruthlessly, use bullets |
| No clear CTA | One obvious next step |
| Broken links | Always test before sending |
| Typos | Proofread, use spell check |
Strategy Mistakes
| Mistake | Solution |
|---|---|
| Sending too often | Quality over quantity |
| Same message to all | Segment your audience |
| Ignoring mobile | Design mobile-first |
| Not testing | A/B test regularly |
Technical Mistakes
| Mistake | Solution |
|---|---|
| Large images | Compress before uploading |
| Missing alt text | Always add descriptions |
| No fallback fonts | Use web-safe font stacks |
| Broken personalization | Test with sample data |
Quick Reference Checklist
Before every campaign:
- Clear, compelling subject line
- Content matches subject promise
- One primary call-to-action
- Mobile-friendly design
- All links tested
- Personalization working
- Unsubscribe link included
- Sent test to yourself
- Appropriate audience selected
- Good send time chosen
Next Steps
- Campaign Analytics - Measure your results
- Creating Segments - Better targeting
- Journey Builder - Automated sequences