For Marketing Managers
This guide covers CRM features for marketing managers responsible for member engagement, campaigns, and retention.
Your Core Responsibilities
As a Marketing Manager, you'll use the CRM to:
Weekly Marketing Workflow
A typical week using the CRM:
| Day | Focus | Key Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Review | Analyze last week's campaign performance |
| Tuesday | Plan | Identify segments for this week's outreach |
| Wednesday | Create | Build campaigns and schedule sends |
| Thursday | Optimize | A/B test and refine journeys |
| Friday | Report | Generate reports for stakeholders |
Segmentation Strategy
Understanding Your Members
Start with these foundational segments:
| Segment | Criteria | Use For |
|---|---|---|
| New Members | Joined < 90 days | Welcome sequences |
| Active Members | Visited 3+ times/month | Engagement rewards |
| At Risk | No visit in 30+ days | Re-engagement |
| Lapsed | No visit in 90+ days | Win-back campaigns |
| High Value | Top 20% by spend | VIP treatment |
Segment Creation Process
- Define the goal - What action do you want?
- Identify the audience - Who would take that action?
- Build the criteria - What data identifies them?
- Test the segment - Review sample members
- Activate - Use in campaigns/journeys
Start with broad segments and refine based on results. A segment of 500+ members gives you enough data for meaningful analysis.
AI-Powered Segmentation
Use the AI Segment Builder to:
- Describe your audience in plain language
- Get suggested criteria automatically
- Discover segments you hadn't considered
Example prompts:
- "Members who play often but haven't used the pro shop"
- "Female members who joined in the last year"
- "Members whose visits have declined recently"
Campaign Strategy
Campaign Calendar
Maintain a marketing calendar with:
| Frequency | Campaign Type |
|---|---|
| Weekly | Newsletter/updates |
| Monthly | Member spotlight, events |
| Quarterly | Seasonal promotions |
| As needed | Announcements, weather updates |
Campaign Types by Goal
| Goal | Campaign Type | Suggested Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness | Newsletter | |
| Urgency | Flash sale | SMS + Email |
| Engagement | Feedback request | |
| Retention | Win-back | Email series |
| Conversion | Event promotion | Multi-channel |
A/B Testing Framework
Test systematically to improve results:
Week 1-2: Test subject lines
- Version A: Question format
- Version B: Statement format
Week 3-4: Test send times
- Version A: Morning (9am)
- Version B: Afternoon (2pm)
Week 5-6: Test content length
- Version A: Brief (50 words)
- Version B: Detailed (150 words)
Document all results in a testing log.
Journey Building
Essential Journeys
Every club should have these automated journeys:
| Journey | Trigger | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome Series | New member | Onboard and engage |
| Pre-Visit | Tee time booked | Enhance experience |
| Post-Visit | Tee time completed | Get feedback |
| Win-Back | 60 days inactive | Re-engage |
| Birthday | Birthday + 7 days | Personal touch |
| Renewal | 30 days to expiry | Retain members |
Journey Design Principles
- Clear goal - One journey, one objective
- Appropriate frequency - Don't overwhelm
- Relevant triggers - Right message, right time
- Exit conditions - Let members leave naturally
- Measurement - Track what matters
A member should never be in more than 2-3 journeys simultaneously. Use suppression rules to prevent over-communication.
Journey Performance Metrics
| Metric | Good | Excellent |
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment rate | 70%+ | 85%+ |
| Completion rate | 50%+ | 70%+ |
| Step completion | 40%+ | 60%+ |
| Conversion (varies) | Depends on goal | - |
Analytics and Reporting
Key Metrics to Track
Engagement Metrics:
- Email open rate (target: 25%+)
- Click-through rate (target: 3%+)
- Unsubscribe rate (target: under 0.5%)
Business Metrics:
- Campaign ROI
- Revenue attributed to marketing
- Member retention rate
- Acquisition cost
Weekly Dashboard Review
Check these metrics every Monday:
- Campaign performance - Last week's sends
- Journey health - Any stuck enrollments?
- Segment sizes - Growing or shrinking?
- Deliverability - Bounce/spam rates
Monthly Reporting
Generate these reports monthly:
| Report | Audience | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing Summary | Management | High-level KPIs |
| Campaign Detail | Marketing team | All campaign results |
| Journey Analytics | Marketing team | Automation performance |
| Segment Health | Marketing team | Segment size trends |
Member Engagement Strategies
The Engagement Ladder
Move members up the engagement ladder:
Level 4: Advocate ← Refer others, leave reviews
↑
Level 3: Loyal ← Regular visits, consistent engagement
↑
Level 2: Active ← Opens emails, occasional visits
↑
Level 1: Aware ← Subscribed but not engaged
↑
Level 0: Unknown ← Not in system
Engagement by Member Type
| Member Type | Strategy | Key Metric |
|---|---|---|
| New | Welcome, educate | Onboarding completion |
| Active | Reward, retain | Engagement score |
| At Risk | Re-engage | Return visit |
| Lapsed | Win back | Reactivation rate |
| Advocates | Leverage | Referrals |
Personalization Opportunities
Personalize based on:
| Data | Personalization |
|---|---|
| Name | Greeting personalization |
| Membership | Tier-appropriate offers |
| Visit history | Course recommendations |
| Purchase history | Product suggestions |
| Preferences | Content tailoring |
Best Practices
Email Best Practices
- Subject lines: 40-50 characters, personalized
- Preheader: Complement the subject line
- Content: Mobile-first, single CTA
- Timing: Test and optimize for your audience
- Frequency: 1-2 emails per week max
SMS Best Practices
- Length: Under 160 characters
- Timing: Business hours only
- Frequency: 2-4 per month max
- Content: Urgent or time-sensitive only
- Opt-out: Always include instructions
Journey Best Practices
- Wait times: Give members time to act
- Conditions: Use data to branch appropriately
- Exit rules: Don't trap members in journeys
- Testing: A/B test key messages
- Monitoring: Check weekly for issues
Handling Common Challenges
Low Open Rates
| Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Boring subject lines | A/B test compelling options |
| Bad timing | Test different send times |
| List fatigue | Reduce frequency, improve content |
| Deliverability | Check spam complaints, clean list |
High Unsubscribe Rates
| Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Too frequent | Reduce sending frequency |
| Irrelevant content | Better segmentation |
| Not what expected | Set expectations at signup |
| Poor mobile experience | Test and optimize |
Stuck Journeys
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Members not progressing | Check wait times, conditions |
| High exit rate | Review content relevance |
| Low conversion | Optimize calls to action |
| Technical errors | Check trigger configuration |
Tools at Your Disposal
Key Features
| Feature | Purpose | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Segment Builder | Create audiences | Creating Segments |
| Campaign Creator | Send messages | Creating Campaigns |
| Journey Builder | Automation | Journey Builder |
| Analytics | Measure results | Campaign Analytics |
| Templates | Save time | Within each tool |
Permissions You Have
As a Marketing Manager, you can:
| Action | ✓/✗ |
|---|---|
| Create/edit segments | ✓ |
| Create/send campaigns | ✓ |
| Build/manage journeys | ✓ |
| View all member profiles | ✓ |
| Export member data | ✓ |
| Merge duplicates | ✓ |
| Delete member records | ✗ (Admin only) |
| Manage user permissions | ✗ (Admin only) |
Resources
Related Guides
- Building Segments - Complete segmentation guide
- Creating Journeys - Journey automation guide
- Campaign Best Practices - Optimization tips
- Social Media - Social management
Tutorials
- Re-engage Lapsed Members - Win-back journey patterns
- Promote a Tournament - Event marketing setup
- Welcome New Members - Onboarding journey basics
- Birthday Campaign - Personalization tips