E-mail Marketing. Aka. A birdie.

Posted on by marisafiorina

Honestly, I don’t think anything beats a great e-mail during my day, especially from my favorite clothing websites. In a jam packed inbox, I always am checking my mail, whether its from my Digital Marketing Professor or from a golf apparel website. Whether they are offering me a great discount, or showing a brand new clothing piece of theirs, I always feel a sense of enthusiasm, just as I do when I sink a birdie. Although I seem to get more e-mails than birdies, I always get so excited when I receive an email from a golf clothing website, because they ALWAYS seem to drag me in and end up purchasing what they are offering.

Because I wrote about Nike in my previous post, I decided to share with you some of the emails that Nike shares with me. With Rory Mcilroy, Michelle Wie, Tiger Woods, and Brooks Koepka being a few of the names sponsored by Nike why wouldn’t I sign up for this email list? Nike is one of the top clothing brands in golf, and their sponsors are always looking amazing, so I just had to keep up to date by receiving their emails. Honestly, thank GOD I did, because I receive an email almost every day about their newest deals. I highly suggest subscribing to their emails, because they do not bombard you with a million emails a day, but it is the absolute PAR amount to get you to click. I make sure to look at every single one because missing one of their emails would be like missing a birdie putt!

The subject line of the email is “Put the G in Golf”. This subject line totally dragged me in, as it was short and sweet, but enticed me to look at the content. When I opened the email, it was promoting Nike’s new golf shoe brand “Roshe G Tour”, which kept me scrolling through the email to see the whole thing because this email was the first I had seen of the new shoes! There were pictures throughout the email of the new shoes, with a button that says “Shop” which leads to Nike’s website. Of course I clicked on it! I just HAD to shop the new shoe line, as the pictures they put on the website were so enticing! It was the perfect amount of content, with several pictures of the shoes and a brief description. Everything about the email accomplished its goal of getting me to look at the site, although I wished they included an offer or a discount on the shoes, as that would have sealed the deal right then and there. I think this email was sent to the entire Nike Golf database because the company most definitely wanted to get the word out to as many people as possible. I really liked all aspects of this email, and it definitely got me to click on the new shoes! I’m hoping the next email I receive will be another follow up with more details on the shoes, and maybe even one of their famous golfers sporting them (crossing my fingers for Tiger Woods!!).

Don’t worry, I like other companies other than Nike! One of my absolute favorite websites to shop on is Under Armour. Honestly, I probably have the most pieces from Under Armour because they always know how to make me look stylish on the course, as well as rope me into buying their products. They email me a couple times a week, and I check each and every one. For the email that they sent me, the subject is “Seen on the Most Elite Golf Courses in the World”, which made me want to click on it, because of course I want to see what has been seen on the most elite golf courses in the world. Is it shoes? Is it skirts? A new hat style? When I clicked on the content, it showed a bunch of UA apparel, from shirts, to bottoms, to accessories. Although they did not show any of their clothes on the most elite courses in the world, they made me click on the email anyways, so I was already looking at the content! Well done, UA. The first part of the email when you click says, “Women’s Golf: Stronger Than Ever”, which then made me click on the “Shop Now” button, because I wanted to be apart of this strong women’s golf group. Best part of the email? They offered me free shipping at the top of the email, which was the PERFECT way of getting me to order clothes! This email was most likely sent to only the female segment of the UA email subscribers, since it targets women’s apparel. This email definitely got me to click on it to shop online, while also building its brand as a strong brand for women. The next email should be something similar, building upon the “Women’s Golf: Stronger Than Ever” because it helps to build their brand up. Overall, I recommend subscribing to both companies’ emails because you will be the first to see their new items and apparel, which will keep you looking amazing on the course!

First Place. On Site SEO

Posted on by marisafiorina

Tiger woods? Rickie Fowler? how about…you?

Golf is one of the most popular sports in the world, and the guys and gals that are at the top of their game fight for their spot every week. One week it’s Justin Rose, the next week it’s Brooks Koepka or Dustin Johnson, it’s practically a BATTLE for the top! Funny thing is, this is the same deal as fashion! Every fashion company is fighting to be the best of the best, releasing new styles and articles of clothing in order to be innovative and find themselves at the top of the fashion game.

In this sense, websites are almost exactly the same as golf and fashion! Companies and organizations want their website at the top of the search engine results so consumers click on their site first, ending their search right there! Consumers almost never look at the second page of websites, just as no one expects golfers at the bottom of the rankings to win the Masters. Being at the top allows for more relevance, which results in more clicks, and usually turns into revenue! Who doesn’t want more revenue? It is SO important to optimize search engine results, also known as On-Site SEO, because 91% of all users don’t look past the first page. I’ve been learning all about how to maximize search results in my Digital Marketing Class, and how significantly important it is to improve search results, just how it is so important to look your best on the golf course!

For a company to get their website to the top of Google search results, they must have high quality content and relevance to the search, as well as attentiveness to keywords that will match the search. One way to see how effective a company’s website is in SEO is to utilize Google Ads! This is an amazing tool to help companies optimize their search results, as they are able to see how their keywords can help their website come up earlier on the list of search results. For example, my blog is about golf fashion, so I entered a couple of keywords into the “keyword planner” in Google Ads to see how relevant certain keywords that go along with my blog would be. The keywords I typed in are “golf”, “fashion”, “apparel”, “clothes”, and “shoes”, in order to include all articles of clothing that are related to golf fashion. The results of my keywords appear below:

As you can see by the search results above, most of the words have a high amount of competition in relation to other searches. The keyword “golf” has medium competition, but has the highest range big for the top of the page, at $6.72, with a low range of top of the page bid at $1.02. The term “golf” is searched an average of 100K-1M times a month, which means that searches for my blog would blend right in with so many other golf websites. If I wanted to have my blog appear towards the top of all of these searches, I would have to pay a high of $6.72 each time that my site would appear at the top of Google and someone clicks on it. Because there are so many other golf related websites out there, I honestly think this would be a good investment, as my blog needs to get clicks amongst those other golf websites in order to get a great conversion rate! The keyword planner of Google Ads also shows me that the competition for the keyword “golf” is medium, so an investment for an ad to appear for my blog at the top of the search engine results would be perfect for my blog!

To be honest, when I see a new golf skirt or a new golf hat that happens to be a little bit more money than I am used to spending, I still will purchase the skirt, because I know in the long run, it will have me looking professional and fashionable on the course. The same goes for SEO, as it is so important to get your website at the top, even if you have to pay a little price for it. Being at the top has you looking like the best (just as the top golfers do in their styles), and being at the top has more people wanting you! Keywords help you be at the top of the game, as they should be placed in the URL, Title Tag, Header Tag, Content, Alt Text, and Anchor text to maximize the keyword relevance. For my blog, I included fashion in the URL, while including a golf term, “fore” in the URL as well. When people see my blog URL, they see that it is a fun loving fashion blog about golf, as the play on words of “foreward” demonstrates how it is an exciting blog with fashion about golf! I ensure that I include “golf” in a majority of my content, to enhance the keywords of my SEO. Hopefully, I get more clicks and conversion that will result in more attention to my blog posts that I hope you are all enjoying!

For more information on SEO posts, enjoy this article!

Dressing the Part.

Posted on by marisafiorina

Just Do it

As a Division I golfer that has played all my life, I’m pretty much at the course everyday, swinging away on the range or playing a quick 9 holes. With how much I’m always practicing, it is a necessity to have a plethora of outfits. A nice way to unwind after a long day at the course is to shop online for new and exciting clothes that will have me looking sharp every single day. There are SO many amazing online retail websites that have so much potential to make you look like a professional on the course. One of my favorites is a pretty prominent retailer in the world of sports, and as you might have guessed by the title of my post, Nike has some of the BEST articles of clothing for a perfect golf outfit, for both men and women.

Nike is one of the world’s most recognizable brands. The swoosh symbol and the “Just Do It” tagline identifiable almost immediately to all consumers, which is really an incredible marketing job done by them! Because they have established themselves as such a distinct brand, they have no trouble generating any direct traffic to their website. A simple four letter word follow by .com can be typed in to reach the website, which I really don’t think could get any easier (maybe a little too easy, my bank account wishes it was harder). Because Nike is such a global recognizable brand, they do not rely on paid or unpaid search to generate revenue. When you type “golf clothes” or “golf apparel” into Google, Nike does not appear in the top links, or even on the first page. However, when you type in “Nike Golf”, an ad for a New Nike Golf collection appears, as well as the second link as well. Easy as that! Nike also utilizes paid and unpaid referral to promote their company, by using famous golfers like Rory Mcilroy to post about Nike products, while the Nike Golf Instagram is a great example of unpaid referral of marketing as well! With how popular Nike still is in the golf world, my guess is that Nike.com is generating tons of traffic to its site!

Whichever way anyone has reached the site, it is evident that Nike converts those visits to purchases though their multiple ways of marketing. The way they receive their optimization has to be through paid and unpaid referral, as the social media of golfers wearing the new Nike Golf apparel makes people want to look exactly like the pros, so they will go and buy what the golf professionals are modeling nowadays. Once you get to their website, golf is under its own category, which is SO convenient! My favorite part was when you get to the golf section of their website, their new tagline is “Put the Go in Golf”, which is catchy and motivating, making me totally want to buy something off the site!

Nike.com does an excellent job of maximizing revenue through their digital methods, as their app creates a personalized shop for you, which is an amazing way to catch the consumer’s eye. Also, Nike emails after a purchase about new sales and products that they believe you will have interest in. It sounds to me like Nike really knows what they are doing! Writing all this about Nike makes me want to go purchase something from their website, so I’m going to go check out their new collection and hopefully write more about that soon! I know Professor Pepe is definitely going to do the same after reading this!

Hit em straight!

Marisa

Teeing Off with Me.

Posted on by marisafiorina

And Next On the Tee Is…

You!!! Welcome all of you to my blog, Fashion FOREward! Whether you are a golf fanatic or just picked up the game, you are in the right spot! As an lifelong fan of the sport and a Division I golfer myself, I have an plethora of experience with this amazing game. As the way I’ve introduced this blog must make you believe that I am going to let you pick my brain about how to hit the ball better, however there are SO many videos, articles, and coaches out there who can help you with that one maybe a little better than I can. The purpose of my blog is to discuss with you one of most unique parts about the game – the fashion! Golf is one of the only sports where great fashion and attire is emphasized. If people are not telling me how much they love how golfers dress, I am always hearing the question: “I’m going golfing this weekend, what the heck do I wear!”. Now, you won’t have to worry about looking unprofessional on the course (unless that has to do with your swing!!) because I am here to help!!!

Both golf and fashion have one major thing in common–they both are loved by all ages! Golf is a timeless sport, and every individual needs to wear clothes, so there are so many different types of attire for golfers of all ages. However, my knowledge in golf fashion is centered around what I am typically surrounded by, which is men and women’s golf attire for young adults. Yes, I know I only wear and own women’s golf clothing, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what how fashionable male golfers can be! Although I recognize how people may see me as a young female athlete rather than a fashion expert, I am extremely passionate about how if you “look good” you “feel good”, and if you “feel good” then you’ll play well! Golf is a stressful enough sport as it is, and I want for my readers to value my ability to help them worry more about their game and less about how they look, as I will be helping you all to look the part. By taking my advice, the way you look on the golf course will have all the other players in awe, from the head professional to the other members of your foursome.

Through my blog posts, I want to share with you all the different aspects of golf fashion, whether it be the current trends, the basics, the different seasonal attire, what the pros are wearing, the changes, or future fashion of the sport. I hope to enlighten each and every one of you with how to look your best at one of the most popular sports in the world, helping YOU to be the talk of the club, no matter what condition your golf game is in. With each and every blog post, I hope you become the best dressed golfer you can be and are feeling comfortable yet professional on the course. Thanks to my amazing Digital Marketing Professor, I will be posting many times throughout the semester and hopefully beyond. I am looking FOREward to sharing my experiences with you!