PRIVATE CLUB BRANDING

A brand is much more than just a logo.

Like a person, a brand builds relationships based on its characteristics and reputation. And while identity elements like logos, fonts and color schemes are important, most private clubs don’t focus enough on the other two critical components of branding: positioning and messaging.

Clearly defining the positioning and messaging elements of your club’s brand is essential. It’s the basis for communicating who you are through your member communications, website, collateral materials, PR efforts…in fact, everything—even how your employees talk about your club.

We’ve worked with hundreds of private clubs and communities to help them enhance their positioning and clarify their branding and marketing messages using a simple framework. In nearly every case, they’ve seen a dramatic increase in new membership leads, without having to lower prices, deal out incentives, or offer short-term membership gimmicks – all things that work against brand.

So where do you begin?  Here are 4 key areas that will reveal where your club’s brand’s positioning and messaging needs support, maintenance or extra work:

1. Know your club’s place in the market. Understand how your club fits into the overall mix of clubs in your market. Rank your club against each primary competitor in three areas: price, service, and product (experience). To be competitive, you should be better than the market average in at least one area, ideally two. If your club doesn’t fill a clear space in the market, don’t worry. Chances are the clubs that do aren’t clearly articulating their brand messages, which in itself presents an opportunity. People are drawn towards brands with clearest messaging, even if they aren’t necessarily the best.

2. Don’t try to be all things to all people. Identify the unique attributes and distinctive elements of your club, and pinpoint the advantages you want your members to associate with your club. In other words, what’s your club’s “hook”?  The best hooks are unique, believable, desirable and deliverable.  The worst place to be is the “me too” position.

3. Use messaging that establishes an emotional connection. It’s not just about what you offer, it’s about how you transform the lives of your members. In addition to explaining what you have, you must also articulate how that makes your members feel. This will elicit an emotional response that fosters engagement. Does your messaging tap into freedom, inspiration, security, creativity, status, credibility, the bonds of family or another emotion?

4. Keep your brand message clear and simple. When it comes to talking about themselves, most clubs are so close to their amenities and services they don’t know where to start. You need a carefully crafted, concise brand message that you can live up to and that will resonate with your target audience. Boil it down to three elements: what is the problem you solve for your member, how do you solve it, and what does life look like for your member after it’s solved.

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