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by ISeemToBeAVerb 4967 days ago
First of all, have you validated this app with your market? Have you actually approached executives and golfers to see if they would use this app? No amount of strategy will overcome a lack of desire or need, so if you haven't done that yet, I'd make that my first priority before sinking a bunch of time & money into anything else.

Assuming the idea is valid, I'd concentrate my efforts on a single country club. Not a public course, but a country club. Golfers that are serious about using golf as a networking tool probably belong to a club (again, something to validate). You'll obviously need to get the club to sign on regardless whether you're pitching them directly or not.

Once you've got the club's permission, there are a number of things you could do:

You could partner with the club and offer an exclusive (but limited) co-branding opportunity. So the app would be a "service" that the club offers to help members network. This would add credibility to the app and make members more likely to take interest in trying the service.

You could negotiate a deal with the pro shop to give away discounts or free memberships to the app with purchases.

Anyhow... you get the picture. My point is to start with a focus, don't spread yourself too thin. If the app takes off, you can always expand.

Think about Facebook's strategy. They started out just focusing on one school and then branched outward to other ivy league schools before finally branching out to all colleges and then the public.

2 comments

Thanks - very thoughtful response! I have been burnt before, so validation is definitely #1 priority for me. I'm still in the wire-framing phase, because I at-least want to take these screenshots with me when I talk to the golf courses.

But my problem is that of segmentation - I don't have the bandwidth to support both iOS and Android at the same time, which cuts off a big chunk of audience.

Since the core of the app is networking - supporting the major platforms is quite important. But hey it is what it is. I've gotta start from somewhere!

What do you mean when you say you don't have the bandwidth to support both iOS and Android?

If you're targeting businessmen, I think cross-platform is pretty important. Most executives are likely using Blackberry and Android. iOS is still trailing in the business sector last I checked.

If you use a cross-platform SDK you can cover your bases and not have to worry about it. Something like Phonegap or Corona could dramatically increase your likelihood of adoption.

I agree with you. By band-width I meant the time and resource I have to devote to this idea. I have a full time job, and in evenings, I have been taking programming classes. So, I didn't think I could support cross platform from the get-go.

Your responses and suggestions are right on the money. What's your background and interest areas?

Oh... I just had one other brief idea. Executives are always looking for better ways to network, so one potential option to try would be grabbing their attention where they're already networking. Take notice of any events in your area and talk to the production team about setting up a booth.