You may have never heard about the concept of sniper marketing before, but fear not as you are about to find out.
First things first….
What is ‘Sniper Marketing’ anyway?
The idea of sniper marketing has been around for more than a decade now, believe it or not, and its name is no coincidence. In marketing, we try to target audiences who are relevant to us, and it is commonly known that we have to retarget individuals before they even actually acknowledge a brand or a product, whether it is in the online environment, print, TV, radio or outdoor advertising. Why is that? Back in the ‘80, researchers estimated that we were exposed to around 1,500 marketing messages on a daily basis. That could be anything from hard-selling ads to brand awareness campaigns, flyers, leaflets and other materials. Today, we are looking at over 5,000 daily messages.
With that said, it’s understandable why our brains have developed a sharper sense to ensure we are not overwhelming our information-processing capacity, leading to what today is known as banner blindness and ad-avoidance behaviour. That means we are now more likely to be selective with the information we are perceiving and have more control over how we acknowledge ads. It also means that brands and marketers are finding it way more challenging to target individuals and get good conversion rates.
A very similar situation to firing shots in combat. With most available guns, soldiers had to shoot thousands of rounds to actually get one kill. And then came the sniper – a guaranteed way to shoot and kill in one go.
What if marketing could do that?
What would happen if we could have a way to use targeted marketing and know for sure that 9 out of 10 individuals would convert? *insert marketing gods cheering sounds*
Similarly to the sniper method, sniper marketing acts as a concept that can help you experiment with your audience, really get to know them and go straight for the kill. In other words, it’s the most targeted form of marketing there is. “Sniper approach marketing is a marketing or advertising strategy which involves targeting a clearly defined audience effectively and efficiently through clearly defined marketing and promotional strategy! It’s a type of marketing that aims to put the right product in front of the right person, at the right time!” (The Presidential Hustle)
What makes it ‘Sniper Marketing’?
Specific actions and characteristics will determine whether you are using a sniper marketing approach or not and according to David Amerland’s analysis on sniper marketing, we are looking at 10 main focus areas:
It all starts with preparation, including in-depth research, simulations, understanding potential scenarios, trials and everything in between. This is the foundation of your action and it is crucial to get it right.
Then, you will need to start gathering all the information you need by collecting data and make sure to take into consideration metadata sensitivity to understand the context of the information you are using. As with any other marketing initiatives, you will need to develop a solid strategy and ensure there is focus, as well as methodology. Sniper marketing needs to also be action-orientated and you will need to really define your mission and goals. Determine what is truly important and valuable for you and stay motivated to achieve your objectives.
Don’t forget sniper marketing is all about that unique precision so you should always prioritise that in your actions as your results will depend on that. .“While knowledge is always useful, and general knowledge (and skills) help in the broader understanding of what is required of us it is specialized skills that always make a bigger difference. Specialized skills provide an edge in context” (David Amerland, The Sniper Mind).
Keep everything relevant in order to have a high chance of success when you’re talking to your audience and do your marketing in such a way that it has a genuine impact on the ones you are targeting.
While sniper marketing is nowhere near as popular as other traditional marketing approaches, it is a concept that has become more and more relevant as brands around the world are trying to attract the right audience and maintain their attention.
Of course, this type of ultra-customised and targeted marketing will be more time consuming and will definitely cost more than your regular campaigns, however, it won’t be a hit and miss anymore. This way, you will know for sure that you are talking to the right people at the right time and if 9 out of 10 prospects convert, then you are in for a treat.
