Marketing & hunting. What do these have in common? Read on, I will explain.
Some time ago, we wrote a blog about marketing and gardening. You can view it here if you haven’t yet read it: https://77designco.com/marketing-gardening-a-comparable-explanation/
This got us thinking about some things. It made us aware that much like gardening, marketing and hunting are also similar in many ways. Hunting season is in full swing (at least for the archers) in PA. Turkey season, small game, and deer (rifle) season will all be coming up soon too. Many of our friends have “buck fever” and are spending a good deal of time in the woods.
Hunting is often misunderstood. You may even be downright creeped out by it. No doubt though, it’s one of humanities oldest activities. It was (and in some cases still is) a necessity to live. Yes, we also know there are and were vegetarians that simply just foraged for food too. Let’s get that out in the open as well. However, hunting and fishing provided the necessary proteins and fats for early humans and their tribes. Let’s break this down a little more.
Knowing Your Target.
Marketing & hunting share some unique similarities. For instance, let’s start from step one.
Marketing your business requires knowing your target audience. Much like hunting you’ll need to know what your target is. You can’t randomly wander the woods looking for a piece of game. Therefore some thought needs to be put into it. Preparation too.
Searching for a specific animal requires knowing where and when to find it. Finding the best spots or times increases your chances exponentially for a successful harvest. Likewise, successful marketing means knowing EXACTLY who your customer is. Age. Location. Likes and dislikes. Buying habits. These are all important to know in order to increase your chances of marketing success.
Choose Your Weapon.
A successful hunter will know his or her caliber needed for what they are hunting. Shotgun, 12 gauge or 20 gauge? Which rifle will you need for deer, bear or elk? Selecting the correct weapon is critical to a quick and ethical kill.
Similarly, you’ll need to know which marketing “weapon” to use. Are you looking to touch a wide audience or a very narrow and specific individual? Perhaps your customer base is ages 24-30. Is Instagram the correct marketing tool to use?
Let’s say I wanted to get in front of a 58 year old male that owns a hardware store. I would consider a direct mail campaign directed to local hardware store owners within that age bracket. That’s narrowing down and selecting the right “weapon” in this case. There’s a huge range of hypotheticals we could use but for the sake of keeping it short and sweet, this can give you ideas.
The Harvest.
Obviously, there’s more to successful hunting and marketing than just knowing your target and choosing a weapon. There are many other aspects to take into great consideration for both. For the sake of keeping this blog short and easily readable we’ll skip to the end results though.
Any ethical hunter worth their weight is salt will tell you to be selective in what you kill. Allowing an animal(s) to reach a certain breeding age, size, or herd populace will ensure future success. Following the guidelines set by the state is also a must.
Likewise, marketing a product or service should be selective. Absent minded spending will fail. Being in the right places, with the right content, and in front of the correct customer base will pay dividends. Following the guidelines on social media, and then responding to messages, emails, calls, and review responses will lead your business to a successful harvest as well.
What other things do you think marketing & hunting have in common?
If you are into hunting and read this far, here are a few tips for hunting the West from American Hunter: https://www.americanhunter.org/articles/2020/8/17/tips-and-tactics-for-hunting-the-west/
Analyze. Create. Achieve.