Sniper Circle: The Investors Community

The Sniper Circle is the community component of The Market Sniper (TMS), a private community of investors and traders. TMS were relying on WhatsApp to conduct critical chats about upcoming and current market opportunities. Basecamp was being used for persistent conversations. As their business grew, it became apparent that they needed to own the live and asynchronous conversations that formed a critical component of their customer offer.

The Market Sniper came to Zipline with a simple requirement – improve their community experience. This was achieved by creating a web based community and natively built iOS and Android app. Both supported by a customisable CMS ensuring that TMS could grow with their clients needs.

Zipline worked closely with The Market Sniper Team to help plan the community, ensuring it was tuned to their specific requirements. WordPress and BuddyPress were used as the foundation of the Community. Extensive custom code delivered the unique tools and interfaces. The Zipline API powered the iOS and Android apps, ensuring a seamless user experience.

Key deliverables included:

• Live Chats – Built on Zipline’s custom built live chat solution, utilising cutting edge technology to ensure chats are fast, secure and mirrored across multiple channels. Members are able to post text, and pictures, inline replies, edit and delete. Live chat is also enhanced with member flairs – inline admin awarded badges that help members determine the seniority of other members.
• Native iOS and Android App – Utilising the Zipline API – a software tool kit that allows us to effortlessly translate communities built in the BuddyPress framework to native apps. The result is are elegant iOS and Android apps that allow The Market Sniper community to stay up to date with their investments, chat in real time, receive notifications and follow the activity of other members.  
• Premium Access – Sniper Circle works across three trading areas – Forex, Commodities and Crypto Currencies. A member’s access to a trading area is controlled by their subscription. 
• InfusionSoft integration – The Market Sniper uses Infusionsoft, a leading web-based CRM tool. The Sniper Circle Online Community ‘talks’ to Infusionsoft – pushing and pulling data between the platform to ensure records are kept up to date. 
• Setup – A highly customised versions of groups. Setups allow members to post trade opportunities in a highly structured format. other members can then subscribe, take and use live chat to talk about the opportunities. 
• Learndash integration – New members must go through training in order to become ‘traders’. Zipline integrated Learndash into the community. On completion of a course, a member’s rank is automatically upgraded.
• Forums – While live chat was the primary focus, The Market Sniper also need a source of more persistent community generated content. Forums permeate across the platform to support the trading community at all stages.
• Events – TMS frequently conducts live webinars. Zipline built on the excellent The Event Calendar Pro plugin to offer fully featured event services including booking, planning and live streaming.