Among a stereotypically liberal population, Donald Trump is far from a popular figure.
Yet Trump has managed to use his own infamy to his advantage; his campaign is a marketing genius. By attracting the attention of media and youth, he has practically monopolized the social media waves.
Let’s face it. You may not agree with Donald Trump’s political views but you can’t argue with his marketing know-how. He came as an underdog in a field of 17 highly competitive republican candidates and surprised everyone as the last man standing.
Time will tell whether Trump’s campaign will be successful in winning the nomination, but he’s already been very successful at generating headlines. Despite his brash demeanour and highly questionable (read: “hateful” or “stupid”) statements, Trump just keeps rising in the polls.
Regardless of what happens with Trump’s presidential campaign, he’s already a winner in the constant battle for public attention. Here are a few marketing lessons from Trump that every business owner and entrepreneur can emulate:
Donald Trump very cleverly zeroed in on his target market from the very beginning. He has mastered the art of selling his message of hope to people with a lot of pain – in this case people who believe there are some fundamental problems with America and who agree with his message of “Make America Great Again.”
You should identify the ultimate target audience for your product or service. Then, you can create solutions and marketing messages that specifically address their needs and make selling to them so much easier. Know your target market and speak to their concerns in a relevant way.
Trump shot to the top by picking one issue and sticking to it – immigration. That was his nail and he hammered it again and again. Luckily for Trump (or perhaps, because of Trump), immigration is turning into a major issue in the elections.
You’ve heard it before, but it’s worth repeating – If you try to be everything to everyone, you’ll end up being nothing to no one. And especially as digital marketing becomes more and more competitive, it’s increasingly important to have ultra-targeted ads and content. No matter if you’re selling software, consumables or cars, the best marketing has a very particular prospect in mind and goes after them with a laser focus.
As a long time media personality and business celebrity, Trump knows this and uses it to his advantage. He knows what the media wants. They want controversy. They want shock and awe. They ultimately want to create buzz and generate ratings. His disrespectful comment against women, his bad mouthing of debate moderators and refusal to explain himself properly, doesn’t go down too well with them. But, despite all of this bad press, it doesn’t seem to be hurting his poll numbers – in a weird twist of fate it might actually be helping them – as he continues to lead the pack.
The media needs you as much as you need the media. If you become a valuable source for that content, the media can be a very powerful part of your overall marketing game plan. The point of publicity, whether is to get in front of your audience. In some form or manner, you are making a mark, and that’s usually a good thing. Guest blog, generate backlinks, share your content on multiple sites, and get more people to talk about you.
Having a share of four bankruptcies in his career, Trump’s track record in business was questioned by a news anchor. Upon being asked, “why should we trust you to run the nation’s business?”, Trump defended his business sense by stating that he is proud of his business record and that on the other hand, his experience with debt makes him empathetic and ideally suited to confront the challenges of the economy.
It’s far more important to learn from your mistakes, maintain a positive attitude and rebound with integrity than to obsess over the failures of the past.
Despite endless criticism from the media, in interviews and speeches, and in the Republican debate, Trump keeps pressing on with what he believes in.
Almost any meaningful business or marketing strategy can take months if not years to pay off. Like Trump you need to put down that luscious locked crown and just keep going. Just be patient!
The raging anger in Americans and the lack of accountability from Washington have fueled the rise of the Donald Trump movement.Trump has very well used this emotion card to the favour of his campaign. This is just what he needed.
People buy into ideas and products based on emotion and then back up their decisions with logic. Trump plays into this human dynamic beautifully.
And as business owners, you need to as well.
Define what makes your ideal customer want to buy and then play into that emotional state. It works.
One of the things Donald Trump likes to do the most is take people off guard. But every time he says something controversial he gets news coverage. And this works. But having a strong point of view and taking people off guard with innovation is nearly always a good thing.
One of the leaders in modern business who did this the best (without being as controversial as Donald Trump) was Steve Jobs. Every announcement he made was followed by massive news coverage because he always surprised us with new and innovative ideas.By constantly innovating and having a strong point of view you can stay ahead of the game and keep your company on top.
At the beginning of the primary season his candidacy was viewed as a joke. Very few people took Mr. Trump seriously as a candidate and said he’d never win. And now… he’s the presidential candidate for the Republican Party.
When people come out of nowhere and take the world by storm, you should always sit up and take notice because there is always something to learn. And Donald Trump is no exception.
Whether you love Donald Trump or hate him, you can’t deny his current power in politics and that he has something to teach us all. Looking at his demeanour and filthy outburst against women in the society every other day, there is no denying in the fact that he may not be as good a President Obama is, but can we deny his accolades as a marketer? That is one thing definitely to look for!
Shreya Pokharna
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