Like him or hate him, there are some important marketing lessons from Donald Trump’s election victory for entrepreneurs.
Here’s my top 3:
1. DON’T BE NORMAL
I’m not talking about being crass or rude, which of course many accuse Trump to be. I’m talking about something more interesting.
The brands that get known and talked about rarely achieve fame by being sensible and normal. They have the guts to stick out and be noticed.
They make a stand, they push the boundaries for their industry. They do and say things worthy of discussion.
Look at how Trump defeated 16 other Republican nominees. In every debate he was out there, making big statements, even ridiculous ones. As a result he stood out from every one of his competitors and eventually defeated them all, including many who were far more qualified to lead.
In your own way, in a tone that’s right for your industry, and certainly without the same bluster as Trump, you should do the same. Being normal and ordinary in business is commercial suicide.
The wallflowers in the entrepreneurial world rarely earn the bouquets.
2. BE SUPREMELY CONFIDENT WHEN TALKING TO POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS
Donald Trump could never be said to be an expert on any area of U.S. or global policy, but that sure didn’t stop him acting like he was.
He always spoke with strength and certainty – you have to admit he exudes tremendous confidence.
You may not be running for office anytime soon, but the same rules apply for you as a business owner. People are attracted to people who really believe in themselves and the product they sell. People who look like they are at the top of their industry.
Boost your impact by acting like you totally know what you are doing and are the best on the planet in your field. People buy certainty.
3. PICK YOUR KEY AUDIENCES VERY CAREFULLY
One of the key differences between Trump and Clinton during this election is how intelligently Trump focused on key markets. He was never out to win everyone’s favour – he understood that if he lasered in on the rust belt states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin and won them, that would probably be enough to take him to the Presidency.
You need to do the same. Here’s a question all entrepreneurs should ask: out of all my previous or current customers, who do we serve really, really well? What type of person is our sweet spot, where they love what we do and they are easy to sell?
Inside your potential customer base is a much smaller subset of people who are your absolute ideal customers.
Identify them. Then build your marketing communications expressly to appeal to them. If you do you’ll be amazed at what can happen .
Trump certainly was 🙂
Let me emphasise again that when I write about Trump I am not necessarily endorsing him, but merely looking at his marketing strategy tactics.
The guy did an amazing job to pull off that victory.
And all of us as entrepreneurs can utilise his 3 tactics above to win our own victories in business.
