I do not support the Donald Trump candidacy for president. However, there is a lot to be learned from the marketing techniques he has used to become the front running Republican that small business can learn from- BJM
Trump.
Before he was a presidential candidate, this single word always conjured the image of financial success. Trump has done an amazing job of getting supporters to spread his message. As a small business owner, this is what you can learn from how he has done it:
1. Focus on your targeted market. Trump understands the emotions of his audience; Americans who are disillusioned. As Fortune explains “Trump supporters feel that America is not what it was or what it should be. They believe that America has lost its ability to act boldly, in a sea of equivocation and political correctness. They believe that politicians care more about not offending anyone than about common sense action. They blame the current administration, and both Democrats and Republicans in Congress for inaction and stalemate. They are tired of hearing “excuses” from politicians about why they can’t get anything done.” Trump focuses on this niche and does not try to broaden his appeal. The small business lesson: Every company needs to know who their targeted customers are and don’t try to be all things to all customers. This is especially true at the startup or when the company is very small.
2. Stick to the brand message. Trump tells people how great the future will be with him in charge. He keeps his storytelling very focused on a few broad themes:
• Things are currently a disaster; things will be great when he is president
• Others are losers; he is a winner. People will do what he tells them to do.
• America never wins anymore; when he is president, people will win so much they will get tired of it.
• He can negotiate a great deal for all of us. He knows how to make money. Trust him.
The small business lesson: Sharply hone your message to two or three themes and never vary from them for the targeted audience. Tell customers how great it will be when they buy your product or service.
3. Keep it simple. While other candidates in the race may talk at a higher level or with more detail on their proposals, Trump keeps it very simple for his audience. He speaks at a third grade level. Politico says that “Trump resists multisyllabic words and complex, writerly sentence constructions when speaking extemporaneously in a debate, at a news conference or in an interview. He prefers to link short, blocky words into other short, blocky words to create short, blocky sentences that he then stacks into short, blocky paragraphs.” He wants to do three basic things: Build a wall with Mexico. Bomb ISIS. Stop immigration. The small business lesson: Too many times, small businesses messages get so complicated that customers can’t understand. It is important to state in one sentence what pain your company solves for customers and how you can fix it.
4. Be Apart from the competition. Trump’s ideas and remarks are so outrageous that no other candidate is willing to copy him. With this technique, he gets unlimited earned media opportunities to spread his message. The small business lesson: Think about how you can set yourself apart from the competition by doing things that they would not do at this point in the market.
5. Be Authentic. Most voters that support Trump feels he “tells it like it is”. Similarly, they state that unlike other politicians he is authentic. The small business lesson: Throughout the entire consumer world, customers play a high value on companies being authentic. This means they are the same regardless of where their marketing message appears and they do what they commit to getting done. Review your organization for consistency and authenticity inside and outside the company and its marketing channels.
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Now it’s your turn. What do you think?
