You either hate him, or you love him, but you cannot ignore him. After all, he did win the US presidential election for the second time, becoming the second president ever to win the election twice, non-consecutively.
Here are 3 things we can learn from Trump’s election campaigns:
1. Simple and memorable messaging
Yes, stats do work, but marketers tend to overdo it, making facts and statistics lose the powerful hold they once had. Trump did quite the opposite in his messaging. Simple slogans like ‘Trump will fix it’, or ‘build a wall’, as unrealistic as they may be, put him in the minds of his voters.
Here’s what we can learn
As a marketer, you too must make sure that you can cover complex solutions under simple slogans. Customers don’t remember features and case studies, they remember simple slogans, and mindsets.
2. Lead with emotion
Did he actually say that? He did say that. Let’s face it, Trump’s statements have always been the talk of the talk. He evokes strong emotions (both positive and negative) everywhere he goes. Trump has used this to his advantage, by leading his campaigns with emotion.
Trump’s campaign shows that he understands his voters. Questions like ‘are you better off than you were four years ago?’ This question was meant to make voters feel frustrated with the economic status of the country.
Here’s what we can learn
As a brand, you must lead with emotion. In fact, we see time and again, how emotion never fails to connect with an audience. Find out what your audience must be feeling, and lead with that.
3. Shared identity
Lastly, if you can make your audience feel like you are ‘one of them’, rather than ‘the one who sells to them’, you will get a loyal brand following.
In one of his campaigns, Trump reached out to his Texan supporters with the statement, ‘we are Texans like you’. This statement can easily become negative (us vs them, or we are better than them), which we see often in politics. Politicians would say how they are better than their competitors, which is usually not the best strategy in branding.
Here’s what we can learn
Similar to leading with emotion, you must try to find common ground with your audience. For example, as a digital bank, you might bond with an audience who hates long queues at their bank. When you find common ground with your audience, you become their ally, and everyone loves a good ally.
