The Trump presidency has ended, and whatever your thoughts on his politics, there is no doubt that he is a good salesman at heart. Pulling off probably the most improbable marketing campaign to become president of the United States was quite a feat. I wanted to discuss some of the things that make him such a good marketer, while also highlighting the terrible practices that marketers should strive to avoid.
The Good
Starting on a positive note, these are things I think he gets right in terms of messaging and engagement.
Keeping it Short and Simple
As a content writer, you generally want to stick to easy-to-read text for the majority of your audiences. Unless you a writing an academic paper or a technical white paper, the language you use for the general public should aim for a grade level of around 8. This is in line with the Flesch Reading Ease test that puts Grade Level 8 at a schooling age 13 to 14. Trump actually scores a lower rating for the majority of his speeches. In one study, he scores grade 4, which is around 9-11 years old. This is beneficial for marketing as the largest group of people can understand the message.
Repeat your Call To Action
Trump also has a habit of repeating himself in his speeches and interviews. He reuses the same words and phrases over and over again, in close proximity to each other. This is a great way to drive home the point he’s trying to make, making it clear to the audience what they should take away from the conversation. The YouTube channel, Nerdwriter, gave a great breakdown of how trump speaks. Though it’s from before his presidency, it shows that this language style enabled him to get his message into many supporters’ heads.
Engage with your audience frequently
Moving on to his social media, Trump utilised his platforms to spread his campaign far and wide. Having been suspended from Twitter, Facebook and most major social media platforms a few weeks ago, he will no longer have the same effect. However, while he was on them, he followed a great social media strategy. He posted frequently, about topics his audience was interested in, and engaged with other users in a way that showed his personality. You may not agree with the message but you could easily feature his style as a masterclass in engaging his target market on social media.
Using Shock Tactics and Controversial Marketing
I put this in the good section because I believe that controversial marketing can work for companies when it fits with your company brand and personality. Trump says many shocking things, and they are certainly memorable. I certainly will never forget the day of being woken up by the radio with the news of his comments on ‘Sh*thole countries’. It definitely ensures a lot of publicity, and marketers love publicity. I discuss why Controversial Marketing Campaigns are worth it in more detail here.
The Bad
Now on to the bad marketing tactics he’s utilised and that all professional companies should avoid.
Spelling and grammar is appalling
His speech writing and interview style may be basic but in some cases, it’s a disaster in terms of content writing and coherence. His spelling, grammar and ability to say some words caused many to ridicule and switch off to his message. While perfect spelling and grammar are not always essential (it all depends on your audience), it reduces the chances that your message will be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Good use of language also reflects your credibility and reliability as a company. And, when you focus on these small details, it indicates that you care about how you do business. By extension, it shows that your brand cares about its customers too.
The Ugly
Now onto the ugly marketing tactics, that we should all avoid.
No factual basis
Marketers, like bad salesmen, have a reputation for pushing poor products and misinformation to make consumers buy. We should all be doing more to ensure that our marketing is factual and is promoting our client’s products and services accurately. Trump clearly doesn’t care about accuracy, since he told 23.3 lies per day in 2020, a 0.5-lie increase since 2019. This is a damaging marketing practice, as it can show your brand to be untrustworthy. It will likely lead to bad reviews, poor customer retention and in some cases legal ramifications. Trading standards and the Advertising Standards Agency are there to protect consumers and businesses for a reason.
Exclusive Language
I’m not going to go into the racist, ableist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory things Trump has said here. It’s well documented elsewhere. From a business perspective, when brands use exclusive language, imagery and internal policies they are shooting themselves in the foot by losing large groups of potential customers. I’m not saying you should be all things to all people, customer personas are still important but think further than your preconceived notion of who your audience is. It’s not just about the bottom line though. By changing your marketing style and your business practices you can improve the world in general by making it more inclusive and a happier, healthier place for all.
What are your thoughts on Trump from a marketing perspective? Do you agree with my analysis? Are there things you’d add? Comment below.