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DONALD TRUMP'S TRIUMPH : ONE KEY LESSON THAT ALL MARKETERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS CAN LEARN FROM

More businesses are setting up every day than probably babies are born globally.

There are more brand names that we are come across every day than the names of people across the globe.

Then, how is it that only a few brands are registered in our minds and only a few names are remembered by most?

To get this answer, let us review why and how Trump triumphed.

A few weeks ago I was having a conversation with a friend about the elections in the US and I expressed my gut feeling on Trump winning despite having a hate-love relationship of people with him. He appeared too negative to most of the people and at times, even I wondered about his style from marketing point of view.

On the other hand, Hillary Clinton was having more of a love-and-less-of-hate relationship with most people. She was more on the sober side, trying to make more sense to people.

However, a day before the elections, a few friends were talking about Hillary being the favorite and all that came into my mind as a marketer, was that my guess was probably wrong. It seemed that my judgment as a marketer was incorrect.

Nevertheless, I decided to wait with patience and see the outcome.

Then it happened. Donald Trump won.

Would you like to know that one reason that I had a gut feeling about? It was, seeking attention. He did get the attention of people, whether it was negative or positive. He succeeded very well. People either loved him completely or hated him. There was nothing in between.

However, he got the attention of all of them. Imagine half of them hating him and half of them loving him; but both types giving him full attention.

In marketing, seeking attention is the name of the game. That’s why I believe that, if you don’t have the attention of your audience, you are talking to yourself.

Attention is attention. However, it all depends on the duration of your marketing, be it for yourself or your brand that the effect of attention differs.

If you are planning your communication only for a short period of time, then make sure it’s absolutely positive since you wouldn’t have time to alter it later and change the opinion of your target audience. They would just judge you spot-on. It is going to have drastic effects.

However, if your communication is long term, then you can play this game of seeking super attention and it can be either negative or positive. Your goal should be to seek attention either way and then tweak it to adjust the situation as you move ahead.

However, it is vital that we play the game of negative vs positive attention strategically and carefully.

It is important to grab the attention since the target audience is flooded with information, the brands, and products. They can’t give attention to everyone, but the one who seeks it through persuasive techniques usually succeeds.

Below you will find 7 ways and means which will help marketers grab attention continuously.

1. Quit the rat race
You want to get noticed? Then be different and stay far from the crowd. Do not follow what others do. Be authentic and honest in your approach.
I love this quote from Haruki Murakami “If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking”.
So if you think how everyone else thinks, how are you going to be different? Get creative, break some rules and help yourself stand out in the crowd.
When you copy, you only follow what the crowd is doing. Can you afford to do this if you wish to get noticed? Certainly not! So be different.
You can achieve this through your style of communication, catchy headlines, powerful visuals, videos and may be some other crazy, yet professional way that you can think of.
2. Build curiosity
Curiosity kills the cat, can well be referred to here as well.
When you share something in a curious way, it grabs their attention and makes them feel as if they will lose a million dollars if they don’t give attention to it.
So learn the skills of building the consumer’s interest repeatedly. Soon you’ll find them following you to be wooed and converted into customers.
I would like to suggest that you express your content using a third party example such as: “See how David made a hit campaign by using our Email marketing software” and leave it at that.
Don’t justify. Don’t tell them what to do further. Have patience, they will come. If not, then get more creative and tweak your communication.
3. Come out of ‘how to’ and ‘5 ways’ titles
These have already become a cliché.
I guess it’s time to come up with more powerful headlines and probably use such clichés as sub-headlines to let the reader know what to expect.
Do you really get drawn towards such headlines of ‘5 ways to blah blah blah”? Please share your feedback in the comments below for the benefit of everyone including me.
I have personally used such headlines a couple of times and am already bored of using them.
4. Engage yourself with the consumer even before they do
Customer is the king. However, how would you like it if you are made to feel like a king without having to purchase anything?
I am sure you’d love that.
Everyone likes to be appreciated and noticed. What better way than to make your target audience feel like a king even before selling to them.
You can do it by following your audience, commenting on their posts and softening them to give you the attention you are seeking.
However, be honest and consistent and remember, fake comments get noticed easily.
5. Question them with HWWWWW
Top sales persons ask questions. They remember the how, who, why, what, when, where in their conversation. This practice can definitely be applied to social media as well.
The question can be in the form of asking them or warning them. The concern here is that your question must be relevant and extremely engaging.
When your question is intelligent, it will certainly grab their attention. It is how you ask whatever you wished to ask is what matters.
So craft your question effectively that challenges their minds. If you can do it, they would give all their attention to you.
Do you think that warning questions such as ‘you’ll regret it unless you read it’ have also become cliché? Would you want to give such headlines any attention?
I wouldn’t.
6. Win trust by being consistent
Jeromy Shingongo’s quote: “If you are persistent, you will get it. If you are consistent, you will keep it” speaks everything I wish to express here.
You cannot engage your audience by simply appearing once in a while. You need to be consistent in your approach and strategies. You need to be consistent with the content that you are publishing whether it is writing a blog or participating in a discussion.
The most vital part is winning the trust which you can achieve only by being consistent.
So when you begin with it, stick to it.
7. Express strong emotion
The last but not least, you should express your emotions, preferably strong enough to grab the attention of your audience. However, watch out before you go all out and test the waters. Think before you write or comment about anything.
Do you believe in what you are saying?
The emotions that can be used effectively are usually negative without personalizing, exaggerating about something, or revoking regret.
At times, agreeing to disagree gets all the attention you need as long as you do it confidently.
However, you should try to stay away from expressions such as anger, hatred, and/or religious beliefs, as these are not ideal for business and will have a negative impact.
Be the champ, even if you are not competing in elections!!
Suggestions:
You must be prepared to grab the first opportunity that comes your way as you never get the second chance to make a first impression. Therefore, make sure that your website looks awesome and your social media platforms as well.
Hang on!! Is your website responsive yet? Yes? It’s great. No? I suggest you do your home task first before you go out and try to grab the attention of your audience.
Parting Note:
Should you be keen to have your website upgraded to responsive and impressive, get in touch with me at deepak@bananamarketers.com or visit our portal www.bananamarketers.com