Love him or hate him, Donald “The Donald” Trump is KILLING it on Republican Presidential Primary campaign trail.
A savvy operator, the Donald’s winning hearts and minds (or repelling then, depending on your perspective) while leading the pack in the polls, winning primaries, and making a STRONG bid to grab the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.
How? Marketing 101, BABY!
A peerless pitch man, master media manipulator, and shrewd business kingpin, the Donald knows how to the play the game. And he’s playing it to perfection. Marketing perfection.
In fact, his approach to securing the GOP nomination can be distilled into three valuable marketing lessons. Lessons that can benefit all small businesses.
So let’s take a closer look and the Donald’s (evil?) master plan…

Lesson #1: Strategy First

Trump understands there’s a difference between winning the nomination and winning the general election. Each is a different game, with its own set of rules, and he’s playing both masterfully…
Though Trump’s running as a Republican, he’ positioned himself an outsider, apart from the faltering “traditional” GOP party framework. Rather than align himself with “old guard,” who’ve failed their constituents for nearly a decade, the Donald presents himself as a genuine alternative to the current “broken political system.”
Thus he’s appealing to GOP primary participants (winning the short game), while rallying his base (to win the long game).
In other words, he’s strategizing to the hilt. Carefully plotting and planning each incremental step, to win it all!
The lesson here? An organized strategy is the key to effective marketing your business. The path to success demands defined goals, meticulous planning, and shrewd execution. Marketing success manifests as wining the short game by engaging prospects, to win the long game through developing a consistent and loyal client base.

Lesson #2: Carefully Craft Your Ideal Constituent Profile (AKA Your Ideal Client Profile)

Trump realizes a successful marketing campaign hinges upon connecting with the right audience. And to connect with that audience, he’s well aware he has to get the know them. Not casually, but intimately. Relying not merely on demographics, but focusing on psychographics.
Accordingly, the Donald has carefully crafted his ideal constituent profile:

• They’re upper-middle to lower middle-income (mostly) white (mostly) Christians convinced America has “lost its way” and “run off the rails.”
• They’re certain illegal immigrates are overrunning the country, and responsible for “stealing American jobs” and rising urban crime.
• They’re overwrought at the imminent threat Muslims (a term they believe to be synonymous with terrorist) pose to the “American way of life.”

Trump has zeroed in on voters fears… The uncertainties and doubts casting a dark cloud over what they believe is a bleak future. The agonizing worries that keep them up at night, staring at the ceiling in dread, pacing the kitchen floor in agitated anxiety.
The lesson here? If you want to sell your services, you’ve got to engage your ideal client. And to do, you’ve get to know them intimately. Step beyond run-of-the-mill demographics – age, income, profession… And delve into psychographics – the fears and worries that send their heart rates soaring and their stomachs roiling; and the aspirations that excite and elate their sense of triumph.

Lesson #3: Create a Pitch Perfect USP

To reach his ideal constituents, which is easy now because he knows EXACTLY who they are, Trump has crafted a pitch perfect Unique Selling Proposition (USP).
You may remember in an earlier post, I defined the perfect USP as encapsulating exactly what you do, how it’s unique from your competitors, and how it benefits your ideal client – all in three sentences or less.
So let’s take a gander at The Donald’s USP:
“I’m going to ‘Make American Great’ again”
“I’m going to expelling all illegal immigrants (some 11 million, mostly Hispanics and Latinos) and build a wall along our southern border (with Mexico).”
“I’m going to ban all Muslim travel to the United States – they’re not getting in!”
Now as I’ve confessed in the past, I’m no good at math, but by my tally this clocks in at exactly three sentences. And it includes all the critical elements of a perfectly crafted USP…

• It clearly states Trump’s intentions.
• It’s unique and separates Trump from his competitors in that it’s wholly un-PC, the polar opposite of today’s “avoid potentially offending any particular group” political rhetoric.
• It benefits his ideal constituents by specifically addressing each of their core concerns… Restoring America’s grandeur … Kicking out illegal immigrants (thereby revitalizing the labor markets and quelling urban crime) … And banning Muslims (AKA terrorists) from entering US soil.

In The Final Assessment
There’s ample evidence Trump’s strategy is working exactly as he’s planned…
From formal polls conducted by specialists like Gallup and Quinnipiac, to informal polls by Fox, CNN, USA Today, and beyond, the Donald is SURING ahead of his GOP competitors.
And those polling numbers are giving GOP primary participants pause: “Maybe he CAN win a general election???”
Strategy at work. (Isn’t a beautiful thing?)

How Can Trump’s Strategy Help Your Business?

By no means am I a Trump supporter. I’m breaking down his strategy to demonstrate the impact of effective marketing. It’s so powerful in fact, it can win the presidency of the United States.
So where’s your strategy? Who’s your ideal client? And what’s your USP? Drop by my Google+ page and share you master plan.