Three Ways You Should Be More Like Donald Trump

If you have been alive the last few weeks, you’ve heard about presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s remarks regarding Mexican immigrants. They’ve gotten him in a bit of hot water — Univision and NBC cancelled plans to air this year’s Miss USA pageant, and Macys, Serta, and NASCAR broke ties. Even the Republican party is not sure what to do with him.

And yet, in the wake of business deals going south and losing friends left and right, Trump is sticking to his guns. He hasn’t walked back any of the offending comments and continues to add to them. One has to wonder — is he for real?

Racist comments aside for a moment — he is for real — he’s practicing three very real, basic principles when it comes to strategic communication everyone can learn from.

And with that, I bring you the three ways we could all benefit from being more like Donald Trump:

1) Define your target audience. Trump knows and has said in interviews he’s aiming to appeal to a specific group of people. He knows who will be most receptive to his message — the “silent majority,” as he calls them. The fact that he is leading in the latest GOP presidential polls shows he might be on to something. You can’t be all things to all people — you have to have a clear view of who you’re trying to reach. There’s no point trying to speak to people who will never be receptive to your message — spend your resources on reaching the right people with your message. Not sure who they are? Try installing analytics on your website, conducting a survey, or engaging in other forms of research to help guide your way.

2) Have a clear identity and voice. Most people find Trump offensive. Many find him ridiculous. Some find him amazing. Even when he’s doing or saying outrageous things, nobody seems surprised. That’s because Trump has a clear identity and voice. Whether it’s his reality TV show or his presidential bid, his voice comes through strong and consistent (and it’s saying, “You’re fired!”). Do you know how you want your audience to perceive you? One of the basic tenets of strategic communication is knowing who you are. Not only knowing your story but knowing how to tell it. Find your identity, find your voice, and the rest is much easier. If you’re struggling with the words, or if you have too many stories to tell, get a group of key stakeholders in the room so you can discuss and get on the same page. If you’re not sure where to start, consider a facilitated workshop designed for this purpose.

3) Listen to your stakeholders, but don’t lose your creativity. Trump is going to listen to the “silent majority” and his party to respond to their needs in a candidate, but he knows better than to blindly follow what they say. Many people might say they are looking for a polished candidate who is less like a politician and more like an average American. And yet Trump’s foul language, willingness to openly mock of his fellow candidates (and anyone else) and lifestyle of riches most people can’t possibly even imagine aren’t hurting him at all. If he listened to what most people say they want, he wouldn’t be running for president.

Advertising used to be about talking at customers. Today, it’s about engaging in dialogue with customers and responding to what your consumers want. With all of the information available to us on consumer behavior, preferences, attitudes, etc., it would be ridiculous to ignore the people you are trying to serve. At the same time, in the words of Steve Jobs, “People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” Listen to your audience, learn more about them, respond to their concerns and needs — but be sure to continue to try new things and then listen to them all over again. Your customers might surprise you — and themselves.

Is Donald Trump going to be our next president? Probably not. But he has a long journey ahead of him, and I’ll be watching in case he has a few more things to teach us along the way.

Photo Credit: Andrew Cline / Shutterstock.com