This article was contributed by Raymond Stokes.

Are we talking about the same Donald Trump? Yeap, the same old man, Donald, the same Donald who had Trump vodka, a board game, Trump steaks, Trump Ice, Trump Magazine, Trump Airlines, and even Trump University.

Why do I go politics when I have to talk marketing? Well, let’s say he was the fifth element that I found fantastically applicable to the digital marketing strategies. And by the way, no politics here, only business. I promise.

A slight hint to Donald’s biography will help us focus on what we are here for, namely, to see how we can improve our marketing strategies taking into account Donald Trump’s experience.

Very few people know exactly how many companies and businesses he had (I mean besides Trump University, vodka, and the rest I mentioned above). And still fewer people can tell you who Donald Trump virtually is. People speak about him, write books about him (haven’t read any, frankly speaking) – “TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald,” by O’Brien, a more sarcastic one “Donald Trump and the Wig of Evil” by Guy Larsen.

It’s hard to judge when you practically don’t know a person. And some of you may take me by the scruff of the neck and actually ask me: “Man, do you really know him? Do you have the slightest understanding what he is made of?” And it’ll be fair. I haven’t met him in person, I haven’t interviewed him (though, I’d be happy to). But – what I know about Donald Trump is that he’s a source that any of us can use to enhance our chances of success in marketing.

You may fairly think “Well, why on earth should I listen to Donald Trump and his maniacal opinion”. Whom would you listen to then? You never know who can hold the ladder when you are climbing to the top and whose rope will be your last straw.

Enough of excuses, let’s talk business.

So, what are the steps of improving your marketing strategy according to Donald Trump?

Step 1 – “I’ve got the hottest brand in the world” – Donald Trump

One of his famous quotes on success says the following: “Your business, and your brand, must first let people know what you care about, and that you care about them.” The hottest brand should be your first and foremost goal. Make a brand that will go viral.

What Donald Trump did – created a contagious brand. In fact, voters associate his name with “success” even before they get to know who he is, because the meaning of word “trump” evokes the feeling of something profitable, like winning the lottery. Trump himself estimates his brand at $3bn.

What you should do – make your brand name the talk of the town.

When choosing a business name, follow these simple tips:

• The name of your brand should appeal not only to you but also to the kind of audience that will become your potential customers;
• The name should evoke pleasant emotions and make your customers trust you;
• There shouldn’t be the word “Inc.” after the name of your brand unless your company is incorporated;
• The name shouldn’t be too long or frustrating;
• Don’t use puns and jokes that only you can understand.
• Be creative (you may even coin the name), but don’t go too far.

Here’s what I mean:

Step 2 – “The point is that you can’t be too greedy” – Donald Trump

What Donald Trump did – it’s true that he inherited a lump sum from his father, but it is also true that he used the money wisely. He had a talent for real estate and he wasn’t afraid to lose. He started many businesses (took part in running of 515 companies and 268 of which bear his last name) and had many failures, but at the same time the contribution into the development of his brand was immense.

What you should do – develop the ability to maximize your wealth, invest money into every segment of your marketing strategy. The most popular aspects where you should invest your money are inbound marketing and SEO. But that doesn’t mean you have to forget about everything else (such 3 must-have investments as social media marketing, content marketing, and mobile).

Step 3 – “The Customer Is Everything!” – Donald Trump

“Albert Einstein believed that a “Theory of Everything” in physics unified the four primal forces of nature: gravity, strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, and electromagnetic force. Our unifying theory for sustainable success in business is so much simpler. […] The Customer Is Everything!” – Donald Trump

Actually, Albert Einstein is one of the authors whose books have become Donald’s favorite ones. “Ideas and Opinions” is on the list, too.

What Donald Trump actually did – he brought in voters. He actually converts his outrageousness into votes.

What you should do – make emphasis on your customer care and support.

If we talk about social media marketing – pay attention to your clients, followers if it’s Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.), friends (if it’s Facebook), connections (if it’s LinkedIn). The same way you can win millennials on social media.

What you should definitely do to improve your social media strategy:

• Create/join groups and participate in them;
• Conduct surveys and polls;
• Host contests;
• Engage more people by easiness of usage;
• Respond to your audience;
• Use images, videos, links;
• Incorporate pop culture phenomena into your strategy (Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Justin Bieber, after all).
• Be emotional (emoticons, hashtags (use them wisely))
• Choose the right time and the right place to post/share/tweet etc.

Step 4 – “Entrepreneurs are always taking feedback, especially from their customers, bankers, workers, and sales force. Without straightforward feedback, entrepreneurs cannot make sound decisions” – Donald Trump

Here’s the feedback:

What Donald did – took the feedback into consideration? Can you prove it?

What you should do – do not avoid any feedback from your customers, followers, your audience in general.

Here’s what will help you gather the feedback (negative feedback is also a key factor of your development):

• Feedback forms;
• Surveys (mobile, telephone, behavioral insight surveys);
• Social media monitoring;
• Focus groups;
• Usability testing;
• Website activity;
• Discussion boards;
• Customer reviews;
• Personal e-mails;
• Live chat, etc.

What should you do next? React to the feedback – don’t be silent. Your audience wants communication.

Step 5 – “A little more moderation would be good” – Donald Trump

What Trump did – actually he did nothing, it were imaginative people who wanted to make fun of him and slowed down 50% his speech. He himself isn’t slowing down, especially on TV.

What you should do – don’t get too persistent with your marketing strategy. What I mean is overloaded content with keywords, spam, too many posts/tweets/etc. Everything should be in moderation. Again to your social media – have a look at the scheme of posting frequency:

Via http://brockcomm.com/

Step 6 – “Remember, there’s no such thing as an unrealistic goal – just unrealistic time frames” – Donald Trump

What Donald did – he suggested a long-term immigration reform. No comments here.

What you should do – set exact deadlines wisely. What is meant: make your marketing strategy a detailed scheme where you can find what you will do exactly in 10 days, 3 hours and 54 minutes.

Time is misleading, but you can conquer it.

Step 7 – “How long is your article?” “Long,” I said. Trump seemed pleased. “Is it a cover?” he asked. – Marie Brenner

I’ve chosen such a last quote on purpose. It’s not Trump’s, but it perfectly describes his feature.

What he did (and actually does all the time) – he has been talking much. Even too much sometimes. That doesn’t, however, interfere with his ratings.

What you should do – do everything substantially. If we dig deep – make your content long (at least 1000-2000 words per article) and meaningful.

Make your social media posts/tweets/pins creative, use images, videos and links to make it go viral.

Too many doesn’t always mean good, but you can try to make it really awesome.

And the last inspirational piece from Trump:

“Get going. Move forward. Aim High. Plan a takeoff. Don’t just sit on the runway and hope someone will come along and push the airplane. It simply won’t happen. Change your attitude and gain some altitude. Believe me, you’ll love it up here.”

Whether you like Trump or not, he does have something to share about marketing strategies.

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Raymond Stokes – a head of Marketing and a digital marketing specialist at Essay-Writing-Place.com. His obsession of social media and start-ups makes his life full of extreme and new emotions. Connect with him on Twitter.