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John Burson  edited Monday, May 8, 2017

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Originally Published: www.pinnacle-marketing.com/.../
Author: Mike Green
Author’s Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/technicalpr
Author’s Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-green-821a08

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Trump’s approach challenged every PR rule you know and believe in, which creates rooms for new discoveries and lessons for any B2B technology PR expert.

The last election between Republican Donald Trump and his Democrat opponent Hillary Clinton offer a lot of lessons you for your B2B PR strategy.

Trump started the race as an outsider during the primaries, gradually growing his following to secure the primaries and finally the presidency later in the year. Despite being regarded as a joke, in the beginning, he grew his following, stealing the media’s attention from his opponents. Reports as the elections ended proved that he had generated over $2 billion worth of airtime, which was significantly more than Hillary’s $1.1 billion. His campaign and PR approach can teach you new lessons to apply in your next campaign:

Content

‘Make America Great Again’ resonated with millions around the country. It is concise, memorable and straight to the point. Despite the association of the slogan with racist and xenophobic chants, it was effective in delivering the message. Previously, Nigel Farage had effectively used a similar tactic in the Brexit campaigns. Ultimately, you must understand the role content plays in your B2B PR strategy and invest appropriately.

Understand your Audience

Successful marketing campaign understands audience needs. Trump’s campaign was specific to the masses who felt disenfranchised and were tired of the political elite. Investing in understanding the customers’ thought process helps your business promote its products and services. While Trump’s promises seem outrageous— your B2B marketing must promise products and services it can deliver: trust in business has more value than in politics.

Leveraging Social Media

Trump took fool advantage of his millions of followers on Twitter Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook despite the doubts about the legitimacy of his followers (on Twitter). Ultimately, his social media presence paid off. In a B2B PR campaign, you need to ensure you can reach your audiences across multiple platforms, and use them to grow your business relationships constantly.

Response to Crisis

Your success as a business depends a lot on your ability to react in the face of events that put your business at risk. Trump’s PR campaign repeatedly challenged traditional crisis management practices. Instead of addressing the issues at hand, he turned the public’s attention to his opponents, associating Hillary with her husband’s atrocities, thus discrediting her moral stand, and attacking the integrity of the electoral system. While his strategy worked out for him, applying similar rules to your business may not give you the results you need. Always apologize for your mistakes and avoid trashing competitors at all costs.

While Trump’s approach was and is still unorthodox, it got him into the oval office. The difference between Trump’s approach and your B2B PR strategy is that you are looking into building your reputation. However, there is a lot you can borrow in terms of risk taking and experimenting. You do not have to rely on traditional methods.