Hold the hate (or fan) mail… this is not a political post.

Love him or hate him, Trump certainly proved one thing… how to dominate the conversation. From a marketing perspective, he crushes it when it comes to strategic marketing. As coaches, there is a lot to learn from what he did that should be copied as a blueprint for achieving market domination.

1. Trump is willing to be controversial.

Trump certainly never avoided controversy. He pushed it in order to drive more conversation. From “building a wall” to “incarcerating Clinton,” to his comment that his nether regions are “HUGE,” Trump didn’t shy away from taboo topics. He pushed them on his agenda.

As coaches, when you try to be for everyone you stand for no one. Take a stand and stick with it.

Last summer, I had the honor of running the marketing team behind Dan Kennedy’s latest fiction book and we used the subject matter to spark a controversy.

Following this strategy allowed us to create a lot of buzz around the book, but more importantly, launch the book to Best Seller status on release day.

Pick a point of view and stick with it.

2. He created an “Us versus Them” right out of the gate

Trump sang a battle cry for those who felt like they hadn’t been heard. “Make America Great Again” was meant to resonate with those who were frustrated with being politically correct, liberal media and social views. A few of his “themes” were illegal immigration, Muslims, and the media.

Do you have a “them” that you focus on with your audience? When you identify a common enemy, you create a bond with your tribe that goes a long way in building trust.

For example, if you work with small business owners, the “them” could be the IRS, lazy employees or government regulations. If you’re a fitness trainer, the “them” could be the scam artists selling fake diet pills, fast food restaurants or family saboteurs (Aunt Martha always trying to give you a second helping of her mashed potatoes). If you’re a success coach, the “them” could be family and friends who don’t encourage success. Our client Stephanie Chung, who teaches Premium Price Positioning selling, rallies her troops against the prospect and that message resonates with her audience.

Identifying a common enemy unifies a tribe. Leverage this messaging in your social media content.

3. Trump created a community for his supporters.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. I donated to both campaigns just so I could see their marketing and what I found was kind of shocking.

When Clinton was holding a political event or rally, the emails and Facebook advertising I was targeted with invited me to donate money so I could get VIP access to an event happening during her visit. When Trump was visiting a location, he invited his supporters to come out in droves. Donating wasn’t part of the conversation.

Trump led with inclusion first and financial support second. Sure, Clinton’s campaign raised more money, but they lost the election. The same is true for anyone who sees their tribe members as transactions instead of long-term relationships to be built. Be inviting and inclusive before you ask for the sale, especially on social media.

For our private client Ron LeGrand, our entry point is a free book offer and we target different locations with ad copy that makes their area feel inclusive. This is an effective entry point for his tribe of raving fans and has led to thousands of coaching members and millions in the bank.

Give first and build trust before you make the sale.

4.Trump was great at thanking his tribe.

When I donated to the Clinton campaign, my immediate thank you emails (and pretty much every email from that point forward) and targeted social media ads asked me to give more money. It was always about how we were going to lose if we didn’t give more.

Trump’s communications were filled with gratitude and appreciation and were set up to make me feel like part of his family of supporters.

Developing super fans requires you to show appreciation for those who show their support to you without always asking them for money.

Recently we supported a launch event for an affiliate. One strategy that allowed us to place in the top ten (in spite of competing with people who had much bigger tribes than ours) was to create a private Facebook Group to discuss the book that was part of the launch. We showed appreciation for those who were paying attention and celebrated those who bought the offering. And following the launch, we didn’t just go right back in to selling. We spent the next several communications just giving value to our tribe, including a free training on how we used a Facebook Group to promote the launch.

5. Trump was persistent.

As marketers, many of us worry about being too pushy or annoying in our repeat communications. From a marketing perspective, Trump nailed this one. He was everywhere, all of the time. While we were sleeping, he was still Tweeting, giving media interviews and creating controversy. He never stopped and that allowed him to dominate the conversation in most, if not all, media channels.

He repeated his key principals over and over again until even his detractors could recite them. And he created a blueprint for effective social media marketing.

Our client Dave Dee has taken this strategy out of the Trump playbook with much success. He specializes in one-to-many selling and has taken the controversial stand of teaching “Mind Control,” leveraging his years as a magician and mentalist and his success with speaking from stage. His topic instantly brings a reaction after hearing it, and whether it’s good or bad, that is exactly what we’re going for. Dave leverages his “Mind Control” positioning in his Facebook Live segments and uses these sessions to drive opt-ins to his list, on his social media posts and in his advertising.

Re-purpose your content on multiple social media channels and repeat your key principles ad nauseam in order to ingrain them in your audiences’ minds.

Consistent and clear messaging is key.

No matter how you feel about Trump politically, he won the election and there’s a reason for it. Leverage his marketing mastery to be the Donald Trump of your newsfeed.

To snag a free copy of her Client Attraction Blueprint, visit http://elitedigitalgroup.com/attract

-Kim Walsh Phillips