As I start my work on this article, I am beginning to realize the enormity and ambiguity of the task ahead of me. It’s probably biting more than you can chew. The topic is polar enough to invite a million politically charged opinions, not to mention the moral compass of this title is questionably tilted.

I know what some of you might be thinking – Do we really want to learn something from a man who objectively lied his way to the White House and continues to exploit his voter base by feeding the xenophobia and racism entrenched in their minds with false claims.

As a feminist writer who firmly believes in equality, No. But, as a trainee learning the nuances of B2B content marketing in India, who weaves stories and exploits fads and folktales for a living, it would be naive to deny the stellar example of content marketing that Donald Trump presents. Trump’s tweets have the power to scramble the stock market, arouse suspicion regarding political leaderships and send news agencies in a whirlwind of separating facts from fiction.

So, moving forward, I will try to maintain an approach which is firmly marketing oriented and aims to analyze the tips and tricks from the perspective of a novice advertiser. Needless to mention, these tips are highly subjective and should be taken with a grain of salt. My organization or I do not endorse any brand or celebrity who calls Mexican women disgusting and housekeepers.

So, let’s begin:

What makes Trump’s tweets work?

Okay, if we start examining each and every viral tweet that Donald Trump has written, this article will be over 8000 words long, and as unbelievable as it sounds dear reader, I have other things to do. Hence here, I will try to condense and collate a pattern that is visible through most of his tweets and can also be used by other marketers while writing for their brands. So, here it goes:

• Take an issue or topic which is currently trending and closely aligns with your areas of interest
• If the issue is propelling into a direction you love, lean into it completely
• In case, you had previously mentioned or raised concerns about this topic, don’t forget to mention it, ergo take credit when it’s due (even if its a partial credit!)
• Get as many important people as you can directly involved in the conversation.

Now, this is not a genius breakdown by any measure. This is pretty much how social media marketing works. So, what makes Trump and his Twitter account so special? Read on:

The actual Twitter wizardry of Donald Trump doesn’t come into play when he actually agrees with the consensus. Instead, the magic comes alive when he is in the opposition. This is what most marketers shy away from. They try to circumvent or avoid uncomfortable issues that they don’t see eye to eye with. Donald Trump, on the other hand, blows the issue out of the park. Here’s how:

• He takes an issue or topic which is currently trending and aligns closely with his areas of interest

If he doesn’t agree with it:

1. He de-legitimizes the source (which in his case is mostly the media. This creates an even larger circus)
2. He compares the topic with a completely irrelevant scenario. However, the outcome of this scenario is favorable to his cause, helping him win the argument
3. He’s a born Troll. He makes fun of the source till it’s buried in the ground.

Let’s try to understand this with an example:

The issue or topic is #VoterFraud. Trump loves the idea of imaginary voter fraud as it makes him across as the real winner of the popular vote and a victim of deceit. So, instead of being a president that a majority of Americans did not vote for, he is the victim that America should sympathize with and love.

He talks about the issue and makes himself the victim

The fireworks that followed these tweets:

So, here it goes:

A few traits from Trump’s tweets that marketers can use

As mentioned earlier, please consider these recommendations with a bit of discretion. The reason for this caution is that when viewed carefully and cleverly, there is a lot to learn from Trump’s tweets, but when practiced unscrupulously, these methods can affect your brand reputation severely. So, let’s start:

1.      You is Important

Although self-congratulatory conversations will always be considered crass, in a world of narrow attention spans and constant flux of information, it is important to make sure everyone knows about the times when you are right, well-connected and most importantly, involved in important conversations.

Everyone knows the protocol for an apology when one makes a mistake – you admit you were wrong, say sorry and move on. But, what should we as marketers do when we are right? Broadcast it out loud to the world as many times as we can.

2.      Any publicity is good publicity

Trump may take this saying directly to the heart. But, on a more affirmative note, any negative comment can do a complete 180 degree for your brand if dealt with a little bit humor and a lot of self-assertion.

3.      Fight back

Trump doesn’t shirk away from negative remarks. Instead, he goes out of his way to use words that incite controversy and criticism. However, one really important tip that content marketers can pick up from this is: Don’t be afraid to give your brand a voice and opinion.

4.      Convoluted = Sad!

As dubious as this habit is, people love reading short, crisp and catchy bits of information. And Trump mines this trend by taking complex concepts pertaining to policies and national security and turning them into tabloid headlines. But, an important lesson to take here is: Don’t bore your audience.

5.      Butt in

Trump is infamous for tweeting as much as 11 times a day at odd hours in the morning ranging from 1:30 AM to 5:00 AM. So, intrude your audience’s digital space whenever you have something pressing to say. To hell with the time and frequency.

6.      Quote Unquote

This goes back to the time when we suggested getting as many important people as you can involved in the conversation directly. Initiate the tweet by tagging the person involved directly. Instead of retweeting, quote them in the post.

Summing up all these tips and tricks, I would say:

Source: Giphy.com

So, here were some Twitter tips from Trump that anyone interested in B2C and B2B content marketing in India can benefit from. To kickstart a strong Twitter campaign for your brand, consult our experts today.