Almost a year ago now — on August 13, 2015 — I wrote one of my rare articles about politics…

Donald Trump had become a force that couldn’t be ignored.  He’d stormed into the center ring in the circus that was the Republican primaries.

It was a bit prescient, too.  While most of the media at that time were pointing to Trump’s antics as the source of his eventual demise (many still are)…  I came out and said he was on top and would stay that way BECAUSE of his antics.

That prediction — whether you or I like it or not — is likely to remain true all the way through the general election.  The more controversial he becomes, the more die-hard followers he will attract.

Here’s a mostly-unedited version of that article from 10 months ago…

(And be sure to read below the article for one more insight.)

Is Donald Trump getting campaign advice from Eminem?

I have a sneaking suspicion Donald Trump is getting his presidential campaign advice from listening to Eminem songs…

And no, I’m not talking about the content of the songs…  Although both seem equally capable of saying incredibly offensive things…

I’m talking DEEP career strategy…

Things Eminem has talked about fueling his rise to fame and fortune…

That Donald Trump is certainly no stranger to, and that he’s now embracing as part of his run for President of the United States…

And here’s what’s really interesting about it…

YOU, TOO, can follow this advice and make yourself attractive to your ideal audience!

Exhibit 1: The lyrics of Eminem’s “Without Me”…

Here’s the refrain of Eminem’s hit song, “Without Me”…

Now this looks like a job for me

So everybody just follow me

‘Cause we need a little controversy

‘Cause it feels so empty without me

Like him for it or not, Donald Trump courts controversy.  His feud with Rosie O’Donnell is legendary.  And it grows even more turbulent by the day, now that he’s got everyday media attention for his antics.

Now he’s picking fights with all the other presidential candidates.

The latest?  When Bernie Sanders let a couple protesters grab his mic during a speech, The Donald called it weakness.

Donald is already competing in the general election.

And you know what?  He just might have a point.  He’s leading in the polls by a country mile.  And the more controversy he courts, the wider his lead becomes.

Exhibit 2: The lyrics of Eminem’s “Rap God”…

In the middle of Eminem’s sprawling 6-minute epic track, “Rap God,” Em lets slip even more about what made him the #1 selling rap artist of all time…

Everybody want the key and the secret to rap immortality like I have got

Well, to be truthful the blueprint’s simply rage and youthful exuberance

Everybody loves to root for a nuisance

Hit the earth like an asteroid, did nothing but shoot for the moon since

“Everybody loves to root for a nuisance.”  That’s about right.

A CNN poll has Trump currently at 22% of the vote.  Ben Carson, in second, has just 14%.

The next-highest Republican candidate only has 9% of the vote, according to the poll.

Trump owns the media, without paying for it.

He lets slip some little tirade about — well — anything…  And suddenly he’s got headlines all over again.

If you gave me a list of all the other Republican candidates and asked me to say which was actually a candidate and which wasn’t…  I wouldn’t be able to tell you.

This is all happening much to the consternation of the “status quo.”

Nobody in the Republican party really knows what to do with Trump.

He doesn’t care.

In fact, he likes it.

He’s got way more power than any of the politicians he’s running against, because of his money.

He said so much in the debate…

“I will tell you that our system is broken. I gave to many people. Before this, before two months ago, I was a businessman. I give to everybody. When they call, I give. And you know what? When I need something from them, two years later, three years later, I call them. They are there for me. And that’s a broken system.”

He flat-out admitted to using a political donation to get the Clintons to come to his wedding.

He specifically called out other Republican candidates with whom he’d bought influence.

These are supposed to be unspoken truths.

But Trump is blurting them out on national television, and shaking things up — AND, getting voters rallying behind him.

Controversy worked for Eminem, it’s working for Donald Trump, and it might work for you…

Here’s how to apply this to your business, to improve your marketing results.

Every business, every market, every industry has a status quo.

You stand with it, or you stand against it.

Find out where you stand.

What your principles are.

What you’re willing to shout from the rooftops.

And start shouting!

Don’t be afraid to stir up a little controversy.

Don’t be afraid to go against the establishment.

It will attract attention.  Possibly, a lot of it.

Take a stand, hard, and you’re going to get push back.  You’re going to catch flak.

It won’t be comfortable.

But for everyone who fights you, you’ll have like-minded people lining up to take your side.

A lot of the attention will be good.

Your supporters will become fans and die-hards.

And this will pay off in actual business results.

A case study from the early days of Breakthrough Marketing Secrets…

Very early in my writing of these daily emails, I published a post called My Response To A Copywriter Looking For Career Advice.

In it, I called out the expectation many copywriters have to be able to quit their job one day and turn around and make a six-figure income with copywriting.

Is it possible?  Yes.

Is it automatic?  No.

I made the copywriter I was responding to anonymous, so that I could feel free to respond in a very unfiltered way.

I told the truth — the sometimes harsh truth that you don’t get when someone’s trying to sell you on the business opportunity that is copywriting.

It blew up.

It was a bit controversial.  Even more than that, it took a stand.

I said I wasn’t just going to kowtow to your dreams of making a mint without any work.  That I was going to reveal the TRUTH about what it takes to get paid and get ahead and enjoy a great lifestyle as a copywriter.

I don’t always court controversy — I’m certainly no Eminem or Donald Trump.

But when I have my truths…

I’m also not afraid to run from them.

Whaddya think?  Spot on, no?

Trump has HATERS and Trump has LOVERS — and not much in between.

That’s why he’s so popular.  That’s how he’s dominated the conversation for the last year.

Trump has made himself into an Attractive Character (hat tip to Russell Brunson and his book DotCom Secrets for the term, though the concept definitely predates that).

He’s created a personality, a persona, and a public mythology that can’t be ignored.  You either love him for who he is, or you hate him for it.

Either way, you pay attention.  You talk about him.  He gains recognition.

What his haters don’t understand — because they’re too caught up in the narrative he’s created — is that the more they dis him, the more his lovers are attracted to him, and the more lovers he attracts.

By expressing their disdain, they actually make him stronger.

This kind of character is far more valuable than any marketing tactics…

Donald Trump doesn’t have to spend money for media, like all the other candidates do.  Ever since the start of the campaign, he’s had his message everywhere.  Media that loves him?  Filled with his words.  Media that hates him?  Filled with his words.

Not only that, it’s in the content.  What people actually go to the media to read.  His ads would be subject to the same automatic filtering and blindness that consumers have developed for all advertising.

And yet, they happily read the latest on Trump, because of the character he’s created.

Even if Trump spent every dollar he had, he wouldn’t be able to buy the kind of coverage this character has earned him.  And with it, the votes it is leading to.

This can be duplicated in business — and you don’t have to be Trump-ish to make it work…

Important: you DO NOT have to be like Trump to harness this power.

Trump is just one example of the many kinds of characters you can create that are attractive to your target audience.

Intentional character building is a HUGELY important part of Story Selling.

The stories you use to sell are an offshoot of the character you’re looking to build.  Because when you create this character out in the marketplace, THAT is what will really start to attract business to you.  That’s what will make customers want to do business with you.

Your investment (time, money, etc.) in finding and crafting your character and stories will be far more valuable and pay far more dividends than the same investment in marketing tactics.

Although I haven’t really mentioned it yet, the character-building concepts are just as important to my upcoming Story Selling Master Class for Copywriters program as the story types and templates are.  Probably more important, in fact.

If you haven’t yet…

Click here and put yourself on the wait list for the Story Selling Master Class for Copywriters — you won’t regret it.

Yours for bigger breakthroughs,

Roy Furr

Editor, Breakthrough Marketing Secrets