15 Surprising Ways You Can Use Elon Musk’s Marketing as a Writer
Marketing is easier than it looks especially when you stand out from the crowd
As a writer, these are simple ways you can use Elon Musk’s marketing tips in your stories. Elon is a billionaire running several businesses but he makes marketing look easy. All of his marketing tips you can apply and establish your brand.
Elon uses several marketing techniques and many are free. He doesn’t believe in spending a lot of money to market his business. Other entrepreneurs have done the same. Donald Trump is one who comes to mind.
Here are 15 marketing tips that Elon Musk uses
“Focus on signal over noise. Don’t waste time on stuff that doesn’t actually make things better.”
Elon Musk
1. Leverage Twitter marketing
Elon tweets an average of 6 times a day or 110 times a month. He has 40 million followers. You may not have 40 million followers or even a million but everyone starts with zero. He made a decision to grow his followers.
Previously he had millions of followers on Facebook and Instagram but deleted those pages. This was a risky move but Elon went all-in on Twitter and it is paying off for him.
Some people think tweeting once or twice is fine, but you should tweet more often. It is too easy for other people to miss your one or two tweets.
2. Collaborate with influencers
Elon works with other influential people. Recently, Kanye West visited Elon and took a picture with him. Within a few weeks, Kanye announced he was running for President.
As a writer, you may have to reach out of your comfort zone and ask to interview other successful writers or collaborate with them on an article.
3. Maximize opportunities at low cost
Elon has mastered using social media to market his business. In the 2018 Space X launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket, Musk put his own Tesla Roadster onboard the rocket’s payload. The message that laid out his vision:
“We’re heading into the future. You should come too — in a Tesla.”
You most likely won’t have access to a rocket but look around to see where you could collaborate to share your writing. Where else can you share your message with others?
4. Solve real-world problems
Elon has been known to challenge the status quo by putting his money to good use. During the fires in California, he offered free charging for Teslas.
Musk put his products to use in real-world situations and let the media spread his information. Any business could do something similar.
With a good reputation, you could do the same. You have to be proactive and follow the trends. You never know, you can offer a solution to a problem, and your writing may catch on fire and go viral.
5. Be transparent
How you brand yourself, can say a lot. Elon says Tesla is a battery company first, automobile manufacturer second. Because of this, he has opened his company up to many other markets. He focuses on his competitor’s weakness and that makes his company seem superior.
As a writer, you can point out changes in the market in your writing. Write an article and show how others can adapt to the changes.
6. Encourage readers to hold the “puppy”
Many people want to hold a puppy but they don’t want to own a puppy. This is exactly what Elon did when he marketed Tesla.
With Tesla’s showroom or galleries, consumers can look but not buy. All orders are done online. It is a different way to buy a car instead of going to a car dealer.
As a writer, what can you offer online to your readers? You can be an affiliate for different companies. Another option is you can have a free subscription service and share personal insight to your readers.
7. Invite readers to sign a N.D.A.
Any visitor to Tesla’s company corporate office signs a Non-disclosure agreement. Anything they see and hear cannot be shared with others.
Can you share some personal insight to your readers that very few people know about? This would help set you apart from other writers.
8. Let the media do the marketing for you
On a few occasions, Elon will go to Twitter to share a single tweet about what he can do to help others. He tweeted that he could help Puerto Rico and their electric grid problem with Tesla’s solar energy or battery storage technology. The governor of Puerto Rico responded instantly.
On another occasion, Elon said he could build the world’s largest battery farm in 100 days or it would be free. This was in response to Australia’s energy crisis.
As a writer, you can share information with your audience on important topics. You share the information with others and help your brand.
9. Hustle when it comes to promoting yourself
Elon is not the most charismatic person but he is very transparent about his life, especially his fears and failures. Additionally, Elon shares his passion for science and technology.
There are countless interviews on YouTube with Elon Musk. When you look at some movies and TV shows, Elon has made cameo appearances.
As a writer, you can there are various ways to market yourself. You need to find out what platform works the best for you from Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, Tik Tok, and others. Be committed and consistent to share your message.
10. Challenge the status quo
When your social media platform generally favors one stance over another, if you can share something that makes people think, you may get a lot of reaction. For Elon, he mentioned about what system would best be suited to colonize Mars.
As a writer, you need to look at the content you have written. What can you discuss in an intelligent and controversial way to get attention from your audience?
11. Sell people on the big picture
In 2006, Elon shared his first master plan for Tesla Motors. He shared how the high-end Tesla Roadster would lead to further development, research, and lower-priced Tesla vehicles. Elon added that Tesla cars would be fueled by people’s homes rather than fossil fuels.
In short, the master plan was:
- Build sports car
- Use the money to build an affordable car.
- Use the money to build an even more affordable car.
- Provide zero-emission electric power generation options
Lastly, the master plan said, “Don’t tell anyone”.
Anyone who buys a Tesla car is all on board with Elon’s master plan. In 2016, Elon released part Duex of the master plan which included producing self-driving cars and a sharing economy for vehicles.
As a writer, you can release your master plan. Let your readers know what your goals are while getting their buy-in to your master plan. Make your readers part of your journey.
12. Hype your products before they’re launched
When Elon has a new product coming, he releases information or tweets it for others to get prepared. Just as he released the Tesla truck a year ago, everyone was watching the broadcast or a replay of the event.
People were always curious about what Elon was going to do next. He created that energy and excitement among his fans.
As a writer, you can do the same and tease your readers about what you are working on. What can they expect about your next article? Give hints and create some excitement for your fans.
13. Let your biggest fans be your advocates
Elon’s fans love everything he does and love his impressive engineering feats. They actually call themself the “Muskateers”.
As a writer, you can do the same. You have your typical readers but then you have your truly dedicated fans who read anything you write. Engage with them since they are your biggest promoters.
Ask them for feedback on articles you have written or an idea you are considering. Get their feedback and they will surprise you.
14. Help out your competitors
Competition is fierce in any type of environment. Elon embraces the competition. In 2014, he opened up his electric car patents and promised not to sue anyone who used it.
Elon was so sure that Tesla had set the standard and was not worried about others copying the Tesla model. The competition will be strong but also kept Tesla engineers working hard to improve their own model.
As a writer, don’t be afraid to help out other writers. You may know something that can help out others. If you don’t know the answer, pass the writer on to another person who could help out.
15. Have fun
Elon likes to have fun in business. Who doesn’t? I saved this for last since I used the have fun line when I was in the Army. My last line to my soldiers was to have fun. Life is short and you have to have some fun even while you’re working.
Elon sold Tesla a pair of short shorts with the words SEXY on the buttocks area.
As a writer, have some fun from time to time. Your audience can use a laugh every once in a while. If you’re writing and not having fun, then you’re doing something wrong.
References:
5 Surprising Marketing Moves From Elon Musk that are Absoluting Brilliant
Anti-Ads: The Elon Musk Approach to Marketing in the Digital Age
