Why Elon Musk’s Twitter Poll Is (Pure) Genius
In case anyone was wondering - Elon Musk is a marketing genius.
Yesterday (Saturday, 6 November 2021) he initiated a “Yes/No” Twitter poll to ask his followers whether he should sell more 10% of his Tesla stock holdings. The move was (supposedly) a response to much talk about the possibility of taxing unrealized capital gains - where Elon has obviously done well.
Some might label the move as another freaky twist from a man who seems to revel in being unpredictable and off the wall.
But the Twitter poll is, in fact, a very smart move - for three simple reasons:
It gets ahead of the conversation
Any PR professional will tell you that when you face a situation with incoming criticism, it is a wise move to “get ahead of the curve.” Sure - legislative proposals to tax unrealized stock gains seem unlikely to pass the US Congress - but it did not stop Elon from taking the initiative.
If he is anything, Elon is proactive and this move proves again that taking control of the conversation is never a dumb move.
It makes him the people’s friend
Elon and Tesla have developed an almost cult-like following. In many ways - you could call Elon the most viable replacement for Steve Jobs and Tesla as the most viable standard-bearer of technical genius since Apple broke the world of computers and telephones wide open.
As such - Elon has a close relationship (at least virtually) with his followers. They feel a connection to him and he naturally feeds off of their energy. In this sense, Musk has discovered the powerful marketing lesson of the past decade - a passionate community matters more than anything else.
Besides the fact that Elon went directly to “his people” (and even those who may not even own a Tesla - after all, Twitter can be used by all) - bringing the question of taxes to “the common man” again positions him closer to the masses than to the elites - despite his gargantuan wealth.
And even for those who do not own a Tesla - or even a single Tesla stock - he has now made them directly invested in his decision-making…the decision-making process of the world’s richest man.
He knows his channel
This Twitter poll was not the first time that Elon has drawn on the power of his Twitter following to drive engagement and awareness. But it is perfectly suited to the task. The “rapid-reaction” style of Twitter - and its closeness to journalists, who comb their feeds for the latest hot stories - make it ideal to quickly get feedback.
Brands that want to inspire strong emotions and deliver instant results also know the power of Twitter in this respect.
No matter how his poll turns out - early results are tilted towards “Yes” - Elon’s latest move proves again his marketing genius.