There’s a saying that goes, “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.”
If you’re a marketer trying to stand out in a noisy marketplace, being polarizing is not an option—it’s a must. The hard truth is that no matter how good you are or how much value you offer, not everyone is going to like you.
And that’s fine.
You weren’t designed to please everyone. As a marketer, you can’t cater to everyone’s needs.
You must define your audience and take a stand for what you believe in. Only then can you build a loyal following.
Polarizing Personality
A polarizing personality is one that strongly divides opinions, often evoking intense reactions of either admiration or disapproval from others.
1. Examples of polarizing people
There are tons of people who hate Grant Cardone because of his polarizing personality. Yet, there are many more who like his brash attitude and persona.
The same applies to people like Andrew Tate, President Trump, Candace Owens, Kanye West, Ann Coulter, and so on. Their views are controversial and highly polarizing.
Because of this, their audience knows their stance and what they believe in. The result is that they resonate with a target audience that becomes diehard fans.
Similarly, as a marketer, your personality and style of marketing must be so polarizing that your audience/followers strongly believe in you. They enjoy your content and agree with you, for the most part.
2. How to be polarizing as a marketer
The key to being polarizing is to define a common enemy and stand against them. For marketers, that may mean exposing the scammers and their tactics. It will also make you appear more honest and authentic.
Being polarizing could mean identifying controversial topics and going against the flow. Or finding standard practices/ideologies and sacrificing these sacred cows ñ to show your audience a better way of doing things.
One example could be the current trend of using AI to generate loads of content. Being polarizing in this case will be standing up and saying that AI is pointless and that you are more successful without using it.
Highlighting all the downsides of these AI tools and explaining how your methods are better, in the long run, will set you apart from the masses who are currently hailing AI as the be-all and end-all of content creation.
You must go against the flow and be vocal about it. Only dead fish go with the flow. You know better, or at least you must make it look like you do.
Marketing Communication Strategies – 7 benefits of being polarizing
While being polarizing will get you haters, it will get you even more fans. There’s an old maxim, “Even if you bring a roast pig to the feast, someone will say you forgot the apple.”
The haters will ALWAYS be more vocal than the fans.
That’s because they’re haters and have nothing better to do. But don’t let the negativity fool you into believing that what you’re doing is wrong.
Very often, the hate comes from a vocal minority. But if you’re doing good and selling/promoting legitimate products that deliver value, you’ll be on the right track.
Just remember that despite all the people hating junk food (and for good reasons), McDonald’s gross profit in 2022 was $13.2 billion. (Source)
This is proof that when you have a loyal customer base, you can still turn a massive profit despite the drama and cacophony emanating from the masses of unwashed detractors.
And yes, the sentence above is antagonistic and divisive. But that’s how we roll!
Now let’s look at the 7 benefits of the power of polarizing marketing, and how to create a loyal audience.
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You’ll appear more authentic
When someone is willing to speak their truth, whatever it may be, it makes people sit up and listen. Instead of going along to get along, you’re willing to stand up for what you believe in.
That screams authenticity and honesty… and it makes your audience believe in you. -
It builds authority and an emotional connection
If you’re saying what your audience believes, they’ll develop an emotional connection with you. They’ll look at you as an authority they should listen to.
For example, the keto diet is highly popular when it comes to weight loss. However, it’s a strict diet to follow and requires one to eat lots of fatty meats and so on.
Millions of people will struggle with this diet because of how stringent it is. The lack of carbohydrates will create sugar cravings in those who adopt it.
Being polarizing in this case will mean standing up and saying that the keto diet is pointless. One can’t be eating oily and fatty foods forever, even if it’s supposedly ‘good’ fat. We shouldn’t live our lives as hostages to an unforgiving diet.
Because you have a better way!
You have a diet program that lets people eat whatever they want and still lose weight. It’s more sustainable and easier to follow.
Of course, they’ll need to purchase your “Anti-Keto Weight Loss Protocol” for $27… with an option to upgrade to a $197 personal one-on-one session with you.
Do you think this will sell?
You bet it will.
The more you say the keto diet is rubbish, the more haters you’ll get. But here’s the best part — you’ll get a lot more fans who want to lose weight without eating bacon and avocados from morning to night.
And many of them will buy your offer. Now we are talking!
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You differentiate yourself
When everyone is following everyone else, being polarizing instantly makes you stand out. For decades, we’ve been told to go to school and get a stable job so that we can climb the corporate ladder like mindless drones. These days, we see many personalities like Andrew Tate, MJ Demarco, etc., saying that going to college is a waste of time… and that the secret to real wealth is to build your own business. Their radical approach has made them unique, won them millions of fans, and earned them millions in sales from business books and courses.
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You’ll filter out those not on the same frequency as you
This is one of the BEST benefits of being polarizing.
It repels people who do not agree with what you’re saying. They’re not in alignment with your beliefs and values and will want nothing to do with you.
They’ll avoid being on your email list. They won’t buy your products. They want nothing to do with you… but it won’t stop them from hating on you and stirring up more interest in your brand and products.
This will not only increase your reach, but you won’t be paying more to have disinterested people on your list and so on.
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People will remember you
This is obvious. When you’re polarizing, people remember you.
Just get on Facebook and you’ll still see liberals still ranting in 2023 about Trump and how he is the cause of all ills in the country.
Several years have passed since the last election and still, he lives rent-free in their heads. But these are just the haters.
His fans are hoping he’ll get back into office in the next election.
So one way or another, whether you’re a fan or detractor, you can’t deny that people remember the man.
The same applies to Tucker Carlson, Andrew Tate, Logan Paul, PewDiePie, and so on. Even if their social media accounts are shut down, the moment they get on another platform, their followers grow at an exponential rate.
One example would be how Andrew Tate’s Twitter profile reached 1 million followers in 48 hours once his account was reinstated. (Source).
If this isn’t proof that being polarizing works, nothing is.
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It fuels content creation
Being polarizing will mean that you’ll never run out of ideas and controversial topics for your content. If we follow the earlier example about the keto diet, you could take an opposing stance on every other diet out there and make yours look like the best.
There will always be different angles and ideas that you can use to create fresh content for your marketing.
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It brands you
If you’re a marketer selling courses on creating funnels and selling products with Facebook ads, you can polarize your audience by saying that SEO, niche sites, Kindle publishing, etc., are a waste of time and money.
Your method is faster and makes more money. The more you repeat this and the more ‘visible’ you become, the more polarizing you’ll be.
And you’ll develop a brand that is focused and specializes in funnels and Facebook ads.
Of course, the marketers in other business models will think you’re full of it – but if your audience (who buys your products) has positive results, you’ll have social proof and build an even more loyal following.
And you can be even more polarizing now! More fun, more sales, and more popularity.
It’s a win-win-win for you!
In conclusion…
At the end of the day, you must have a specific end goal in mind when you’re being polarizing. Just being controversial for no reason and not having a solution only makes you a whiny hater.
Be polarizing and take a stance on something you strongly believe in. Highlight the problems accrued by using other methods and then tell them that you have a better way.
Then show your audience your methodology, products, and services that will solve their problems faster and better than whatever is out there.
Now you’re being polarizing with a purpose. That’s how it’s done.
“In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” – Coco Chanel