5 Things Marketers can Learn from Taylor Swift (Seriously)

Love her or hate her, we can all admit to the occasional shoulder shimmy when Shake It Off comes on the radio. There’s a reason she made Time’s 100 Most Influential People Of The Year and has 72.3 million followers on Twitter. Taylor Swift has transformed from small town country girl into an American icon. Here’s what we as marketers can take away from T-Swift’s success.

1. She adds value to the experience

The T-Swift Way: Going to a Taylor Swift concert is like going to a Broadway musical. She puts on an amazing, theatrical show that will leave your senses running wild. You’ll experience serious FOMO (fear of missing out) when you hear she’s coming to town if you don’t already have tickets. At her latest 1989 tour, each fan found a white plastic bracelet taped to their seat before the show. The bracelets flickered different colors to the beat of various songs during her performance so Swift could see all her fans. From the amazing stage props to the flickering bracelets, she adds value to her concerts leaving fans awestruck.

The Marketer’s Way: No, I’m not suggesting you hand out glowing bracelets or put on a blonde wig and sing on stage at your next event. However, I do suggest adding value to your next tradeshow. Below are some ideas:

• Review your booth layout and graphics. Ask yourself: Does it invite people in? Does it start a conversation?
• To enable better lead generation, consider relevant promotion around your brand and products rather than just giving out freebies unless you want a bunch of useless leads.
• Provide attendees with an experience they will remember, whether it be a live or hands-on demo, or even some form of entertainment.

2. She listens and engages

The T-Swift Way: Taylor Swift has been known to show some crazy love to her fans. She’s sent Christmas care packages to her biggest fans. She’s sent $1,989 to help a fan pay off their student loans. She’s even flown to Ohio to attend a fan’s bridal shower. By doing all of this, Taylor has created a relationship with her fans and shown that she cares about them just as much as they care about her.

The Marketer’s Way: Showing some love to your fans goes a long way. When was the last time you wrote a hand-written thank you letter to a customer? Are you listening and engaging with your fans on social media? Make sure that your communication is always a two-way street. Take a second and thank your long-time customers and your newest ones. These small acts will develop a relationship with your fans that they will appreciate.

3. She collaborates

The T-Swift Way: Ellen DeGeneres, Fetty Wap, The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, Justin Timberlake and Kobe Bryant are just a few of the many guests Taylor has surprised her fans with during her tour. What do these people have in common with T-Swift? They are all entertainers. By associating their name with Taylor Swift, they are increasing their brand recognition and value.

The Marketer’s Way: David K. Williams defines collaborative marketing as “the process of aligning your company’s interests, resources, and marketing muscle with other like-minded companies to accomplish much more than you might be able to do on your own”. Companies can collaborate with complementary and similar businesses to increase leads, brand awareness, and influence. This could be through advertising, events, and even online joint webinars.

4. She knows her brand

The T-Swift Way: She’s sassy, girly and fun. Taylor Swift knows who she is and is consistent in her messaging. Whether it’s her songs, interviews or her posts on social media, she never strays from who she is and her audience loves her for that.

The Marketer’s Way: Make sure your voice is consistent across all channels of your marketing mix. Use thought leadership by offering your followers valuable content that will draw positive attention to your company. Think about what your target audience cares about and what their interests are. Try to describe your brand using adjectives, as you would a person. Is your brand’s voice informative on industry news and serious? Or are you fun and engaging? Whatever you are, make sure it’s consistent.

5. She adapts

The T-Swift Way: Taylor Swift went from small town country singer to pop princess, which isn’t exactly an easy switch. Five years ago, we would have never dreamed of Taylor featuring Kendrick Lamar in one of her songs. She’s adopted social media as a way to connect with her fans and now boasts 72.3 million followers on Twitter. Taylor has been known to use Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and even video blogs on YouTube to connect with her fans. She is known for adapting throughout the years with her environment, but never loses sight of who she is as an artist.

The Marketer’s Way: It’s hard to keep up with the trends and latest buzzwords in the fast moving marketing world we live in. However, experimenting with some new marketing could pay off in the long run. While Snapchat might not be the platform of choice for your business, trends in social media and the tech space have proven to be valuable for B2B companies. Gary Vaynerchuck, social media wiz, says, “you should be where your customers eyes and ears are.”  Different social media platforms are worth testing out and seeing if they could be an effective marketing tool in your industry.

 

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