Taylor Swift… whether you love her, or hate her, or are completely indifferent to her…
There can be NO denying the impact and influence she’s had on our culture, the economy, and even… politics.
She’s won 14 Grammys…
Holds the record for the most albums to debut at #1 consecutively…
In a single Instagram post, she drove over 35,000 new voter registrations.
Her Eras Tours has become the highest-gross music tour in history…
And speaking of the Era Tours… it hasn’t just made HER a ton of money – the tour has also contributed an estimated $5.7 billion to the US economy…
Her romance with NFL player, Travis Kelce has even boosted the NFL fanbase, viewership, and revenue…
Generating an estimated $331.5 million in equivalent brand value of the Kanas City Chiefs…
And jersey sales for her man spiked 400% after she first appeared at one of his games.
Oh – and did I mention…
Taylor herself recently reached BILLIONAIRE status.
Clearly, after 2 decades of continual influence…
She is not JUST an artist.
She’s also a brilliant business owner, marketer, and branding genius.
So no matter WHAT your opinion is about Taylor Swift…
There is a lot we can learn from her and her marketing team as we strive to create our own brands that rally fans just as loyal and diehard as the Swifties.
In this blog, I’m going to break down 7 things that can help you create the “Taylor Effect” in your own marketing and branding initiatives.
Hey Posse, what’s up? It’s Alex.
I am so excited about this tutorial because you know I LOVE dissecting great branding and showing you how seemingly “untouchable” brands, businesses, and yes – even people – have been able to achieve iconic status.
Spoiler alert: None of this is accidental, and most of it can be replicated by ANYONE, yes even you.
Now, if anyone knows how to capture attention, create a raving fan base, and build LONG-TERM loyalty (we’re talking 2 decades’ worth)…
It’s Taylor Swift.
But this blog isn’t actually the first time I’ve talked about the “Taylor Effect”…
A while ago, I posted this Reel on my Instagram breaking down the launch strategy for her Eras Tour.
And wowwwwwieeee.
Did the internet trolls come after me for calling Taylor Swift a “marketing genius”…
Yes – I am well aware of the fact that Taylor Swift is not a one-woman show.
She has a whole team working with her – and on her behalf.
SO DO MOST BRANDS.
That does not change a damn thing.
Taylor Swift is STILL a genius at what she does and so is her brand and all the incredible people who work for her.
So with that out of the way…
HOW DO YOU BUILD A BRAND LIKE TAY-TAY?!
Well, to start, I want to touch on a few of the basic marketing strategies that Taylor follows so brilliantly with her content… and they are strategies you can use too…
1. Increase FOMO
Alright, we’ve all heard of the concept of FOMO or the fear of missing out.
This is the reason people will wait in line for 24+ hours to buy something that’s limited edition…
But FOMO isn’t just about making people feel like they’re missing out.
It’s about creating an experience that your audience is EXCITED to be a part of… and DOES NOT WANT TO MISS. Under any circumstances.
And that’s exactly why Taylor Swift fans will stay awake until midnight for two whole weeks JUST to hear the title of the next track on her next album…
Yep – they stay awake JUST to hear what the song is called. No music included!
FOMO is really all about building excitement.
And excitement is your BFF in marketing.
It leads to quick decision-making…
Which means less time to rationalize, self-doubt, or talk yourself out of something.
Excited people are easier to sell to.
Which is exactly why you see so many brands “hyping” up their new product or services.
2. Build Anticipation
To create anticipation for her upcoming Eras Tour, Taylor followed a very basic marketing strategy.
Before she launched her tour ticket sales, she put out some excellent pre-launch content by announcing that 4 unreleased tracks would drop at MIDNIGHT.
This is something called “priming”…
Unlike the FOMO she created in the previous example…
Here she’s giving out FREE high-value content – in the form of new songs – that her audience will love…
Releasing these tracks as pre-content to her tour keeps Taylor front and center in the minds of Swifties and builds major anticipation about her “big ticket” launch…
Which is, of course, her tour.
3. Create Micro-Commitments
Okay, so she released a few new tracks to generate anticipation and buzz…
But she didn’t *just* release them at any time….
She released them at MIDNIGHT.
Making her fans stay up until midnight to get new tracks has become one of Taylor’s MOs and it is not arbitrary or accidental.
While it may seem like nothing, this “micro-commitment” literally FUELS the irrational loyalty among her audience.
A micro-commitment is a small, somewhat easy, step you can ask your audience to make that will ultimately make them even more committed to your brand (even Reese Witherspoon posted about it!)
Taylor is a master at getting her fans to make these micro-commitments to her over and over and over again…
Not just because they love her music…
But because they love the EXPERIENCE of her brand.
Which brings us to the next thing Taylor does to create such an excellent brand experience…
4. Overdeliver & Reward Your Audience
Taylor is a master at making her community feel seen and valued.
Things like…
- Liking fans’ social posts, sharing their content, and inviting them backstage before and after shows…
- She holds listening parties at her homes – called “Secret Sessions” – for Swifties to preview her albums.
- She also has been known to make surprise home visits, show up to play at her fan’s weddings, and donate to fan fundraisers…
All of this contributes to her fans feeling SEEN and VALUED by Taylor.
Which makes them love her even more.
When your audience feels seen and valued… you’ve practically sealed their loyalty to you forever.
And a lot of what she’s doing here isn’t rocket science.
- Liking your customer’s posts…
- Sharing their content…
- Inviting them to something exclusive (like a private masterclass, members-only training, or first dibs on new releases)…
All of this you can replicate easily in your own business.
You probably can’t make surprise home visits or crash your customer’s wedding… I mean, that’d be a little weird lol…
But everything else you CAN do.
And it WILL make a big difference in the hearts and minds of your audience.
One of my favorite things that Taylor does is leave little clues and surprises – called Easter Eggs – for her biggest fans to find and decode.
It’s become a whole secret club for the most dedicated Taylor fans to obsess over.
And you guys… she’s been doing this SINCE THE BEGINNING of her career.
In a statement Taylor sent to the Washington Post, she talks about when she was younger she would save up money to buy a new album so she could go through the lyric booklet. So that’s the experience she’s referring to here:
“When I was 15 and putting together my first album, I wanted to recreate the experience I used to have…I decided to encode the lyrics with hidden messages using capital letters…That’s how it started, and my fans and I have since descended into color coding, numerology, word searches, elaborate hints, and Easter eggs…It’s really about turning new music into an event for my fans and trying to entertain them in playful, mischievous, clever ways…As long as they still find it fun and exciting, I’ll keep doing it.“
Taylor Swift
SHE DOES IT JUST BECAUSE HER FANS FIND IT FUN.
And that’s the biggest lesson to learn here.
In a world that’s becoming more and more automated…
In a world where everyone cares about the numbers, the trends, and the bottom line…
Taking the time – and putting in a real effort – to make something ENJOYABLE.
To delight your audience… simply because you want to delight them.
THIS is what will get you life-long customers and brand loyalty that none of your competitors will EVER be able to hold a candle to.
So ask yourself how you can go above and beyond for your customers…
How can you surprise and delight them?
Ask any of my Posse customers – especially my most loyal customers who keep coming back for more and more…
And they’ll tell you that I am OBSESSED with giving them bonuses and freebies and surprises – just because.
One of my Launch Files students even said the programs was like the Tay-Tay Easter Egg experience… so I must be doing something right – haha.
She says, “This is hands down the most ‘value add’ I’ve ever seen in a course”…
And THAT is how you want your customers to feel.
5. Be Authentic & Relatable
Taylor Swift’s songs are more than just songs.
They tell the personal stories, triumphs, heartbreaks, joys, and struggles of her life.
She’s not just putting out trendy lyrics and following along with the crowd.
She’s putting out things that are personal to her.
Lyrics that are meaningful and matter to her.
She’s authentic and real about what she shares.
And even though her songs are extremely personal, that is exactly what makes them RELATABLE.
Her lyrics evoke emotions in her audience…
They feel connected to her – like they really know her and even have things in common with her.
She gives people a huge peek into her real life, her real feelings, and her real struggles through her music and corresponding videos.
And this is a lesson every brand could take to heart…
Remember that people buy from PEOPLE.
We want to feel connected with each other.
Ask yourself how you can show up more authentically and transparently…
- How can you use storytelling in your captions and emails?
- How can you share more relatable customer experiences and testimonials? One’s that feel personal and not just transactional…
- Could you share the stories of your team – who are they, what do they love, what are their values?
- Can you share more about the inspiration behind your newest product? What’s the story? And most importantly…
- What is YOUR STORY? Where did you start? What struggles did you encounter along the way?
- What doubts & fears did you have? What made you push through and persevere?
In my branding course – The Posse Eye – I walk you through a very detailed process for creating a brand that is authentic and relatable to your ideal audience.
And part of that is writing your very own HERO STORY.
I have an entire process for this that I’ve modeled off screenwriting and Superhero narratives.
You can learn about all of that and more when you take the Posse Eye.
Now this leads me to…
6. Own Your Values
Remember… if you want to be truly authentic, you must know who you are and what you stand for.
In other words…
What are your VALUES?
T-Swift has nailed this in her branding as well…
Taylor is not afraid to speak up about her values – even if they’re controversial or polarizing.
She frequently advocates for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights.
She’s not afraid to talk about politics and urge her fans to vote.
She’s not afraid of people not liking her.
She knows who she is. She knows that her people will be FOR her.
She’s not worried about the haters.
And there is a really, really powerful lesson here…
You CANNOT be for everybody.
And if you try to appeal to everyone, you’ll end up appealing to NO ONE.
This is why polarity is not a bad thing. As I always say, polarity = popularity. It works IN your favor.
When you state who you are…
When you own your values unapologetically…
When you stop holding back and toning down parts of your personality…
You become MAGNETIC to people who share the same values and beliefs as YOU DO.
And those are the people you want to attract.
Those are the customers you want to buy from you.
Forget about everyone else.
I can’t tell you how many messages and comments I’ve received over the years from people hating on my brand and my content…
Calling me too loud…
Saying I talk too much or too fast…
Complaining about my “girl power” branding…
Or that there are too many GIFs in my videos…
And so many other dumb things that I just do not care about.
I’m not trying to be like all the other plain vanilla marketing bros out there.
Because that’s not who I am.
THIS is who I am.
My Posse flocks to me BECAUSE of that. And so will yours.
And speaking of your Posse…
That leads us to the last, and most important thing Taylor does really freakin’ well…
7. Create A Sense of Belonging
One of the things that makes Taylor stand out the most is the way she acknowledges her fans and creates a true sense of purpose and belonging among them.
We already talked about liking and sharing your followers’ content… but this goes SO MUCH FURTHER than that.
Taylor doesn’t just re-share their posts.
She celebrates them and amplifies their voices.
She plays an active role in encouraging their creations of art – whether it’s original music, art, or dance moves…
During her Eras Tour, Taylor performed a fan’s viral TikTok dance as part of her stage performance!
I mean come on…
Can’t you SEE why Swifties love her so much?
There are a ton of ways you can make your audience feel like they’re part of something special, like they belong!…
I do something called “Sunday Celebration” – every Sunday, I send out an email celebrating the win of someone in the Posse community.
This does 2 things…
- #1 – It encourages my community to SHARE and connect with each other. By sharing their wins and struggles, they more easily relate to one another and feel less alone in this wild world we live in…
- And #2 – It makes my people feel heard! I don’t just share their win… I expand on it and give my thoughts and encouragement.
So while I might not type out a detailed response to everything my members post… I DO see them and I DO take the time to recognize them and celebrate them as much as possible.
So there you have it, 7 things that can help you create the “Taylor Effect” in your own marketing and branding initiatives.
What celebrity or brand should I break down next? Comment below and let me know!
And if you want to check out my branding program – The Posse Eye – you can find that clicking the link
I’ll see you next week with a brand-new lesson. Until then, I’m Alex. Ciao for now.
