As of October, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film became the highest-grossing concert movie of all time with its $123 million opening weekend.
Having a plethora of awards under her belt, countless records broken, and a personal brand that’s led to a net worth of over $1 billion, we think it’s fair to say that Taylor Swift is a marketing mastermind.
Let’s jump in and look at the marketing lessons we can learn from Taylor Swift’s stellar marketing strategy.
Create your own narratives
There’s a story behind every Taylor Swift song and this keeps her audience coming back.
Taylor’s music has always been open, documenting the highs and lows of her public and personal life. Vulnerability has become a pivotal part of her personal brand!
Taylor’s transparency ensures her audience feels included and can resonate with her – if Taylor Swift can handle heartbreak so can we!
But Taylor doesn’t just share her own story, she creates new ones. In 2020, having had to cancel a tour due to the pandemic, Taylor released two surprise albums just 5 months apart.
Folklore and Evermore introduced 5 fictional characters who captivated fans with their intricate storylines created by Taylor. For example, Folklore’s overarching storyline follows Betty and James who have a tumultuous long-term relationship.
Social media is key
We know by now that social media has become an essential marketing tool, in fact 82% of marketers believe it’s crucial to their business. Having an active social media presence can help businesses increase their brand awareness, exposure, and customer loyalty.
Taylor clearly knows the power of social media with a multi-level social media marketing strategy that leaves fans yearning for more. Like many businesses, she uses social media to promote her product and engage with her audience.
Active across social media platforms, Taylor is now one of the most followed people on social media with 526.9 million followers combined. It’s the place she goes to tease upcoming projects, celebrate new releases, share behind-the-scenes footage, and give fans a glimpse into her personal life.
Taylor’s fans are the first to know what she’s up to and where she’s been making them feel valued and trusted.
On social media, switching up your content is a good way to keep an audience engaged, so Taylor differs between posting –
- Short-form video
- Images
- Carousels
- Stories
- Custom filters
We can’t tell you how important it is to engage with and acknowledge your audience on social media. Taking the time to do so lets your audience know that they matter, it can help forge stronger relationships and increase customer advocacy.
Taylor is known for replying to comments, answering messages, and interacting with user generated content – she’s even incorporated fan-made dances into her live performances. This means Taylor’s fanbase knows just how much they mean to her and feels they have a personal connection with the superstar.
Partnerships can be powerful
Throughout the course of her career, Taylor has collaborated with a range of eclectic artists including Ed Sheeran, Lana Del Ray, and Kendrick Lamar.
These strategic collaborations have boosted Taylor’s brand awareness by putting her in front of an even wider audience and peaking public interest. Taylor forms authentic relationships by collaborating with artists she listens to and close friends.
In May of this year, Taylor released a deluxe version of her tenth studio album Midnights including a remix of hit song ‘Karma’ featuring Ice Spice. At the time the rising star was receiving lots of attention thanks to a viral song on TikTok and appearing in her first SKIMS campaign.
Ice Spice starred alongside Taylor in a new music video, extensive cross-promotion on social media, and at her New Jersey stadium show. The remix and its visuals were impossible to ignore and caused an incredible amount of fan engagement.
Community wins
Don’t we all love to feel a part of something? That’s why creating a brand community is so important. So much so that 90% of social media marketers say building an active online community is critical to success!
Taylor’s profound songwriting, vast social media presence, and effort to engage with her fanbase has led to a large, devoted community of Swifties.
From the beginning of her career, Taylor has shown gratitude to her fanbase by giving back to them in whichever way she can. In the past, Taylor has produced fan-exclusive merchandise, handpicked fans to star in her music videos, and hosted special listening parties.
In 2017, Taylor selected a handful of lucky fans to spend time with her in her home and listen to her album Reputation before anyone else.
By engaging with and celebrating her fanbase, Taylor has built a dedicated community of fans who feel an emotional connection to her and want to act as brand ambassadors!
Building a community has become increasingly popular and is desirable for many brands, but it can be hard to know where to start. Module 3 of our member exclusive course Master Your Social Media Strategy is all about community marketing.
In this module, you’ll learn why building community is important, tips on how to do so, and so much more! And, this module features an exclusive episode of The Girls in Marketing Podcast with Olivia, Amy, and Keira.
Be prepared to adapt
We live in a digital landscape where change is constant, so we’re forced to adapt to stay relevant.
Back in 2006, Taylor burst onto the scene with her debut country music album Taylor Swift. Since then Taylor has continued to push boundaries and experiment with musical genres – and this has only worked in her favour.
Taylor has shown her audience and the music industry that she’s versatile with her sound and lyrics. Whilst she’s kept her image fresh and exciting, Taylor’s tendency to reinvent herself builds anticipation and fan hysteria for any new project she announces.
But Taylor hasn’t forgotten her roots and knows just how much her audience loves her old work. In 2019, to take complete control and ownership of her past work, Taylor began re-recording her first six studio albums.
Besides Taylor’s new vocals, the re-recorded albums are faithful to the original with bonus tracks. For longtime fans, many of whom grew up listening to Taylor, this project has been incredibly nostalgic and a reminder of why they love the artist.
Do you think these tactics by Taylor Swift and her team are marketing genius? We definitely do!
From the power of social media marketing to the effect of building a strong community, we can learn so much and take inspiration from Taylor’s epic marketing strategy.
