I'll be honest, that last few weeks have been pretty rough for me personally, but there's one bright spot that's helping me get through and it might not be what you think:
It's Taylor Swift.
Specifically, my most prized possession: a ticket to the Eras tour in July. I know, I know. I'm a walking cliche. A 30-something midwestern mom who's already planning her ridiculously sparkly outfit with a group of fellow Swifties and playing the tour setlist Spotify playlist on repeat.
But I wasn't always a Swiftie. I didn't really start paying much attention to T.S. until Covid (the story for many of us) when she released her two albums that were so different than her others. The slower, folksy sound of Folklore and Evermore hooked me instantly and I literally listened to those two albums on repeat for months as I navigated the pandemic, politics, homeschooling, business pivots, and the new world we all found ourselves in.
Since then, I've listened back to her older albums, watched the documentaries, and fallen down all the many rabbit holes, and yes, even waited hours and hours through that infamous Ticketmaster chaos and finally got my ticket for July (nosebleed seats, but I don't even care).
As I slowly morphed into a Swiftie, I realized how genius Taylor is with the marketing of not just this tour, but her entire brand. And if we zoom out a bit on how she's made this comeback so successful, we can learn a thing or two about marketing our own online business in similar ways.
Here's just a few lessons to pull from Miss Americana herself:
1 — Know your audience.
Taylor knows her fans like the back of her hand, and she caters to them with precision. From her merch to her social media content to her music sprinkled with Easter eggs for us to research, everything she does is designed to resonate with her audience. Yes, she's a superstar, but she's also just a girl who's been through a ton of breakups, works really hard at her job, and loves her cats. She's relatable, she knows how to connect with her audience because she's experienced the same things. So when it comes to marketing your own brand online, take a page from Tay's book and make sure you understand your target audience inside and out.. errr... all too well, maybe. What are their interests, pain points, and values? What do they struggle with that you can relate to? The more you know about them, the better you can speak to them and connect with them.
2 — Repurpose + refresh old content.
The Eras tour is the ultimate in repurposed content. She's selling out stadiums by playing her oldest hits, how genius is that? Taylor has obviously changed the style of her music a lot over the years, from country tunes to ragey breakup songs (some of my faves as of recently) to the slower, folksy ballads that got us through Covid. This tour has inspired all Swifties to dive back into each era and relive the nostalgia with her. We can repurpose our older content in the same way – refreshing blog posts and reposting them with updated info and fresh graphics, for example. Pull content from those highest-performing articles or emails and re-use them as social media posts rather than coming up with content from scratch over and over (hellooo, all the Taylor's Version music she's been re-releasing!). Heck, some of those old strategies could inspire you to get to back to the basics, remind you why you started this business in the first place. Play the hits, friends, that's all Taylor's doing.
3 — Celebrate loyalty.
The Swifties are nothing if not loyal to Queen Taylor. We spent hours waiting online to buy Eras tour tickets (not to mention the price tags). We're planning our concert outfits months in advance based on our favorite albums and music videos (it's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me — I'll be going as the Reputation era). We're swapping theories on which songs are about which ex-boyfriend. It's a whole thing. And again, she's literally selling out stadiums based on our love of her oldest hits. How can we create that same sense of ownership and loyalty with our own customers and clients? How can we invite them in on our process and get them excited about working with us or purchasing something from our shop? We can learn a lot by watching all the ways Taylor has instilled loyalty in her fans over the years. She delivers content (music) that stays relevant to us, while also keeping it fresh, adjusting her style and attitude just a bit with each new era to keep us guessing what she'll do next. Look what you made me do, she'll keep telling us.
4 — Be authentic.
Taylor's authenticity is one of the reasons why her fans adore her. She's not afraid to be vulnerable, to speak her truth, or to show her personality online. And that's what makes her marketing so effective - people can sense when something is genuine and when it's just a ploy. So when you're marketing your own brand online, make sure you're being true to yourself and your values. Don't try to be someone you're not or pander to an audience just because you think it will make you more popular. Be authentic, and your audience will appreciate it. No one can be Taylor except Taylor. No one can be you except you. You're the only one of you, and baby that's the fun of you.
Want some bonus ones, because I just can't stop?
5 — Share the stage.
Taylor doesn't shy away from working with fellow artists, featuring a wide range of other musicians on her own albums and having special guests at concerts. Her ego isn't too big to share the stage. Don't be afraid to collaborate, even with someone you might consider your competition. A rising tide lifts all boats.
6 — Surprise + delight.
At each Eras tour concert, Taylor's been playing a couple surprise songs that are not part of the setlist. Some hardcore Swifties are out here making SPREADSHEETS to track which ones she's played, trying to predict what surprise songs they'll get when she's in their city. It's madness. What a fun way to surprise her audience with something completely unexpected. Not to mention her 3+ hour performance giving 200% night after night — even in the pouring rain, I see you Nashville — is a delight unto itself.
7 — Build some mysterious anticipation.
Taylor is the queen of the cryptic Instagram post. The hints to future albums in her lyrics. The constant cross-referencing between songs, across albums. The recurring number 13. What does it all mean?! When Taylor posts just about anything, you know it's a hint at something to come. She's dropping Easter eggs everywhere she goes, and her audience eats. it. up. Share some sneak peeks in your own business, and build that anticipation for your next thing.
Ok, enough. I've shown too many of my Swift cards now.
No matter your opinion on her music, you can't deny Taylor knows how to create buzz around her latest project (even if it's reused), build a loyal audience, and do it all while staying true to her authentic, quirky self. I predict she'll be able to reinvent herself and replicate this success over and over for decades to come. And we can take a page from her diary playbook and make waves in our own industry. We probably won't be selling out stadiums, but we can make an impact right where we're at, in our own niche, in our own way. ... are you ready for it?
P.S. How many Taylor lyrics did you find sprinkled throughout this article? Too many? Not enough? Did you roll your eyes each time? You need to calm down.
Are you an introvert who hates marketing?
Don’t worry, I’ve got a surprise for ya — it’s a mini-class that you will L-O-V-E. (But not too much, cause we don't wanna over-do it. People are watching.) It's called Launching for Introverts, and it's all ready for you to dive in and see exactly how being an introvert can actually be a HUGE advantage in running your business. You don’t have to have Taylor-Swift-level marketing to run a successful business. Click the image above to see all the details + save your seat, cause you don't wanna miss this super different (kinda weird??) introvert party.
