Welcome to this week’s edition ofThe Winner’s Circle. Today, we are going to dig into Taylor Swift’s billion-dollar brand and extract actionable insights for your business. Taylor Swift isn’t just a global pop icon; she’s a master strategist whose methods have propelled her into a historically unprecedented realm of success.
Yes, she is undoubtably and remarkably talented and has weathered some wicked storms, but besides the obvious talent, what other elements are at play? From rewarding the most loyal fans to gamifying community engagement and expressing unwavering gratitude, Swift’s approach is an exceptionally unique blueprint for building a devoted following.
Here are a few key brand elements to the extraordinary success of Taylor Swifts meticulously crafted 1B+ empire.
1. Reward the pyramid of customer loyalty
Long time Swifties unlock unique perks like exclusive pre-album drop listening, surprise appearances at proms/weddings/engagements, and Christmas gift shopping. Love your loyals in unique, hilarious, visible, important and special ways.
2. Gameify community building
Easter Eggs incentivize fans to scrutinize every detail as if it were a treasure hunt, because sometimes it is. And then, Taylor Swift transcends “one to many” marketing and encourages uses generated content AKA fans connecting with each other about spotting Easter Eggs.
Fan shout outs incentivize everyone to seek her 1:1 attention, and she scales the touching 1:1 emotion to all. Freaking brilliant.
Take a moment and ask yourself/your business–what rewards can you provide leaders in your community?
3. Express Constant and Abundant Gratitude
This is my favorite because I find it so rare, and in Taylor Swift’s case also so genuine. I’ve never seen anyone genuinely thank their fans more deeply and frequently, and it’s an exquisite delight to behold.
It’s not just lip service. She performs in the pouring rain for hours because fans showed up for her, so she shows up for them.
What can you under promise and over deliver on in your product or service?
4. Invoke Scarcity
She launched 1 concert in 1 country at a time, gauged demand, then released more slots. Create tension by restricting supply. Also, market test (this is often the one step many people and businesses skip), so you’re sure of where and what the demand will be. You can always stretch the rubber band of supply, but you can never retract it.
5. Storytelling Specificity and Poetry Mastery
Taylor Swift exhibits literary genius akin to the most famous poets in history. Rather than “we were driving,” it’s “take me back to the creek beds we turned up, two AM riding in your truck.”
How can you construct each product, each marketing touchpoint to be a connected masterpiece through storytelling?
Each of these elements contributes to a dynamic and creatively crafted empire that not only stands the test of time but also thrives in the fluctuating world of fame. Perhaps explore an element of how you and your business can apply one of Taylor Swift’s revolutionary tactics to elevate your brand, create a vibrant community, and leave a lasting impact on your audience. Let me know which one you decide to try. And, if you need help, feel free to reach out.
As always, to all who read, write, respond, and to the clients we work with, you have my unending gratitude. It is truly a delight to serve, and I’m grateful to have you in my work world.
Thanks for reading.
Here’s to your success,
Margot Black
