Why People Love Taylor Swift So Damn Much (& How to Create Your Own Army of Loyal “Swifties”)

Taylor Swift. Whether you love her or hate her, or are completely indifferent to her, there can be no denying the impact and influence that 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 number one consecutively. In a single Instagram post, she drove over 35,000 new voter registrations. Her eras tour has become the highest grossing music tour in history. And speaking of the ERAS Tour, it hasn't just made her a ton of money. The tour has literally contributed an estimated $5.7 billion to the U.S. economy. Her romance with NFL player Travis Kelce has even boosted the NFL fan base, viewership and revenue, generating an estimated $331.5 million in equivalent brand value for the Kansas City City Chiefs. That's crazy. And Jersey sales for her man spiked by 400% after she first appeared at the games. Oh, and did I mention Taylor herself recently reached billionaire status. Clearly, after two decades of continual influence and showing up for her fans, she is not just an artist, she's also a brilliant business owner, marketer and branding genius. So no matter what your opinion is on 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 fast, just as loyal and die hard as the Swifties. In this video, I'm gonna break down seven things that can help you create the tailor effect in your own marketing and branding initiatives. Are you ready for it? Keep watching. Hey posse, what's up? It's Alex and I'm really excited about this video because you already know that I absolutely love dissecting great brands and showing you how seeming untouchable brands, businesses and yes, even people have been able to reach iconic status. Now. Spoiler alert. I know Taylor is a big deal, but 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 about two decades worth. It is absolutely Taylor Swift. But this video isn't actually the first time that I've talked about the Taylor effect in marketing. A while ago I actually posted this this reel on my Instagram breaking down the launch strategy for her recent ERAS tour. And let me tell you guys, the Internet trolls came after me when I called Taylor Swift a marketing genius. Please, if that offends you, seriously, go somewhere else. I am well aware of the fact that Taylor Swift is not a one woman show. Yes, she has A whole team working with her and on her behalf. And hey, so do most brands. It is not just one single founder. That does not change a single thing about what I am talking about today. 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, let's just jump right in. How do you build a brand like Tay Tay? Well, to start, I want to touch on a few basic marketing strategies that I think Taylor follows so brilliantly with her content. And these are strategies that you absolutely 1000% can do to, number one, increase FOMO. All right, we've all heard of that concept of FOMO or the fear of missing out, right. When we see our friends at a party and we can't be there. This is the reason why people will wait in line for like 24 hours to buy something that's limited edition. But FOMO isn't just about making people feel like they're missing out. I mean, that kind of sucks, right? 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. The title of the next track on her album, track 13 is called Mastermind. Yep, they stay awake just to hear that what the song is called, no music included. FOMO is really all about building excitement. And excitement is your BFF in marketing because it leads to quick decision making which means less time to rationalize and self doubt and you know, time for your customers to talk themselves out of something. Excited people are easier to sell to, period. Which is exactly why you see so many brands hyping up their new products or services or creating unique experiences around launches. Number two, build anticipation. So 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 four unreleased tracks would drop at, yes, you guessed it, midnight. This is something that I like to call priming. So unlike the FOMO she created in the previous example, here she's actually giving out free high value content in the form of her new songs that of course her audience will absolutely love. And releasing these tracks as pre content to her tour keeps Taylor front and center in the minds of Swifties and builds major anticipation for her big ticket launch, which is of course her tour and buying tickets. Number three, create micro commitments. Okay, so she releases a few tracks to generate buzz and anticipation. But she didn't just release them at any time of day. You heard me say it. She released them at midnight. Making her fans stay up until midnight to get new tracks has become one of Taylor's major mos. And like you probably guessed, it is not arbitrary or accidental at all. It is perfectly planned. Now, while it might seem like that's really nothing, these micro commitments literally fuel the irrational loyal among her audience. A micro commitment is a small, somewhat easy step that you can get your audience to do that will make them ultimately even more committed to you and your brand. I mean, even Reese Witherspoon posted about this. 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. Right? It's fun, it creates anticipation and it's really exciting. Which brings us to the next thing that Taylor does to create such an excellent brand experience. Number four over Deliver and reward your audience. Taylor is a master at making her community feel seen and valued. She does things like liking fans social posts, sharing their content and inviting them backstage before and after her shows. She holds listening parties at her homes called Secret Sessions for Swifties to actually preview her albums. She has also been known to make surprise home visits, show up to play at her fans weddings, and even donate to fan fundraisers. And of course all of this contributes to her fans feeling seen and valued by Taylor, which of course makes them love her even more. When your audience feels seen and understood and valued, you have practically sealed their loyalty to you forever. Because let's be honest, that's rare nowadays and a lot of what she's doing here isn't rocket science. You guys liking your customers posts, sharing their content, inviting them to something exclusive like a private masterclass or a members only training, or getting first dibs on new releases or products. All of this you can absolutely easily replicate in your own business or your clients businesses. You probably can't make surprise home visits that might be a little creepy or crash your customer's wedding. I mean that might be a little weird, but everything else you absolutely can do and trust me, 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 like Easter eggs, right for her biggest fans to actually find and decode. It has become like a whole secret club dedic to the most loyal Taylor fans and they obsess over it and you guys she has been doing this since the beginning of her career, literally like 20 years ago. In a statement that Taylor sent to the Washington Post, she said, when I was 15 and putting together my first album, I wanted to recreate the experience I used to have. You know, those of you who remember like CDs, right? Earlier she talks about that when she was young, she would save up her money to buy a new album so that she could look through the little booklet that came with it. So that's the experience she's referring to there. And she goes on to say, I decided to encode the lyrics with hidden messages using capital letters. That is how it all started. And my fans and I have 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 and clever ways. As long as they still find it fun and exciting, I will keep doing it. And she does it just because her fans find it fun. I mean, I'm sure she finds it fun too. And that is the biggest lesson you can take away from this. In a world that's becoming more and more automated and systematized and non personal. In a world where everyone cares about the numbers and the trends and the bottom line, taking the time and really putting in real effort to make something enjoyable, like, fancy that enjoyable to delight your audience simply because you want to delight them. I mean, why is that so shocking? This is what will get your customers to be lifelong fans and have brand loyalty that none of your competitors will ever be able to hold a candle to. So ask yourself, how can you 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 more. I love you guys and they will tell you that I am absolutely obsessed with giving bonuses and freebies and surprises just because in fact, one of my launch file students even said the program was like the tay tay Easter egg experience, which made my heart like burst a little bit. So I must be doing something right, she says. This is hands down the most value ad I have ever seen in a course. And that, my friends, is how you want your customers to feel. All right, moving on to number five. Be authentic and relatable. Taylor Swift songs are more than just songs, right? We all know that if we've heard a Taylor Swift song, they tell personal stories, triumphs, heartbreak, joys and struggles from her own life. She's not just putting out Trendy lyrics and following along with the crowd. Crowd. She's putting things out there that are really personal to her. Lyrics that are meaningful, lyrics that matter. She's authentic and she's real about what she shares. And even though her songs are extremely personal, that is exactly what makes them more universal and relatable. Her lyrics evoke emotions in her audience. Right? I mean, I'm not a, you know, die hard Swifty fan, but I feel her music. They feel connected to her. They really know her and they have things in common with her. They're like, yeah, girlfriend, I freaking hear you. Right? She gives people a peek into her real life, her feelings, and her struggles through her music, and, of course, all of her corresponding videos. And this is a lesson that every brand should really take to heart. Remember this, people buy from people, period. We want to feel connected to each other, not to companies or faceless brands. We want to know, hey, what's going on behind the brand? Ask yourself, how can you show up with more authenticity and more transparency? And how can you use storytelling in your captions and your emails? Right. Storytelling is a great, great way to be relatable. How can you share more relatable customer experiences and testimonials, ones that feel personal and not just transactional? Could you share stories of your team or employees, maybe? Who are they? What do they love? What are their values? Can you share more inspiration about why you started your business or what inspired your latest product? And most importantly, what is your story? Where did you start? What struggles did you encounter along the way? What doubts and fears do you have? What made you push through and persevere even when things get hard? Because we all know things get hard. In my branding course, the Posse Eye Challenge, I actually walk you through a very detailed process for creating a brand voice that is authentic and relatable to your ideal audience. And part of that is actually writing your very own hero story. I have an entire process for this that I've modeled off of screenwriting and superhero narratives. It is really fun and you'll learn all about that and even more when you take the program, which I will link to at the end of this video. Now, this leads me to number six, own your values. Yes. Remember, if you truly want to be authentic, you must know who you are and what you stand for. I know authentic is a buzzword, but it really is about being really true to you. So in other words, ask yourself, what are your values? What do you care about? Taylor is not afraid to speak up about her values, even if they're viewed as polarizing or controversial. I mean, she frequently talks about women's rights and LGBTQ rights, which. Why is that even polarizing? I feel like. Like it's, you know, 2024. We should all be on the same page about this. But she is not afraid to talk about politics and even urges her friends to vote. She's not afraid of people not liking her, which I am a big fan of, very well aware of, like, what everyone says about me. I honestly don't care anymore. She knows who she is. She knows that her people will be there for her when she really embodies her brand values, and she's not worried about the haters. And there is a really, really powerful lesson here. As someone who can get easily affected by haters, Right. I have myself. You cannot be for everyone. And if you try to appeal to everyone, you'll end up appealing to no one. We can say that over and over and over again. But this is why polarity is not necessarily a bad thing. From a brand perspective. I always say polarity equals popularity. It works in your favor. If people are talking about you, good or bad, hey, they're still talking about you. Because when you state who you are, when you own your values unapologetically, when you stop holding back and toning down parts of your personality like, like, oh, my gosh, it's so much better. You just become magnetic to people who share the same beliefs and values as you do and love your energy and aren't trying to change it, right? And those are the people you want to attract to your business. Those are the customers you want to buy from you, right? So forget about everybody else. I can't tell you how many messages and comments I've received over the years from people hating on my brand and content, calling me too loud or too much, saying that I talk too fast, or complaining about my girl power branding like, like. Or there are too many GIFs in my videos. Like, get over it. I like them, okay? And so many other dumb things that, frankly, I just do not care about. I am not trying to be like all the other plain vanilla marketing bros out there. That's just not my flavor. That is not who I am. My posse flocks to me because of that. And, hey, so will your posse. And speaking of your posse, this leads me to the most important and really cool thing that Taylor does to build a great brand experience. Number seven, create a sense of belonging. So one of the things that I believe makes Taylor stand out the most is the way she acknowledges her fans and really creates that true sense of purpose and belonging among them, right? We already talked about liking and sharing your followers content, but this goes so much deeper than that. Taylor doesn't just reshare their posts or give them a little thumbs up from time to time. She actually celebrates them and amplifies their voices. She plays an active role in encouraging their creations of art, whether that's original music, art, or even dance moves. During her eras tour, Taylor actually performed a fan's viral TikTok dance as part of her stage performance. I thought that was so cool. Could you imagine being this kid like oh my God, can you see why Swifties love her so damn much? So how can you do this in your own marketing? Well, there are a lot of ways you can make your audience feel like they are part of something special and like they belong. So I do something called Sunday Celebrations where every Sunday I send out an email to my email list celebrating a win from someone in the posse community. Now this does two things. Number one, it encourages my community to share and connect with each other because by sharing their wins and struggles, they actually more easily relate to one another and feel less alone in this wild world we live in. And number two, it makes my people feel heard. I don't just share their win, I expand on it and give them my thoughts and encouragement and give that encouragement to everyone reading too. So while I might not type out a detailed response to like every single win I get in my community, I do see them and I do take the time to recognize and celebrate as many as I possibly can. So there you have it guys. Seven things that can help you create the tailor effect in your own marketing and branding. What celebrity, brand or business should I break down? Next comment below and let me know. And if you want to check out my Brand Brand Voice program, the Posse Eye Challenge, you could find a link to that in the description box below. And I will see you next week with a brand new video. Until then, I'm Alex. Ciao for now. All right guys, if you enjoyed that video, make sure to check out the next one from me right here. And you can click right here to get a free gift. Well, it's official. The Barbie movie crushed any and all box office expectations bringing in $337 million globally on opening weekend. But do not be fooled. This was not just a lucky break, it was the result of a well executed marketing plan and an impressive pre launch awareness campaign that generated serious hype. We're talking about billboards in Times Square, a real life Malibu dream house for rent on Airbnb, tons of big name brand collaborations, Barbie selfie generators that went viral on social media months before the movie's release, a TikTok filter that turns you into a real life Barbie, a fully interactive Barbie cafe, and life size Barbie outfits that Margot Robbie wore on tour leading up to the movie's release. Yeah, just to name a few. One thing is for sure, Barbie's marketing campaign was flawlessly executed. And there is a lot, and I mean a lot, that we can learn as copywriters, marketers and business owners from studying this movie's outstanding pre launch strategy. But the real question is, because I know you're wondering, how can the average business owner with a tiny Martin marketing budget build hype like this? Well, that is exactly what we're going to be talking about today. Barbie marketing on a budget. Keep watching.