Marketing Lessons I’ve Learned as a Swiftie | 159
Are you a Taylor Swift fan? I am!! 1989 (Taylor's Version) is currently playing in the background and I've been trying for like 6 months to convince my hubs to go to her Era's Tour with me when it comes to Toronto in November.
As an OG Swiftie, watching Taylor last year was magical! So, in honour of my birthday next week (bonus episode coming for you on the ACTUAL day!), this episode has 4 marketing lessons I've taken from watching Taylor's success.
In this episode, we’ll be covering:
✨ how she uses suspense and hype as a foundation to her releases
✨ the importance of quality and relatability in her music
✨ why creating a community is essential and a few ways Taylor has done that
✨ my thoughts on her Easter Eggs and how you might want to use them too
P.S. If you didn't understand the title, it's because fans of Taylor Swift refer to themselves as "Swifties" and to Taylor as "Mother". Hope that helps :)
Episode Transcript:
Welcome to market scale grow. I'm your host and this is a Saturday strategy session. Hello. I'm so excited. To be here, to be recording this episode. This is actually a bonus episode that I am not sure when it's going to come out sometime over my hiatus, I imagine. I am, if you've listened to the last couple episodes, you know that I'm taking some time off for the holidays.
But this is a special bonus episode. Let's dive into this bonus episode all about Taylor Swift. Okay, not all about Taylor Swift, but how you could pull from some of her marketing genius because like her music or not like her music, she is an extremely, extremely successful businesswoman. And I'm not trying to say that she's done it all her on her own or that, um, You know, you need to be one woman show.
No, but here are some of, I have four, four different aspects of Taylor Swift's business that have helped her and her, like her, just her business grow her entity of being one of the most gigantic musicians of our time. Again, like her or don't like her. There is some marketing genius. That just oozes out of that girl's pores.
So number one the hype Suspense, whatever you want to call it. She Loves to drop hints and we're actually going to talk more about Easter eggs Later if you're really into Taylor Swift fandom, but she likes to to hype people up a lot And so in her eras concert tour that's happening right now She'll drop these Gigantic bombs right like Something's coming and then she'll tell everyone about the new album that's being released or more tour dates coming up.
And so she already has this football field. Of people, there's 50 plus thousand, 50, 000 plus people that are there so excited to see her and she's dropping these huge, huge pieces of information, like new albums that are coming out. And I think for the most part, if I'm not mistaken, these albums that she's dropping are the re releases, the Taylor versions, but still they're super, super hype.
And the last one that I'm thinking of was. 1989. And I'm almost 100 percent sure that in the first 24 hours after she announced it, there were more pre sales than the original 1989's pre sale, like two month long pre sale season. And I could be wrong about that, but it was something insane that in the first 24 or 48 hours, she had more pre sales or the same amount of pre sales that she had in the entire pre sales of the initial album. So she's taking people when they are so excited and so engaged and so like just the height of their fandom and giving them more of what they want. All of Taylor Swift's fans just want these Taylor versions so badly. And then for releasing tour dates. In Canada, she only released six tour dates for Toronto and that's it.
Nothing else. And then It had to have been two, maybe even three months later, Vancouver dates were released. So all of the Canadians were like, Oh, we have to get to Toronto. We have to go. There was like, Ticketmaster was doing lotteries and you had to sign up and tickets were at like 5, 000. And all these people out in BC and Montreal and the rest of Canada were all like so excited.
But those tickets are very expensive, five to 10, 000 for a concert is not within everybody's price range. And so, plus, if you're coming from the other side of the country, so, Vancouver, B. C. is like Seattle, it's right north of Seattle, Washington. And then Toronto is just north of Buffalo, New York, right? So we're talking across the country that people are flying to, to go to this concert, but then she released dates in Vancouver.
And so. Just when people are so excited and ramped up, taking advantage of that hype is a great business move. And that's why live launches work really well because you do. This amazing event and you give all of the quality and the content during your webinar and then at the end people are in that excitement and in that energy and then you say, if you want more of this, this is how we can work together.
Same thing if you go to like a conference or something, and the whole purpose for that conference is to sell I don't know if you've ever been to one of those conferences. I actually haven't personally been to one, but I've heard lots about them. And so the entire event is designed to sell the book or sell actually, I've been to one of those ones, an entire event that was designed to sell a book, but not like I'm, I've never been to a mastermind one, but that's what it's capitalizing on the event.
Whether it's an online webinar challenge or it's an in person conference or summit, you're creating this hype, you're creating this excitement, you're creating all of this energy and getting people into that vibe. And Taylor Swift does a really, really great job of that. Number two, quality. The songs that she writes, you might not like them, but she puts out songs.
That so many people just relate to and the, the quality of them, the intensity and there's just something about her lyrics that her fans really, really love and really, really relate to. And I think that the, her ability as a songwriter is her essence. And she's able to create these songs that draw emotions in and tell stories and make us feel things in relationships and that we can connect to in our own lives without ever even being close to her.
And so there's just, she has this innate ability. To capture that and that the point I really want to draw on there is her innate ability and to create the the high quality piece and so I want you to lean into what you are so good at that innate ability what you love doing and what without even thinking without even trying you can create so much high quality high value number three her honesty how genuine she Comes across the way that her family they treat people.
I've heard stories about her Parents specifically her mom buying food like dinner and providing dinner for the entire staff of the show Which is not necessary I know that she has demands, like dressing room demands, but I've never seen a list, and I could be wrong, but I've never seen a list of completely absurd, ridiculous things that she wants.
I've, I feel like I remember when she was younger, this, we're going back like 10, 15 years, that there was candy on her list and people be like, Oh, it's such a childlike thing. But at the time she was like, Late teens, early twenties. So I would have wanted candy in my dressing room too. And there's things like that that you just relate to it.
And when she makes a mistake while she's singing on stage, she laughs at herself and the faces that she makes and how she just seems like a real. person. There isn't this air of perfection when she's performing. And I think that that makes her much more relatable. And I think too, if you really listen to her music and how raw and real she's writing about all these actual experiences that are going on in her life.
And that goes back to her innate ability to really just draw you in and make that connection. The other piece of being honest and genuine goes back to the big scandal that happened before she went into hiding. So we're going back to like 2018, I think, when there was the phone call that was released, and a song that was written with her in it.
I'm not gonna like get into all that drama. But she, from the beginning, was honest and said like, This is what I said, this was what was presented to me. And the other side of the argument was like, she's lying. She's not telling the truth, blah, blah, blah. And then the full phone conversation came out and the entire time Taylor's reputation had been destroyed and damaged, but she had been being honest and, and real and genuine the whole time that just always shines through and always comes to light.
So being true to yourself, being honest, being genuine is always going to come through and in your marketing, in. What you offer people in your messaging that is so important to just be so true to yourself so honest so genuine Okay, and then the last one I think that this is my favorite one It is her easter eggs her catchphrases and specifically feeling 22.
The girl knows how to create a community to draw her fans in to make them feel like they are a part of something. I was 24 when 22 the song came out, but I remember like, Yeah, tonight I'm feeling 22. I was only 24. Now that I'm in my mid 30s, I would do anything to feel 22. Um, and if I'm not mistaken, she was 23 when she said feeling 22.
She might have even still been 22. That might be the whole point of it. I'm like, girl, what do you know about feeling 22? You're old enough to know what it feels like to be 22. But it's just like, I remember feeling like, Oh, that, that captures what is going on, like who I want to be and the friendship bracelets and being part of this movement and feeling like you're part of something.
She does things like with her Easter eggs where she'll wear a certain thing, but not tell you what it's about and you get people thinking. In her music videos, there's little pieces of puzzles that you can put together and it just draws people in and gets them thinking and I'm not saying that you need to do things like that.
I'm not saying you need to start putting up music videos or anything that have little puzzle pieces, but creating that community. It is so, so, so important if there's anything that we've learned from the ups and downs of the past few years, it's that building relationships, building communities and making people feel like they are genuinely, truly part of a group and that they belong is so important.
And With the music video she did for Shake It Off, for example, where she invited fans to dance with her and just be their selves and be authentic to themselves so that The world, you know, like just shake it off. I also recently saw an interview from her, of hers that came up. She was saying shake it off in the interview and then years before the song shake it off came out.
So that was like one of her catchphrases, things that she says and people can just latch onto and feel like they're a part of it and feel connected and valued as part of the community. So. To recap, if you want to be a marketing superstar like Taylor Swift, you need to one, focus in and make the most of the hype and the energy.
Number two, lean in to what you are innately good at and your calling and what feels so good and that you are so capable of doing. Three, be honest, be genuine in who you are. And in all moments, and then number four, create the community that surrounds you and curate. An atmosphere full of people who are your loyal, raving fans, and they adore you.
So, okay. I hope you enjoy this episode. Yeah. Have a wonderful, wonderful day.
Thank you for listening to this episode of Market to Market. scale grow. Every week on Saturdays, we release a new Saturday strategy session, sometimes with amazing guests. And I'm so thankful that you've taken some time out of your busy schedule to make me part of your journey. If you love this podcast, don't forget to share it with your friends and then head to your favorite podcast app.
To subscribe so that you won't miss next week's episode or any of the upcoming ones. And if you loved it, be sure to leave a review on Apple podcast so that other people can find this podcast and we can impact teachers and teacher business owners around the world. Thank you so much for listening. And I'll be back in your ears next week with another Saturday strategy session.
But this is a special bonus episode. Let's dive into this bonus episode all about Taylor Swift. Okay, not all about Taylor Swift, but how you could pull from some of her marketing genius because like her music or not like her music, she is an extremely, extremely successful businesswoman. And I'm not trying to say that she's done it all her on her own or that, um, You know, you need to be one woman show.
No, but here are some of, I have four, four different aspects of Taylor Swift's business that have helped her and her, like her, just her business grow her entity of being one of the most gigantic musicians of our time. Again, like her or don't like her. There is some marketing genius. That just oozes out of that girl's pores.
So number one the hype Suspense, whatever you want to call it. She Loves to drop hints and we're actually going to talk more about Easter eggs Later if you're really into Taylor Swift fandom, but she likes to to hype people up a lot And so in her eras concert tour that's happening right now She'll drop these Gigantic bombs right like Something's coming and then she'll tell everyone about the new album that's being released or more tour dates coming up.
And so she already has this football field. Of people, there's 50 plus thousand, 50, 000 plus people that are there so excited to see her and she's dropping these huge, huge pieces of information, like new albums that are coming out. And I think for the most part, if I'm not mistaken, these albums that she's dropping are the re releases, the Taylor versions, but still they're super, super hype.
And the last one that I'm thinking of was. 1989. And I'm almost 100 percent sure that in the first 24 hours after she announced it, there were more pre sales than the original 1989's pre sale, like two month long pre sale season. And I could be wrong about that, but it was something insane that in the first 24 or 48 hours, she had more pre sales or the same amount of pre sales that she had in the entire pre sales of the initial album. So she's taking people when they are so excited and so engaged and so like just the height of their fandom and giving them more of what they want. All of Taylor Swift's fans just want these Taylor versions so badly. And then for releasing tour dates. In Canada, she only released six tour dates for Toronto and that's it.
Nothing else. And then It had to have been two, maybe even three months later, Vancouver dates were released. So all of the Canadians were like, Oh, we have to get to Toronto. We have to go. There was like, Ticketmaster was doing lotteries and you had to sign up and tickets were at like 5, 000. And all these people out in BC and Montreal and the rest of Canada were all like so excited.
But those tickets are very expensive, five to 10, 000 for a concert is not within everybody's price range. And so, plus, if you're coming from the other side of the country, so, Vancouver, B. C. is like Seattle, it's right north of Seattle, Washington. And then Toronto is just north of Buffalo, New York, right? So we're talking across the country that people are flying to, to go to this concert, but then she released dates in Vancouver.
And so. Just when people are so excited and ramped up, taking advantage of that hype is a great business move. And that's why live launches work really well because you do. This amazing event and you give all of the quality and the content during your webinar and then at the end people are in that excitement and in that energy and then you say, if you want more of this, this is how we can work together.
Same thing if you go to like a conference or something, and the whole purpose for that conference is to sell I don't know if you've ever been to one of those conferences. I actually haven't personally been to one, but I've heard lots about them. And so the entire event is designed to sell the book or sell actually, I've been to one of those ones, an entire event that was designed to sell a book, but not like I'm, I've never been to a mastermind one, but that's what it's capitalizing on the event.
Whether it's an online webinar challenge or it's an in person conference or summit, you're creating this hype, you're creating this excitement, you're creating all of this energy and getting people into that vibe. And Taylor Swift does a really, really great job of that. Number two, quality. The songs that she writes, you might not like them, but she puts out songs.
That so many people just relate to and the, the quality of them, the intensity and there's just something about her lyrics that her fans really, really love and really, really relate to. And I think that the, her ability as a songwriter is her essence. And she's able to create these songs that draw emotions in and tell stories and make us feel things in relationships and that we can connect to in our own lives without ever even being close to her.
And so there's just, she has this innate ability. To capture that and that the point I really want to draw on there is her innate ability and to create the the high quality piece and so I want you to lean into what you are so good at that innate ability what you love doing and what without even thinking without even trying you can create so much high quality high value number three her honesty how genuine she Comes across the way that her family they treat people.
I've heard stories about her Parents specifically her mom buying food like dinner and providing dinner for the entire staff of the show Which is not necessary I know that she has demands, like dressing room demands, but I've never seen a list, and I could be wrong, but I've never seen a list of completely absurd, ridiculous things that she wants.
I've, I feel like I remember when she was younger, this, we're going back like 10, 15 years, that there was candy on her list and people be like, Oh, it's such a childlike thing. But at the time she was like, Late teens, early twenties. So I would have wanted candy in my dressing room too. And there's things like that that you just relate to it.
And when she makes a mistake while she's singing on stage, she laughs at herself and the faces that she makes and how she just seems like a real. person. There isn't this air of perfection when she's performing. And I think that that makes her much more relatable. And I think too, if you really listen to her music and how raw and real she's writing about all these actual experiences that are going on in her life.
And that goes back to her innate ability to really just draw you in and make that connection. The other piece of being honest and genuine goes back to the big scandal that happened before she went into hiding. So we're going back to like 2018, I think, when there was the phone call that was released, and a song that was written with her in it.
I'm not gonna like get into all that drama. But she, from the beginning, was honest and said like, This is what I said, this was what was presented to me. And the other side of the argument was like, she's lying. She's not telling the truth, blah, blah, blah. And then the full phone conversation came out and the entire time Taylor's reputation had been destroyed and damaged, but she had been being honest and, and real and genuine the whole time that just always shines through and always comes to light.
So being true to yourself, being honest, being genuine is always going to come through and in your marketing, in. What you offer people in your messaging that is so important to just be so true to yourself so honest so genuine Okay, and then the last one I think that this is my favorite one It is her easter eggs her catchphrases and specifically feeling 22.
The girl knows how to create a community to draw her fans in to make them feel like they are a part of something. I was 24 when 22 the song came out, but I remember like, Yeah, tonight I'm feeling 22. I was only 24. Now that I'm in my mid 30s, I would do anything to feel 22. Um, and if I'm not mistaken, she was 23 when she said feeling 22.
She might have even still been 22. That might be the whole point of it. I'm like, girl, what do you know about feeling 22? You're old enough to know what it feels like to be 22. But it's just like, I remember feeling like, Oh, that, that captures what is going on, like who I want to be and the friendship bracelets and being part of this movement and feeling like you're part of something.
She does things like with her Easter eggs where she'll wear a certain thing, but not tell you what it's about and you get people thinking. In her music videos, there's little pieces of puzzles that you can put together and it just draws people in and gets them thinking and I'm not saying that you need to do things like that.
I'm not saying you need to start putting up music videos or anything that have little puzzle pieces, but creating that community. It is so, so, so important if there's anything that we've learned from the ups and downs of the past few years, it's that building relationships, building communities and making people feel like they are genuinely, truly part of a group and that they belong is so important.
And With the music video she did for Shake It Off, for example, where she invited fans to dance with her and just be their selves and be authentic to themselves so that The world, you know, like just shake it off. I also recently saw an interview from her, of hers that came up. She was saying shake it off in the interview and then years before the song shake it off came out.
So that was like one of her catchphrases, things that she says and people can just latch onto and feel like they're a part of it and feel connected and valued as part of the community. So. To recap, if you want to be a marketing superstar like Taylor Swift, you need to one, focus in and make the most of the hype and the energy.
Number two, lean in to what you are innately good at and your calling and what feels so good and that you are so capable of doing. Three, be honest, be genuine in who you are. And in all moments, and then number four, create the community that surrounds you and curate. An atmosphere full of people who are your loyal, raving fans, and they adore you.
So, okay. I hope you enjoy this episode. Yeah. Have a wonderful, wonderful day.
Thank you for listening to this episode of Market to Market. scale grow. Every week on Saturdays, we release a new Saturday strategy session, sometimes with amazing guests. And I'm so thankful that you've taken some time out of your busy schedule to make me part of your journey. If you love this podcast, don't forget to share it with your friends and then head to your favorite podcast app.
To subscribe so that you won't miss next week's episode or any of the upcoming ones. And if you loved it, be sure to leave a review on Apple podcast so that other people can find this podcast and we can impact teachers and teacher business owners around the world. Thank you so much for listening. And I'll be back in your ears next week with another Saturday strategy session.
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