Top 10 Marketing Lessons from Taylor Swift

A major magazine did not headline Taylor Swift as The Music Industry for nothing. For one, she was awarded Artist of the Decade by the American Music Awards, and second, she was distinguished as Woman of the Decade by Billboard, putting her on the same pedestal as the likes of Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston in terms of numerous awards earned.

Non-fans sure have their valid two cents about Taylor Swift earning those big reputation aliases (pun intended). But Taylor Swift's qualifications for those lofty recognitions could not be denied or questioned.

With this in mind, there is a ton to learn from Miss Taylor Swift. Her musicality aside, she's a marketing genius, with the pop star making hundreds of millions of dollars annually from all her tours and musical undertakings. In this Taylor Swift tribute, we give you a rundown of marketing lessons from Taylor Swift herself, and how aspiring marketers could incorporate these in all their marketing endeavors.

Marketing lessons to learn from 'The Music Industry'

Just recently, Taylor Swift won Video of the Year for the music video that she herself directed: All Too Well The Short Film. When she went onstage, she pleasantly surprised her fans in the audience who were euphoric when she announced her upcoming 10th studio album this October.

A bona fide Swiftie or not, arguably no one will declare that Miss Swift is only mildly talented. To say that she is talented is even an understatement, because Miss Ma'am is a lyrical genius whose songs remarkably resonate with listeners. We pay her tribute by extracting some lessons from her unprecedented 18-year career. They are as follows.

1. Creativity will get you somewhere.

The dictionary simply defines creativity as the use of one's imagination, especially in the making of one's work in a particular niche. Taylor Swift has plenty of this, and her songs are proof of this creativity. Her songs' lyrics are deceptively simple and written very creatively that it makes listeners stop if only to admire the exquisite line they just heard.

Apply this to your marketing strategies and you develop a strong edge over your competitors. Creativity is tantamount to originality, and originality means authenticity and quality. All these are going to help big time in your pursuit of making it big in the industry one day.

2. Storytelling is an effective marketing strategy.

Taylor Swift is a master of storytelling. All her songs contain a story that she interprets for her fans to learn the context behind the emotionally filled lyrics. Most of the time it's autobiographical, but starting from the Folklore era, she diverted from that path and started creating characters like Augustine, Betty, and James through her songs August, Betty, and Cardigan.

You can certainly employ this in your content by telling stories in narrative format. There is no need to do this all the time, but making it a part of your marketing strategies will help you with conversion rates as what people like are stories that they could relate to, and not social media posts that are so obsessed with selling that you tend to forget you are dealing with actual people, not just potential customers.

3. Be consistent with your brand awareness efforts.

Taylor Swift is not even 18 years old yet when she made her debut, but Miss Americana did not earn the tall distinction of being Artist of the Decade in a span of just a year or two. It took her several years of struggles and controversies. Not all her albums were awarded album of the year, and not everyone liked her music and her personality. But the pedestal that she is on right now is made possible because she did not stop nor did she make her detractors' words get the better of her.

In the marketing arena, as with all types of long-term endeavors, consistency is a virtue you'd want to keep to succeed. If you haven't started your journey yet, maybe not today but start sooner, and plan your courses of action toward building your brand. It's going to be a long, sometimes tedious ride to attaining a certain level of brand awareness, but your consistency will bear its fruits someday. You just have to be patient while persevering.

4. Reinvention is a strategy to maintain your market.

Every album announcement, Taylor Swift gets to reinvent herself through various personae and genres of music. In her Miss Americana documentary, Taylor confessed how she felt the need for constant reinvention to maintain her reputation as a female musician. It would have been needless if she was a male artist, she expressed.

Posting the same content or employing the same marketing strategy is boring and will not help increase your conversion rates. There is sometimes a need for reinvention, or developing a different methodology for delivering excellent customer service. It's not going to be an easy, smooth-sailing ride, but believe in your creativity, and keep your passion in everything you do.

5. Revisit your old content and derive ideas from it.

Many Taylor Swift fans, if not all, are blissfully aware of the superstar's re-recordings. For those who don't know, Big Machine Records own Swift's first six albums, and re-recording them is Miss Taylor's way to reclaim ownership of what's rightfully hers. She finished re-recording Fearless and Red, emphasizing her reclamation by putting "Taylor's Version" parenthetically to distinguish itself from the old versions owned by Big Machine Records.

You do have, say, a social media post that had a massive engagement. Revisit your posts like that and inspect what made them resonate and click with your target market. Reuse the template you utilized and tweak it, without making it seem as though it was a carbon copy. Many people find it challenging to come up with new ideas every day, so getting ideas from your old content is not bad at all.

6. Work with fellow content creators.

Taylor collaborated with Colbie Caillat in Breathe, the Civil Wars in Safe and Sound, John Mayer in Half of my Heart, Ed Sheeran in Everything Has Changed, Kendrick Lamar in Bad Blood, and many more. In songwriting, Taylor frequently tapped fellow songwriters like Liz Rose, Jack Antonoff, Max Martin, and Aaron Dessner for collaboration. Taylor Swift has also written songs for other artists, like Hanna Montana (Miley Cyrus), Little Big Town, and Calvin Harris.

The same works with marketing. Collaborations with fellow marketers and brands will widen your base and increase your web presence and brand awareness. Work with brands or content creators bigger or smaller than your current market base.

7. Personalize your products and relate them to your audience.

Until recently, Taylor Swift's albums have always been autobiographical, with her love stories a frequent subject of her songwriting. Narrative storytelling has always been what made Taylor Swift a highly relatable artist widely patronized for lyrics that not only resonate with listeners, but also amaze with their quality. They tell stories so effectively, and people listening to them are emotionally arrested. That's how good Taylor is in the narrative storytelling of her music.

As a digital marketer, it would help you generate a loyal follower base if you tell stories about yourself that you could relate to the products and services you offer. If you sell cosmetic products, tell your audience how body dysmorphia has destroyed your self-esteem, and how determined you were about crushing your insecurities by improving yourself. Be sure to sound genuine and don't dwell too much about selling your product. You have plenty of time to market your products. Dedicate one post about yourself and how you dealt with low self-esteem, and use it to empathize with your audience.

8. Make a stand on political issues.

While Taylor Swift in her early years is mostly sweet and arguably soft-spoken, she has written "Change" as part of her Fearless album with lyrics like, "It's a revolution, the time will come for us to finally win" that spoke of her early, somewhat reluctant activism. When she grew much older, Taylor no longer held back and was unapologetic with her political leanings, with songs like "The Man" from her Lover album talking about gender inequality, or simply issuing social media statements that advocate for a cause, such as the Black Lives Matter movement.

This is an honestly risky move that a lot of digital marketers are having second thoughts with, fearing an online backlash from customers and clients who have opposing beliefs. But here's the thing: standing up for human rights issues doesn't mean you have to be combative on social media. Building your brand does not include antagonizing those whose politics differ from yours. Rather, it's issuing calm yet powerful political statements that inform your reader about the causes you believe in, and how worthwhile these causes are.

9. Give back to loyal customers.

If there are people to whom Taylor Swift publicly expressed much appreciation aside from her family and friends, it's her Swifties. After all, it's the loyal fans who made it possible that she's one of the richest celebrities living today, with streams and views in her music videos from dedicated fans contributing to her massive pile of wealth. Without a passionate follower base (and haters, for that matter), Taylor Swift isn't Taylor Swift today.

Now, you might want to reward your customers' loyalty too. Achieve customer retention by conversing with them through emails or the comments section as if they are not customers but friends. Reply to their queries as soon as you can, and send them personalized emails that would make them feel part of your brand's success. You can also implement rewards and discounts for repeat purchasers to make them feel appreciated and loved.

10. Use social media wisely.

Taylor Swift has one of the most massive follower bases on social media, with over 90 million followers on Twitter, 225 million on Instagram, and 76 million on Facebook. The superstar enjoys a strong social media presence, although she does not post very frequently. But one prime example of wisely using the platform is when she deleted all her photos prior to releasing her album Reputation.

Then she posted images of snakes! It has been stated by fans as one of the best, if not the best, comeback statements of an artist. The Reputation era's concert scenes are also a favorite among fans because of the spectacular production.

Don't get this wrong: what is worthy of emulation here is not Taylor's sparing use of social media. As a digital marketer, you must regularly publish content to stay relevant and expand your social media presence and overall online visibility. What you could learn from Taylor's social media use is to come up with an element of mystery when posting about a new product. Notably, it is also good not only to post regularly, but to post content that is relevant and not repetitive. Significance and regularity must go together to bring about success in your business, and social media is your potent platform to attain all these.

Be an Influencer like Taylor Swift and Join Lumina Affiliate Marketing

Lumina Homes, the housing arm of Vista Land, is accepting registrations from aspiring affiliate marketers and social media influencers! Awarded as the Top One Developer by Pag-IBIG Fund, Lumina Homes is a trusted housing developer with over 50 key locations in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

With this being said, it's a worthwhile collaboration between you and a trusted real estate brand such as Lumina Homes. With 10 years of providing Filipino families with their housing needs, Lumina Homes is intent to preserve its legacy as a premier provider of affordable house and lot for sale in the country.

If you plan to buy a house and lot soon, check our website and browse through our selection of units made perfect with perks and amenities. Lumina Homes is the real estate investment brand that you could trust and depend on when it comes to a house and lot in the Philippines. Stay tuned for our latest marketing tips from our blogs and get your affordable house and lot now and be a Lumina Homes resident in the perfect location of your choice!