The Swiftie's Guide To Marketing Your Small Business To Superstardom

Taylor Swift. Some people love her, and some people hate her. However, we cannot deny that she is a genius, whether as an artist or a business owner. Over the past two decades, she has grown her personal brand from a small-town country girl to a sought-after musician, winning 14 Grammys in total. 

Everyone knows Tay-tay’s name, even if they’re not Swifties, mostly because she is a music prodigy, super relatable, and is every girl’s best friend. But we can’t shake off the marketing factor she and her team employs.

Why should you care as a small business? Just like Taylor, you can market your small business to stardom using her marketing principles. It’s not too good to be true because Taylor herself is living proof that social media, branding consistency, and authenticity give UNDENIABLE success!

In this blog, we’ll dissect the marketing strategies Taylor Swift uses and how you can apply them to promote your business. From building a personal connection with your audience to leveraging social media for maximum impact, we’ll cover it all. Are you ready for it?

Make your audience feel things.

Would you agree that every single one of Taylor’s songs gives you the feels?  It shouldn’t even be a question at this point. It’s a FACT and one of the main themes of the Era’s Tour. Every album represents a different set of emotions and experiences, allowing her fans to connect on a deeply personal level.

Here are a few examples:

• Debut - Naivitiy

• Fearless - Fearless

• Speak Now - Vulnerability

• Red - Heartbreak

• 1989 - Confidence

• Reputation - Courage

• Lover - Acceptance 

• Folklore - Whimsical

• Evermore - Closure

The point is people love brands that they can connect to! As small business owners, you should take this to heart. Your target audience will choose you and stay loyal when they emotionally connect to your brand.

So, think of marketing campaigns that can make your audience feel this connection. Share your struggles, a failure that almost broke you, or a funny mishap. These authentic moments create a bond that reaches them outside the screen, making them part of your journey.

Talk as if you’re spilling tea to your BFF

Fan or not, you can’t help yourself from catching a last song syndrome when listening to Taylor’s music. Why is that single line stuck in your head like a broken record?  Is it the melody? Yes. Is it because you remember your ex? Can be. But here’s an unpopular opinion: it’s the way Taylor writes the lyrics! She’s a master storyteller, creating vivid situations in short stanzas!

Instead of saying, “You’re ashamed of me, and I still stayed committed to you,” she said, “You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath.”

Instead of  “You let your pride win,” she said, “You held your pride when you should have held me.”

That’s just pure genius! With a few words, Taylor can take her fans on a journey complete with a climax, conflict, and conclusion. She tells a story like no other. 

You can use this strategy to market your small business in your social media posts, blogs, email marketing, and basically any content you plan to put out. Instead of solely relying on AI to create your message, act as if you’re catching up with your BFF but with a limited amount of time (because that’s how adult life works nowadays). You have to keep your story concise, clear, and exciting!  

Be unapologetically you

Another factor that makes Taylor stand out is her willingness to advocate for her values, fans, and beliefs. She even encouraged her fans to exercise their right to vote. Another example is her song “The Man,” which resonated with almost every woman alive because of its powerful message about double standards and gender inequality.

There is no better time to stand up and truly represent your brand values. So what if you don’t attract every person on social media or every potential customer you meet on the street? That’s the great thing about authenticity. You sift out the people who can possibly bring bad vibes, and you’re left with the right crowd!

Believe us, you’d rather have 100 loyal customers than 1,000 indifferent ones. Stop asking yourself, “How can I market my business to everyone?” and shift to, “How can I cultivate my community?”

Build a safe community.

Speaking of cultivating a community, Taylor Swift has one of the largest fan bases ever! With over 200 million followers on Instagram and millions more across other platforms, her raving fans have her back, ready to rally anytime. If you’re not a Swiftie, you might even say, “What in the freaking cult is this?!!”

But hey, we can’t blame her die-hard fans because Taylor is a mastermind in making her fans feel seen, heard, and understood. They even call her MOTHER (which means iconic feminine figure, BTW, if you’re not into Gen Z slang). 

Taylor organizes Secret Sessions, where she picks and invites fans to her private luxury mansions, plays them her unreleased music firsthand, bakes cookies, and takes pictures. It’s as if she has endless time for solo meet-and-greets. She even lets people hold her Grammy for Album of the Year.

Take a moment and picture her effort to create this amazing community that feels deeply connected to her. Her fans feel like they are part of something special, a safe space where they are valued and appreciated.

As a small business owner, you can build a similar sense of community by:

• Engaging personally: Interact with your customers on a personal level. Send personalized messages, remember their preferences, and show appreciation for their loyalty. Do you join bazaars or have pop-up shops? Go to those events in person and meet your loyal customers. They would love to meet the person behind the product and services they’re getting!

• Creating exclusive experiences: Nothing screams special more than VIP treatment. Offer exclusive events or early access to new products for your loyal customers. This makes them feel valued and part of an inner circle.

• Listening and responding: Make your customers feel heard by actively listening to their feedback and responding to their needs. Show them that their opinions matter and that you are willing to change based on their input.

The time and marketing effort you spend building a safe and inclusive community will not be wasted. Over time, you can create a loyal customer base that will support and defend your brand, just like Taylor’s fans do for her.

Create an experience to remember.

We’ve said this before, and we’ll say it again. Branding is an all-inclusive package of your aesthetics, values, and customer experience you provide as a business. Going back to Taylor Swift, she designs the most intricate and memorable experience for anyone who listens to her music. 

Take a look at how she reinvents with every new album. It's truly remarkable how she transforms her entire vibe, from her hair and clothes to her Instagram feed and color schemes, to match each new album. It's incredibly creative. How about the way she re-recorded all her albums, allowing old fans and new ones to experience nostalgia and, at the same time, enjoy her new music with wildly great vocals?

Here's how you can market your small business by creating memorable customer experiences.

• Engage their senses: Create a multisensory experience for your customers. Think about the music playing in your store, the scent, the visual displays, and even the tactile elements. Every detail contributes to the overall experience. You can do the same on your website and other marketing channels. 

• Limited-time offers or seasonal products: Introduce a special product or service that is available for a limited time. This creates excitement and encourages customers to return frequently to see what's new.

• Personalize customer interactions: Make every customer feel special by personalizing their experience. Use their names, remember their preferences, and offer tailored recommendations. You can even fashion your very own customer relationship management!

• Host events and experiences: Organize events that bring your community together, whether it's a product launch party, a workshop, or a customer appreciation day. These events create memorable moments and create a deeper connection with your brand.

Promote your business by increasing anticipation and giving value

Another thing that makes Taylor a star marketer is her wit when it comes to leaving mysteries. She's the "Easter egg" queen, constantly engaging her fans with hidden clues. At this point, she doesn't need to intentionally include them—any content she shares can be interpreted as an Easter egg because her fans have been trained to look for them. 

Her playful tricks leave fans talking about her and her music for days and years. She also uses anticipation to give immense value, like revealing the song title for an upcoming album. Another example is her announcing that four unreleased soundtracks will be dropped at Midnight.

You can use the same tactics to market your small business. Think of innovative ways you can build anticipation and give value to your target audience. You can use countdowns to build excitement for a new product or event. You can also recognize and reward customers who actively engage with your brand. 

Make small business marketing enjoyable, not diabolical

Last but not least don’t think “marketing my business is a dreadful task” all the time. Yes, it can be challenging, especially when you’re new, and market trends can change in a snap. Instead, have fun or at least enjoy the process of doing it. Your business is your baby. After all, you’d want to see it grow in a positive light. 

And when we look at Taylor, she doesn’t view these as marketing tasks; she does them because she loves them! She even stated that as long as the fans are happy with what she does, she’s committed to following through. Now, isn’t that wonderful? 

The Bellamy Co. - Your ultimate guide to marketing your small business

We might not be Taylor Swift but we are dead serious in helping you reach success. As a company dedicated to guiding you in every step of the entrepreneurial path, we know the ins and outs of marketing for small businesses, such as: 

• Creating strategic marketing plans

• Using digital marketing to your advantage

• Getting on top of SEO (search engine optimization)

• Setting up social media marketing tools

• And so much more!

If you’re feeling fearless, ready to speak now, and want to culture long-lived clients, then check out our Freedom Marketing services or directly book a call to find out what suits you best. Let’s get you started!