I got the privilege to head up to Philly for The Eras Tour last week, and as an OG Swiftie (but not the crazy kind, I swear), you can imagine how excited I was. I’m even going on day 5 of still not having a voice from screaming my little heart out.
But not only was I excited about the fact that I was finally going to get to see Taylor Swift live, in person for the first time since my first love for her on Myspace – before she even got picked up for a record deal, I was also excited to see the experience that everyone has talked nonstop about.
And boy, was it an experience.
There’s a big difference between people who create a brand and business owners, and there is no doubt in anybody’s mind that she has created a brand.
Here are some things you, as a brand builder, can take with you from my experience at her event:
1. She’s focused on creating a community.
Her fans are, no joke, the ride or die trying type. She’s built her fanbase now through multiple generations… doing it all through the same way, just different phases: by creating relatability and curiosity.
She uses stories and characters in her music that allows you, as a listener, to relate to what is happening but also allows you into a little sliver of her life. And that is what makes a successful business owner – the ability to keep boundaries and also allow people into your life when you want them to.
At her concert in Philly (which was her hometown show), she talked about memories of her grandmother and her family, as well as the Eagles (the Team, not the Band).
Building a community is key to creating repeat buyers, and Swifties are no stranger to this. The entire reason I even got my ticket was because I have been a repeat buyer in the Taylor Swift Online Store, which allowed me to get an extra opportunity to purchase a ticket to the show after the whole Ticketmaster shit show.
2. She creates an experience.
From the time I was getting my email to check into my hotel, I was also getting emails hyping me up for the concert. I would get Here’s What You Need To Know or Here’s Where To Shop emails.
When you walked into the stadium, you received light up wrist bands that made the stadium a whole scene on top of the lights that were already in place. It was so amazing looking, and think of how many videos or photos were taken of the lights alone.
All of her outfits were themed, obviously, to go with each Era. And because of that, the costume changes were amazing to watch. The backdrops. The dancers. It was all put together so perfectly.
Your buyer experience is everything. What are you doing to make sure that your buyer is having the best experience and leaves your space (whether that’s your social media, your website, your event, etc) feeling like they NEED more of you? What can you do to increase it?
3. That experience is customized.
There are no two shows that are the same, which is so well thought out. She plays “surprise songs” based on requests and /or what she wants to play. She also changes up certain songs within the show each night too – again, based on what she wants or what her audience may want.
She keeps it fresh. She keeps it fun. And she keeps it interesting.
Your community needs you to keep things interesting. If they don’t see you evolving or putting in the effort to make things fun, then what reason do they have to stay?
4. She continues to drive sales even after you leave.
I even received a coupon code in an email immediately after the concert to entice me to grab [more] Eras merch online. (Listen, we won’t talk about the fact that I spent $200 more in the online merch store on top of what I spent in February…)
The online merch store even had location specific things. If you’re a product based business, especially one who does in person events in different locations, this is a perfect idea for you because it makes people seek you out.
None of these concepts are new, but they do require you to know a) your ideal audience like the back of your hand and b) your business’s goal and vision inside and out. It’s why this is a lot harder to pull off than it looks.
Thankfully for my clients, this is exactly what I do! Interested to know more? Click here.