Taylor Swift’s Fearless Recipe for B2B Marketing
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There is something a little addictive about Taylor Swift’s music. I’m a little embarrassed to admit but Shake It Off makes me shake it every time. But it’s not her music that has me admiring Taylor Swift. Taylor stands out because of her ability to touch fans. And believe it or not, every marketer, even B2B professionals, can learn a lot from her moves on and off the stage.
One Part Get Personal Creating a lasting connection with our business requires we create an emotional connection with our buyers. This cannot be done hiding behind our products but instead requires we show our human side. People buy from people even when we are selling office equipment, accounting services or technology applications.Fans of Taylor Swift don’t just love her music, they love who her. She fosters that connection by embracing a personal connection to her fans. For example she embraces meeting her fans in person. That alone is not unique. Meet and greets are very common in the music industry. But Taylor Swift takes it to an entirely new level. She didn’t meet fans at a rented facility; she invited them to her homes. Taylor even baked them cookies. With this simple act she created a level of intimacy that inspires loyalty.I’m not suggesting every CEO bake cookies, although I wouldn’t mind enjoying the results. But I am suggesting you find ways to show your organization’s human side. When I worked for Iron Mountain, a company that sells business services including records management and paper shredding, one of the best tools we had for connecting to prospects and customers was a tour of our facilities. It doesn’t sound very exciting on the surface but in fact meeting the people behind the service was eye-opening and very comforting for clients. They were hugely popular and differentiated Iron Mountain’s services from lots of other competition.
Two Parts GratitudeThere are a million ways that we can, and should, thank our customers. But if you really want to stand out you must also do the unexpected by performing random acts of gratitude. Recently Taylor Swift sent out packages to super fans – in one she paid off their entire student loan balance. Don’t worry, not all acts of gratitude have to be grand. They just have to show you care. Think about all the little things you can do to make a lasting impression.
Send a Valentine’s card on February 14th
Pick a charity that is important to your client and make a donation
Sponsor a local little league team
Host a pizza party to welcome a new client
Send a hand written thank you card when a contract is renewed
A Pinch Of Brand Integrity Taylor Swift is consistent to her brand - always. She is private but welcoming. She is poised. She experiments with her music but you can recognize her in all of the songs she produces. Everything from her choice of clothing to the places she is photographed epitomizes Taylor Swift. She does not try to be all things to all people. She’s not the funny, goofy comedian. She’s not a heavy metal head banger. She’s Taylor Swift and you know what that means.Our businesses need to stand for something too. We need to be able to articulate it and our clients should recognize it in all of our interactions. Too many businesses try to be all things to all people and as a result fail to be meaningful to anyone. Find your brand voice and sing it proudly.
Bake to PerfectionTaylor Swift is a talented musician and if she didn’t work hard to perfect her craft being gracious wouldn’t make her a success. Underlying all of efforts must be the fundamental delivery of a high quality product that our customers can rely upon.Our businesses may not demand a sell out stadium of screaming young Swifties but every brand would benefit from turning customers into fans. Thanks Taylor Swift for showing us the way.