In a post several months ago we established that I am a Taylor Swift fan and at this point there’s absolutely no turning back. I’m not getting my man card back any time soon. The other night, my wife and I got sucked into “Journey To Fearless” which is a documentary of Taylor Swift’s “Fearless” tour. As I watched, I found myself riveted by this young lady who has coupled a ton of hard work with her natural ability to become a superstar.
Taylor Swift is an amazing example of someone who knows who her customers are and works extremely hard at creating an amazing experience for them. Here are some of my observations of the Taylor Swift customer experience:
She’s Accessible
Allow me to name some of the countless ways Taylor connects with her fans. Before every concert she randomly walks through the arena saying hello to her fans along the way. She also loves walking through the crowd during her shows offering hugs, poses and encouraging words. During her concerts she sets up an alternate stage near the “worst seats in the house” and plays a song from that perspective.
Lesson: The more you can connect with your customers on a personal level, the stronger their connection to your brand.
She Knows Her Audience
I saw a couple fantastic examples of the way Taylor “tailors” herself for her audience. While she is a fantastic song writer she goes far beyond the songs in her concerts. For the Fearless tour she designed the stage and the show in such a way that it takes her audience on a fairy tale journey. The audience gets a full experience and to an audience that is seemingly teenage and preteen girls, this is ingenious. Another thing she does is to randomly select concert goers to attend a back stage tea party to connect with her audience. How is that for a spin on back stage parties?
Lesson: You need to know who your audience is before you can effectively connect with them.
She’s Thankful
My final observation is that regardless of how wealthy and successful Taylor Swift is, she is thankful. When she is engaging with her audience/customers, she never gives the air of being better than them but truly grateful for them. Watch her at any awards ceremony and observe the overwhelming sense of gratitude and wonderment she exudes.
Lesson: Regardless of whether a company has an amazing product and amazingly talented individuals, if the customers don’t buy it, the company isn’t going to get very far.
After watching “Journey To Fearless,” I think Taylor Swift is the genuine article and clearly has a ton to teach us about delivering an awesome customer experience. All of the fame and fortune she has earned is well deserved.
