Cultivating hyperengaged audiences

By Anita Holford

Taylor Swift is a master of storytelling and building connection with her fans, resulting in what marketers refer to as ‘a hyper-engaged fan base’. And creating hyper-engaged pupils, parents, teachers and partners is surely a great goal for music service and hubs comms. So what lessons can we learn that can be applied in music education?

Lesson 1: Harness the power of authentic storytelling

Central to Taylor's success is her (team’s) ability to create authentic stories that resonate with her audience. She’s made her personal journey part of her brand – from stories of early teen heartbreak to tales of self-empowerment. By sharing her stories, within and outside her songs, she’s built a deep, emotional connection with her fans.

Authentic stories build trust, loyalty and emotional engagement. They provide tales for people to pass on, which helps to grow awareness of who you are, what you do and why it matters. And every organisation has a story and stories. For music education organisations they can show how music’s had an impact on an individual’s life; who’s in your team, what they do and why they care; the struggles and triumph of everyone involved. Sharing insights through stories makes people and organisations more human and relatable.

Lesson 2: Build relationships, community and connection

One of Taylor's most powerful tactics has been her direct engagement with her fans, the ‘Swifties.’ They’ve told of her personal replies to comments on social media, secret listening parties and even birthday presents for loyal fans. She makes them feel part of an exclusive community. This goes beyond a transactional relationship to attempt genuine connection.

Engaged students and families are more likely to remain involved, share their experiences, and advocate for your hub or music service. Music services and hubs already have close contact with students, families and teachers, so it’s quite possible to transform them into an invested community. Think about how you can reflect the warm and trusting relationships that your tutors have built, throughout all of your communications. Work with your team to share ideas about how you grow that feeling of community and connection. Think beyond what you usually deliver or the way you usually communicate. An annual drop-in event with workshops, performances and perhaps even networking events for local creatives. A Facebook group where parents can chat and share tips about supporting students in music. Special events like live Q&A sessions with inspiring music educators, musicians and others in the music industry.

Lesson 3: Think outside usual organisational boundaries to build an ecosystem

Taylor Swift has created an entire ecosystem around her music, from merchandise to brand partnerships and even social causes. By building a lifestyle brand that extends beyond her albums, she’s diversified her revenue streams and deepened her connection with fans.

Collaborations will build your organisation’s credibility and help you attract attention. Think about what ‘assets’ you have, and who you could partner with for mutual benefit. Other cultural education organisations are an obvious starting point. Perhaps you could approach local businesses, music industry organisations, festivals. And what about unexpected partnerships? There may be people or organisations who have the same values or audiences who’d be interested in partnerships – even if it’s as light touch as sharing your opportunities in their newsletter or on their website. There’s no cost to reaching out, and you may get a win you didn’t expect.

Lesson 4: Be relatable and consistent on social media

Taylor Swift has created a social media community that loves to spread her messages. She surprises and delights fans with personal, relatable posts, quirky hidden messages, ‘remarkable’ content (ie notably unusual and worthy of talking about – read more on this in ‘Purple Cow’ by Seth Godin). She balances these posts carefully with promotional content.

Being relatable goes a long way to breaking down the barrier between teacher and potential student, organisation and audience. There are some simple changes you can make to your social media content to build the comms holy grail of ‘know, like, trust’. Look at your current posts. Is the tone of voice warm, human, relatable? Are you asking questions or encouraging feedback that people will *want* to respond to? Are you making the most of your team’s stories and their creativity? Tutors can position themselves as mentors who’ve been through the same struggles as their students

Lesson 5: Adapt to change and stay relevant

Taylor's ability to reinvent herself – from a country star to a pop icon and even dabbling in indie folk – has allowed her to remain relevant to a wide range of fans. She listens to what her audience wants and isn't afraid to pivot when needed.

All businesses know that the ability to adapt is key to long-term success. Your funding agreement with Arts Council England needn’t dictate your business model. Embracing movements and developments among young people, the music and creative industries, will not only help you gain attention, interest and credibility; it’s also critical to your ability to offer high quality music education. Youth Music’s latest Sound of the Next Generation report gives insights into what young people think about learning, making and earning in music, the opportunities they see and the barriers they face.

Lesson 6: Use data to help with decision-making

It’s well known in marketing circles that Taylor’s team monitor fan behaviour closely. They use data from music streaming, social media analytics, and fan feedback to shape her strategy for releases, concerts, and communications. By understanding the preferences of her audience, she tailors her marketing to deliver what her fans want, when they want it.

Data is invaluable when it comes to understanding your audience – as well as your impact – whether it’s social media analytics or pupil tracking. Hull Music Service has worked with its local authority to measure and track its performance using Unique Pupil Numbers. Noise Solution has formed game-changing partnerships with software companies and social enterprises to understand and communicate its impact. Could you partner with your local authority, a local university, a charity or business to help with monitoring and evaluation or customer feedback?

Taylor Swift has managed to captivate audiences worldwide despite being, in reality, far removed from her fans. As music services and hubs operate in defined geographical areas to distinct audiences and stakeholders, there’s masses of potential to create engaged and enthusiastic audiences and communities. This isn’t to ignore the challenges – lack of time and money, competing priorities, information overload, funders requirements to name a few. But you’re already telling stories, you’re already working in partnership, and you’re already building a community. It’s only a small step to bring an engagement-focused mindset into everything you do.