5 Facts That Show That Taylor Swift Is A Genius Of Modern Business

With five albums under her belt, Taylor Swift has smoothly risen to the top of the music world, carrying along a huge fanbase of "Swifties" as she straddles both the country and pop genres. But for Swift, her toolbox extends beyond her strong pipes and catchy tunes.

Not only has she sold more than 26 million albums, but she also has 43.6 million followers on Twitter and 11 million followers on Instagram.

Swift also comes up with creative ways to tease album releases and keep her fans on their toes. All while maintaining an approachable, down-to-earth personality. She is a modern-day business genius through and through.

Taylor Swift Is A Queen Of Social Media - And Her Fans Love It

Swift gets her fans, and instead of keeping to herself she builds a relationship with her audience through Twitter and Instagram. She acts as her fans best friend as opposed to their untouchable celeb crush. And she does it all herself, no assistant at hand.

Just the other day an Instagram comment Swift posted on a fan's account went viral. A girl named Hannah was being bullied, so Swift decided to send a heartfelt message encouraging her to "keep walking in the sunlight."

And then there was the time Swift commented on a heartbroken fan's Instagram, telling her to "Hang in there."

And these were definitely not two lone cases. One Swiftie even devotes a tumblr account to following Swift's likes and comments on Instagram.

Swift told @decemberirwin that she loved her sense of humor.

Swift wished @brighteyed.swift a happy 16th.

She congratulated Angie on her engagement.

And she apologized to @laaauurrraaa for not being able to meet her.

When one fan bought a dress she saw Swift wearing, Swift told her she looked fantastic.

And she told @fangirl_swift13 she was so adorable.

Swift congratulated @alltowell13 on getting her driver's license and gave her some wise advice.

And she told the same fan that her pictures make her smile.

She's also frequently retweeting and replying to her fans tweets, making their lives.

Swift has favorited only one tweet on Twitter, this one right here, that went viral immediately with fans going bonkers about the Swift favorite.

Britney Spears' Assistant Tweets For Her. Taylor's Doesn't, And You Can Tell The Difference.

Nowadays, it's nothing unique that a celebrity is active on social media, but what makes Swift really stand out is that she doesn't have an assistant or social media expert doing all her work. She runs it all herself.

She engages with fans in a raw and natural way that makes them feel that they're really connecting with Taylor. And that's prime social media action.

Not every celeb can do this. Take Britney Spears, for example. It's widely known that her manager tweets from her account most of the time, and that's fine, she still has 38.8 million followers.

But it translates to a different kind of social media presence and a different kind of relationship with fans.

Swift Keeps Her Fans On Their Toes, Hinting At A New Album In Her Social Updates.

Swift also goes beyond the individual social media interactions to reach a broader audience. For instance, she dropped some clues about her newest album on Instagram, with a video of someone pressing the 18th floor button on an elevator.

Followed by a screenshot of her phone showing the time 5:00.

And a screenshot of Yahoo!'s search engine.

All hinting at a livestream on Yahoo on August 18 at 5.

But again, that's not what truly makes Swift a social media prodigy. Any celebrity handler can post some clues on Instagram to a new album. Swift, on the other hand, makes it personal and spends the time commenting on, liking, favoriting, and retweeting individual fans' posts.

And she carries this offline as well.

Taylor Swift's Personality Isn't An "Act."

In a recent Rolling Stones profile of Swift, Josh Eells wrote about Swift's transition into pop and out of country, and throughout the piece, Swift comes across as her casual and fun self, turning the typically stiffy and formal profile into a true look at her life.

For instance, Swift tells Eells about how her friendship with Lena Dunham blossomed.

After meeting Dunham in 2012, Swift became obsessed with the show Girls. She went to follow Dunham on Twitter and noticed that Dunham had just tweeted something nice about Swift.

"I was really scared she was being ironic, but I decided to follow her anyway, just in case," Swift told Eells. "Within five minutes I had a direct message from her. Let me see if I still have it."

After scrolling through her phone, Swift said, "I still have it! She said, 'I am so excited about the prospect of being friends with you that I added the adjective best in front of it.' 'The idea that you like my show is so thrilling, and I can't wait to lavish you with praise in person.'"

She's Always On Her Game, No Matter How Important Or Famous You May Be.

In the same Rolling Stones profile, Eells noted how as he was interviewing Swift, a girl on a rowboat spotted Swift and proceeded to freak out.

"Oh, my God!" she said. "Today is my birthday! Can I please take a picture with you?"

"You can, but I don't know how you're going to," Swift responded with a laugh. "You're on a boat, buddy!"

"I'll get off!" the girl said. "I'll find a way."

After Swift and her bodyguard helped the girl into the pavilion, she said, "You're going to make me cry!"

"Is it really your birthday?" Swift asked. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen," the girl answered.

When Swift asked how she was going to celebrate, the girl said they were heading to Chipotle for dinner. Swift proceeded to hand over $90 in cash.

"Here," she said. "Go somewhere nice."

Then there was the time that Swift threw a private concert for a 6-year-old Leukemia patient. And the time she had a two-hour lunch with a 17-year-old girl battling cancer. And then there was the time she surprised a fan at her bridal shower.

Swift comes off as the rare celebrity who really cares about her fans, each and every one of them. More than her music, that's what makes her so attractive and likeable. She gets her fans, and she gets the music business.

In recent op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, Swift compared her relationship with her fans to a couple in love.

"I think forming a bond with fans in the future will come in the form of constantly providing them with the element of surprise," she wrote. "No, I did not say 'shock'; I said 'surprise.' I believe couples can stay in love for decades if they just continue to surprise each other, so why can't this love affair exist between an artist and their fans?"