How Can You Follow Walt Disney's Approach to Content Marketing? Walt Disney has been hailed as a technological genius. His forward thinking in the entertainment industry revolutionized the trade and in many ways still has profound effects in today's entertainment world.
Although Disney has been gone for many years, his company is still at the forefront of technological evolution. Yet, it was his marketing genius that set him and his company apart from everybody else. You would be well served to apply some of Walt Disney's business ideas to your content marketing campaign.
It All Started with a Mouse, and Marketing
Walt Disney dreamed up Mickey Mouse and was on his way. Disney's acumen with technology is legendary but none of his success would have been possible without his marketing ingenuity. If he had not been able to fill up movie theaters, theme parks and sell tons of Disney merchandise all his fancy innovations would have been for naught.
Market like Walt Disney
Your content marketing campaign is vital to your business success. The way you present your company's brand shapes people's view of your organization. Times have changed since Walt Disney's days but his marketing ideas are still a thing of brilliance.
Let's take a look at a few Walt Disney marketing tactics you can use to market like Walt:
Add surprise
Disney added surprise to his business model. It could have been as simple as not having to stand in line at Disneyland all day to giving away trips and other valuable prizes. All you had to do was be there to win. Can you do the same in your marketing plan? Surprise your customers with something unexpected. Depending on your industry you can tailor your surprise to match the products and services you offer.
The story is king
Walt knew that the story was the real reason people enjoyed his attractions. Even today, every Disney feature has a story behind it. People relate to these stories. It's just part of the human condition. Do the same with your content marketing campaign. Tell the story of your brand! Engage people on a human level. Get visitors to your website involved emotionally with your story.
Continuous promotion
If there was one thing Walt Disney did well it was promoting his enterprises. And he did so continually. He made sure he kept his organization in your mind. When it came time to think of going on vacation, to a movie or any of a number of other things Disney always came to mind. You should promote your firm in the same way. Place ads, run press releases and blog regularly to stay in people's minds. Continuously promote and you will build your brand, and your business.
Talk to your customers, directly
Walt Disney was often seen walking around Disneyland talking to visitors. At other times he'd go to see a Disney movie and get people's reaction to the picture. This was one of the ways Walt did his market research. You can follow this model also. Don't always use a marketing research firm or some kind of online research tool, such as Google Analytics. While these are very worthwhile, there's no substitute for interaction with customers. Get views about your products and services straight from the people who use them.
Build long-term, or lifetime, value
Go to a Disney attraction today and find people who have been coming back for decades and many times at that. Disney keeps their customers so happy that they keep coming back, again and again. Do the same for your client base. Try out new products and services on them. They have already demonstrated some level of trust in your company. Don't sell to a customer once. Do so for the long-term.
It's in the details
Enter a Walt Disney property and you will see attention to detail everywhere. You know that something special is getting ready to happen. This is a key element of any content marketing campaign. Even the street signs on Disney properties pay attention to detail. They are rabbit ears with arrows on them. The company could have used normal street signs but where's the magic in that? Make something special happen for your customers. Small details can pay big dividends.
Walt Disney was a genius in many ways. His technological prowess is storied but it was his marketing genius that set him apart from everyone else. Use a little of Walt's business insight in your content marketing campaign and enjoy renewed and continuous business success.To learn how to create your own content strategy and employ some of these techniques, check out our white paper, "What is a Digital Content Strategy? And Why You Need One!"
