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5 Marketing Lessons from the Mouse

Whether you’re a die-hard fan of Disney, or couldn’t care less about Mickey and his friends, you can’t argue with one fact:

Disney knows how to market the snot out of their parks, movies and merchandise. And the world eats it up with a spoon.

 

A few weeks ago, one of our team members went to Disney for the first time and witnessed the Disney marketing machine at work. Here are five marketing lessons he learned from the mouse:

 

1. Customer Experience is King

From the custodial staff, to restaurant employees, to resort staff and the Disney characters themselves, everyone has one very specific goal: making your trip a magical experience that you’ll never forget.

And, while Disney World reportedly has 70,000 “cast members,” it only takes one “Debbie Downer” to turn that magical experience into a nightmare.

The marketing lesson for your company? Think about the experience of a typical customer. What do they see the second they walk through your front doors? What do they hear when one of your team members picks up the phone and interacts with them for the first time? Create a company culture that revolves around positivity and the betterment of your customer base.

 

2. Create a Buzz around Your Brand

We say it all the time at BARQAR: online reputation is everything. When you visit sites like Yelp, Glassdoor, Facebook or Twitter, what are people saying about you?

Research into Walt Disney World shows over 950,000 reviews on Facebook with an average score of 4.7/5. On Yelp there are 665 reviews that average to 4/5 stars. TripAdvisor contains over 21,500 reviews averaging 4.5/5 stars.

The marketing lesson for your company? If you make the customer experience worthwhile and meaningful, people will talk about you in a positive way. Spend 15 minutes into looking online at what people are saying about you. If you have a negative review, is it merely from a disgruntled former employee lashing out? Or, is there a common theme among multiple poor reviews that requires some process change? If Yelp says your service stinks…what can you do to improve that?

 

3. Think Like a Fan

Disney has a cool mobile app that tells you ride waiting times – so you can get real-time information that helps you get the most “bang for your buck” while you’re in the park.

The marketing lesson for your company? Think like a fan when it comes to your social media and content marketing initiatives. If you were a customer subscribing to your channel, what would you want to see? What problems or challenges would you seek advice on? Think like a fan and provide the type of content that your followers want to read and watch your online presence grow.

disney-history

4. Grow and Change

What began as one man’s vision has evolved into the world’s most visited resort in the world, with an attendance of over 52 million annually.

The marketing lesson for your company? Commit to continually evolving. When you examine your current business strategy, what threats to do you see on the horizon? On a more positive note, what opportunities do you see that can catapult your growth and take you to the next level? Continue to modify and improve your business strategy to stay ahead of the competition.

 

5. Quit Talking and Start Doing

As you walk around the Magic Kingdom it’s easy to see that improvements are being made and new attractions are being built. Attached to the side of a wall hiding a future release was this quote by Walt Disney:

Ideas are easy. Execution can be challenging.”

The marketing lesson for your company? After a team meeting, do exciting ideas and plans fade away once you get back to your desk? Remember that a great marketing idea is just the first step in the process. Establish a production channel that allows your ideas to become reality.

 

Want more great ideas for impactful marketing?
Give BARQAR’s digital and inbound marketing experts a call. Whether you’re trying to enhance your brand image, boost sales leads or just amaze customers and prospects, our team is up to the challenge.

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