Walt Disney didn’t need a master’s degree, and he certainly wasn’t an engineer, but he excelled at marketing. Those marketing skills propelled Disney success as an entertainment powerhouse. You have noticed their simple marketing ideas, haven’t you? I certainly have.
His marketing has become a benchmark for other companies that want to reach similar heights of recognition and revenue. Whether you are a top tier content marketing agency or a SaaS (software as a service) product, you can learn a thing or two from Disney.
Here are ten big lessons from Disney I have picked up and employed often:
Simple marketing ideas … leverage reviews
Disney has done well getting reviews from its customers. That is an understatement, isn’t it?
A free trial or sample can be offered in exchange for a testimonial or a review that appears on social media or a review website. Many times, customers are happy to give a review if you ask them. A coupon or some other exclusive deal is icing on the cake.
Make sure each testimonial has the person’s name and image or avatar. If it’s a B2B relationship, be sure to add a link back to their website for further credibility.
Give it a try.
Others have tried these, you should too. (Mari Smith and Josh Steimle, just to name a few)
Focus on the unique value proposition, not price
A big part of Disney’s marketing strategy is that they never get involved in price wars. They stick to their pricing albeit it is often much higher than any of the competition. They can do this because they focus on touting their unique value proposition that no other competitor has been able to emulate — beautiful service and experiences that work straight.
They also focus on providing a great user experience with cool features and extensive applications that put it in a product class by itself.
Whatever device Disney is offering, they make sure the customer feels like it’s worth paying the higher price. This method of thought can be used to market any product or service environment. Just focus on what sets you apart from the rest of the market.
Simplicity
Customers and prospects don’t need complex marketing campaigns that overwhelm them with information. Disney understood this concept early on and made sure that their marketing was as simple as possible. They took out product feature lists, price, voice-overs and special effects.
In Disney marketing, there isn’t typically any information on where and how to buy their services and products. Instead, the ads and other marketing messages are very straightforward — typically showing the experience and letting it speak for itself. Leave out the flashy noise, strip down the content to the bare minimum, and display simple graphics that translate your message.
There is no need for jargon or technical terms that take away from what you are offering your audience.
Simple marketing ideas … emotional appeal
Disney has created evangelists out of their customers primarily because they have been able to reach and hold on to them at an emotional level. Their ads show happy people having a great time with their products rather than focusing on small product details of the product.
The more their visual content appeals to emotions like happiness, enjoyment and inclusion, the more likely that content will be shared with others and generate the viral movement that the simple marketing ideas highlight.
This can be emulated by any business niche or company through strong visuals, emotionally charged language and a positive tone as the basis for all content.
They stand for something
Customers want to know that you represent something — core values that they can see in action to feel comfortable buying and using your products. This stand goes beyond just the product.
It must be apparent in everything else connected to it — the packaging, retail appearance, and marketing collateral. The messages must repeat those values throughout all platforms.
Messaging consistency reinforces the beliefs of your audience; that your brand can always be counted on to deliver what they stand for. You need to look at everything related to your marketing efforts and make sure there are a unified look and feel.
Disney does this extremely well in everything they do.
Simple marketing ideas … create good experiences
Anyone can make a product, but not many can create an experience for the customer that is memorable and entices them to come back again and again. From products that feel like going to a rock concert, to movie-style ads, to stores and online shops that revolutionize the experience — Disney knows the value of customer experiences.
Part of creating an experience that customers will remember is to use the art of storytelling to generate the experience and add sensory dimensions to the overall delivery. This immerses the customer in what they are doing, making it feel less like just shopping for a product.
Suggestion box.
Have you noticed this in Disney’s strategy?
Use the customer’s language
Because Disney has studied their customers intently, they know how to speak to them in their language, which creates a deeper bond and encourages more sales.
By avoiding terms and explanations that only serve to confuse and overwhelm, they have found a way to reach customers on a new level that the competition still has not figured out.
Focus on studying your customer, how they interact and talk on social media, and speak to those aspects of your product or service that they are most interested in, and use the words they would use.
Develop an aura and mystery around activities
The best marketing approach Disney has used to create mystery about what they are doing next with their businesss that keep what they are up to under wraps until the big unveiling.
This turns customers into rabid fans and gets them pumped up in a way that has them buying whatever it is rather than stopping to think if they even need what amazon is introducing.
However, Disney has gone even farther by leaking certain information and starting rumors to further stir the mystique around their marketing practices; They know how to stir up the audience.
Usually, marketers tell their customers everything about a product, but Disney creates more excitement by withholding information and making everyone speculate.
Very effective isn’t it?
Use product placement
Disney has the budget to get its devices on television shows and movies, but it’s fine to start smaller too. Any marketer can place a product with an influencer who can then share it on their social media sites like Instagram or Snapchat. Once an influencer shares your product and shows their followers how beneficial it is, the seed is planted, and leads are made.
Quite unique, yes?
Effectively leverage visuals
We live in a world of content where people are bombarded with words all the time. That’s why videos and other visuals have become so popular. There are far fewer words and more images that can make a greater impact on the customer experience.
Disney even used ads with only ten words because they understand that the words, especially the excess of words, is not what resonates with customers and prospects.
When creating marketing campaigns, fewer words mean more to the audience, especially when they are given images that resonate on a deeper emotional level.
Disney has a marketing strategy that continues to drive growing sales throughout the globe. Any company can do the same if they apply these lessons within their marketing strategy, and continue to use these tactics for both new and existing products and services.
The bottom line
Marketing used to be pretty simple. You developed a compelling message, used mass media to broadcast that message to large audiences and grew market share. Mostly, you aimed for the meaty part of the curve, where the law of averages conspired in your favor.
Then came the cable TV era. Audiences fragmented, and targeting became the order of the day. Instead of starting with the message, marketers thrived on consumer insight and tried to identify a specific emotional trigger that would win them, loyal customers.
Now mass marketing has shifted to mass personalization and messaging, and targeting has given way to activation. It is no longer enough to grab attention; we must hold attention. We need to make a fundamental shift in mental models.
So what’s the conclusion? The conclusion is there is no conclusion. There is only the next step. And that next step is completely up to you. But believe in the effectiveness of word of mouth marketing created by remarkable customer service. And put it to good use.
It’s up to you to keep improving your creative marketing strategies. Lessons are all around you. In this case, your competitor may be providing the ideas and or inspiration. But the key is in knowing that it is within you already.
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new lessons.
When things go wrong, what’s most important is your next step.
Try. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy improving your marketing, branding, and advertising?
Do you have a lesson about making your marketing strategy better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed how reasonable we will be.
More reading on marketing strategy from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on G+, Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.
