Walt Disney was an incredible man, and the legacy he left behind is a lot more than just his incredible stories, parks, and films. One of the many things Disney was so amazing at was flawlessly marketing his company. The story of how he became a successful entrepreneur is equally as inspiring as he went from rags to riches. Today he still inspires men and women young and old how to achieve success as well. Below are many of the ways to improve a business and how Walt Disney has mastered these skills through the years. Disney has a brilliant mind, and by listening to his guidance through the company he left behind business owners can see if they have what it takes to succeed. Join us during our free webinar training to pick up more its on how to make an online business make it and who knows, maybe even become as big as Disney someday!
Engage Your Audience
Entrepreneur talks about how Disney is terrific at creating a buzz, whether it be about a movie or new Disney products! Watch how Disney does it now and in the past and think of ways to improve your brand. There are so many ways to get your audience engaged and keep their attention. And if something isn’t working try something new. Some audiences respond differently to different types of engagement strategies.
Getting fans to interact with brands is one of the most talked about strategies in marketing today. With all the buzz of social media, how do you really get your customers and more importantly, potential customers, active in what you’re doing?
Take a tip from Disney and start an organic buzz that makes the best “unkept” secret around. For years Disney fans have made the journey to Disneyland to enjoy the park, but there is also a subset of rabid fans who go back to the park for another “hidden” reason. All over Disneyland, the Disney team has planted “hidden Mickeys” throughout the park and for decades Disney fans have been going back to try to discover and share all the hidden Mickeys in the park.
How can you start a buzz and seed a movement for fans trying to discover your brand?
Teamwork and Resources
A LinkedIn author provides Disney movie examples on how Toy Story is all about teamwork and Cinderella showed us to make use of resources!
Toy Story was one of my most favorite movies of all time, thanks to the awesome duo of Woody and Buzz Lightyear. Actually, Toy Story wouldn’t be complete if it wasn’t for the Andy’s group of toys. And if it wasn’t for these toys, they would’ve ended up in the dumpster or in the incinerator (yikes!).
So if you ask me, Toy Story teaches us the value of team. In marketing, you need to have a team that could carry out other tasks that you can’t handle. Let’s face it, no one can handle his/her own business alone. You will definitely need a group of people who will help you develop your own business.
You’ll probably think that it will be about the glass shoes or the “magic will be dispelled by midnight” kind of logic, but the real marketing lesson on Cinderella is about resources and how you should maximize it.
Remember how the Fairy Godmother turned a pumpkin into a carriage, mice into horses, a horse into a coachman and a dog into a soldier? That’s how the Fairy Godmother maximized Cinderella’s available resources.
As marketers, we cannot have anything that we need on our business. It is our duty to maximize whatever resources that are currently available at dispense and turn into something that can be monetized or use it to generate sales and leads.
Content Marketing
Have a brand story that identifies with your audience and Forbes says that will help everything fall into place. Content results from a compelling brand story and not the other way around.
‘Content marketing' sounds like a spoke in the branding wheel. This is bigger.
Isn't it incredible just how “integrated” most movie franchises' brands are? I mean, the brand manifestations are laser focused, very creative, and always help their audiences experience the “brand story” in a fresh new way. Roller coasters, video games, bed spreads, action figures, TV shows, it goes on and on. Tight as a drum.
What Disney and most other movie companies are unintentionally demonstrating to us is that “content” should not be thought of as a spoke in the branding wheel. Content is what happens when you have a brand story. And in that brand story is the brand's idea, the brand's attitude, and the brand's point of view of the world.
When a brand has a powerful storyline – in the case of Disney it's in the form of a literal storyline, a movie – products beg to be invented, experiences naturally want to happen, and the right employees for the brand suddenly appear. Like the “merchandising” of a movie, everything just falls into place.
No, it's not a small “content marketing” strategy. It's simply a powerful brand story expressing itself in many different ways that are natural to that brand.
Create a Powerful Mission Statement
Sticking to a mission statement is essential, and The Walk Disney Company does this flawlessly. To follow through as a successful company create a positive mission statement and make sure you follow through with it as Break Ice Marketing recommends.
“The mission of The Walt Disney Company is to be one of the world's leading producers and providers of entertainment and information. Using our portfolio of brands to differentiate our content, services and consumer products, we seek to develop the most creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences and related products in the world.”
Disney delivers its mission by having a clearly defined company culture with a set of values that do not waver. They hire employees that are committed to innovation, quality, community, storytelling, optimism and decency.
I have never experienced a rude employee at Disneyland. And, while I haven’t yet been on a Disney cruise and it has been years since I visited Walt Disney World, I’m sure the same holds true. This is because Disney understands that branding is about creating actual experiences. I was reminded of this a few weeks ago when I visited Disneyland on a Saturday night (yes, we’re Disney pass holders). We got there at 7:30 PM and it was still 91 degrees outside. It was also an extremely busy night. Yet, we only encountered smiling, happy, helpful Disney employees. I was impressed and reminded of what makes Disney different from other family entertainment brands.
Get a Mentor
If you need some advice on how to proceed with your business, perhaps it’s time you found a mentor, which Career Addict argues based on the Disney film The Lion King.
If you think about it, you have a mentor in your life guiding you to the right path; whether it’s a family member, an old teacher or your manager. In the Lion King Rafiki is a mentor to Simba, especially when he’s feeling a bit lost and in need of some direction. It’s great to have someone to look to when you’re struggling in your career and a lot of people are only more than willing to help out, so it’s definitely worth asking.
It’s About Perspective
Walt Disney knew how to impress people with incredible structures such as Sleeping Beauty’s castle as Entrepreneur discusses below. The idea is to wow your customers by keeping things in perspective. That means making things bigger and better! You better start brainstorming now.
Take a close look at Sleeping Beauty’s castle and you’ll start to realize that something a little strange is going on. Disney and his team used the concept of forced perspective to design the entire park to look bigger, including the castle. How did he do this? Just like a painting, you can adjust the size of things to make them appear closer or further away. Disney and his team carried this forced perspective throughout the park. For instance, they alternated the sizing of trees and boulders on the Matterhorn, so the mountain appears bigger and in the brickwork of Sleeping Beauty’s castle.
For entrepreneurs, keep in mind it is all about perception. How can you use forced perspective to convey a bigger, more impressive image to the world?
Hard Work Pays Off
Career Addict also mentions the Disney film The Princess and the Frog and how it demonstrates that hard work pays off. So in case you were feeling discouraged don’t give up! It may take some time, but your hard work will definitely pay off.
Tiana is a princess with a vision and a career path in sight. She slaved away working two jobs until she had enough money to open up her dream business. Take a cue from her; stay focused on what you want to achieve, and make sure you’re taking steps towards accomplishing whatever that is.
Disney is fantastic, and you are too! Even if you’re a new business owner, there’s no time like the present to soak up these tips from Disney and gain more knowledge on how to make an online business succeed during our free webinar training! Join us as we motivate and inspire others to follow their dreams and transform their company into a profitable business!
Sources: Entrepreneur, LinkedIn, Break Ice Marketing, Forbes, Career Addict
CHALLENGE Yourself to Profit!
Free Download: Build Your Profit-Generating Online Business With This Free Blueprint
Sign Up, follow the easy steps and You'll get the tactics, strategies & techniques needed to create your online profit stream. It's free!
