What Disney Can Teach Us About Marketing

Last month we were lucky enough to have a family holiday to Disneyland Paris.

I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t looking forward to it in the slightest.

I just didn’t think it would be my cup of tea at all.

Too many people, too many queues, too much of everything!

Oh, but how wrong I was!!

I loved every single minute of it (well, apart from the airport coming home, but that’s a story for another day).

From seeing the boys’ faces when they met the characters, to the rides, the staff and the hotel, it was all perfect, and it got me thinking about how big Disney is and what we can all learn from them.

When we think of Disney we think of fairytales, princesses and Mickey Mouse.

But there’s a lot more to it than the charm, and there’s plenty in there for your business too.

So here’s what I came home with.

Storytelling is everything

If you’ve followed me for any time, you’ll know I LOVE StoryBrand by Donald Miller.

It’s a framework I think any business can get something out of, and at its simplest, it’s about telling stories.

Disney are the best storytellers going.

Their stories grab your imagination and hit you right in the feelings, and that’s what sets them apart.

It’s the same in your business.

Your story, and your customers’ stories, are what people relate to.

Tell them how you got started, what you’ve helped people with and what changed for them, because that’s what builds trust (a list of what you do doesn’t).

Create an experience people remember

From start to finish, Disney make you feel looked after, wrapped up in it and entertained.

You can do the same by thinking about the whole experience, not just the thing you sell.

Whether that’s mapping out your Perfect Customer Journey, adding a little bonus nobody expected, or just making every step easy, the goal is a bit of magic around what you do.

It’s the little things that make a big difference.

Yea, like Mickey pizzas and ice creams!

Say you run a dog grooming business.

The groom is what they pay for, but the photo you send of their dog looking daft in a bandana is what they show their mates.

Personalisation is key

Disney know every guest is different.

They’ve got people of different ages, with different budgets, wanting different things.

When we went, our boys were 4 and 6, so they didn’t want to go on any of the big rides (whoops, I took Tommy on one without knowing 🤦).

Did that ruin the holiday? Not a chance, we were there for 4 days and never ran out of things to do.

For your business, that means not talking to everyone the same way.

Do you have something for each kind of customer, the right offer, the right follow-up, a bit of content about each of your services?

I’m not saying do too much (there’s a fine line), but make sure you’re not leaving money on the table because you haven’t got the right thing for the right customer.

Keep trying new things

Disney have never been scared of taking risks.

They were the pioneers of feature-length animated films, and they’re still trying new technology now.

You don’t need to be that big to do the same.

Try a new way of following up, a new kind of post, a new tool, and keep the bits that work.

Consistent branding

Disney have built a brand you’d recognise anywhere in the world.

From the Mickey ears to the logo, from what they post on social media to the message in their films, it all feels like Disney, and that’s what makes it so powerful.

They know what they stand for and they stick to it.

Consistency is how you build a brand too.

Use the same colours, fonts and style of photos everywhere, and make sure your message says the same thing on your website, your Google profile and your socials.

When it all matches, people trust it.

Focus on how people feel

A lot of Disney’s marketing is about emotion.

Nostalgia, magic, the films you grew up with.

They know people are deeply attached to their childhood memories, and they use that to build a bond that lasts a lifetime.

You won’t have decades of films behind you, but you can still talk to your customers in a way they understand and that connects with them.

Do that and you’ll get better results.

Reuse what already works

During our trip we went to a show called Mickey The Magician.

I felt like a little kid again and the boys were in awe of it.

And the beauty of the show was how simple it was.

Don’t get me wrong, the production was unreal and the actors were great, but the show was basically old content.

Characters singing from all the classics, The Lion King (my favourite!), Aladdin and Peter Pan, to name a few.

It makes sense, they know them classics work, so why reinvent the wheel?

They took what they knew worked, added a sprinkle of new magic, and they’re on to a winner.

You don’t need to create new content or new products all the time, take what you’ve already got, use it again, and every now and then add your own bit of magic to it.

Remember the fun

Disney are known for fun, and they make sure every guest has a good time.

Marketing doesn’t have to be boring.

A bit of humour and a bit of personality make you more memorable than another stock photo and a list of services.

Your next step

Pick one of these and do it this week.

Send one customer something they didn’t expect, or tell one real story on your website instead of a list of what you do.

And if you want to know which bit of your marketing needs the magic first, that’s what Your Web Review is for.

I look at your website, Google profile, reviews and socials, record a video going through it all, and give you the three things I’d fix first.

No big sales pitch.

Get your free Web Review

And if you’d like one short email every Sunday on making your marketing easier, get the Marketing Memo. It’s free.