A pair of mouse ears and a big castle – these are internationally recognized symbols that mean that you are about to watch an incredible movie or are heading to the happiest place on earth. We all know Disney, and many of us have gladly watched many of their films. What makes this company so successful and what can you learn from them when it comes to copywriting? Let’s take a look at this powerful and incredible company for some great copywriting inspiration!
Disney’s Four Foundational Copywriting Skills
Beloved by thousands worldwide, Disney had its early beginnings in the 1920s. Today, it has over 44 resort locations worldwide, hundreds of thousands of products, and is an all-time favorite kids’ and classic movies & animation producer. Let’s take a look at how this very successful company excels in web content.
1. Repurposing Content. If there is one thing any copywriter can see with Disney, it’s that they know how to repurpose content and get the most out of it. Some of the obvious repurposing is with classic fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson. While the stories are a far cry from the debauched and terrifying original renditions, the stories still carry some of the same life lessons. In addition, Disney does repurpose their existing content to create great, new content. We get several fantastic films, television shows, and many other things from their repurposed content.
What can you learn from this? That repurposing content is possible and is a great idea! It helps you get the most out of your content without making you spend days and weeks on new content. While you won’t be repurposing it to be the next biggest blockbuster, you can still repurpose it for great revenue. Ways to repurpose your content could be to use chapters from e-books as blogs, turning blogs into infographics, and making videos of your existing content. Make sure to take a page from Disney, however, and make your repurposed content unique!
2. Learning from Others to Improve Content. One thing that has kept Disney relevant is how they always manage to change with the times. Often, Disney is one of the first companies to make large steps and if they aren’t the first, they make sure to adapt as quickly as possible. In an attempt to stay up-to-date with current trends, Disney released something known as Oh My Disney, which seems to be heavily inspired by the ever-popular Buzzfeed. This is great for Disney because while they are already quite successful, they know that they need to follow other successful business models to get a wider audience. Creating this site has given Disney fans the easy-to-consume articles everyone loves with Buzzfeed, but with the best flair possible – Disney flair.
This shows how vital it is to learn from the trends and improve your content to match them. Buzzfeed is a great place for inspiration to show just how people want their content delivered. Yes, people like longer pieces, but they also enjoy reading those fun “You Know You’re a 90s Kid When” posts. Creating something that meets the trends and is easily shared on social media is important for content nowadays, and Disney jumped on that trend quickly. Take the time to research trends and how they will work with your business. Make any necessary changes to have an incredibly successful content marketing campaign.
3. Epic Social Media Strategy. On top of following the latest trends to improve their content, Disney also has an incredible social media strategy. They have a great presence on Vine, YouTube, and Pinterest, giving fans the ability to look at various forms of social content. On Vine, the company encourages people to create videos for a contest to be featured on the Vine channel, which is excellent advertisement. They also provide great pins for followers on Pinterest such as Disney foods, fun images, and great holiday inspiration.
This is an excellent suggestion for other businesses and shows just how effective a great strategy can be. While the company is quite large, they take opportunities to make their fans and followers feel a connection with them. This is a great idea for any company, large or small, giving you the chance to talk with clients and make them feel appreciated. You can have people submit videos for contests, or you can create a collaboration board on Pinterest. Whatever you do, make sure your audience feels connected to you with your social media campaign.
You can also learn from some of their social media blunders. In the article referenced above, the writer points out that Disney doesn’t have the strongest presence on places such as Facebook and Twitter, which require more one on one communication. Take a look at their strategy on those sites and see if there is anything you think you should avoid doing.
4. Winners in the Storytelling Field. Another great form of copywriting done by Disney is their ability to tell stories. No matter what it is, this company knows how to get people involved in their films, shows, and parks. It is obvious they tell stories in their films, but the instant you walk into a Disney theme park, you are transported from one world to another and every inch is filled with stories. Their campaigns all have story elements to them, and when they talk about their founder Walt Disney, they always share it in story format. Disney knows that one of the most powerful and effective tools out there is storytelling.
You can do the same with your content campaigns. Telling stories is a great way to connect with your audiences, and give them something entertaining. Your story can be about an experience you had, how your company started, or any other idea you have. It doesn’t need to start with “once upon a time” or “in a galaxy far, far away” to be powerful.
Take a few of these ideas from Disney and apply them to your own content strategy! You might not get to the juggernaut size of the Disney Corporation, but you can still build and improve your company following their strategy. Who knows, in the end, maybe you’ll be able to team up with someone as powerful as Darth Vader.
Photo credit: disney.wikia.com