3 essentials that power Disney Parks’ social media strategy

Through its flagship blog, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media presences, Disney Parks focuses on people, stories, and experiences to engage.

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Every once in a while, someone will approach Thomas Smith, social media director for Disney Parks, to say something like, “If we don’t get on GetGlue, we’re going to die.” Addressing an audience at Ragan Communications’ Employee Comunications, PR, and Social Media Summit at Microsoft Headquarters last month, Smith said he talks those people off the ledge by paraphrasing Walt Disney:

“We want to make spaces where people connect, they find happiness and knowledge.”

New technology plays a role in that, but it’s not one of the three things that power Disney Parks’ social strategy. Smith focuses on people, storytelling, and experiences.

People

Disney Parks’ public blog, which serves as the hub for its social media presences, has more than 70 authors, representing basically every unit of the operation, and that number is growing. Smith said he thought it was really important that those authors’ names be included on every post, so that readers could really get to know the writers.

“People connect with people,” he said. “Not brands or logos.”

The truth of that statement has been borne out in the blog’s live chats with Disney Parks employees and “imagineers.”

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