Social Media Strategy Plan
As of 2020, 3.6 billion people
globally use social media which is projected to reach 4.41 billion by 2025
(Statista Research Department, 2021). In the United States 72 percent of the
population uses at least one social media platform (Pew Research Centers,
2021). Facebook is the most popular social media app reporting 2.5 billion
monthly users on average (Statista, 2021). Sixty-nine percent of American
adults use Facebook and 40 percent use Instagram. At least 60 percent of
Facebook and Instagram users access the sites once a day (Pew Research, 2021). The
average internet user spends 144 minutes a day on social media (Statista Research
Department, 2021). Due to the increased amount of internet and social media
traffic, and decreased opportunity for physical interactions between brands and
consumers, it important for companies to establish a presence on social media.
Effective use of social media as an engagement tool can strengthen
relationships with current consumers, create new customers, and build a brand
identity, which may lead to increased profits and brand loyalty.
Disneyland
The Walt Disney Company’s mission is
to “entertain, inform, and inspire people around the globe through the power of
unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds and
innovative technologies that make Disney (ours) the world’s premier
entertainment company”(Disney, n.d., para. 1). Beginning as a cartoon studio in
the 1920s, today the company leads the entertainment industry with its films
studio and movies, streaming services, and theme parks. Disneyland opened in
1955 in the United States and since expanded to five theme parks in four
different countries (Yao, 2017). Over decades Disney has established many loyal
customers and built a well-known brand. Mickey Mouse is a global icon that and
“the happiest place on earth” is strongly associated with Disney theme parks
(Yao, 2017). In 2019, Disneyland in
California saw 18.67 visitors (Lang, 2021). Disneyland’s Facebook Business page
has over 17.3 million likes and 16.7 million followers (Disneyland, n.d.). Disneyland’s
Instagram profile has over 8.1 million followers (Disneyland, n.d.).
Along with an impressive number of
followers and likes on Facebook, some of Disneyland’s other strengths are good
posting frequency and informative content. The Disneyland page does not overwhelm the visitor or page subscribed
with too many posts as the company posts approximately one to two posts every
three days. The post content includes valuable information like upcoming events
at the park and upcoming ticket changes. For example, Disneyland’s popular add-on the “Fast Pass”
is being discontinued and replaced by a new program called the Disney Genie
service. The first video on Disneyland’s page explains the new Disney Genie
service and recent page posts also notify visitors of these changes.
Disneyland’s marketing strategy has been effective, but there are ways to
improve the effectiveness of their social media marketing strategy.
Part 1: Detailed
Strategy Plan
Objectives
The first step of creating a social media marketing
strategy is determining a company’s objectives. Disneyland’s primary objective
is to create new customers and maintain their current consumer base. Another
objective is to provide the same consumer experience online as it does offline,
which it can do by creating an online identity for the brand. The easiest way
to measure new customers is through advertising efforts on social media (Larson
& Draper, 2020). Consumer loyalty and satisfaction can be indirectly
measured by post engagement and positive and negative feedback received on
social media.
Platform Selection
Once the company’s objectives are set, the next step
is to select which social media platforms are appropriate to meet the company’s
goals. There are two important considerations when making this decision. First,
the company needs to consider the characteristic of the users on the social
media platform. Secondly, the company can consider the communication and
engagement capabilities of the different sites (Larson & Draper, 2020). As
of July 2021, Facebook has almost three billion users worldwide. Seventy-five
percent of Facebook users fall into the 18 to 54 range, with approximately 21
percent in the 55 and up age groups (Statista Research Department, 2021b). This
age range of Facebook users is appropriate for Disneyland who targets families
with children.
When a user logs into Facebook, they see posts from
friends and pages they follow, likes and comment activity of friends, and paid
advertisements in their news feed. Facebook’s algorithms generally prevent most
of a page’s Facebook followers from seeing posts, so the company may need to
pay to boost certain posts to reach the intended audience. The algorithm
chooses which posts to show according to a post’s popularity, the type of page
posting, the content shared, and the user’s familiarity with the page, such as
previous liked posts (Larson & Draper, 2020). It is due to this algorithm
and news feed traffic that most companies use paid advertisements to reach
consumers.
Instagram is in the top four social media platforms by
number of users with 1.3 billion globally (Statista Research Department, 2021a). Instagram is great
way for Disneyland to reach a younger demographic of new customers since the
average age range is 18 to 34. On Instagram users can post pictures and videos
to engage consumers and videos and images perform well on Facebook, so the
content easily transferable to either site (Larson & Draper, 2020).
Content Choice
Once the company selects the appropriate platforms, the
next step in content creation or earning. To get higher video post rankings,
Disneyland can utilize Facebook Live. Facebook ranks Facebook Live video feed
higher because live video “creates a very dynamic, in-the-moment experience for
its users” (Larson & Draper, 2020, section 9.4). On Facebook, Disneyland
can use Facebook live to promote events or new updates around the parks to
increase views and post engagements. Good-quality videos generally perform
well, so Disneyland can post informative video posts on Instagram or Facebook.
Images are not as engaging as videos, but they perform better than posts
containing copy only (Larson & Draper, 2020). Therefore, Disneyland can use
images and text when videos are not available or for quick posts.
Distribution and
Promotion
The most engaging content on the right platform does not
matter of no one views the content (Larson & Draper, 2020). Owned media,
earned media, and paid media are ways that companies get content distributed on
social media platforms. One of the opportunities for Disneyland’s Facebook page
is communication with its followers and visitors through owned and earned media.
None of the recent reviews positive or negative have any response from the
Disneyland page. This is also true for the posts on the page of consumers
asking questions or sharing their experiences.
Other Facebook users are responding to the people who
asks questions, but Disneyland lacks a presence. Researchers found that an
increased “perceived social presence, evokes a more affective response and
increases positive attitudes toward the website” (Herthausen et al., 2020, p.
918). These positive attitudes indirectly improve loyalty and revenue
(Herthausen, et al., 2020). Therefore, Disney needs to post owned media in a
way that engages communication with the intention to engage with its followers
and users. Some ideas are posting quizzes asking for feedback such as “ What is
your favorite Disneyland ride?” This will keep Disneyland’s current followers
engaged and attract more followers by creating a brand social media presence. The
company can highlight earned media such as positive reviews and mentions and acknowledge
and attempt to resolve complaints and tags in negative posts.
Paid media is when a company pays a website for
distributing advertising content to selected segments (Larson & Draper,
2020). Companies can create ads for Instagram and Facebook promoting a sale of
tickets, vacation bookings, or upcoming events and the platforms will direct to
users to reach consumers. On Facebook, Disneyland can choose to bid for paid
ads at CPM (cost per thousand impressions), CPC (cost-per-click), or CPA
(cost-per-action). Advertising on Instagram is managed through the same tool as
Facebook since Facebook purchased the Instagram platform (Larson & Draper,
2020).
Influencers are a promotional tool that many companies
use to influence consumers purchasing decisions. Influencers are social media
users with 10,000 or more followers that endorse and share products that they
like. According to a survey of 4000 users, Millennials, Gen-X, and Gen-Z all
trust influencers to some extent as 43 percent and up reportedly follow
influencers. It is unknown how much influencers increase revenue and sales, but
of those surveyed, 31 percent reported that they purchased a product that an
influencer recommended online (Connelly, 2017). Another study found that the
power of influencers is positively related to consumers attitudes towards the
company and brand if the source is perceived as credible (Nafees et al., 2021).
Some companies seek out influencers to test and promote their products.
Disneyland can find travel influencers on Facebook and Instagram to promote the
theme park.
Measuring Success
To avoid certain pitfalls like analysis
paralysis and meaningless metrics, a company will determine what key
performance indicators (KPI) measure success (Larson & Draper, 2020). To
measure reach, Disneyland can track the follower growth to see if the new
content and communication activities are increasing the number of followers on
Instagram and Facebook. Impressions and views also measure the number of users
saw the posts. To measure engagement the company can track the number of likes,
reposts, or shares (Larson & Draper, 2020). To measure loyalty Disneyland
can confirm how many users have booked a stay or bought tickets to the theme
parks multiple times. Conversion tracking for ads and posts can help determine
if the conversions are from unique users or frequent visitors.
Part
2: Quick Overview Screencast
https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/crjZeRVjPk3
Disneyland has built a brand that generations associate
with fun and fantasy. It is a place where kids dream to go and an experience
they later want to share with their children. Social media allows Disneyland to
reach consumers in a new way and build upon lasting relationships. The company
has an opportunity to give Disneyland an identity by increasing its online presence
and communicating with consumers. Millions of people spend hours on social
media daily. It is a missed opportunity to not use that time to engage new
customers and strengthen relationships with loyal consumers. Following this
social media strategy will accomplish Disneyland’s goals.
References
Connolly, B. (2017). Why consumers follow, listen to, and
trust influencers. Olapic. http://www.olapic.com/resources/consumers-follow-listen-trust-influencers_article/
Disney. (n.d.). About the Walt
Disney Company. The Walt Disney Company. https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/
Disneyland. (n.d.). Disneyland
[Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved on August 21, 2021, at https://www.facebook.com/Disneyland/
Disneyland. (n.d.). Disneyland
[Instagram profile]. Instagram. Retrieved on August 21, 2021, at https://www.instagram.com/disneyland/
Herthausen, D., Emrich, O., Grewal,
D., Kipfelsberger, P., & Schoegel, M. (2020). Face forward: How employees’
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Lang, D. (2021, August 21). Attendance
at the Disneyland theme park (Anaheim, California) from 2009 to 2019. Statista.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/236154/attendance-at-the-disneyland-theme-park-california/
Larson,
J., & Draper, S. (2020). Digital
marketing essentials. https://www.stukent.com/
Nafees,
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Pew
Research Center. (2021, April 7). Social media fact sheet. Pew Research.
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/
Statista
Research Department. (2021, January 28). Number of social network users
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Statista
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of users 2021. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/
Statista
Research Department (2021b, August 5). Facebook user share in the United States
2021, by age group. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/187549/facebook-distribution-of-users-age-group-usa/
Yao,
J. (2017). Research on marketing strategy: Case study Disneyland. Advances
in Economics, Business and Management Research, 33(1), 473-481. https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/25887095.pdf
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