A few weeks ago I went on vacation to Florida. The first stop of the trip was in Orlando where we spent the day in Disney and, in addition to having a blast, saw firsthand why the Walt Disney Company is so successful. They often say that the devil is in the details, and Disney, hits on all the little things keeps people extremely happy and engaged.

It was truly inspirational and businesses of all sizes can learn from it.

Hook ‘em early

Disney does a great job of hooking visitors early in two major ways.  The first is that once you land in the Orlando airport there are no fewer than three Disney-themed stores and character statues to take pictures with. Plus, they offer discounted park tickets in the airport. For anyone heading to town without a pre-planned package this can be a steal.  Second, the theme park is geared around famous movies and cartoon characters which children love. With that audience, Disney is able to do something that was banned for companies like Marlboro – they directly market to kids. Think about it, how geeked out is a seven-year old girl when she hears she can have breakfast with the princesses?

Live the brand

The staff at the parks makes sure to give visitors an experience that is truly magical. It may be the one place where you won’t see a pissed off employee. I Interaction with patrons is encouraged. I am a big fan of the pin trade program where kids can trade pins with a staff member with a sash of flair that would make the Bobs blush. When we were there we also saw staff members making a hopscotch game with some kids who were looking bored. During our trip, the park was celebrating Halloween. Even though it was well before the actual pagan holiday, characters and staff lived the day as if it were time to yell trick or treat.

Soup to nuts merchandising

One thing that stood out more than anything to me was that every ride was merchandised from start to finish. When you go into a ride, even the line is an experience so you don’t realize that you are waiting as long as you are. I really wish that the lighting was better and there was less noise because it ruined the video post that I had planned.

Perhaps the best ride experience is the Haunted Mansion where riders are taken through a mini-theatrical performance before going on the five minute ride. Now, while tricking people into thinking the wait was 10 minutes rather than 70 minutes is one thing, the real genius of the Disney effect comes at the tail end of the ride where visitors are sold to twice. The first is immediately getting off the ride where you can purchase a picture of your group followed up by exiting through the gift shop. Now I was with a group of three other adults so we didn’t buy anything, but we sure as hell played around with things. (Disclosure: I love gift shops)

End on a high-note

On any given night, you can literally expect to end your Disney experience with a bang. Each night, the parks offer a fireworks extravaganza that wraps up the magical experience for kids and kids-at-heart. During our trip, we were pleasantly surprised to know that Disney was hosting a wine and food festival in Epcot. So instead of ending our day with the fireworks show, we decided to partake in foods and sprits from around the world. So while we didn’t experience the fireworks, our group still left on a high note and a great Disney experience.

At the end of the day there is only one Disney. I am not expecting a company to replicate what they do, but their methodology is something that all companies can take a look at and borrow some tactics for a better overall customer experience.

Do you think that you could see your brand or favorite company adopting some of Walt’s magic?

What is social media? What can it do for me? How can I become an active participant?

All three are probably questions that you should know the answer to if you are looking to enter the Social Sphere, either as an individual to comment and network or as a company looking to engage with your customer base. Granted, the answers come with time, but you should have an idea in place as you take the leap into this realm.

I for one first went into the space as a skeptic, not knowing whether or not it was a fad, trend or a mix of both destined to go the way of MySpace (yes it still exists).  After dipping my toes in, I am glad to say that I was wrong and have since become an an advocate, active user and company monitor for brand, reputation and trademark purposes. All that I can say about it is what a difference a year makes.

While I have been very video-happy lately, I can’t help but passing this one along from my good friend Bob Cargill (& here) that dives into my initial three unanswered questions along with some others that you should consider. Give it a look and enjoy.

Have you answered the questions? Why are you in the social sphere?