3 WAYS DISNEY PLUS AND NETFLIX ARE SUCCEEDING AND FAILING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Streaming services have learned to use social media to reach a broader and engaged audience, but until they learn to adopt all of the best practices available, they are not completely satisfying their customers. Disney Plus and Netflix are two brands who effectively use social media to market their products. Both brands are falling short of what they could do. A comparison of Twitter and Facebook practices of Netflix and Disney Plus shows what they do well, and what they can improve.

1. Post The Right Content

Disney Plus: My classmate Nicole noted that Disney Plus does a good job of frequently posting videos on Facebook (and you can read about this and other Facebook best practices on her blog). Disney Plus does a good job of diversifying the content they upload, as well as posting clips of their shows and movies. Gabby Frost mentions in her blog post, Disney Plus’s Twitter practices, that another example of this best practice is the use of memes and other Twitter joke trends. Disney Plus effectively works the content while it’s still relevant. Another practice that Disney Plus executes well is the use of emojis. Which Disney Plus employs effectively on all platforms, without overdoing it.

Netflix: Hannah Jordan wrote on her blog, that when it comes to posting actual content, Netflix hits a homerun. It offers entirely different content on its Facebook and Twitter platforms. Best practices suggest that exclusive content on every platform is the goal. On Twitter, Netflix provides a variety of images, gifs, memes, and retweeted content that is not repeated on Facebook. Their Facebook page likes to focus on trailers that have a stronger chance of circulating on that platform.

2. Post Appropriate Number of Times Per Week 

Disney Plus: Nicole also found that Disney Plus posts on Facebook almost every day of the week, with Thursday and Friday posts often highlighting new content for the coming weekend, although they do not follow a regular schedule or time of day. This suggests that they do not use a scheduler to arrange their posts. It is an area that Disney Plus does well, but could possibly improve. According to Gabby, Disney Plus generally posts between noon and 8 pm, and spaces out their tweets if doing a thread. Disney Plus’ Twitter feed is consistent with their other social media platforms, supporting the content posted elsewhere. However, they could increase the frequency of their daily tweets and be even more effective.

Netflix: Hannah credits Netflix’s Twitter and Facebook platforms with the best practice of posting at ideal times. Both platforms feature content between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m, which enhances consumer engagement. People know that they are guaranteed content when they log on during that time period, whether they go on Facebook or Twitter.

3. Engage Your Followers

Disney Plus: According to “7 Steps to an Effective Facebook Marketing Strategy” by Sprout Social, engaging with your audience is key to creating a sense of community and driving engagement. Surprisingly, Disney Plus does not respond to comments on their page (positive or negative). Social media is increasingly becoming the primary point for customer support and Disney Plus will have to improve going forward. Otherwise, they risk consumer resentment for lack of engagement, as well as the unfortunate visual of negative comments posted and ignored. Disney Plus also needs to improve in the Twitter department, according to Gabby. They reply to almost none of 5000 tweets. Disney Plus has a customer service account where people can message someone about account issues, and that is promising, but there is a lack of engagement with anyone else. If Disney Plus interacted with more people, their presence on Twitter would be more effective.

Netflix: Hannah determined that Netflix does not utilize Twitter to respond to its audience. Whereas Twitter is often the leading platform for businesses to respond to customer complaints and overall feedback to customers, that is not the case with Netflix. Although Netflix is excellent at responding with retweets and likes for positive posts, it fails to respond to negative comments. Community engagement is crucial, and Netflix should use Facebook to respond to its audience. Unfortunately, it does not. Hootsuite explains that a brand has to respond to all comments, and promptly, in order to be considered a brand that utilizes best practices.

Who Wins?

Disney Plus is new to the streaming world, and has embraced many best practices quickly and effectively right out of the gate. Disney Plus and Netflix have strong performance in social media content and frequency, but both fall short in responding to negative comments, and that may affect their consumer engagement. Because Disney Plus is the newcomer, it is less likely to lose customers who may wait until the company gets its bugs worked out. However, Netflix runs the risk of losing customers who might wander to Disney Plus when their complaints and questions are not handled!

Disney Plus and Netflix are both companies that have adopted some of the best practices suggested for social media brand promotion. Both brands use Twitter and Facebook to their advantage by posting appropriate and varied content, and by doing so frequently and at times that generate the most interest. However, Disney Plus and Netflix do not demonstrate best practices with respect to customer engagement. Consumers do have valid concerns and complaints, and companies must respond to them if they want to attract a loyal audience and maintain market share. People want to know that someone is listening to their complaints, and they want help when they need it. I urge both brands to develop strategies for using social media to respond to customers. That will help both to reach an even greater level of success.

Thanks for reading my blog! Please share any ideas about social media best practices, or even about your experiences with Netflix and Disney Plus.