Be a Social Media DJ

WITH MORE THAN 12 MILLION fans, it’s safe to say that Oreo must be doing something very right with its Facebook presence. Sure, it helps that your product is also a cultural icon and Shaq is one of your spokespeople, but you still need to do the work.

Beth Reilly, who oversees the Kraft team responsible for the Oreo page, said at the recent BlogWell conference that a key part of her strategy is treating Facebook more like TV and less like the Web:

“Facebook is the new TV,” she said. “Facebook is our new background noise — it’s always on. And where a brand URL was once the place to go for brand communications, fans more and more look to Facebook as the de facto place to find information about the brands they love.”

It’s a fair point. But as she goes on to explain, the Oreo Facebook strategy is also built around providing information and entertainment to fans, not so much sales and promotions.

In other words, the site has a “voice” — and that voice is more akin to radio than television.

Like TV, radio can be enjoyed as “background noise.” But radio was at its emotional best when DJ’s ruled the airwaves. DJs understood the needs of the audience and did their best to inform and entertain them.

Isn’t this what a good social media manager does?

A television program director fills the funnel and keeps the engine running — he is beholden to the content providers. A DJ is beholden to the audience, engaging in dialogue while letting the fans also drive the show.

So don’t treat your social channels like television or static “background noise.” Have a voice and get involved.

Be a social media DJ.