5 reasons to ‘Like’ the Oreo Facebook Page

Dozens of interesting tweets about Oreo’s Facebook marketing efforts emerged from the “Managing a Global Social Platform” presentation at the School of WOM conference this morning (LiveWorld is an event sponsor). And with good reason: Oreo is taking a thoughtful and strategic approach to connecting with its fans.

From a marketing point of view, here are 5 components of the Oreo Facebook Page that I particularly “Like”:

1. “Fan of the Week.” The brand uses prime space on its Wall to honor a brand advocate, working a photo of the fan into an updated profile image and then publishing a related status update.  And by inviting fans to post photos for consideration as a future “Fan of the Week,” Oreo also builds EdgeRank affinity.

2. Focus on engagement. Oreo wants, first and foremost, to drive fan participation with its Wall posts. Status updates include good questions, clever rhymes and puns, and fill in the blanks. The tactic moves fans to like and comment in droves, meaning even greater exposure for these posts across more fans’ News Feeds.

3. Playful attitude. Eating cookies is fun(!), and Oreo taps into that feeling over and over on Facebook. Wall posts and photos are written in a light, upbeat, and carefree tone that befits the brand.

4. No sales overkill. Oreo stays away from the annoying “buy, buy, buy!” approach to Facebook marketing that brands often fall into. The cookie maker includes only occasional mentions of sales at retail outlets, and even those are done tastefully (pun intended!).

5. Visually compelling landing tab with participatory call to action. The landing tab for brand-new Facebook fans is a reflection of the successful elements mentioned above.  The tab establishes that fun, playful tone at the outset and offers a straightforward invitation to get involved on the Wall.

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This post is part on ongoing “31 Days of Facebook Marketing” series from LiveWorld, a social media agency that offers moderation, insight, and community programming Facebook services for Fortune 1000 brands.