Marketing guru Seth Godin says the best way to market your brand is humor. First, he says, is finding out what makes people laugh and then attempting to make that happen in a marketing context. If you aren’t funny yourself, hire someone funnier than you are! I’m typically not that humorous when I create material. Because I don’t get along with written humor, I stick to actual, meaty content that helps my readers solve issues and reach marketing objectives. But I’m aware that a sense of humor is essential.
Some of you who are reading this essay is amusing. You have a flair for making people laugh with your material. That s fantastic, and I’m here to tell you so. Humo may be a very effective technique. Have you noticed that a growing number of companies are using comedy in their marketing these days? A few brands that spring to mind include Old Spice, Geico, and Dollar Shave Club. There’s a rationale for this pattern, after all. Humo is popular. That s why, if you’re able to include comedy into your writing, I congratulate you. In many circumstances, making your audience laugh is the key to gaining their trust, increasing brand equity, and establishing a sense of authenticity. There’s even empirical research to back up the attractiveness of comedy. Niel en did a comprehensive study to determine which marketing topics appeal to a worldwide audience the most.
The following is a list of how advertising appeal varies throughout the globe.
As you can see, comedy is most popular among European and North American audiences, with 51 percent and 50 percent, respectively. So, t the very least, including humor in your campaign should help you get the support of half of your target demographic.
Using comedy to catapult your marketing:
What is it about comedy that makes it so effective?
There are three primary reasons, in my opinion, why comedy succeeds. First, it p shes individuals to reduce their defenses in the first place. Let’s be honest. When it comes to ads, many people are dubious. It’s not hard to understand why. Beca uses we’re so accustomed to being bombarded with advertisements, and we tend to tune out their messages. Because it takes people off guard, humor works wonderfully. It’s as if you smacked them in the face with a right punch. They find themselves giggling out loud, delighted by the absurdity of the scenario. As a result, their cynicism is frequently reduced, and they are more receptive to hearing your marketing message. Seco d, using comedy to connect with your audience is an option. Humo has been proven to be a natural social bonding tool in several studies.
…laughing has evolutionary properties that enhance group bonding and shield us from physical and psychological distress, in addition to playing a vital role in social and nonverbal communication. Taught it another way, comedy draws people closer together and may help your business become more relevant to its target audience. Laughter often leads to sharing. Cons der that for a moment. What are some of the most popular social media posts? Crazy cat videos and stupid memes are examples. Take, for instance, Grumpy Cat, Condescending Wonka, and First World Problems.
If someone finds something that makes them laugh, there’s a good chance they’ll tell their friends about it. Likewise, Ahu’s or-infused content marketing strategy may go viral if you play your cards well.
Creating a level playing field.
Humor, in my view, is a beautiful equalizer and can bridge the gap between tiny businesses and their much bigger competitors. Take, for example, Dollar Shave Club. This is a small business that specializes in razor blades and shaving supplies. It’s a drop in the bucket in the shaving market, and it competes against giants like Gillette, Remington, and Bic. But they’ve managed to carve out a decent niche for themselves, with a net worth of $615 million as of mid-2015. It’s not bad. I will be ever that one of the main reasons for Dollar Shave Club’s success is its sense of humor. Profound te the fact that they lacked the large budgets of their corporate opponents, they knew how to use comedy to catch their audience’s attention. “Our blades are f**king fantastic” is one of their most famous slogans. Am I insulting to certain people? Probably.
What’s more, guess what? It w s crushed by the corporation. This commercial has been seen over 23.5 million times on YouTube as of October 2016. This only demonstrates that even small businesses facing enormous obstacles can get a piece of the pie (and more) by including comedy into their content marketing. Let’s talk about how you can utilize humor to boost your campaign now that we’ve established why it works.
It all begins with your target market.
Humor is a very personal experience. What may seem amusing to a teenager may be unpleasant to a person in their sixties. As a result, it’s vital that you completely comprehend your target audience and devise a strategy that they’ll find genuinely amusing. You’ l need a compelling viewpoint that will reach its target. You don’t want your message to come out as highly unpleasant, obnoxious, or unappealing. Obvi us, this isn’t going to help your brand’s image. The trick is to think of a unique standpoint that your target audience would like. You don’t have to please everyone, but it’s critical to generate (or select) the proper hilarious material that people will remember.
The use of humor should be consistent with your brand’s image.
Another critical factor in the effectiveness of comedy marketing is authenticity. It m st represents the essence of your brand. Let’s take another look at Dollar Shave Club. Their humor may be described as edgy, direct, and non-conservative. They don’t fit the mold of standard razor blade providers, and that’s great with them. In f act, they revel in their bold and brassy demeanor. That s why their advertising with a sense of humor is so effective. People e have reacted warmly to the advertising, which is precisely aligned with their company identity. To s summarize, you must first determine who you’re attempting to target and then fit your content with your brand. If you can accomplish these two goals, your chances of success will skyrocket.
Maintain a straightforward approach.
Your comedy will likely miss the point if it is elaborate and intricate. It’ll be its potency as soon as it has to be explained. People shouldn’t have to think about it too much, to put it another way. It s ould be self-evident why this is amusing. If you want your message to be heard, keeping it short and to the point is the best approach.
What sort of humor is effective?
Making a joke or a snarky remark about anything may be the most basic approach to eliciting laughs. Take, for example, this sarcastic blog article from The Onion.
This is a mockery of the 2016 presidential candidates evident to most people, e. It’s not difficult to figure out, and it’s rather amusing g. In reality, The Onion is a master of satire—humor is built into the very structure of the publication n. This is a beautiful site to check out if you’re seeking ideas on how to be amusing in a friendly, refined Mann r. Anot er alternative is to go for a more laid-back, tongue-in-cheek lo k. Perh ps you utilize ridiculous visuals or caustic pop culture allusions to pique your audience’s interest and build a relationship p. Anot er example from Wait But Why this time was mocking the presidential election.
Notice how their content’s simplicity, as well as their hilarious hand-drawn artwork, quickly connects with readers. Going this path usually needs a bit more thought than just making a joke or remark, but it may have a considerable effect when done well. A third option is to make your audience laugh out loud. This is when you develop stuff over the top and take folks off a surprise. Again, it’s a simple strategy that doesn’t need much thinking or effort t. It’s all about going beyond and being so ludicrous that others can’t help but notice e. Skit les’ “taste the rainbow” advertisements are a fantastic example of a corporation that accomplishes this successful y. Most of their adverts are pretty bizarre, such as an adolescent admitting to having “Skittlespox.”
Last but not the least
To infuse comedy into your content marketing, keep in mind that you don’t have to be a standup comedian. You don’t have to make your audience laugh uncontrollably. Most of the time, all you have to do is get them to grin and “get it.” That is all there is to teach. It’s essential to keep things basic while being genuine and personable, e. If you can win them over with humor, you’ll be able to establish a real relationship, and they’ll be more willing to investigate your product or service.
Conclusion
When it comes to content marketing, humor is no laughing matter. It has the potential to be robust and help you win the hearts of your audience. There’s even direct evidence that humor can propel a small, no-name firm into the highest tier of its sector, enabling it to compete in ways that would otherwise be unthinkable. However, to reap the benefits of this strategy, you must do your study and devise a process that enables you to strike the sweet sp t. You may accomplish some very significant objectives by using the appropriate approach, such as creating valuable rapport, improving your brand’s reputation, and producing many leads by taking the proper method.