Power Up Your Marketing with Humour

Power Up your Marketing with Humour – Contributed by AndyK Graphic Artist

All the big companies have played marketing jokes on April Fools day. Burger King announced the Left Handed Whopper and Richard Branson said he was buying Pluto to reinstate it as a planet. There was even a bacon flavoured mouthwash suggested. But is there a place for humour in the rest of your marketing? If you’re looking to engage customers in an impactful way with a small budget, using a well-timed joke might make all the difference.

According to a recent Nielsen study, 80% of the public are more likely to remember adverts that make them laugh. If you know what humour strategy you’re using and who your audience is, why not entertain your customers instead of using the hard sell?

Why use humour in marketing?

So can you use humour in your industry? What are the benefits of using humour in your advertising?

• The first most obvious reason is it grabs the attention of your audience, while your competitors are sending exactly the same message in the same way.
• It lowers the default “sceptic” mode that all audiences have in relation to advertisements. If your audience finds themselves laughing with you, they’ll be more open to hearing your marketing message.
• When your audience is laughing with you, they feel more connected and your brand will appear more relatable.
• And finally, humour leads to sharing. Think about it, when was the last time your saw or heard something funny and had to tell a friend? They might be sharing the joke – but when branded well – they are also sharing your message.

Follow the rules

There are marketing rules to using humour in your marketing, as long as you mind them, you can get started on your campaign.

• Look at your demographic. Aim your humour at your audience or it will fall flat or may offend.
• Keep it simple and don’t force it. Come up with something relevant that your audience will find legitimately funny.
• Identify with your brand. Going too far off topic might win you laughs, but it has to gain you customers.
• Test it on a small audience first. What you find funny may not be reflected by the masses. You don’t need to get everyone laughing, but you do want there to be a majority.

The final word

You don’t have to be a stand up comedian to add some humour into your marketing campaign. You don’t need your audience to roll on the floor laughing, or even for your advert to go viral. If you can get them to smile and “get it”, then that’s enough. They’ll remember you.

If you can win your audience over with simple humour, you’re a step closer to making genuine connections and they are more likely to explore your product/service.

Thanks for reading ‘Power Up your Marketing with Humour’ courtesy of AndyK Graphic Artist, you can visit AndyK in the WBA Member Directory