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Posted on November 5th, 2019
Delivering An Experience
Don’t worry, this article is not filled with terrible puns and play-on-word jokes that fall flat. This will be a very dry and purely informational article for you to understand how humor (or the Ha-Ha’s as I like to call it) can lead to a boost in sales and get your brand in the hearts and minds of the market and beyond.
Comedy is often underutilized in selling, yet everyone can see where humor sells. Some of the most well known commercials were remembered not because of the product or brand, but because the product or brand was affiliated with that memorable commercial. Take a look at some of these examples for humor that persists in delivering an experience to the consumer.
In this article, we’ll go over some key tips in utilizing humor for your brand and your business. As a beginning tip, humor isn't everyone's talent, so if you want humor, be sure to get in touch with successful agencies and companies in utilizing humor in their branding or products/services. One of the most advantageous uses of humor in advertisement or branding is to make your brand unique among your competitors, especially if you're a newer company and are relatively unknown in the industry. If you're an entrepreneur, part of a startup, or just have a business that wants to gain relevance in the online world (and boost those e-commerce sales), humor is a perfect tool to use to your professional advantage.
Find Your Brand’s Target Format
Find the type of humor that consumers remember and one that links the joke to your brand. Out of place humor that does not relate to your target market will be a waste of your time. Know your demographics and what your demographics want. A younger audience will be more in-tune with an organic meme or a short video clip about your brand, whereas an older audience will be more apt at digesting a relevant television commercial.
(Video) Content Is King
Anyone worth their salt in using humor will use video content to its fullest extent. Humor can work through audio and written formats, but nothing gathers attention like a funny video. That’s why the term viral appeared. It’s easy to digest and easily shared, making it an explosive tool in reaching out to consumers.
This isn’t to say that you should only use video content to sell your brand to the world. Humorous blogs, clever product descriptions, and funny ad campaigns are other ways to go, but remember that when it comes to being funny, you can only be as funny as the content you’re putting out. So be sure that there is content to be digested, and people across the internet will be more likely to share what your brand and business have to say.
What sound does a cat make when it sneezes? Ach-mew! (I tried.)
Make Laughs; Don’t Offend
It’s helpful to be funny, but it’s destructive to be offensive. It almost goes without saying, but take a second look at the humor you’re creating for your target market and ensure you aren’t dabbling into humor that will be perceived as harmful to people. In today’s ever connected world, an offensive joke can and will be remembered forever until your business or brand deals with the situation (and even that’s not a guarantee). Altogether it’s better to avoid the strategy of being controversial, unless you’re prepared to have it follow your business for a generation.
If you’re not sure whether your joke can be taken the wrong way, do a test run of the humor. Show your ad, commercial, blog post, or whatever content you have prepared to others. If they’re raising eyebrows, then you know it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
This Is The Part Where White Label Comes In
Did you know you can use White Label to inject humor into your product or service? Labeling your product or service with some humor is an easy and effective way of grabbing the attention of shoppers, whether online or traditional retail. Take a look at these examples of labeling to get some ideas on how you can use your product’s appearance to grab the consumers’ eye:
65 Of The Funniest Product Instructions And Tags
Looks good, yes? No? Well...
You get my point. By taking advantage of the possibilities of white label, you can form a healthy marriage between labeling and adding humor to your product or service for the consumer. There are even companies like White Label Comedy that will help craft humorous campaigns for your brand and business, which will allow you to not have to flex your funny skills so hard to come up with catchy or witty content for your customers.
Just Remember: Humor Is Only A Tool
Avoid being a Joker (he is a villain after all). Don’t fall into the trap of creating the absolute perfect content for your target market. You can end up turning humor from an asset into a liability. Do not pander to your market in trying to become its main source of comedy. At the end of the day you are still a business or brand trying to build up sales and increase brand exposure.
Humor is a tool, and it’s primary reason for using it is to build a relationship with our customers. People enjoy buying from brands and companies they like, and when used effectively, humor is one of the best forms of content to build trust and brand loyalty to our markets.
If you want to read further on the relationship between selling and humor, be sure to check out these articles we used to help craft this article full of enthralling material:
7 Classic Examples of How to Use Humor To Sell - published by SocialTalent
The CMO’s Guide To Using Humor In Marketing - written by Steve Olenski, published by Forbes