Add Humor to Marketing to Make it More Effective

Most sales pros know it is easier to sell to customers when they have established a good rapport. And there’s no better way to break the ice than to make people smile or laugh. They let down their guard and become much more open. This not only works in sales, but in marketing as well. Your company becomes relatable and your brand becomes more memorable when the audience connects through humor. Furthermore, a little amusement can go a long way in setting the stage for building your customers' trust.

How can marketers add humor to their marketing communications and make it more effective?

Use humor for better positioning:

If you target local audiences with a narrow focus, you have the advantage of communicating to prospects that have similar demographic profiles (e.g., florists, mechanics, grocery stores, etc.) and who are all likely to understand your references. This enables you to build relationships by using “insider” humor. Positioning yourself as an industry insider is a powerful way to build credibility and authority in your niche. When you make existing customers laugh, it can help position your brand as the “fun” or “futuristic” alternative to stodgy competition. This is an amusing way to attract summer travelers to book trips through Eurostar.

 

Add a dash of personality for better website engagement:

Most business websites are used to announce products, prices and contact details. But if you think back to the news this morning, what you remember are likely to be the most sensational or funny stories. Despite this, most companies don’t use humor on their websites. That’s why it is no wonder that most business sites are detached, uninspiring and without personality. A dash of laughter can make your content and your brand real rather than a faceless, corporate machine driven only by numbers. MailChimp got the 2013 A Site to See Award for Best Website. They incorporate humor in almost everything they do. Through Freddie, the animated MailChimp monkey mascot, the company has added some mischief to a product category not known for much of anything.