Negosentro|Content Marketing: 4 Tips for Using Humor| shared from Inbound Marketing Blog |Have you ever read a funny article or seen an advertisement that made you laugh out loud and created a lasting impression of the brand in your mind? When applying humor to content marketing, this combination is the ultimate goal, but more often than not, messaging is tossed to the wayside in favor of comedy — creating an imbalance between message and wit. For content marketers, humor can act as a seemingly effortless segue or introduction, bring excitement to an otherwise typically dull subject and break the ice with readers or it can fade an entire campaign’s message in a matter of seconds. Before attempting to crack a joke in your brand’s or business’ marketing content, there are a few major points to consider.
When executed properly, humor can instantly connect you with your readers and keep them coming back for more. So, if you think your audience can handle a few laughs, and it’s big returns you’re after, take a look at these 4 tips for using humor in your brand’s content marketing.
1. Know your audience.
When throwing humor into the mix, knowing your audience — especially what irks your customers — is a great starting point. How can you do it? Point out a hardship, make fun of it and use this as a segue into how your product or service can solve or alleviate that annoyance. But remember, if you’re pulling funnies be sure your product can back it up!
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2. Be relevant.
Jokes are most funny when they poke fun at real events and situations, so it’s only right that a non-cheesy (and preferably mold-free!) tie-in to the product or business service would resonate best with readers.
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3. Execution. Execution. Execution.
Have you ever heard that the key to telling a good joke is all in the delivery? Well, the same rule applies when it comes to writing. Placement, wording, punctuation and supporting graphics can all aid in making or breaking your funny. If you’re not sure your delivery is on point, run the piece by a few folks in your target audience. Their reactions will be all you need to knowing if you hit the jackpot.
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4. Achieve the 3 R’s.
Creating a positive and lasting impression of your brand should be your goal with any content marketing efforts, not humor (but a good laugh is an extra bonus!). The rule of thumb is to deliver your message in a way that is just funny enough to achieve the 3 R’s from your readers – receive, remember and respond.
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When it comes to humor remember that it’s all about perspective, both the marketer’s and the consumer’s, so when a brand attempts to use humor it needs to be used carefully in order not to offend or come off as unprofessional banter that can sometimes mask the message. The next time you’re developing a business marketing plan or brand campaign, think about these four simple tips on how to use appropriate, relevant humor to ignite your message.
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