“Have you heard this one?
"I have to breakup with
you. We've connected on so many platforms-Facebook and Twitter-but I just don't
feel Linkedin." - Derek Kessinger
The funny bone can be a
fickle thing. Writing jokes is hard work. But if you have a gift for humor,
your marketing campaigns will be better. Why? "Laughter is a universal
language and one of our first communication methods," writes Angie Pascale
of ClickZ. "Before we had spoken or written language, humans used laughter
to express our enjoyment or accession with a certain situation."
I'm sure you've noticed that
funny memes and witty hashtags are popular. Most viral content is funny. There
is even study to prove it. Its results state that "humor was employed at
near unanimous levels for all viral advertisements. Consequently, this study
identified humor as the universal appeal for making content viral."
So, brand benefit one: Funny
content gets shared more on social media. But what else does humor get you as
social media marketer?
Joke
from Hootsuite post:
An
elderly grandma is on her death bed. She leans over to her granddaughter,
knowing that death must be close, and says, "I want to leave you my farm.
That includes the villa, the tractor and other equipment, the farmhouse and
$22,398,750.78 in cash."
The
granddaughter, about to become rich, says, "Oh Grandma you are so
generous. I didn't even know you had a farm. Where is it?" With her last
breath, she whispered, "Facebook."
Jokes trigger positive emotional and psychological responses
One of the most effective
ways to market is to evoke emotion.
People feel good when they
are laughing. It releases endorphins, relaxes the body, boosts the immune system
and helps to relieve stress. If you want your customers to associate good
feelings with your brand, make 'em laugh.
"Facebook
CEO Mark Zuckerberg held a press conference to announce that if you post one
more picture of your cat sleeping, they're going to delete your account."
-Jimmy Kimmel
Make your brand memorable with humor
According to Pascale,
research shows that just 42% of positive experiences are forgotten, while 60%
of negative experiences fade from memory.
Think about what TV ads you
remember. You don't remember stuff that is dull, certainly. The funny ones,
right? Little kid Darth Vader? The one where the wind is personified and
everyone hates him?
"Facebook
has been redesigned and it now contains a real-time news ticker. Every update
says, 'Breaking news: You're screwing around at work.'" -Conan O'Brien
Laughter brings people together
"Laughter is
social," writes Pascale. People laugh 30 times more when they are with
other people than when alone, according to Professor Robert R. Provine of the
University of Maryland Baltimore County.
"Laughter eases tension
and forms a sense of unity through groups," writes Pascale. "Get your
Facebook fans or Twitter followers laughing, and you'll be helping to establish
a sense of community and building connections with your brand and amongst your
fans and followers."
"Facebook:
What's on your mind? ... Twitter: What's happening? ... Myspace: Where did
everybody go?" - Will Ferrell
What people find funny provides audience insights
What is humor exactly? Why
are some things funny? Peter McGraw, director of the Humor Research Lab and
author of the Humor Code, says that "funny" is the intersection of
benign and violation.
If something is benign, it's
not going to be funny. Washing the dishes. Setting your alarm clock. Rabbits.
Boring and benign.
If something is a violation,
it's also not going to be funny. An insult. A scary point of view on the world.
"But that sweet spot
between everyday and offensive, that's where funny happens," writes
Pascale. Setting your alarm clock for insults. Rabbits with a scary point of
view on the world. Funny?
Figuring
out that sweet spot will tell you a lot about the values and desires of your
audience.”
SOURCE:
SocialMediaToday
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