Be Funny, Sell More

The great 19th Century Irish playwright and humorist Oscar Wilde uttered these last words: “Either this wallpaper goes, or I do.” Why some adventerous wallpaper company hasn’t used this is beyond me, but it does go to illustrate the reality that humor sells. Humor effectively disarms people, often by getting them to view your point in a way they hadn’t thought of before, and initiates rapport where you might have had a tough time creating with your latest PowerPoint filed with facts. Art Linkletter told us that laughter is the best medicine, and he was spot on. It could be the cure for what ails your company too! Let’s take a look at 4 ways to use humor in your small business marketing.

4 easy ways to use humor in your small business marketing!

Take advantage of pop culture - This is a generation that has mostly left the evening news favoring the likes of Jon Stewart, Steven Colbert and the other late night mavens that have built careers around the daily misfortunes of celebrities, sports stars and politicians. It’s all fair game, so don’t be afraid to use your share if you’re able to find ways to make it humorous. Getting the audience smiling and in a good spirits right from the start can go quite some distance toward helping to build rapport with them.

Make humorous videos - It takes only a few moments on YouTube for enough evidence to persuade anyone that a funny video gets tons of eyeballs! Even the lamest concept, delivered in a quirky way will get views and be shared widely. It doesn’t take a degree in cinema to accomplish it either. Many just shoot them using their cell phone, o if you want to go all the way, use an app like GoAnimate or Xtranormal to create quick and visually interesting animated videos.

Create funny memes - Who hasn’t come across these on Facebook and other social sites? Incorporating this idea with the millions of users on sites like Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr is a recipe for ridiculous traffic numbers.

Use humor in your content - Don’t be shy when it comes to getting a little edgy in your content. The payoff will likely be that folks will see you as more like them, and not just some stodgy firm bent on selling them something. The better you connect on a shared (and funny!) level, the better people will like you and share your posts.