Embracing Humor in Marketing: How to Make Your Copy Fun and Engaging

In a world where brands constantly compete for attention, humor can be your secret weapon. Imagine making your audience laugh while also convincing them to choose your product. This article will guide you on how to incorporate humor into your marketing copy, making it more engaging and effective. If you're a marketer, business owner, or copywriter looking to stand out, this guide is for you.

Why Humor Matters in Marketing

Psychological Benefits

Humor isn't just for comedians; it has significant psychological benefits that can enhance your marketing efforts. Studies show that humor activates the brain's reward centers, making people more likely to remember your message. When you make someone laugh, you create a positive association with your brand.

Boosting Conversions

Humor can also improve your conversion rates. For example, an e-commerce store that used funny product descriptions saw a 98% increase in purchase conversions for one item and a 200% increase in add-to-cart actions. When done right, humor can turn casual browsers into loyal customers.

The Five Types of Humor

Understanding the different types of humor can help you identify which style suits your brand:

1. Wholesome and Goofy: Think cat memes and funny animal videos.
2. Low Brow and Crass: This includes jokes about bodily functions and other less sophisticated topics.
3. High Brow and Intellectual: Requires some prior knowledge to understand, like language or math jokes.
4. Dark and Morbid: Humor that deals with grim or taboo subjects.
5. Absurd and Surreal: Completely outlandish and unexpected humor.

How to Identify Your Brand's Sense of Humor

Personal Reflection

Start by reflecting on what you find funny. Do you enjoy wholesome jokes, or do you lean towards dark humor? Your brand's humor should align with your natural inclinations to ensure authenticity.

Audience Preferences

Survey your audience to understand what they find funny. This can help you tailor your humor to resonate with them. For example, a stormwater compliance software company found that 85% of their audience preferred humorous emails.

Where to Use Humor in Your Marketing Funnel

Emails

Emails are a great place to start incorporating humor. Whether it's a welcome email or an abandoned cart reminder, a little humor can make your message more memorable.

Social Media

Social media is another excellent platform for humor. Engaging posts can increase your reach and make your brand more relatable.

Product Descriptions

Don't be afraid to add a touch of humor to your product descriptions. This can make mundane items more interesting and encourage more conversions.

Practical Tips for Writing Humorous Copy

Start with Straight Copy

Write your copy as you normally would, focusing on the key messages and emotions you want to convey. Once you have the basics down, read it out loud and see where you can naturally insert a joke or a funny aside.

Use Specific and Unexpected Endings

Humor often works best when it's specific and unexpected. Instead of saying, "Our product is better," you could say, "Our product is like a unicorn—rare and magical."

Address Objections with Humor

If your audience has common objections, address them humorously. For example, "Worried our product won't work? That's like worrying a fish can't swim."

Real-World Examples

Sprinkler Supply Store

A wholesale supplier of sprinkler parts used a fictional character named Kyle in their abandoned cart emails. The emails humorously depicted Kyle's emotional distress over the abandoned cart, leading to higher engagement and conversions.

Mapistry

Mapistry, an environmental compliance software company, used humor in their landing pages and emails. They even created a landing page called "Retire Spreadsheets," which humorously described taking spreadsheets out behind the barn.

Overcoming Common Fears

Fear of Offending

It's natural to worry about offending your audience. To mitigate this, avoid making jokes about sensitive topics and focus on light-hearted, inclusive humor.

Fear of Not Being Funny

Everyone has a sense of humor, even if they don't realize it. Start small and test your jokes. Over time, you'll get a better sense of what works and what doesn't.

Conclusion

Incorporating humor into your marketing copy can make your brand more engaging and memorable. Start by identifying your brand's sense of humor and gradually introduce it into your emails, social media posts, and product descriptions. With practice, you'll find that humor can be a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal.

Ready to Get Started?

If you're ready to take your marketing to the next level with humor, MentionBrand can help. Our AI-powered tool identifies relevant conversations where your product can add value, helping you draft tailored, humorous responses that increase visibility and lead generation.

Feel free to reach out to us for more tips and strategies on integrating humor into your marketing efforts. Happy writing!