How Humour Marketing Can Work for Any Industry

In an era where digital content is king, leveraging humour through funny clips, posts, and comments has become a universally effective strategy to engage audiences. Surprisingly, this trend transcends traditional entertainment sectors and has proven its worth even in the most unexpected industries.

A recent example of this can be seen through Leeds’s Royal Armouries Museum TikTok account. An on-the-surface serious institution that managed to hook an entire audience of previously unfamiliar youngsters.

The video series followed the museum’s elderly curator, who incorporated a Gen Z vocabulary to talk viewers through some of the museum's top attractions. The out-of-place nature of this proved to be very entertaining for younger TikTok viewers, who were so entertained that they made it a mission to see the museum for themselves.

Unsurprisingly, other museums and similar institutions capitalised on this trend and were also well-received, particularly by locals.

Through this example, it’s clear that entertaining and relatable social media clips should not be dismissed as just a lazy awareness exploit but should instead be considered a viable marketing strategy for all industries.

So just why is humour marketing so successful and what are the best practices?

The Science Behind Humour in Marketing

We already know that when it comes to brand awareness, facets like logos, slogans, and sounds have a psychological impact on our brains. People recognise Coca-Cola instantly by their font, and people immediately know McDonald’s by their iconic sound jingle. Really, humour is no different.

When we encounter humorous content, our brains release endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. This not only elevates our mood but also creates a positive association with the brand that delivered the humour.

By integrating humour marketing, brands can forge a stronger connection with their audiences. This connection not only makes the immediate marketing message more engaging and memorable, but it also increases the likelihood that the audience will recall the brand favourably in the future.

Some brands like Curry’s are so involved with their humorous content that alongside their primary recognition as a leading tech-company, people recognise them as a source of entertainment on social media.

Best Practices for Humour Marketing Content

1. Be Realistic

If there’s one thing to take away from this blog, it’s that there’s no straight path to success when it comes to humour on social media. Whilst capitalising on trends proves time and time again to be successful, they don’t last forever. The last thing you want to do is try and jump on a trend that has been left behind for months.

In an ideal world, you’d be the one setting the trends, but even keeping on top of what’s popular can have a profound impact on your business’s social media presence.

2. Don’t JUST Know Your Current Audience

As we mentioned before, funny clips on social media can be a gateway to introducing new demographics to your business and offerings. Therefore, if you’re a long-running business that has previously maintained an audience of people aged 35-65+, but are wanting to expand to younger audiences, don’t create content that you think will work for 35–65-year-olds.

Instead, keep an eye out on what’s trending among your desired audience. After-all, in the case of TikTok 36% of users are aged 18-24, so the chances are if you’re using it in the first place, you’re mainly going to be marketing to that group of users.

Understanding what they find funny, and what may offend them is crucial. Conduct audience research through surveys, social media listening, and engagement metrics to gauge their preferences and humour tolerance. This information will guide the tone and style of the humour that will best resonate with them.

3. Experiment and Learn 

The path to mastering humour in your content is paved with trial and error. Start small with experimental posts and gauge the response they receive. Use these insights to refine your strategy progressively.

4. Steer Clear of Controversy 

While edgy humour can attract attention, it’s a high-risk strategy that can alienate or offend parts of your audience. It’s safer and often more effective to use inclusive humour that uplifts rather than divides. Avoid jokes that might be interpreted as insensitive or offensive, keeping your brand’s humour clean and welcoming.

5. Maintain Consistency 

This one is key: consistency in your humour helps build a brand personality that audiences can relate to and anticipate in your communications. Whether it’s a recurring character, a specific style of joke, or a unique format, having a consistent element in your humour helps strengthen your brand’s voice and deepen audience engagement.

If you can see a popularity trend in your content, milk it for all it’s worth! Obviously, don’t let it spin out of control to the point that your viewers become exhausted, but where possible, don’t let success be a one time hit.

Tools and Platforms for Crafting and Distributing Humorous Content

Whether you’re looking to generate memes or edit funny videos, there’s likely a tool out there that can help. Here’s a rundown of some essential tools and the best platforms for sharing your humorous content:

1. Content Creation Tools

• Canva: Ideal for creating memes and graphics, Canva offers a user-friendly interface and a vast library of templates.

• Adobe Spark: Another great option for creating graphics and short videos, offering professional-level design options.

• Giphy: Perfect for finding and creating GIFs that can add humour to your posts without the need for long-form video.

• InVideo: This tool is excellent for those looking to create more detailed and customised funny videos without extensive video editing experience.

2. Platforms for Distribution

• TikTok: Currently the leader in short, viral video content, TikTok is the prime spot for humorous videos, especially if you're targeting a younger audience.

• Instagram: Great for memes, funny clips, and stories. Instagram’s diverse content formats like Reels, Stories, and Posts allow for creative flexibility.

• Twitter: The platform’s fast-paced nature makes it ideal for witty, topical humour that aligns with current trends and discussions.

• Facebook: With its vast user base, Facebook is suitable for sharing funny content that appeals to a broader demographic.

Metrics of Success

Evaluating the effectiveness of humour marketing goes beyond mere chuckles and passing laughs. It involves assessing tangible metrics that demonstrate how well the humour resonates with audiences and supports broader marketing goals. Below are the key metrics that can help gauge the success of your humour marketing content:

1. Engagement Rates

• Likes, Comments, and Shares: High levels of these interactions often indicate that the content is resonating well with the audience.

• Hashtags Performance: If you are using specific hashtags with your humorous content, their spread and usage can indicate engagement levels.

2. Audience Growth

• Follower Increases: A spike in followers after posting humorous content can suggest that it was effective in attracting new audiences.

• Subscriber Counts: For platforms like YouTube, increasing subscriber counts can be a direct result of engaging video content.

3. Conversion Metrics

• Click-through Rates (CTR): For content that includes calls to action, whether leading to a website or a product page, the CTR can measure how compelling your content is.

• Lead Generation: If your humorous content includes forms or sign-up prompts, the number of leads generated is a crucial success metric.

4. Brand Sentiment Analysis

• Social Media Mentions: An increase in mentions can indicate higher brand visibility.

• Sentiment Analysis Tools: Tools that analyse the tone and sentiment of social media mentions can help gauge the public’s perception of your brand post-content release.

5. Traffic Metrics

• Website Traffic: An increase in website visits following a campaign can indicate successful content engagement.

• Bounce Rate and Time on Site: These metrics can help assess whether visitors engaged by your humour are genuinely interested in more than just the funny content.

6. SEO Impact

• Search Volume: An increase in searches related to your brand or campaign post-launch can indicate effective engagement.

• Ranking Improvements: Improved SEO rankings for your brand or specific campaign content can also signify success.

By closely monitoring these metrics, businesses can not only assess the immediate impact of their humorous content but also refine their strategies for future campaigns. This data-driven approach ensures that the humour aligns with the brand's overall promotional goals and contributes effectively to its growth and engagement strategies.

The Future of Marketing Humour With AI

Something essential to be aware of is the importance that AI will play in the near future when it comes to marketing humour.

Due to their complex machine learning, AI can use predictive analysis to understand what type of content is likely to succeed among different audiences. This predictive capability will enable marketers to fine-tune their campaigns to maximise impact and minimise risk.

To summarise, humour marketing is a strategy that can work across any industry. Insight and understanding of your target audience is essential for ensuring that your content is well-received, and it’s key to always be aware of changes in values and trends.