Humour. If not tastefully done, can get you into all kinds of trouble! If done right, can catch the attention of loads of potential leads and improve your customer retention. Not every brand can, or should try to get away with slapstick comedy, humour can be subjective but including a small subtle quip is doable for most B2B audiences.
Firstly, remember that even in a B2B world, you’re still pitching to a person. There’s a decision-maker behind that screen that you must appeal to on an emotional level and what better first impression to put across than that of a smile. Here are a few hints and tips to get you audience ROFL’ing.
Comedy can be harder than picking a broken nose
Remember, you’re not B2C, we’re dealing with CEO’s, Managers and a plethora of people who want to be wined and dined before making a purchase. You’re less likely to get an impulse buy, even with a chuckle. Being serious and funny at the same time can be difficult. Even professionals get it wrong sometimes. We aren’t comedians, we’re marketers so make sure your message is at the heart of what you have to say. Comedy comes last, if appropriate.
Self-Deprecating
It’s funnier and less risqué to poke fun at yourself over someone else. By doing this you’re breaking down barriers, becoming more approachable and not the impersonal, stiff option. An example of how we do this at CommuniGator, have you ever heard us talk about testing? … No? … This really MUST be your first time. We like to highlight how we bang on about it, this draws more attention to the topic which we want you to focus on. If a bit of humour is going to make it stick – then so be it!
Be Cheeky
The best way to make a sale? Empathy with the audience. Authentic human relationships are what get you noticed and make you stand out from the crowd. After all, if you think you can’t incorporate humour into that piece of copy about a new bit for an industrial drill, you’re wrong. I’ll let you guess where we would go with that one (????). At the end of the day, the person buying that bit, IS A PERSON. People use humour, ergo not using humour makes you seem less human and you’re less likely to build a solid relationship on which a great customer journey could be based.
Take cues from current topics
Something people can relate to. A little bit of quick wit goes a long way. As we’ve said, building a genuine relationship is vital to the sales process and your customer experience. Sometimes, you need an in. If you want to catch the eye of your audience, use a subject that people are interested in. Something topical and cultural to get people to engage. You have to be careful with this, you want it to coincide with what you’re saying in the email. Don’t have an email slamming the PM if what you want to talk about is your new product update… which leads me nicely onto my next point…
Relevance is key
The comedy needs to be right in the heart of what you’re saying, a random pun in the subject line or an unrelated joke won’t do. Don’t. Be. Clickbait. You don’t want your reader to disengage with the point of the email, and worst of all, you don’t want an angry reader replying with the dreaded U-Word.
Through wit, humour and simple charm you can build a great foundation of a relationship with your customers and leads. Still need some help getting those conversions, we know you’re probably sick of reading by this point, so kick back with a coffee and take a listen to our webinar on increasing those sales-ready leads!