The power of laughter: Email marketing doesn’t have to be boring!
Having a strong sense of humor is a quality we often search for in our partners and friends. And as cliché as it may sound, science has shown us that laughter is often the best medicine. But what if laughter could be more than just that? What if it can be a way to connect with your customers?
Not sure how that could work? No sweat! Keep reading to find out all about how incorporating humor can be your pathway to a successful email marketing campaign!
By Manar SadkouThe way to your customers’ hearts is through their funny bones!
The psychology of humor
To understand what makes humor a powerful tool for email marketing, we must first understand the psychology behind it. Laughter is such a recurring part of the human experience (or at least we hope it is) that we rarely ever stop to think about why we laugh or how bizarre of a reaction laughing actually is. After all, we are one of the very few species on the planet that laugh. Some primates have shown signs of laughter when tickled, for example, but even then, scientists can’t confirm whether they laugh the same way we do. And unless they find a chimpanzee that can crack a joke, we doubt they’ll be getting the answer for that one anytime soon.
So, why do we laugh?
Well, the answer to that question is not very straightforward. Humans laugh for a multitude of reasons, some more complex than others, but the most obvious one is that we laugh when we find something funny. Research has shown that multiple parts of our brain are activated shortly after we hear a joke.
Psychology professor Peter Derks led a study concluding that initially, our brains treat a joke as something that doesn’t make sense, creating some mental tension. Then, our brains attempt to resolve this tension by finding a pattern or logical connection, basically problem-solving. Finally, once we are able to solve this mismatch, the reward centers in our brain are activated resulting in laughter and a sense of pleasure. So, essentially, besides being entertaining, humor is kind of like push-ups for our brains.
Benefits of using humor in marketing
The psychology of humor gives us insight into why it resonates so strongly with people. Besides the dopamine released when you make a person laugh, you are also stimulating their brain in all the ways that matter. Often, laughter is associated with community, and for a good reason. The way humor engages both our minds and emotions is essential to building a connection. In email marketing, this connection should be exactly what you are looking for.
Creating a connection with your customers through humor can be a great way to get your emails noticed and drive real engagement. People love to laugh and even more so, love things that make them laugh. So, it’s only natural that, in our crowded inboxes, an email that makes us laugh is more likely to stand out. Incorporating humor also has the potential to humanize your brand, making it more relatable and approachable – which eventually translates into higher brand loyalty. Ever heard of the expression “humor sells”? You probably haven’t because well…we made it up, but still, it’s so true!
How to get started on using humor in marketing?
Now that you’re hopefully a bit more convinced of the benefits using humor in your email marketing campaigns can bring, you may be wondering where to start. This might be the hardest part but once again, we are here to guide you through it! Here are four best practices for incorporating humor in email marketing:
Know your audience: Senses of humor differ. Depending on a person’s cultural background, age, life experiences, etc. they might find certain things funny, and others not so much. So, it’s important to tailor the humor used in your emails to your audience’s tastes and preferences. Understanding how different types of humor may resonate with different demographics is key to avoiding missteps.
Be sensitive: Humor can be risky. Certain topics may be off-limits depending on the cultural context, and some humor can be offensive. So, the key is to stay mindful and be sensitive to people’s feelings when crafting any new jokes. Even if a joke doesn’t seem risky, it’s always good to be on the safe side and get other people’s opinions on it to identify and mitigate any potential mishaps.
Stay true to your brand: As important as it is to adapt to your audience’s interests, remember to also stick to your brand’s identity. You still want your messaging to remain clear and align with the overall brand voice and image. Generally, the point is to maintain consistency but add a humorous twist.
Keep it balanced: At the end of the day, the point of any email campaign is to communicate something, whether it be a new product launch or a sale. So, you shouldn’t sacrifice the email’s value for the sake of a joke. That’s why it’s important to maintain a healthy balance between humor and useful content, ensuring the email still serves its primary purpose.
Marketing campaigns that made us laugh
Just like everyone else, we also love to laugh. Thankfully, there are quite a few brands out there whose emails never fail to crack us up. We hope you can draw some inspiration from these examples for your next email marketing campaign:
Cards Against Humanity’s “Anti-Sale”: The creators of this popular party game have made headlines multiple times for their unconventional marketing tactics. In 2013, they ran a Black Friday email campaign that offered to sell customers “nothing” for $5. Literally, nothing. The campaign was so absurd and bizarre that people found it funny, shared it, and even went as far as to buy the “nothing” just for the sake of the joke. The purpose of the campaign was to poke fun at Black Friday consumerism, and it was a massive success, generating more than $71K in revenue!
IKEA’s mattress promotion: The Swedish furniture giant ventured into the world of comedy with a humorous email campaign that definitely made us chuckle. Opening with the subject line “Sleep Like a Log (Literally)”, the brand used a lot of wordplay and puns to make fun of the idea that their mattresses were so comfortable that they could instantly put anyone to sleep. The success of this campaign lies in the way it managed to effectively communicate the benefits of the product while remaining fun and light-hearted.
Virgin America’s cheeky “Fare Sale”: This campaign is a great example of a brand’s personality being reflected in the humor it uses. To promote multi-city trips, Virgin America often sent emails with subject lines along the lines of “Make it a threesome: San Francisco, Las Vegas, and You”. These subject lines were fun, bold, and slightly rebellious, which is exactly the image that attracted the company’s loyal customers to it in the first place. The sassy language Virgin America used not only made their emails stand out in their target audience’s inbox but also did a great job at enhancing the promotion rather than distracting from it.
Tips for funny marketing emails
If you are already testing out email humor or if you’re not sure which comedy marketing strategy would work best for your brand, no worries! It’s normal to feel lost. After all, the possibilities are endless. So, here are four suggestions to help you get started:
Experiment with subject lines: Because first impressions matter, you want your emails to be eye-catching off the bat. The best way to achieve this is by incorporating humor in the first part your customers see: the subject line. To do this, we recommend using some puns or wordplay paired with a teaser to create a sense of curiosity. For more guidance, check out our explainer on how to write effective email subject lines!
Take it easy: If humor is not yet a part of your brand’s voice, you want to slowly ease into it to avoid overhauling your entire approach. So, start small! A nice place to begin would be funny signoffs. Instead of a generic “best regards,” you can try something witty or playful like “May your inbox be ever in your favor.” or “Over and out!” You can also subtly weave in small jokes within the body text of your emails. That way, you add a little bit of personality without distracting from the main content of the email.
A/B testing: This is a common way to test how your audience responds to different approaches. Essentially, it entails sending different versions of your email to different people and then comparing results to identify which one performs best. A/B testing is a great opportunity to test the waters and experiment with different types and elements of humor. So, you can learn what your customers prefer and adjust your approach in future emails accordingly.
Don’t shy away from feedback: Direct feedback, whether it be good or bad, is invaluable when it comes to email marketing. So, don’t be afraid to ask your customers for their opinions. You can do this by including a short survey or poll in your email to ask how the audience feels about the humor you are using. Through the feedback you gather, you will know which elements of your humor are well-received and should be kept, and which ones are falling flat and should be discarded.
Humor brings joy and excitement to our day-to-day lives. It’s no wonder then that we tend to appreciate having people with a great sense of humor around – and that entire industries have been built around this idea. So, why not bring humor to email marketing as well? If you’ve made it this far, then you already know how beneficial it can be!
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