Social Media Marketing- Funny or Die?
What approach is best for social media these days? What's going to gain more audience, funny or serious?
Table of Contents
Social Media Connects in Many Ways
What about the serious side of things?
Social Media Connects In Many Ways
In today's digital age, social media is an essential tool for businesses of all sizes. It connects us with customers, promotes products and services, and builds brand awareness. But how should businesses approach social media branding? What works better, funny posts or those of a more serious nature?
Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. The best approach will vary depending on the business, its target audience, and its goals. However, there are some general things to keep in mind when deciding whether to use humor or seriousness in social media branding.
Humor In your Posts
Humor can be a great way to connect with customers and make your brand more memorable. It can also help to break the ice and make your brand seem more approachable. However, it's important to use humor carefully. If it's not done well, it can backfire and alienate your audience. We've seen lighthearted humor with the best intent cause huge upheavals in brand loyalty in the Bud Light, Dylan Mulvaney case.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when using humor in your social media posts:
- Make sure the humor is relevant to your target audience. What one person finds funny, another person might find offensive.
- Be mindful of your brand voice. If your brand is typically serious, then using humor might not be the best approach.
- Don't overdo it. Too much humor can start to feel forced and inauthentic.
Here are a couple of examples of businesses that use humor and seriousness in their social media branding:
- Wendy's: Wendy's is known for its snarky and witty social media posts. With a knack for poking fun at its competitors and making light of its own mistakes, Wendy's has connected with a younger audience and build a reputation for being a fun brand.
Netflix: Using a mix of humor and seriousness in its social media branding, the brand's posts are often funny and self-deprecating, but they also take a serious tone when promoting new shows or movies. This approach helps Netflix to connect with a wide range of audiences and keep them engaged.
What About The Serious Side Of Things?
Seriousness can also be an effective way to build brand trust and credibility. It shows your brand is professional and you take your products or services seriously. It can also get dry and boring. You need to find a way to make your content engaging and interesting, even if it's not humorous.
Ultimately, the best way to decide whether to use humor or seriousness in social media branding is to test different approaches and see what works best for your business. There is no right or wrong answer, and the best approach may vary depending on your target audience and your goals.
Here is an example of a company that has done a great job of mixing in both serious and funny posts.
The Home Depot: Here, using a more serious tone in its social media branding, the brand's post focuses facts and figures and how proud it is of the associates and partners. This approach helps The Home Depot to build trust and credibility with its audience. If you were to follow other posts, you would see some good fun and humor involved as well.
Some Additional Considerations
Here are some additional tips for using humor and a serious tone effectively on social media:
- Be authentic. The most important thing is to be yourself and let your personality shine through in your social media posts. If you try to be someone you're not, people will see right through it.
- Be consistent. Once you find a tone that works for you, stick with it. This will help you build a recognizable brand voice and make it easier for people to connect with you.
- Be creative. Don't be afraid to get creative with your humor or your serious posts. The more unique and unexpected your content is, the more likely it is to get noticed.
So, Which Is Better In Today's Environment?
We started this so I guess we have to pick sides. No matter which approach you choose, the most important thing is to be consistent with your brand voice and tone. If you're not sure where to start, test out different approaches and see what resonates with your audience. With a little trial and error, you'll be able to find the right balance of humor and seriousness for your social media branding.
And with that very impartial paragraph, we'll have to say that funny is the approach that, anecdotally, seems to be garnering the most attention these days. And there you have it, our winner-- funny!
New Paragraph
The Marketing Mirth Blog: Laughter and Insights
