May 1, 2013
No Comments
Humor and Social Media
It’s not a secret that we live in an age where social media no longer concerns just youth, but is reaching a larger and larger audience everyday. In fact, if Facebook were a country, it would be the 3rd largest country in the world! Who wouldn’t want the world’s “3rd Largest Country” to see your advertisements at the click of a button?! It’s also no secret that humor sells in the world of advertising. You know it, we know it, and your customers will know it if you learn to combine these two facts properly.
How many times have you and your friends talked about the latest humorous commercials? It usually starts with one person telling the buildup to the punchline and
then finishes with five minutes of everyone laughing as they repeat the punchline over, and over again. After that, someone from that group goes home and then posts the clip to the other friends who have never seen the commercial. Does advertising get any better than that? With that in mind here are three quick tips for adding humor to your social media posts:
1. Consider Your Audience:
There are two major categories that people fall into: digital immigrants and digital natives. Digital immigrants are those raised in a world without the convenience of social media. The term originated because when media came out they had to “immigrate” over to learn. Digital natives, on the other hand, are often referred to as “millennials”. They are those that were born into a world of technology and grew up using it. Understanding the differences between these two groups and then contouring your message to them is crucial to your success. Remember who are reading your posts. Do they understand the lingo that you are using, or would it be better to start with a post that defines future terminology? Will they get the jokes you are trying to make, or spend more time trying to figure them out? Remember to consider your audience.
2. Follow the Trends:
If you are going to reach a media-driven audience then you will need to use the local jargon. Add “meme” to your vocabulary. What is a meme and where did it come from? Oxford dictionary defines it as an “element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another.” Simply put, it is a funny picture that can convey multiple things at once. It is not uncommon to read over people’s shoulders to find that they are scrolling through websites that are built to create and disseminate memes. Oftentimes a meme will contain about five or six jokes and will even make a very interesting point. A well-placed meme added to one of your posts or advertisements will not only help your audience remember, but also when linked properly can help with the virality of your content.
3. Remember How People Use Social Media:
If you had a short attention span as a child (or teenager, or even now for that matter) what good does it do to suppose that everyone else doesn’t? Make your posts quick, interesting, and to the point. The impact of the humor will say more than anything you could have written, and will stay fresh in the memory of those who came across it. Remember that most people are just scrolling. If your humorous post on social media catches their attention for a few seconds (which is more than most people get) you’ve done your job.
How do you add humor to your social media activities?