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If I can get you to laugh with me, you like me better, which makes you more open to my ideas. And, if I can persuade you to laugh at a particular point that I make, by laughing at it, you acknowledge it as true.<\/em> \u2013 Actor and comedian, John Cleese<\/p>\n There\u2019s so much content out there these days, much of it written in the same boring, bland language\u2014which is why creating vibrant, colorful content that stands out and attracts your ideal customers is crucial in content marketing.<\/p>\n How to create lively content? Here are three ideas for your consideration:<\/p>\n In this article, the first of a three-part series on how to differentiate your marketing content by expressing yourself with verve and color, we\u2019ll look at the first idea\u2014how to infuse your content with subtle humor.<\/p>\n When your brand’s marketing content uses subtle humor well, your prospects will laugh, smile, and … [+]<\/span> feel good about you.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/fbs-accordion>getty<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n I\u2019m not talking about being a comedian or delivering a laugh a minute. I\u2019m talking about occasionally making your readers smile.<\/p>\n A warning: Don\u2019t try to use all of these techniques at once in a single piece of content. Doing so may cause the opposite of your intended effect and drive prospects away.<\/p>\n The humor aspect of the letter K is best expressed through a few lines in Neil Simon\u2019s play, \u201cThe Sunshine Boys.\u201d In it, a comedian played by Walter Matthau explains the allure of the letter K to his nephew.<\/p>\n In Neil Simon’s “The Sunshine Boys,” Walter Matthau explains to his nephew about the humor of the … [+]<\/span> letter K.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/fbs-accordion>Getty Images<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Fifty-seven years in this business, you learn a few things. You know what words are funny and which words are not funny. Alka Seltzer is funny. You say ‘Alka Seltzer’ you get a laugh … Words with ‘k’ in them are funny. Casey Stengel, that’s a funny name. Robert Taylor is not funny. Cupcake is funny. Tomato is not funny. Cookie is funny. Cucumber is funny. Car keys. Cleveland … Cleveland is funny. Maryland is not funny. Then, there’s chicken. Chicken is funny. Pickle is funny. Cab is funny. Cockroach is funny \u2013 not if you get ’em, only if you say ’em.<\/em><\/p>\n Here are a few words with the K sound; can you see yourself using any of them in your content?<\/p>\n You might also use the technique for naming your company and products or services. One brand leaps to mind: Design Pickle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Design Pickle offers unlimited graphic design for \u201ca crazy-affordable\u201d flat monthly fee.<\/p>\n The word pickle<\/em> subtly tickles my funny bone, as does the company\u2019s logo\u2014a smiling pickle.<\/p>\n Design Pickle uses the K sound in its name to humorous effect.<\/p>\n <\/fbs-accordion>Design Pickle<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Design Pickle\u2019s founder and CEO Russ Perry says his company\u2019s name is about being easy to say, easy to remember, and able to put a smile on anyone\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen naming and branding Design Pickle, I had a huge pill of pride to swallow,\u201d he says. \u201cI realized that in my previous agency life, I spent so many years branding companies, products, and marketing campaigns, trying to be as smart and clever as possible but often forgetting one critical requirement: Be memorable. The name Design Pickle fit the bill\u2014and the domain was available.\u201d<\/p>\n Caiden Laubach, Design Pickle\u2019s director of creative and communications, says the team strategically considered humor as part of a recent brand refresh.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we went through a brand refresh earlier this year, we purposefully talked about styles of humor that would help take our brand up a notch and elevate us while really sticking to our roots,\u201d he says. \u201cWe decided to use sardonic humor<\/a> because, by definition, it elicits a side smile and maybe a knee slap, often poking fun at collective pain points in a way that draws you in rather than ostracizes.\u201d<\/p>\n Several large brands also use the K sound to great effect, including Kit Kat, Krispy Kreme, and Kool-Aid. The names are catchy, memorable, and likely to make people smile.<\/p>\n A second way to infuse humor into your marketing content is to use similes to communicate ideas in unexpected ways.<\/p>\n For instance, to get across the idea of a growling stomach, think of other things that growl and then use those alternatives to describe the growl.<\/p>\n Grrrr! My stomach is growling like an angry dog warning me not to step closer. Unexpected similes … [+]<\/span> are great ways to add a touch of humor to your marketing content.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/fbs-accordion>getty<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n My stomach is growling like…<\/p>\n Granted, I\u2019m not the best humorist, but I can point you to someone who is: Joe Garza, editor of the The Reckless Muse<\/a>.<\/p>\n Joe wrote a post on using similes<\/a> and their close cousin metaphors to turn up the humor in content. Although his style differs from mine, the ideas he shares are sound.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s one of his similes from the referenced post to give you an example:<\/p>\n The restaurant\u2019s signature Phaal curry dish was excruciatingly hot and spicy, like the armpits of a sweaty flamenco dancer who used habanero sauce as deodorant.<\/em><\/p>\n What do you think? Funny? Not funny?<\/p>\n I vote for clever<\/em>.<\/p>\n Although not always what I\u2019d consider unexpected or humorous, many business-to-consumer (B2C) brands use similes to good effect, too.<\/p>\n “Like a good neighbor.” State Farm built its brand on a simile. BETHLEHEM, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES – … [+]<\/span> 2015\/11\/13: State Farm Insurance retail office. (Photo by John Greim\/LightRocket via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/fbs-accordion>LightRocket via Getty Images<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n What\u2019s your brand like<\/em> or as<\/em>? If you\u2019re not sure, survey your customers, as they\u2019re the ones who know the real you best.<\/p>\n A third way to use humor to woo more of your ideal customers is misdirection or breaking expected patterns.<\/p>\n Consider the opening lines of these cliches; if you\u2019re a native English speaker, you likely know their endings:<\/p>\n The humor approach is to give the brain something unexpected. It\u2019s to lead the reader\u2019s mind one way and then make a sharp turn, going somewhere readers weren\u2019t expecting.<\/p>\n Every cloud has… a habit of ruining my picnic plans. Misdirection and breaking patterns is another … [+]<\/span> good way to add subtle humor to your marketing content.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/fbs-accordion>Getty Images<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Misdirection is not limited to the endings of cliches. The goal is to break a pattern and make a point in a surprising way.<\/p>\n A few examples:<\/p>\n Both B2B and B2C brands use these techniques successfully, often in ads.<\/p>\n MailChimp<\/strong>: In its B2B “Did You Mean MailChimp<\/a>?” campaign, ad agency Droga5 created a series of ads that played with the brand\u2019s name in unexpected ways, such as FailChips<\/em>, MaleCrimp<\/em> (note the K sound), and KaleLimp<\/em> (ditto). This campaign used misdirection by leading the audience to expect one thing (MailChimp) and presenting something completely different.<\/p>\n\n
Humor technique 1: Use words with the letter K<\/h2>\n
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Humor technique 2: Use unexpected similes<\/h2>\n
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Humor technique 3: Misdirect, break patterns<\/h2>\n
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