By Greg Ball, President of Ball Media Innovations
The Value of Humor in Video Marketing
“How many video directors does it take to change a light bulb? Just one, but he wants to do it ten times and when he’s done, everyone says that his last light bulb was much better.”
A bit of “industry humor” there, and maybe not the best joke, but the truth is when it comes to content marketing, lightening up and using your funny bone, is an excellent strategy.
Humor Can Be a Video Marketing Viral Goldmine!
There was a time when being funny in an industrial or promotional video meant taking a big chance. It was a risk that few businesses were willing to take, in fear of being mocked or not taken seriously. However, in the heyday of viral marketing, it’s often the funniest campaigns that get noticed, remembered, and spread like wildfire.
Humor brings your videos to life. A touch of self-depreciation, or sarcasm, helps demonstrate your company or product’s strengths.
Is Humor Always Effective for Video Marketing?
Of course, there may be some resistance to using humor in your promotional videos. Humor can get the viewer’s attention, but it can also go horribly wrong by getting them to focus on the wrong thing. That is where working with a video professional comes in, who understands how to use humor without losing sight of your message, branding, and ultimately your company’s image and reputation.
Make it Funny, but Keep Sight of Your Marketing Video Message and Goal.
As you craft your video, always keep sight of your real goal. Sure, you need to make the video funny, but the top goal should be to promote your product or service in the most effective way while staying within your budget.
You need to be careful to work with a producer who shares your objectives and isn’t only interested in making the funniest or most creative piece possible. Make sure your producer understands the marketing concepts behind the video. Unfortunately, some producers would rather bring attention to themselves, or win some industry awards. Surely you’ve seen huge budget ads on TV, that made you laugh, but left you scratching your head and saying, “yeah, but what was that for?”
When it comes to using humor in your video marketing strategy it really comes down to this: Are you a comedian or a businessperson? Now if you’re the CEO of “Comedy Central” the answer might be both. But for most other businesses, you need to ask yourself if you want to be funny just for funny’s sake, or do you want to promote your business and get clients to take action?
Make it Funny but Keep Sight of Your Target Market.
Before you choose to use humor in your video, consider that it can be extremely difficult to pull off a humorous marketing video. What’s considered funny can vary widely between people across ages, demographics, education, and cultural backgrounds. You may be running the risk of your message getting lost in the joke, or worse yet, having the humor create offense rather than sales if it is not handled just right.
But when done right, using humor can strengthen your marketing message. Humor is particularly effective if you are narrowcasting, which is targeting your message to very specific demographic groups. For example, if you are a medical supply company, an audience of doctors will likely “get” and appreciate your “inside jokes.”
Humor can also help you keep your existing customers by allowing them to feel closer to you. They can perceive you as more fun to do business with than the competition.
Tell Your Story and Capture Attention With Humorous Video Marketing.
The main reason for using humor is so that you can tell your story in an engaging and personal way. It can help the viewer really listen and watch, and ultimately get your message.
But it can also be a pie in the face when used incorrectly, so stick with producers that know your business, know marketing, and know how to be playful and funny. And on that note:
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