Why So Serious: Using Humour For Better B2B Communication
Last week, I attended an email marketing conference, and one of the presenters, Elliot J. Curry, spoke about the benefits of using humour in B2B communication. This topic piqued my interest because infusing personality and fun into anything I create is central to my strategy.
I decided to explore it more to find out what the data said about using humour for B2B communication and what I found interesting.
If you haven’t been using humour in your emails or want to convince your clients to try this approach, here are some stats to consider.
Humour Changes How We Process Information
Humour impacts how we process information from businesses by enhancing attention, comprehension, and memory retention. It’s not unlike sharing a laugh with a close friend. When delivered with humour, even the most mundane information releases dopamine, which helps improve our focus and engagement.
This use of humour makes the information more memorable and enjoyable, increasing the likelihood that recipients will process and recall it later. Humour also lowers resistance, making people more open to new ideas or persuasive messages, particularly useful in marketing communication.
Elliot mentioned a study by the Annenberg School for Communication, which found that humour in communication, especially among young adults, can make information more memorable. Additionally, humour creates a positive emotional association with the brand, reinforcing brand recall and fostering loyalty.
This is especially relevant for Millennial and Gen Z consumers, who dominate many markets today and prefer brands that engage with them in a lighthearted and relatable manner.
But how does this relate to your email campaigns and your company’s bottom line?
Benefits of Humour in B2B Communication
💌 Increased Open Rates: Humor boosts open rates by 25%, and subject lines with emojis can see a 45% increase (Salesforce)
🧑🏻💻 Boosted Engagement: Engagement rates increase by up to 40% (B2B Marketing Research)
🤑 Drives Sales: 77% of consumers are more compelled to purchase from humorous sales reps (HubSpot)
🚪 Reduced Unsubscribes: Emails with humorous content have a 14% lower unsubscribe rate than more formal or generic emails (MarketingProfs).
🤔 Stronger Brand Recall: 42% of consumers have a higher chance of remembering a brand’s email if it’s humorous (Harvard Business Review).
🖱️Improved Click-Through Rates: Humorous emails have been shown to boost click-through rates by 26% on average, as readers are more engaged and curious to learn more (Campaign Monitor).
💕 Emotional Connection: Emails with humour evoke a positive emotional response in 70% of recipients, increasing the likelihood of continued interaction with the brand (Forbes).
📤 Increased Shareability: Humorous emails are 34% more likely to be forwarded to a friend or colleague, amplifying your message’s reach (Litmus).
Incorporating Humour
Humour can be incorporated in various ways — you don’t need to be the next Dave Chappelle or Robin Williams.
Here are some examples:
💡Puns: ‘Make Them Fall 🍂 for Your Offers’, ‘Let’s Taco ‘bout Your Business’
💡Relatable scenarios: being on hold with customer service or hours, taking a wrong turn and getting lost
💡Alliterations: Craft Captivating Captions, Sweet Summer Sales
💡Rhymes: ‘Say ‘Yes!’ to Your Success’, ‘Sleigh the Holiday’
💡Emojis, gifs and animations:
Using Humour Without Being Insensitive
Naturally, there’ll be questions about how and when it’s appropriate to use humour in your content. One issue highlighted during the conference was how it would come across for specific industries such as insurance or health care.
Once you understand your audience, you’ll know what works for them. Perhaps you’re targeting corporate organisations that need health insurance for their team. A way to add humour could be through alliterations: ‘Healthy Team, Healthy Company’, ‘Spend on Health Care, Save on Sick Days’.
You can add humour without being insensitive if you’re marketing sensitive services. Remember — humour isn’t only about adding jokes; it’s also about creating relatable, catchy and memorable messages. The aim is to humanise your brand and allow your readers to feel connected to you.
- Fertility Treatment: ‘Not Everyone Knows What TTC Means — We Do’
- Psychiatry: ‘🧘🏻You Deserve to Enjoy Peace of Mind’
- Disability Services: ‘Are The Services You Need Accessible to You?’
There are also ways to play on your company’s name or industry. For instance, my company is The Content Café Ja, and I use coffee puns: ‘Brewing Bold Content’, ‘Espresso Yourself’, and ‘Your Shot of Marketing News’.
I could also use marketing-related puns/alliterations, such as ‘Are Your Content with Your Content?’ or ‘You’re Not Making Butter; Let’s Fix Your Churn Rate.’
What’s The Limit?
While you want to use humour to enhance your messages, you don’t want to force it. We’ve all experienced a bad joke that was trying too hard, and we don’t want to be that brand.
When creating your messages, be true to who you are, maintain your brand voice, and keep your audience at the forefront.
Start small! If your audience isn’t accustomed to you being a total riot, slowly introduce them to your humorous side. Take note of their reaction to understand how well they respond to this new approach, and don’t be afraid to ask for their opinions.
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