Who does not like harmless fun? You bet everyone, isn’t it? And when you can make your customers’ experience better-using humor, even before.  

Humor in customer experience has always been the key to getting emotionally connected with the customers. But, if you do not know where to draw lines, the harmless fun can turn into something unintentionally offensive.  

So, the question is, how do you create a positive customer experience by using humor correctly? 

Let us find the answer to this question by providing subtle tips to leave your customers smiling, chuckling, or even laughing for more! 

Five best ways to create a positive customer experience using humor (Note all examples need to B2B) 

1. Look genuine by being more approachable and relaxed  

These are the times when customers opt for brands that are easily approachable – and what better way than humor to show that you are approachable? Some brands use personalized marketing trends to show that they are approachable. Similarly, some brands use social media to start conversations with the audience to create a relaxed and approachable image for themselves.

Starting conversations in the comment section in social media is a great ice breaker. Here, we want to tell you that joking with an already frustrated customer can be risky. But you could definitely start a friendly conversation or give a humorous reply to a customer who wants to get some information about your products or services.

One of the best ways is to use humor via chatbots — this is one of the best digital marketing strategies in recent times. Depending on what the user says, you can create humorous replies and joke around with them. Even the simple usage of emojis and gifs can brighten customer experiences.

2. Try a light-hearted approach                         

Self-aware marketing, often known as meta-marketing, is another trend that will dominate 2021. When a business creates satirical content that mocks advertising and branding, this is known as parodying.

Many huge businesses and consumers are now enjoying a light-hearted approach – it’s a wonderful way to demonstrate to customers that you can take a joke on yourself and that you welcome criticism. This will also allow for a nice and casual relationship and, ultimately, create a happy customer experience. It’s also the safest bet if you’re just getting started with humour as a brand and aren’t sure what your target audience’s preferences or boundaries are.

In 2020, Bank West, for example, launched a video advertising campaign with the slogan, “This is not a bank ad, this is a customer ad!” It is light-hearted and humorous, making fun of standard banking advertising cliches.

3. Keep it appropriate 

The consumer always comes first, and thus, it is important that you feel at ease. Risky humor can come off as inappropriate. Hence, it is advised that you avoid it. However, it doesn’t imply that you need to tread carefully; instead, think about your tone, timing, and the audience.

A point to note is that you should avoid the use of offensive language, topics, or themes as a general rule. Keep in mind that ‘humour should be used to add value,’ and for this, you should consider the various demographics of your audience.

An example of this could be the messaging of Amazon Prime Video. The on-demand streaming service does a positive customer experience right with its Twitter account. The streaming platform provides light-hearted, comic relief to its 1.9 million followers through the handle.

Amazon Prime Video actively engages with its customers, addressing different age groups and tastes, sharing memes, and also commenting on posts. Its social media marketing is relevant, acceptable, and enticing to a cinephile audience because the posts and updates cross-reference photo stills from movies and series.

4. Be relatable 

Know your audience! This is a marketing basic that all businesses need to implement throughout their communications. Relatability is the key aspect that attaches people to humor. When you know your audience,  you can come up with relatable humor, which will get them closer to your brand.

Remember: when you are relatable, your audience gets the message right, and hence, they aren’t left scratching their heads to crack the message. Along with this, it is also very important that you develop an inclusive environment through clear communication – eliminate jargon, and take into account people with various needs or abilities. Avoid excluding a specific group by talking about something that most people can relate to.

The telecommunications company Mint mobile does an excellent job when it comes to relatability and creating an exceptional customer experience. With the use of colloquial language, relatable color schemes and minimalist design on their video ad campaign and custom landing page, they have touched to-the-point, light-hearted and relatable content demands in the best way possible

5. Timely  

We can understand! As the market space gets more diverse by the day, it only becomes more challenging to stay up with what your clients are experiencing, anticipating, or what they find funny. However, for humor to be effective, you need to ensure that it is well-timed and relevant to ongoing trends and events. For instance, if your audience consists primarily of millennials or Gen Zers, old-school humour may not necessarily land effectively.

So keep an eye on what’s popular and carefully select the topics or characteristics with which you may have some fun. If possible, use social media posts, customer service emails, or other available avenues to start a conversation.

An example of well-timed content comes from the American food chain Wendy’s. The food chain’s communications are always on point, especially the ones during the pandemic. From its social media posts to its promotions, the brand maintained a witty and caring advertising campaign. One of its campaigns came with the tagline ‘If we can’t Hug, we might as well Nug.’ This was a promotion through which the company was giving free nuggets.

The video provided much-needed comic relief while also encouraging customers to purchase the company’s product. Using the lighter side of current events to engage your audience and establish buyer trust is a smart move.

Conclusion 

Bringing a smile to your customers’ faces is the least you can do while they are busy looking at the features of your product. Remember, being authentic and exclusive will help you create a distinguished brand identity. 

Today, with the amount of mileage that can be derived using social media channels, humor is the only way to attract your customers’ attention. It never becomes outdated and provides a sense of relief to your customers.  

So, now is the time for you to create a unique brand identity that ensures that your customers enjoy the last laugh! 

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