Having Fun with Online Marketing
When a company has been operating for more than a few years, it can start to become a bit more grown-up and serious, especially once it’s out and competing with bigger players. In many ways this is a step that needs to be taken, but the fun can still go on. Here’s how to have fun and help your audience to join in.
Observe the market
Look at what people are downloading the most and what sort of posts, videos and embeds get the most shares and attention. More often than not, it’s silly memes, GIFs and images that have the most impact. Think about the cheap, cheerful and silly ads, posts and images that you used in your company’s infancy – they may have helped to establish your brand, so don’t be so keen to leave them behind.
Keep the fun at the front
You can draw the crowds in with japes and jests, but the nearer to the top of the funnel you get, the more corporate and serious you need to become. You don’t have to go totally sober, just…a bit more so than you are on your landing page. Use the fun bits as an icebreaker; if you have a dancing penguin attracting the crowds, keep him where he is as people probably won’t want to give him their credit card numbers.
Remember to be warm and human
Fun doesn’t mean non-stop whistles and bells. Your content doesn’t have to have them rolling in the aisles or even uniquely creative. As long as visitors can “feel” the people behind the content, that’s often enough, whether you’re B2C or B2B – remember, even B2B involves people.
Be flexible with your branding
Your branding guidelines need to change depending on the content. If you’re pitching a campaign at older people, then you can make your branding slightly different to the style you use for younger customers. If you’re too rigid with your branding guidelines then you can appear staid and your branding can be stifled. Let things breathe and move a bit.
Don’t let your campaigns be too narrow
You’re aiming to get effective content on all channels and at all stages of the funnel. This means that it has to be flexible and not samey. Facebook can be more fun, while LinkedIn needs to be more serious and information-dense. When you choose your themes and campaign assets, make sure they can be adapted to work across most of your platforms.
