I’m a certified coulrophobic. That means I’m terrified of clowns, and not just the kind born in Stephen King’s dark imagination. It all started during Chicago’s 1972 St. Patrick’s Day parade. I was a cute 3-year-old spectator. Someone lifted me off my father’s shoulders and handed me to a marching, insidiously grinning Ronald McDonald. Through screams of horror, I wondered what I’d done that would make my parents hand me off to such a mustard-hued monster.
Of course, other kids may have reacted to the same incident with smiles and screams of delight. One person’s moment of laughter is another person’s years of therapy. Such is the subjectivity of funny. It makes using humor a tricky proposition for those who want to include it in their marketing content.
Purposeful humor can be a powerful way to connect with your audience. It can enliven a mundane topic or reveal your company’s perspective. People like to laugh. As a result, it’s great if you can associate your company or product with a moment of levity. Most people appreciate a chuckle during an otherwise stressful day. If you can get them to laugh, chalk that up as a win.
But humor can fall flat or even backfire when used inappropriately. Effective comedy, whether in front of a microphone or on a website, depends on three key factors. The first is context. Consider the circumstances. The second is timing. Not every moment is a good time for humor. Third, you must “know the room” (the prospects and customers you want to attract). Will your humor appeal to them? Let’s explore these a bit.
Context
Humor can turn hideous when used in a context where it would be clearly inappropriate. If you work at a personal injury law firm, for example, your wrongful death practice area page is not the place for a few yuks. You can use humor to make a serious point, but only if that serious point lends itself to a lighthearted spin. Make sure any attempts at humor work in the context of the underlying subject matter.
Timing
What’s funny when you post something online depends on the moment you post something online. We’ve all heard the cries of “too soon!” from an audience when a comedian jokes about a recent tragedy. Even without intent, content can be overtaken by events, like when a TV episode filmed months ago about a terror attack is shelved because of a subsequent incident that made it no longer appropriate. Pay attention to the world around you – the zeitgeist – to avoid cringeworthy attempts at humor that make you look tone deaf or out of touch.
Knowing the room
The subjectivity of funny is often demonstrated demographically. An attempt at humor that uses current pop culture references may hit the mark with millennials but leave boomers scratching their heads. Similarly, if you know that visitors to your site tend to have a certain base of knowledge or shared perspective, you can tailor your humor in a way that hits them directly. It’s critical that you know who you’re talking to when trying to bring the funny. Steve Martin made this point in a joke that was hilarious – if you were a plumber.
Of course, humor works only if it’s actually funny. Not every attempt will slay your readers, but if you can avoid the pitfalls described above, don’t be deterred from clowning around a bit.
