Facebook Engagement Strategies – Humor

Want to increase shareability of your social media content?

Use humor! People are most likely to share something funny than any other type of content. According to a recent study, Americans are 49% more likely to share a funny post than an “important” post. While it seems Americans like humor most out of the countries polled, the world over still likes humor when it comes to social media.

Why Is Humor Compelling On Social Media?

Everyone needs a laugh break. Laughing rocks. Just look at the benefits it has on our bodies and psyche. Laughing burns calories, increases blood flow, wards off infections, lowers blood sugar, helps with relaxation and sleep, releases endorphins, which make you happy and it makes you compelled to share on social media. Laughing helps both the body and your business. Sounds like a win to me.

Laughing and humor do so well on social media and, generally speaking, in marketing, because it’s something we can all relate to. While there is a need to be serious, informative and “grown-up,” humans want to be happy. In our daily lives, we’re bombarded with bad news, stress and worries. Most people use social media as an escape from their daily lives, which means they’re hoping to see something good. I’ve noticed, on my feed, that vacation photos, a new born baby, pets, and marriage announcements, get more Likes and comments than those posts that are nagging or political. An uplifting and humorous message can do a lot for your business.

Maya Angelou once said, “People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.” This is true for marketing. Since laughter makes you feel good, your business is likely to be associated with happiness and feeling good when you provide a little comic relief.

6 Ways To Create Funny Content

You want to be relevant to your business, so humor may not always apply. But it never hurts to throw in a few funny posts here and there. If you can make them related to your business, you’re golden. If not, a little talking cat video never hurt either. Cats and the Internet just go together.

1. Memes

A meme is an “idea, style or action, which spreads, from person to person via the Internet.” Usually it’s an image that’s recognizable, one which people change the words on to make it relatable to them. Grumpy Cat, Willy Wonka, and Fist Pump Kid are some common examples of popular memes that people like to share.

You can do a little research on KnowYourMeme.com to see what’s popular. And then you can create your own meme at MemeCreator.org.

2. Someecards

Someecards are also a fun way to create your own content in a recognizable fashion. Pretty much everyone likes eCards. There are tons to choose from, or you can create your own. These tend to be on the sarcastic side of the spectrum.

3. Photos With Text

In a previous post, I discussed a lot of ways to create shareable content. There are a lot of different online apps to choose from so that you can add text to your photos. See here for a reference.

4. Jokes

Jokes are great and they can be in text or graphic form in your content. There are a lot of career-related jokes out there that you can use, too. You can also call upon your fans to help you in your search for the funniest uses of your product, or funny things that have happened to them while wearing your brand, etc.

5. Videos

If you could jump on a viral trend with a video, you’re golden. A while back, there was a video going around called “Sh!t My [?] Says.” Basically, you could fill anything in the middle and make a video mimic what Jewish Moms, Dentists, or People From LA, say you get the point. You can use anyone. There were a few businesses who jumped in and were very successful at this. The key here is timeliness. You have to be there ready to jump on the trend when the time is right.

6. Comics

Comics are hilarious, and they capture the essence of the inner-nerd, which many of us are. Take a look at The Oatmeal for examples of comics and why they work for marketing. Those comics talk a lot about pop culture, and people love to share them.

Humor is a great way to increase engagement on Facebook. We’ll discuss this and other ways to ramp up your Facebook page on our Facebook Engagement Webinar, taking place on September 19th. Register here.

What other ways can you inject humor into your social media strategy?