When we think of humor in advertising, our minds don’t typically conjure B2B marketing. Let’s face it: No one’s ever done a tight five on enterprise cloud computing (Though if that idea appeals to you, please get in touch.) In comparison to the flashy B2C world of Kardashian endorsements and talking geckos, B2B marketing has traditionally been seen as boring or stiff. But it doesn’t have to be.
What if it’s time for a shakeup? In a world where work and home lives are more blended than ever, business decision-makers are hungry for more creative ads — your tried-and-true display ad templates might not cut through the same way. Rather than playing by the old rules, now’s the time to dial marketing creativity up a notch. A fresh, thoughtful take will help you stand out, even if industry leaders are still playing by the old rules. Especially if industry leaders are still playing by the old rules.
Though bigger swings can come with bigger misses, humor helps your brand resonate in new ways. Funny content is memorable, pushes your brand voice, gives you an opportunity to explore industry trends, and instills customer trust. It’s worked for B2C brands for decades (cries of “wazzup” are still ringing in the brain of anyone with a TV in 1999). Why not yours?
Why be funny in B2B?
Effective marketing makes an emotional connection — and being funny allows you to do that in a positive way. When done right, humorous, trend-based content makes your B2B brand more memorable and recognizable. Referencing popular trends or jokes creates a shared experience, fostering a sense of camaraderie or belonging, like your entire audience is in on the same joke.
But using humor in marketing requires more than posting a reaction GIF and calling it a day. Memes, microtrends and comedic celebrities may sound good on paper, but without a clear strategy, you risk losing the brand voice and values that have built trust with your audience. Adding some spice to your content successfully comes down to an outcome-based marketing (OBM) approach.
OBM maps an ideal destination for your product or brand from the start, letting the “what” dictate the “how.” Looking to build affinity with your audience online, or grow brand recognition? Set your content writers loose. Trying to announce important product updates or establish industry credibility? GIPHY probably shouldn’t be your first stop. When your marketing goals and brand values lead the way, you can reap the full benefits of humor.
Allowing your brand to be humorous also encourages your team to be creative and push the boundaries of B2B content. It also allows them to adapt trends to fit your brand voice and values, ensuring the humor feels authentic and integrated, rather than forced or out of place. As you test out new material, here’s what to keep in mind.
How to create content without the cringe
1. Make it a natural evolution
While you may start incorporating more lightheartedness, your brand messaging and tone doesn’t have to change. Take the time to slowly introduce a new voice to your audience. Rather than flipping a switch from “boring” to “r/memes,” think of your brand voice as a dial that can be amped up depending on the context. For example, the way you speak about a project probably differs when you’re in a meeting vs. at a happy hour. The same goes for your brand online. Deploying a more casual tone gradually over time helps you maintain trust with your audience — like they’re hearing a new side of you, not a new brand.
2. Start Small
If you’re trying to use more humor — or at the very least, some pizazz — in content, it’s best to start with channels that are inherently more casual and malleable. What new ways can you engage and connect with your social media followers? How can you spice up your employee newsletter? Can you level up your annual holiday video?
Using these touchpoints as a jumping-off point will be much more effective than immediately launching full-speed into a brand campaign about “cybersecurity fails” (although once again, please reach out if interested.) Once you’ve built this foundation, you can introduce humor and join trends in ways that feel natural, not forced.
3. Know your audience
Relatability and specificity make comedy work. The same can be said for brand communication, but to get there, you need to know your audience. Relatable, empathetic brands don’t just materialize, they are strategically designed from persona research, social listening, audience interviews and more. When you know your audience’s pain points and daily tasks, you can create content that truly resonates.
Particularly on social media, jokes land when they’re relatable to your audience. Social listening reports provide a window into the conversations your audience is already engaging in, arming you with the insights you need to join in. It also helps you decipher which internet trends your audience is participating in and which won’t resonate. Knowing your audience means you can do more than make viral posts — you can build bonds that endure.
4. Stay in tune
I regret to inform you that in 2024, effective marketing does require some degree of being tethered to the internet. Keeping a pulse on pop culture and online trends allows you to act fast on them — as long as you’ve built the trust in your team to move quickly without getting stuck in approval purgatory. Some days, the difference between a perfectly timed, engagement-driving post and a cringy attempt at relevance that gets crickets is only a few hours. So how do you stay on top of it all? Be chronically online. (To an extent that is healthy and sustainable.) Today, culture and the internet move like lightning. It’s marketers role to capture it in a bottle.
However, just because you’re aware of trends and know this year’s Met Gala theme doesn’t mean your brand needs to join in. Part of the value of being tuned into trending conversations is knowing where your brand shouldn’t contribute. For example, incorporating a BTS GIF to cash in on all the hyper-engaged K-pop fans populating X may not earn you the Gen Z cred you hope it will. Will your content easily mesh with brand messaging, connect with your target audience and join a timely conversation? Go for it. Will it fly over your followers’ head and reek of inauthenticity? Maybe sit it out. After all, no brand has ever been under fire for not engaging with a trend.
5. Embrace experimentation
Once you move beyond the boring traditional B2B playbook, the possibilities are endless. As you lean into new modulations of your voice, test other tactics that have been labeled the domain B2C. Consider creating more digestible or highly visual content like social media videos, animations and GIFs. If the budget allows, bringing on celebrity talent is a great way to earn brand recognition.
As you brainstorm new activations or channels, it’s worth stating the obvious: B2B buyers are people too. So why treat them like content-consuming robots? Engaging your audience with a lighthearted approach and fresh tactics can make your brand more relatable, memorable and human. In other words, a company people want to work with.
Done right, humor increases engagement and starts conversations. Brands that consider funny or trendy content a risk fail to realize that stagnant marketing is a risk too. The key is creating tweets, posts or ads that not just grab your audience’s attention, but connect on a deeper level. And the impact is more than “good vibes” — creative ads make decision-makers 40% more likely to consider purchasing. By incorporating these strategies, your brand can enjoy the benefits of more memorable, creative content that moves the needle on big-picture business goals. Plus, your creative team gets to have more fun.
Yes, B2B has been boring. But that is not a fixed reality. More than likely, your team has shared some laughs about your industry and your day-to-day work life. Why not connect with your audience in the same way? B2B can be fun and it can be funny — but only if you give it a try.
Want to see what audience engagement or funny content looks like for your brand? Reach out to our team.
