Some emails are serious, some emails are funny, some of them are absolutely hilarious, and others are just a pathetic attempt at being funny. If you’re subscribed to various newsletters and receive promotional emails, chances are that you’ve seen many examples of all these types of emails, including the last one. An important point to remember is that humor is quite a delicate and subjective thing.
The success of your jokes depends not only on your audience but also on how specific they are: the more specific you get, the fewer people will appreciate your joke.
Many people may ask, “Why use humor in the first place?”. There are many reasons to add humor to your emails and your email signatures. Most of the time, email signatures are only used to provide contact information, as that’s the main purpose of a signature, after all. However, you can also make signatures more informative, adding promotional material and many other details. We recommend that you use a signature as an opportunity to increase the effectiveness of your email, and humor can help you do that.
Why You Should Consider Using Humor in Emails
Most of us think that our decisions are driven by logic. We consider all the possible alternatives and choose the most beneficial option. However, the reality is a little bit more complicated. According to research, emotions not only have a great impact on our decisions but also often determine them. Therefore, it’s not enough to just create a good product or deliver a high-quality service. You should also think about the emotional factor, getting the right emotional response from your audience, and humor is the fastest way to evoke positive emotions.
The effectiveness of humor in marketing is proven by statistical data: more than 50% of Western consumers like humor more than other marketing themes. People love to laugh, and sometimes, a good joke can be a thing that makes them want to open your email. However, humor not only grabs attention but also helps you get closer to your audience, making your brand relatable and increasing trust. In addition, positive emotions are what can turn your new customers into loyal customers.
If you want to make your emails more engaging, humor is what you need. If you want your emails to attract even those people who are not interested in your product or service, humor is the right solution. Grab their attention with a relevant joke so they open your email and see your call to action.
Now let’s consider the benefits of humor in more detail.
Reasons to Use Humor in Your Emails and Email Signatures
1. Surprises your readers
Email campaigns have a lot in common with a conversation between two people who don’t know each other. On one hand, you want your readers to take your brand seriously, offering something useful and valuable. On the other hand, you should establish good relationships.
Humor can help you appeal to your audience’s emotions with no need to sacrifice the importance and seriousness of your message. The main thing is to use humor in the right way, making it an accessory, not the main element of your emails.
Use jokes occasionally and unexpectedly, boosting the engagement. This way, your humor won’t distract your readers but will only contribute to your relationships. This is why adding jokes to your email signature is a great solution: your readers have already seen all the important information, and humor comes as a pleasant surprise, making your brand more authentic and memorable.
2. Improves your unsubscribe messages
If somebody wants to unsubscribe from your emails, it doesn’t mean that you should just let them go. Your unsubscribe messages are very important because you still have a chance to change their mind, and you must use it. Use this last opportunity to keep your subscribers, even if it seems difficult or almost impossible.
Humor can help you get more personal, showing your audience how important they are to you. For example, imagine that you’re going through a breakup with your loved one. Tell your subscribers that you can’t live without them and you need them. Remind them about the good times when they bought your product and ask for a second chance. Such a message will certainly break the ice so they may think twice before unsubscribing.
3. Increases your open rates
As we’ve already mentioned above, humor is a great way to grab attention. In addition, it significantly increases memorability, creating that “AHA” moment that turns your prospects into leads. “A simple psychological trick that can help your brand stick in your readers’ memory is to start leading them in one direction and then suddenly change this direction with a good joke,” explains Melissa Sparks, a digital marketer at Masterra.
4. Creates lead-generating content
To create effective lead-generating content, you need to think about your brand and the way it connects with your audience. It should not only resonate with their interests but it also needs to be approachable, which means that you need to humanize it.
Your email signature may just contain contacts, but in this case, it won’t actually motivate your readers to contact you. A little bit of humor will encourage interaction, presenting your brand as not just a company but a personality. Email content with a human touch makes your brand approachable and is more likely to generate leads.
Awesome Examples of Humor in Email Marketing
Your email signature, as well as your subject line, don’t allow you to include a lot of text or funny images. Thus, you should keep it simple. This subject line from TicTail immediately grabs your attention and makes you smile. Such short jokes are also a great solution for email signatures.
This is a great relevant email that was sent by Modcloth during their Halloween campaign. First, this email shows the actual products. It’s also Halloween-themed, and this funny wordplay immediately grabs your attention. The call to action (“Shop the boo-tique”) perfectly complements all the other elements. This email isn’t pushy yet very effective.
Here’s a hilarious unsubscribe message from Groupon. The company is so sorry to see you go that they are ready to punish poor Derrick who sent you those emails. If you click “Punish Derrick,” you’ll watch Derrick’s coworker throw coffee in his face. After this, you won’t be angry at this brand.
Conclusion
It’s hard to overestimate the benefits of humor for your email marketing strategy. Of course, not all jokes are equally good. You should always take into account the specifics of your audience and make sure that your jokes are relevant and not offensive. Adding a little bit of humor to your emails will certainly make them more engaging.
A great way to use humor is to add a funny quote or phrase to your email signature. Most often, signatures contain nothing but contact information. However, a joke can help make your email more personable. Adding humor to emails can make your brand more approachable and relatable, increasing trust and building positive relationships with your subscribers.
About the Author
Berta Melder is a talented brand manager and content strategist for Masterra. She cooperates with different education courses covering a broad range of digital topics as a guest lecturer that may help to better understand the issue of branding. Enjoys creative writing and blogging. Follow her on Twitter.
