{"id":17014,"date":"2020-11-25T14:43:32","date_gmt":"2020-11-25T14:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/?p=17014"},"modified":"2023-10-14T17:43:04","modified_gmt":"2023-10-14T16:43:04","slug":"humour-the-most-powerful-engagement-tool-on-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/humour-the-most-powerful-engagement-tool-on-social-media","title":{"rendered":"Humour: the most powerful engagement tool on social media"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Humour is subjective. And, it can be easy to misinterpret tone and intent on social media. <\/strong>Given these issues, it\u2019s understandable that some brands are hesitant to try and be funny on their social accounts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humour can however be a powerful tool for brands, and some very serious brands use it to win their audiences\u2019 hearts.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a way you can use humour safely on social when responding: stay true to your brand\u2019s values and – crucially – remain appropriate to the situation. This Innocent Drinks post is a good example of a brand being funny while remaining within their comfort zone:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is humour a powerful engagement tool for brands?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Emotion<\/strong> – It generates an emotional response, which helps us form stronger memories<\/a>. If your brand is the first that comes to mind when someone\u2019s looking for their next purchase, your hilarious social media manager could have had something to do with it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bonding<\/strong> – Humour not only helps to create and reinforce a bond between the brand using it and its fans, but those fans can use the funny social engagement response to bond with their friends and followers by sharing and reacting to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community building <\/strong>– this bonding helps to build your brand\u2019s community. A shared sense of humour aids in building trust and in establishing a group. When a group of us agree that something is funny, we start to create tentative links with each other. (Which is also shaped by people who don\u2019t think the post was funny at all.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How brands use humour with community engagement<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Part 2 of our whitepaper<\/a> on community engagement looks at several examples of how brands are using humour well when they respond on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n