“You’re so lucky! You get to have fun with your marketing. I wish I could have fun in my job.”
In talking to other business owners, the statement above is one of the things I hear all too often. Here’s the thing, though: You, too, can have fun with your marketing!
Just because you sell something kinda boring, or you have a brand that rates a 0/10 on the kooky scale, doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with your marketing.
Fun doesn’t have to mean goofball copy and silly GIFs. Fun can be as simple as communication that people want to hear and want to interact with. It’s communication that adds a little delight to your audience’s day.
I want you to have fun, and I want your audiences to have fun too, so here are three tips you can use to make your marketing fun. Even if you’re selling something like this:
Think about your customer’s day. A lot of the day is probably pretty similar to yours:
too many emails,
too many meetings,
too little time,
wash, rinse, repeat.
To be fun, think of ways to interject some delight in between those day-to-day blahs. Check out this fun shipping notification as an example:
Way different from your typical shipping notification, and different in a way that makes you smile and take notice. It may seem like a small touch and a small touchpoint, but such little fun moments add up to a meaningful brand.
Something else that’s unexpected: not taking yourself so seriously.
For example, raise your hand if you’re just absolutely titillated by engine components and turbine control structures.
Not a niche machinery enthusiast? Well, you might be if someone told you what was cool about those products. And that’s just what GE did, on a Pinterest board called “Badass Machines”:
GE took it even further with a board about its founder, Thomas Edison. Instead of a straightforward bio or press release honoring the famous inventor, GE did this:
If GE can make machine components cool, you can make your product cool. If GE can be playful with the subject of Thomas “I Invented the Light Bulb and About 100 Other Things You Use Every Day” Edison, you can be playful.
Don’t be afraid to approach why people should care about your product from a new angle. Your customers will appreciate it.
If you’re feeling really anxious about that “having fun with your product” idea, why not turn your attention on something just as important: people. Your people, your customer’s people.
We spend way too much time talking about our products anyway. Email after email about “exciting” feature updates, all the companies you’ve worked for and the awards you’ve won.
Instead of talking all about you and what you offer, focus on the customer. And not even necessarily what your product or service can offer customers. Rather, celebrate those customers. Help them. Teach them. Make their day a little brighter.
Some fun ideas:
- An email to say “happy birthday!”
- Thought you’d enjoy this!
- Check out this interesting article on a subject we’re both interested in.
- Saw your good news-congrats!
- Woo-hoo, we’re so excited to be working together!
So there you have it, friends.
When you treat your prospects and customers like people instead of faceless leads, they’ll be ready to listen when it does come time to talk a little product.
You can have fun at your jobs, too. Fun is thinking “people” instead of “targets,” and not being afraid to do something new, unexpected or just plain delightful.
Thanks for spending some time with me today!
Katy Geary
Owner + Creative Director
Geary Graphic Design
