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Act Like a Comedian: Attract Customers and Boost Sales

By Andy |  Aug 17, 2012 (5 min read)

Uncategorized

What is it about comedians that keep fans constantly smiling, listening to their stand-up performances, attending their shows or watching their television programs? Comedians know exactly how to please their audiences, and they seem to do so effortlessly. In the digital age, social media is everything, and brands and people alike are creating accounts to connect with customers—including comedians.

Mashable.com recently published an article titled “Why Your Small Business Should Think Like a Comedian”, which breaks down the social media marketing tactics of comedians and discusses why these would be useful to small businesses. Here are the 5 observations provided by Mashable along with a tip from Brandastic on how to apply them to your Orange County marketing strategies.

Humor sells

“Comedians are experts because they are active thinkers. A skilled comedian is confident and aware of what his audience needs. He knows what the next joke in his routine will be — he doesn’t ask the audience. A brand should know what its customers need by studying how they think and how they react to different marketing approaches.”

Research your customers—see what they’re talking about on Facebook, investigate their posts on Twitter, figure out what is important to them and what appeals to them now. Social media posts shouldn’t be random and spontaneous. They should look effortless. However, careful planning can mean the difference between ten, hundreds or even thousands of views.

Cut to the chase

Comedians will cut to the chase and relieve the audience by finding clever ways to say what everyone else was thinking, especially when it’s a taboo topic. People trust online recommendations, ratings and reviews because they’re from real people. That means bad reviews too. It’s uncomfortable for customers to tell you what they don’t like about your product or business. If you recognize your own faults in a brand, it relieves the customer from awkwardness and prevents those who do like to complain from having the first say.”

Stay on top of your image. This may sound obvious, but sometimes it is easier to attribute bad reviews to rude customers instead of realizing that a problem may exist with your services. Scour review sites like Yelp and search for what people are saying about you on Facebook. Take every negative review into consideration and do what you can to make it better. Words published online never disappear, so it is important to make sure you address a small amount of negativity before it grows into a larger problem.

Don’t be boring

“Most comedians are very strategic about promoting themselves on social media. Many of their fans follow them for entertainment, not for links.”

We’ve talked about this many times on our blog: relate to your customers on a more personal level. No one likes to be serious at all times. Provide a bit of humor on your social media site through an image or quote, spice up your Orange County website with bright yet sophisticated color schemes, put a bit of pizzazz into your company bio. You can still promote your brand through light and humorous posts, as long as you are strategic about it.

Keep it fresh

“So you’ve found something that works. That’s great! Just know that eventually, like any good joke, your content will get stale.”

One of the worst things you can do in the world of marketing is to give up. Think of your blog and social media as a living entity: if you don’t keep it live with frequent, time-relevant posts, you may as well not have one at all. Conversely, don’t leave customers yawning with the same old post or advertisement. Give your customers a variety if you want them to give you their business.

Cut the middle man

“Comedians like Louis C.K. and Aziz Ansari use social media to interact with fans directly. They understand that making it easier for fans to get what they want means more business. Don’t make your customers jump through hoops just to make a purchase. Simplify the process and give them a way to interact with you directly.”

Be available to your clients. No one likes a prolonged purchase experience because of extra fees or third party payment services. Don’t make customers ‘like’ your brand’s Facebook page in order to make a purchase, either. Make things as simple as possible for your fans. If it feels professional and effortless to them, they will be more likely to return.

Brandastic.com is a world-class digital marketing and advertising agency that can help with your Orange County SEO & web development strategies. Brandastic is a Southern California based company with locations in Los Angeles, CA and Austin, TX that focused on relationship, excellence and service. When you are ready to be noticed, to really stand out, contact Brandastic.

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