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Why So Serious? Humour Can Improve Conversion Rates

2 mins read

They're all at it nowadays, aren't they? Companies trying to be hip and funny online. Urgh. 

Lego Humour

When it doesn't work, it's horrible to see, like when your friends would come round to your house and your mum tried to talk to them about music or something. Stop it, Susan.

Did you see? We made a joke! Aren't we cool? We like jokes too! LOL! #HashtagWorkLols P.S. Buy this thing.

We all know the brands who don't quite pull it off - especially on social accounts - but those that do it well will definitely know that humour improves conversion rates. That's why near enough every company does it. Here's 5 reasons and explanations why humour can kill it in terms of conversion rates.

1. It Boosts Enjoyment. Science Says So

It's simply more fun reading a website which makes you smile. If you're smiling, you're more likely to trust the company enough to hand over your money. It's as easy as that.

It's actually not that easy. Ask the bods at Harvard who published this scientific proof behind why laughing and smiling makes us think about a subject more favourably, but the key takeaway from our point of view is that it helps improve conversion rates. And that's a scientific fact

2. It Can Boost Trust If Done Correctly

There's a time and a place for humour, and companies need to get both right for it to work. It depends on the business type as much as anything else. If you're writing copy for a bank's landing page, probably best to leave it. But even if you are writing for a business who can incorporate some level of humour, it should be used carefully or run the risk of shattering trust.

Comedy timing is hard. Listen to feedback and make sure you don't destroy your reader's trust.

When it is pulled off by a social account worth following and is then backed up by a well written site, which continues to make you smile, you're onto a winner.

 

screenshot oipolloi

screenshot oipolloi.com

Check out this example from a succesful e-commerce site, based in Manchester, aimed at laid-back blokes who like expensive clothing but don't want to shop around. Clever copy which is right on the mark and a CTA for each item of clothing, making shopping as easy as possible; they don't even describe the clothes or a genuine pain point of the reader.

3. It Adds Personality

Incorporating humour is a sure fire way of adding personality to your company's message and a great way of letting potential customers know that you too are just regular people, with personalities and feelings, just like them. This helps build an affinity with your company, helping to convert them into customers.

People talking

As long as it comes across as genuine.

Used with balance and control (i.e. don't overkill it), humour can make a visitor feel good and resonate with the fact that people at the other end of the website they're viewing are just providing a service with a smile. It helps mask the fact that one party is trying to sell something and the other is actively being targetted for a sale.

It's more friendly this way. 

4. It Breeds Positivity Which Helps You Be Remembered

And all of this leads to a general feeling of positivity, which helps massively to boost return visits. The more people return to your website, the more likely they are to become a conversion as every repeat visit builds trust. Weekly blogs or newsletters which please readers will keep a company in the mix when it comes to the decision stage of making a purchase.

This is infinitely more productive than just hoping people remember your brand before heading elsewhere. Do something that makes you memorable... perhaps having a Mexican Themed Food Day?

Mexico Humour

5. It Leads To Sharing And Further Reading

Likewise, not only will your blog posts, social posts or engaging pages be remembered by individual users, but readers appreciate the effort that has gone into making them smile and often share content they like. This means that humour is also a way for spreading brand awareness via social media. This then helps drive traffic. And when that traffic is being driven by great copy, the conversions will follow.