As they say, a good sense of humor is the oil that lubricates the engine of life. But can you use humor to stand out in your sales email strategy? 

Yes, you can. You can make your audience laugh, smile, and be curious while conveying your message in an interesting way. It’s a process of trial and error. 

There are various stages of marketing, and now it’s time to understand how to use humor in sales emails and whether it’s a good idea. 

Business goal for creating this content:

• Boost Sales with Humour: Unveiling the Pros and Cons of Using Humour in Sales Emails
• Target persona(s): Small businesses, Marketing professionals, Freelancers, Entrepreneurs, E-commerce Entrepreneurs, B2B Sales Professionals, Sales Trainers and Coaches, Customer Relationship Managers, Business Development Executives, Sales and Marketing Trainees, Digital Marketers, Sales Professionals
• Voice/tone: Informative, clear, they like lists.

The benefits of using humor in sales emails

According to Zippia stats, 347.3 billion emails are sent globally every day. Now, the question is: As a marketer, what are you doing to stand out among the billions of emails so that your customers are curious to open, read, and click on your emails?

Well, using humor in sales emails can be one of your strategies for standing out. Here are several benefits of using humor, including:

Regenerate response: 

Humor is the best way to capture attention. It grabs your reader’s attention and makes them more likely to engage with your message. Humor is not always about sharing a joke.

You can add humor in your email subject lines. 

Check out this example from Really Good Emails where they have written Creepin’ instead of Keepin’ in the subject line. This has added a spooky feeling to their Halloween email.

Making your message memorable:

If your sales email is funny or entertaining, your readers will remember it forever.

Dollar Shave Club is a brand that has used humor to prove that generating new sales is easier than you think. The brand’s debut video featured its founder delivering a humorous monologue about the expensive razor blades.

This video went viral and helped to establish Dollar Shave Club as a ruling force in the grooming industry.

Establishing rapport with prospects:

Humor can help build rapport with the reader by creating a positive emotional connection. If you can make your customers feel emotions like laughter or smiles, you will drive your audience through the DTC funnels and connect with them on a deeper level.

Increasing engagement and response rates:

You can encourage your reader to take action by making your call-to-action entertaining or humorous.

In short, you can increase the likelihood of a response.  Want to know how Geico has been using humor in its advertising for years?

Its iconic “15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance” slogan is memorable. Now, this slogan has a strong CTA behind it. Its commercials feature different types of humorous characters.

Characters like a talking gecko, a caveman, and a stack of money with googly eyes are enough to attract customers.

Humanizing the sales process:

Creating a personal connection with the help of humor is the best thing you can do for your business.

By sharing a laugh or a funny story, the salesperson can break down barriers in their sales pitch and make the prospect feel more comfortable and at ease. Moreover, it can relieve tension in the sales process. A clear understanding of your sales content strategy can help ensure that all assets are aligned with the buyer’s journey and address their specific questions more efficiently.

Whether you run an e-commerce business, contractor SEO agency, or any other type of enterprise, incorporating humor into your interactions can positively impact building rapport with potential clients.

Strategies for using humor effectively in sales emails

According to recent studies, the average open rate for sales emails across all industries was around 21.33% in 2021.

This means that even to reach this number, your sales email is supposed to be opened first. And to make sure that this happens, you need to use strategies like incorporating humor in  emails:

Here are a few strategies to include humor and skyrocket your sales email open rate::

Knowing your audience and their sense of humor

The best way to know your audience’s sense of humor is to research it. Conduct market research to understand your target audience’s demographics, interests, preferences, and behaviours. You will gain insights into their communication style and what kind of humor they might find funny.

Balancing humor with the intended message

Balancing is a delicate task. You want to incorporate humor but don’t forget your core message.  Sometimes, you can use humor to show that you understand their needs and challenges.

Example, intention: To introduce your product to a potential customer.

Humorous statement: “We know you’ve been searching for the perfect product to solve your problem. Well, look no further! Our new product is like a genie in a bottle, except it won’t grant your wishes, but it will make your life easier. Let’s chat about how we can make that happen.”

Using appropriate timing and tone

Note: Avoid using overly dramatic humor or using humor at the wrong time. Make sure it doesn’t overshadow your main message.

A subject line like “Don’t worry, I am not a robot” can be used to promote your new product and get the attention of your customers’ attention.

Avoiding controversial or sensitive topics

It’s generally best to avoid controversial or sensitive topics when using humor in sales emails. While humor can be a powerful tool for connecting with your audience, it can also be risky when dealing with sensitive issues.
Firstly, it’s important to remember that what may seem funny to one person may be offensive to another. You never know who your email will be, so it’s important to avoid potentially divisive topics that could alienate certain segments of your audience.

Testing the effectiveness of humor in sales emails

You can run a split test by sending two versions of the same sales email to two different groups. One version can include humour, while the other version does not. Now analyse the results to see which email performed better in terms of open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.

Real-world examples of humor in sales emails

Now that we know how to use humour in sales emails, here are a few examples to get you inspired and make your customers laugh.

• Check out this humorous sales copy by Hubspot. This Dilbert cartoon is a sales pitch with a different angle. It is a reminder of how you can always differentiate and promote customer value.
• Stats suggest that Thirty-five per cent of people say they open emails based solely on the subject line Here’s an example of a humorous subject line by Patagonia that used “Sleep around” to add a playful note to their message.

Analysis of their effectiveness and potential drawbacks

Using humor in sales emails can help you optimize your open rates. It is the best communication strategy that can help to break down barriers. It acts as a differentiator in your sales email from the countless other emails the recipient receives daily.

However, there are also potential drawbacks to using humor in sales emails. For one, humor is highly subjective. This means what one person finds funny, another may not. If your humor misses the mark, it can backfire and create a negative impression.

Conclusion

To conclude,  using humor in sales emails can effectively connect with your audience and stand out from your competitors.

However, using humor judiciously and considering the potential risks before incorporating it into your email strategy is important.

Whether you’re writing emails for branding, business writing, or promoting your new product, remember to add a little dash of humor and make your customers’ day.