ONE MORE THOUGHT
Insights @Work, Life, and Work Life
Why Humor Belongs in Your Healthcare Content
Did you hear the one about when the plague, the flu, and the common cold walked into the room? Someone called out, “What is this? Some kind of sick joke?”
Once upon a time, healthcare content was drab, boring, and not worth reading. It gave you the facts – and often nothing more. It’s a wonder people even read it at all (hint: a lot didn’t).
Now, you’ve probably noticed that healthcare blogs, newsletters, ads, and other forms of communication have taken on a more lighthearted tone. It might not be as obvious as opening a blog with a “sick” joke, but humor has found its way into healthcare content strategies, nonetheless.
At SFC Group, we’re here for the comedic approach. Humor ensures your content is read, encourages readers to take action, and makes your brand memorable – all things that add to your business’s success.
Here are 4 reasons to have a little more fun with your healthcare content.
Humor makes your content stand out among the rest
When it comes to healthcare content, there’s a lot of competition out there. For your content to be read, it must stand out among the hundreds of millions of active blogs on the internet. Admittedly, this is no easy feat.
Strong marketing requires you to be bold, innovative, and willing to take a risk. One way to do this is through humor.
Humor makes your content noticeable and memorable. At SFC Group, we pride ourselves on standing out. Take our rat contraceptive campaign for SenesTech’s Elevate Bait System™ with ContraPest® featuring the slogan, “Birth control for rats that like it on top.” Not only does this make people stop and chuckle, but because laughter can improve retention rates, it also helps them remember the product.
Humor builds trust and connections, which lead to loyalty
If you think of the people you value in life, chances are you’ve shared a laugh with them. You might have a similar sense of humor, share inside jokes, or simply bond over funny experiences. Because let’s face it – life is too short not to crack a smile now and then, right?
Whether you realize it or not, these moments bring you closer together by highlighting a shared perspective on the world (even if that perspective is just about funny cat videos).
In marketing, humor plays a similar role. Except this time, the relationship is between the brand and the buyer, the healthcare provider and the patient, or another dynamic that exists within an organization. Humor forms connections that keep your audience coming back for more content, products, or services they see as valuable.
Humor makes heavy content a little less heavy
Let’s face it – healthcare content can be difficult to navigate. It takes on some of the toughest topics, many of which readers aren’t quite sure how to parse on their own.
Humor naturally forces you to break down information into more digestible pieces. It makes it more approachable and less intimidating, helping readers connect with and understand what they need.
This lightened form also makes your organization seem more welcoming. Patients, prospective employees, customers, and other key players that would otherwise be wary of reaching out feel comfortable doing so when they see how you’re able to take lofty content and make it approachable.
Humor makes everyone a little happier
The world can be a gloomy place, particularly in the healthcare space. With content that tends to revolve around illnesses and disease, it‘s easy to feel a little disheartened.
Humor brings some much-needed light to your reader’s world. This makes them happier and maybe even more likely to act on what they’ve read. While in a good mood, they might schedule an appointment, apply for a job, or make a donation – all things that benefit your bottom line. This equates to happiness all around.
But wait: use humor sparingly – and appropriately
While humor is a fantastic way to connect with your audience and encourage them to take action, it should be used skillfully and appropriately. You can do this by:
- Ensuring your use of humor is appropriate and not offensive
- Using relevant humor that supports your messaging and doesn’t take away from it
- Accompanying written humor with visual enhancements
- Using humor sparingly to make more of an impact
If humor isn’t your thing, don’t panic. That’s what we’re here for. At SFC Group, we’ve got the humor thing down, and we’re ready to make your revenue go up.
Ready to infuse a little humor into your marketing? Reach out to us to use laughter to connect with your audience.