Are you a comedian or a boring professor?

and other Wednesday musings

Author

Jacob Shipley
October 02, 2024

Welcome to Social Studies.

Today:

  • Brought to you by…

  • Are you a comedian or a boring professor?

  • Not sponsored, but it should be…

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…

Vista Social is my favorite social media management platform.

Features per dollar is unmatched.

I personally use Vista for everything.

First month free below:

Are you a comedian or a boring professor?

Here's the biggest problem with my brand...

And how I'm trying to solve it:

I'd like to think I know something social media strategy.

I'd also like to think I'm slightly funny.

Balancing humor and authority is really freaking hard.

Too much humor and you're a comedian, not an expert.

Too much authority and you're a boring professor.

Here how I'm trying to figure out the balance:

1. Get your audience

  • Not just say it, but actually understand what they want/need

  • Understand the threshold for humor (Duolingo’s threshold is significantly higher than the National Institute of Health’s)

  • Tailor your humor to fit the situation (Website down for 15 minutes? Use humor. CEO arrested for a DUI? Probably don’t post a picture of Shaggy saying “It wasn’t me.”)

2. Use humor to make a point

  • Don't joke for the sake of joking

  • Use humor to reinforce the message, not distract from it

3. Integrate humor WITH authority

  • Open with a relatable joke

  • Use the relatability to lead into thought leadership

  • Funny post = Good

  • Authoritative post = Good

  • Funny and authoritative post = Great

4. Avoid unnecessary risks

  • Burr and Chapelle can afford to be divisive, brands usually can't

  • If you wouldn't say it to your grandma, don't post it

  • I love Jesus so I talk about Jesus in my content. But I don’t poke fun at other religions or other denominations.

5. Use self-deprecation wisely

  • Don't take yourself too seriously, but...

  • Don't overdo it.

  • If you don't believe in yourself, why would anyone else?

  • My mind goes to Yahoo. The obvious funny social content is to joke about their 90s dominance. But too much of that would completely diminish their current brand.

I'm still convinced that humor is the most efficient way to win the hearts and minds of your audience.

But like all good things...

It's really freaking hard.

Not sponsored, but it should be…

Things I’m digging this week that:

  • I have ZERO business relationship with

  • Have ZERO to do with social media

Social Studies PRO is a constantly growing database of case studies outlining how social media pros have scaled their audience and turned it into a positive ROI.

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