5 Marketing Tips from the Melbourne Comedy Festival

So, I went to the Melbourne Comedy Festival this week with my two boys.

 Laugh? It was hilarious. I’ve never laughed so hard in a long time.

I was also pleasantly surprised to come across some great little marketing tips.

Who would have thought?

And that’s what I want to share with you in today’s editorial.

My 5 marketing tips from the funny guys.

Tip #1 – Rely on reviews if you don’t want to put people off.

 In choosing a show to attend, it became obvious that many (not all) of the comedians avoided being too specific when describing their performance in their website and brochure copy. Initially I found this a annoying. Then I realized why they did it.  The more specific they were, the easier it was as a consumer to quickly decide “no”.  The broader they were, the more intrigued I was. In fact, I found myself relying on the image they used to decide if I’d attend their show or not. But even more influential were the quotes from media outlets. “Side-splitting!” said the Herald Sun.  “Filthy. Disgusting. Naughty.” suggested another. These were the basis for deciding what show to attend.

Tip #2 – Make people laugh.

Laughter builds emotion team. All great brands know this. Find opportunities in your marketing to, at the very least, put a smile on people’s dials. Maybe even make them laugh. And yes this applies whether you’re selling business to business OR business to consumer. We’re all human, and we all love a good laugh.

Tip #3 – Get your audience involved.

Both shows I went to involved audience participation and it added a whole other dimension. I’m currently doing some speaker training and am also being encouraged to get my audiences involved more often. I did it last week and it worked a treat. It makes what you have to offer so much more memorable. And by the way, this idea applies just as easily to your online marketing activities, as it does to if you’re speaking at a networking event or expo. Think about how you can get your prospects involved via say social media or email marketing.

Tip #4 – Cross promote.

At the end of both shows, the comedians suggested other shows we’d also like. Amazon do this – “People who bought this book, also bought this book …” It’s useful for the audience and is just good karma to promote other’s businesses. BTW, the two shows I saw were called Kracken and Dr Professor Neil Portenza. Hilarious!

Tip #5 – Use fliers more often.

So much marketing lives online these days. But what about the good old-fashioned flier? I think every business should have something physical they can leave with a prospect beyond a business card. Two or four pages that clearly states the problem, reveals a simple solution and contains a solid call to action is marketing gold. Get one designed, print 200 and see for yourself.

So, there you go.

My five marketing tips from the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

Which one resonates with you? And why?