Melanie
Welcome to the Monday Morning Marketing podcast. For all decision makers and action-takers. Take it away, Esther.
Esther
And welcome back to another episode of the Monday Morning Marketing podcast. Today, we're talking about not taking yourself too seriously. Well, that seems like something that Melanie and I have got down quite well, don't you think?
Melanie
I'd say so. I think you and I are probably up there with the people who really do not take themselves seriously at all.
Esther
But is that just something that we do for the podcast or do you do that as well with STOMP?
Melanie
I guess I feel a bit freer here than I do in in stomp, because it's very difficult to banter with yourself. It's not as easy.
Esther
True. But in my case with IPA Group, we are a more serious agency just because of the people that we're trying to reach. But it doesn't mean we can't have a laugh or enjoy some of the weird and wonderful marketing days that there are out there and just let our hair down from time to time.
Melanie
How would you put your humour across when you do do it?
Esther
I'd probably tell a few jokes or add in some memes, a few videos if we have any of the outtakes that have been done for any of our blogs that we've written. We have some videos that have been recorded for those. And there's outtakes and bloopers that there's probably more minutes of those than there are of actual video. But just show that you're just human and you're just like everybody else. I mean, yes, you can be as serious as you need to be for the audience that you have. But if you don't let your hair down from time to time, people are going to just start thinking that it's a bot that's running the account and there's no emotion behind it at all. So it's definitely, if there's a day that you can show the behind the scenes at the office or we used to do a day in the life of internally, not on the... Not sharing it across. But it helped us to get to know our other team members better. And some of them are hilarious and they just don't have How does that outlet so easily in the work situation.
Melanie
Well, I don't have all the possibilities you have, unfortunately. But do you know what I do have is a certain element of self ridicule that comes as part and parcel of being English.
Esther
If you know, you know.
Melanie
It can be very, very self-deprecating, and it becomes quite easy, quite normal thing to do. If I took myself seriously being a sole trader, wow, how boring would that be?
Esther
Yeah.
Melanie
I prefer to bounce off people. I love when I do in-person training or speaking or anything like that because I miss that connection. And so because I appreciate how important that connection is, because I don't have it that often, I try and imbue it more frequently in my stories, my reels, my blog posts. I'm less afraid of putting myself out there than some people in this podcast.
Esther
Yes, I know.
Melanie
I think a sense of humour has become now, as I've got more confident and more or less self-aware, I think it's actually become easier. I think everybody's got to embrace it these days, don't they? If you take yourself too seriously in this climate, you just get cancelled, honestly.
Esther
Yeah. It is one of those things that there's also that fine line between humour and sarcasm. The Irish thrive off the sarcasm. And there's times that I'm thinking of ideas for the content and going, no, I don't think anybody would understand that, my type of humour, because I don't do videos, because I don't do front of camera, then it doesn't come across the same way in written text. And that's why it's important to use other ways of communicating, whether it's through images, whether it's through emojis, like I said, memes, videos of other people. There's lots and lots of ways to get your message across, because sometimes just written text, if people that are reading it don't know you, they could take it the wrong way and it could backfire on you completely. It's like, we, Melanie and I, are both huge consumers of a very popular platform that starts with T and ends with iktok. And there are people on it where you don't... Sometimes you don't know if they're being serious or if they're actually, if it's just satire or sarcasm. And it is on video, but because of their demeanour and the way they're holding themselves, you're like, Are they for real?
Do they really not know that that is... Anyway, you need to show your personality And if your personality is serious all the time, that's fine, too. You don't have to go looking for humour. You don't have to go looking to be somebody else. What we're saying here in this episode, don't take yourself too seriously Don't also, I would say, don't stick so rigorously or religiously to, I must post every day for 30 days to increase my reach. Okay, do that, but then you'll have to post the next 30 days every day to keep your reach. So be more flexible with yourself. Don't take yourself to be, if I don't do this, I have failed. Having goals is wonderful. Reaching those goals is even better. But if you take longer to reach them, that's okay, too. So yes, we're talking about being humorous, letting your hair down from time to time, but also giving yourself that freedom to go, today, I have too much client work to be able to promote my own business, or today, I am spending the day with my family and not doing any work. Those are okay, too.
Melanie
I think also you can do too much humour as well. I think if you do it too often, it can tarnish your reputation. There are people out there that are meant to do it, like the Matt Rice of this world, but even they do it with a business sense. They know when there's a time to do it and when there's a time not to do it. If you've managed to capture a good dose of people because of some humorous or less serious thing that you've done, you can't necessarily replicate that every single time. It's so hard to make that a reality, a weekly occurrence or a monthly occurrence. I think if you can just change the narrative periodically to stop people as they're scrolling, because they've come to expect a certain tone of voice, a certain pattern from you. But by just simply changing it every now and then, it shocks them and makes them stop in their tracks and maybe sees a different facet of you.
Esther
Yeah. So, Melanie, you are a sole trader. You work exclusively alone with yourself. Would you ever come on as an alter ego running your account? Or would you... You know the way that we have here in the podcast, It's like a third person talking about us and showing all our flaws, as well as all the good stuff about us. But would you ever do that on your own account?
Melanie
I have created non-real situations that I've responded to as a form of humour. Sometimes it's even real situations that I've responded to. Because, again, I've got nobody to banter with. I have to create my own banter. Sometimes that is because of a question that I was asked. A lot of my blogs are actually a situation that I've gone through or something I've had to explain. That's God's honest truth. Then from there, I tend to repurpose content into stories or reels or whatever, or even podcasts. There are several of the podcasts we've done over the years have been blogs I've written. So, yeah, I guess I do, but I can't pretend that I am anything other than a sole trader. So I have to also be quite sincere and honest in that it's me, myself, and I. At least you've got a team. You can hit over the head.
Esther
I have a team, but I know of a number of sole traders who will use the Royal we.
Melanie
Oh, yeah.
Esther
And that's... I mean, it's okay up to a point, but I would say you're not being true to yourself by saying, Oh, yes, we, as in me. Be open and honest with people. They're not going to think less of you if it's just one person. They're probably actually going to think that you're Wonder Woman or Superman if there's You're just the one and you're able to do so much stuff. So guys, just don't take yourself too seriously. Think of ways to incorporate humour. Think of ways to let your hair down. Think of ways to relax in your own business and just enjoy it. Because at the end of the day, this is your livelihood. This is what you're working on. It shouldn't be a It shouldn't be a hardship to go to work every day.
Melanie
If you do want to inject humour into a business that you previously haven't, then don't do it too full on. One of the first things that I do when I manage people's social accounts, and I know Esther does the same, is if we want to change our brand persona to an extent, we have to do it over a period of time. Otherwise, we can literally turn our customers off. They'll jump off ship as quick as anything if they don't feel they're being served by the right type of person anymore. If you do want to inject humour, please be very deliberate and very careful about how you do it. Obviously, don't touch any particularly sensitive topics. I'm sure I don't need to say them, so I won't. But there's a lot of things you You can have humour and humorous things between stories, between facial expressions. We know, myself and Esther, know quite a few people who use very humorous facial expressions in their images. In their graphics, Ian Anderson-Gray being one and Amanda Webb being another. They immediately pop into my head when I think of that. You can do that. You don't have to become a stand-up comedian just to impress your audience.
Esther
Exactly. Well, I hope we've left you with some food for thought with today's episode. Do follow us on all our social platforms. Remember to ask your Smart Speaker to play the Monday Morning Marketing podcast, and you will be able to hear all of our over 240 episodes that way. We're back next week with another episode of the Monday Morning Marketing podcast. And until then. Bye-bye.
Melanie
Bye. Still waving.
Do you know any jokes, Esther?
Esther
Knock, knock.
Melanie
Who's there?
Esther
Actually, no. I've just forgotten it completely because-.
Melanie
That's pathetic.
Esther
Because, and I'll tell you why, because there is an animal standing in the field behind my house that just reminded me of my most favourite joke in the world.
Melanie
And then you forgot it.
Esther
No, no, I forgot the knock, knock joke because of the other one. So two cows standing in a field. One says, moo. The other said, funny, I was about to say that.
Melanie
You're such a farmer's daughter.
Esther
Yeah.
