April Fool’s Day is just around the corner and it marks the time of year when companies attempt to inject a bit of humour into their branding. While most of it is light-hearted, silly, and sometimes funny, there are often more cases than not of brands just sticking their foot in it and making themselves look stupid (which, spoiler, is not what you want!).
If you're a brand reading this and are worried about doing the latter, don't worry, digital marketing and SEO agency Embryo is here to help by highlighting five things to avoid this April Fool's Day.
Make good choices - You don’t want to be written about on April 2nd!
If you are planning on making an announcement or posting something online, it is important to make sure your decision is the right one for your brand and your customers. It is not fun when you find out after the fact that you made a mistake. So don’t do anything on April 1st that will cause you to regret it.
You need to be careful about what kind of content you post on social media. If you want to share something funny with your audience, then by all means do so. However, if you are going to announce a product change or any other news that may upset people, you need to think twice before sharing it.
Don’t force funny: If It isn’t authentic to your brand, leave April Fool’s day to others
It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that every April 1st joke has to be funny. But if you are serious about your brand, then it isn't worth risking your reputation by posting something that doesn't fit in with your image.
So next time someone asks you if you're having an April Fool’s Day prank, just tell them no.
Don’t Fundamentally Alter Your Product or Service on April Fool’s Day
You can do loads on April Fool’s Day, you can, but one thing you shouldn’t do is fundamentally alter your service or product. This means that you shouldn't add new features to your existing product or service, or remove any that already exist. If you do decide to change something, then make sure that you communicate this clearly to your customers.
For instance, if you are launching something ‘new’ or jokingly doing something to your most popular product or service, then you should inform your clients ahead of time. This way, they won't feel tricked when they arrive at your website and find out that it has been updated.
Keep it clean: Don’t make fun of competitors, It’ll backfire
One of the biggest risks associated with April Fool's Day is the potential damage caused by poking fun at another company. By doing this, you run the risk of damaging your reputation and causing problems for yourself.
Companies often use April Fool's Day to poke fun at competitors. This can lead to a lot of negative publicity for both parties involved. So rather than taking part in such practices, companies should focus on promoting their products instead. Doing this will help them build up positive PR and increase sales.
Don’t neglect your customers during April Fool’s
Firstly, don't assume that every customer will find your April Fool’s Day jokes amusing. There's nothing worse than hearing from disgruntled customers who took offence at something you said. If you're going to try and fool someone, you'd better be prepared for the consequences. While you may think that no one else will notice, there's always the chance that they won't appreciate your attempts to trick them either.
In conclusion, while April Fool's Day is meant to be fun, it also carries a lot of responsibility. Take the above advice from Manchester-based SEO marketing agency Embryo seriously and you should be fine!
