If you’ve been browsing social media lately (of course you have, you potato), chances are, you’ve seen a handful of businesses trying desperately to be funny.
(Just like that potato joke I made)
From small cafes borrowing punchlines from other cafes, to marketers creating skits they saw from other marketers.
Now, some of them hit the jackpot.
It went viral… made sales.
But did you know almost NONE of that jackpot comes from the joke? It’s true. Most successful businesses don’t even need post 3 funny reels and 58 stories a day.
What hits the jackpot comes from them putting salt in the market’s wound and telling them how they can cure it.
Simple.
That’s why I don’t know how this make-jokes-all-day krap started.
Although I can picture the meeting where some well-meaning genius raised their hand and said,
“Sir, what if you do this skit with the team? Para maging relatable yung brand.”
Or maybe it was the young, eager intern who pitched,
“Bro, we gotta hop on this trend! Brand awareness yan!”
Then the biz owner was like…
😲👍
So what’s this got to do with you?
Well, I can hear you thinking about doing a trending dance for your biz because the ghost month has hit you hard. So I’m here to save your eass for the sake of your grandkids and dogs.
You’re welcome.
Now let’s be clear.
This relentless pursuit of being “funny” is a trap.
If you’re a comedy club, knock yourself out. If you’re a food influencer who gets paid to eat a 6,000-calorie breakfast, by all means, lead the way. Your business model is entertainment.
But if you’re not?
If you sell coaching services, or you own a fitness studio, a hobby shop, or a simple karaoke hub?
Your job isn’t to rack up claps and dopamine likes.
You’re here to solve a problem.
And this is not me being a tito who hadn’t drank his morning coffee yet.
I LOVE stupid-funny stuff. I dreamt of having dinner with Adam Sandler and Conan O’Brien and even Babalou since I started watching them. (Fun fact: Conan and I have the same birthday)
Anyway.
The point of all this is to tell you this cold, unsexy truth…
If you want sales, sell.
The real reason a customer gives you their hard-earned money isn’t because you made them chuckle once or twice.
They pay you because you make them less hungry, less confused, less stuck.
The market has a tangible problem, and you have the specific answer. That is the core transaction.
“So do we have to get serious all the time?”
No, god, no. Dayum. That’s a sad world you’re mentioning.
Just think of entertainment as the sugar, not the medicine. The lemon, not the tequila(?).
Instead of spending hours trying to go viral on TikTok, what if you spent that time talking to the market and learning their woes?
And then that’s what you put on the content you create.
Because that’s what makes your brand relatable. They have to know that you know them. Like you’re a tita that brings all the goods.
This is why these kinds of ad materials are money-makers:
- Advertorials that made them realize there’s an answer to their pain
- Video Sales Letters that talk to them like they know them
- Emails that make you their friend from afar
They don’t get a million views and a thousand likes.
They’re not inherently flashy.
But it does something far more important: it builds trust and demonstrates competence.
So, by all means, sprinkle in some personality. Be human. But don’t ever forget what you’re really here to do…
SELL.
And for me, I’m here to make you curious about what I do.
So… Did I do it right, or do you want me to dance?
Go here: https://johnrillemanalo.com