We’re not all comedic geniuses like Louis CK, but if you looked at 90 percent of the content put out there by companies and organizations, you would think that the business sector is loaded with bores and snoozers. It’s mostly a product of an intensely litigious culture with deep puritanical roots but most businesses fear showing any sort of personality. Blogs, web copy, and social media content – even more than TV commercials – is a place to let your business culture, brand and internal voices shine through. Social media is a place to connect with people, to be real, and generate conversations with the veil of corporate stodginess lifted. *Note: people like to smile, laugh, and say “WTF?”

Again, Louis CK gets a little more “wiggle room” because he is an A-list, R-rated comedian at the top of his game, but a recent run-in with his website let his web copy and emails connect with me as it it were actually Louis. You see, I downloaded a recent special. I wanted to stream it at another location and forgot my password. I felt like an idiot. Louis’ password recovery process copy agreed with me:

He essentially called me an idiot and I laughed. Instead of benign instruction I felt like the CK brand (not Calvin Klein) connected with me personally. The barrage on my mental capacity continued when I checked my email:

I’m called an “idiot” and “stupid” and he even takes it a step further by making “moron” part of my temporary password and I couldn’t be happier. A boring, mindless process that web users go through millions of times a day was taken as an opportunity to connect. This is a bright and simple example of how a content strategy can extend your reach.

As a company or an organization you can look at every bit of content; from the website and blog to automatic emails as a way to connect and nothing connects with people better than humor (in many situations).

So:

• Determine the goal of the content
• Understand the audience
• Be informative and have fun

A simple, everyday password retrieval process on the Louis CK website illustrates how a clever content strategy can keep your audience engaged, even during the mundane aspects of interacting with your organization.