Email has permeated into the life of most Americans. According to a study by Sharpe Partners, nearly 90% of adult Internet users in America share content with others via e-mail.

That is an astonishing proportion and music to the ears of marketing companies which engage in word-of-mouth viral e-mail techniques to sell their products. The study also shed some light on the type of content that is most often forwarded - humor.

Other popular content include news, healthcare, religious and spiritual material, games, business, personal finance information, and sports... in that order. So it is easy to see that humor is the best content for your viral e-mail campaign.

People will want to pass along something that makes them laugh, thus you should always add cartoons, jokes and funny videos in an e-mail for sucessful viral marketing. Such emails are more likely to be forwarded to friends and relatives rather than than a direct  advertisement.

 

A classic example came from Disneyland's humorous email which reached about 35 million people. In the e-mail was a picture taken in Disneyland with Donald Duck lying prone in front of the famous Cinderella Castle. The title of the picture was "Bird Flu has hit Disneyland".

 

The bird flu epidemic can affect many people, hence it has the potential to generate lots of attention (positive and negative) to any brand that associates with it. Disneyland used a shrewd strategy of making light what''s serious for its viral marketing message... and it works fantastically.

Though people love to share joke or funny pictures, that does not mean all types of humor are applicable in your e-mail campaign. I will avoid dark or harsh humor at all cost. This kind of humor may create a strong following for writers of comedy and satire, but it is extremely dangerous in marketing. People could be turned off and think badly of your brand.

 

For a good use of humor, visualize the opposite of dark, a kind of peppy, bright humor that will draw people into your work.

You should also remember not to let humor overwhelm your ad. Make sure the product is always front and center. Some advertisers push the envelope and abstract this rule a little. As viewer responses become more sophisticated, the product can be set back a little, and a little more humor or concept can still draw a customer base. But don't get carried away.