Happy April Fools Day! Is it appropriate for businesses small and large to prank their customers (good-naturedly, of course)? The overwhelming consensus seems to be yes. In fact, April Fools jokes are so popular, if you don’t do something playful for the holiday, your customers might be disappointed. Here are some of the most notable April Fools pranks of 2015:
April Fools Day Social Media Pranks
From large corporations to family-owned restaurants and marketing companies, posting fake materials on social media and company webpages as an April Fools joke is a popular move — and all part of the fun. Samsung announced the upcoming release of its Galaxy Blade Edge, “the world’s first smart knife” with a pure diamond edge, on its company blog; Pizza Hut tweeted about its new, pizza-flavored beer; the dating app Hinge apparently released a new playdate search option for toddlers; FreshDirect is introducing a five-day cheese cleanse; and the British grocery store Tesco plans to install convenient mini-trampolines in its aisles to help customers reach the top selves. …Of course, none of these things are actually true. All of the tweets, articles, pictures, Facebook posts, and more were posted exactly on April 1, just in time to celebrate April Fools Day.
Is It Just For Fun?
Yes and no. While it’s all in good fun, any professional search engine optimization or SEO marketing agency will also tell you that the articles, tweets, and Instagram photos may serve several other purposes. Digital marketing firms and creative advertising agencies agree: the promotional and celebratory materials help establish a playful, fun, and relate-able company image, which is definitely a good thing. What’s more, the April Fools images and headlines are attention-grabbing. Consumers are more likely to click on them and share them, and that’s important — given that 91% of consumers frequent social media, 93% of Internet use starts on search engines, and 70% of search results that get clicks are organic links (and shares boost these organic search rankings!).
Ask any SEO marketing agency or expert SEO company: What’s the best strategy for April Fools Day (and, for that matter, all special occasions)? Experts agree: Take advantage of events like April Fools Day to promote a positive company image and get likes, shares, and views.
