Advice

News

Thinking

Events

Jobs

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

TikTok

Contact

Take Nude, for example, they’re an app helping people save for their first home. On TikTok, they’re 

 and creating relatable content for their target audience—like 

this video that peeks into the notes app of a first-time buyer

Juno is a financial education app for women—“The Duolingo of Money” as it says in their bio. We love how they 

curate topical articles on the subject of women’s wealth

 and use their videos to add further context. The content itself might not be particularly “funny”, but it’s a fun and engaging way to educate people about money (without sending them to sleep)

A special mention has to go to Starling Bank, which does an incredible job of partnering with creators. Our faves include 

Jack’s impression of that friend with an inconvenient bank

Monica and Christopher’s hairdresser gossip about Chris and his new bf opening a joint account

 (with Starling, ofc). This is an ideal social strategy if you, or the people in your marketing team, would rather sit through a 12hr crypto-bro podcast than be on camera 

One thing we’ve noticed about these fun-ance brands (sorry) is that their content is 

less about money itself, and more about people’s personal relationships with money

. From the challenges of saving for a home, to buyer’s remorse—it’s all about relatability. When you think of the ways money can impact your audience’s lifestyle, you’ll have a fat stack of fun content ideas in no time 

Step Bank’s Educ-ATE series teaches Gen Z how to save money on food

Go Fund Yourself masters the art of crowd-sourced content

Monzo’s senior social media manager talks about their content strategy

New obsession: The Fintech Marketing podcast from 11:FS

Cleo uses this ‘duet this’ feature to find their new ‘Chief Spending Officer’

In the pool with…Yoann from Nude Finance

, the app that helps you save for your first home. He’s based in London and previously headed up growth for the likes of Depop and Deliveroo.

Why do you think finance, in particular, has had such a massive tone-shift in the last decade?

I think it has a lot to do with the rise of mobile-first banking. Before, banks would always speak to their customers face-to-face in-branch, but now, a lot of people manage their money through apps. Without this human-to-human contact, finance brands are bringing a more human side to their tone of voice and content.


What advice would you give to marketing teams in finance who want to start making fun content, but they’re working for a very traditional brand?

I would say, forget everything you’ve done, forget all the processes, and all the rigid branding and go back to “what do people actually share with each other?” Either, one-to-many (e.g. on TikTok) or one-to-one (e.g. what do you send to your friends on WhatsApp?)

My other piece of advice would be to prioritise being responsive. For a piece of content to resonate, you can’t plan it 3 months in advance. And it can’t go through multiple rounds of approval. You have to monitor what’s happening on the internet today and be ready to react.

What’s your favourite piece of fun content from Nude?

Our Time to Buy a Calculator. It’s basically a lo-fi version of what the Nude app does. It’s fun, it’s interactive and it still brings us customers.

For you, what’s one of the easiest fun content ideas to execute?

Pay content creators (not influencers, content creators) to make videos for you every day. They can either shoot content at home, or interview people on the street. It’s super straightforward.

And if you want to start even smaller, create memes. Research the trending memes that are doing the rounds on the internet that week, and tailor them to your business or industry. You could make up to 5 in half an hour. Easy.

What would be in your target customer’s notes app? 

That's a wrap on finance for this series. Did we cover the best brands or is there some we've missed? Drop us a DM on social and let us know what you think.

The brands making finance fun on TikTok

Hollis Funeral Home is a father-daughter business based in Syracuse, NY. They have 930K+ followers on TikTok and over 20 million views. And it’s because they show this personable side to funerals and embalming. E.g. 

In this video, where Eileen rates the outfit that someone will wear to their own funeral

Eileen's dad, Charlie, is an internet treasure

Funeral directors actually want you to live

Over in Washington, you have Return Home Terramation. They specialise in natural human composting (you might’ve seen their work in 

). In their day-to-day content, you’ll see everything from their 

CEO geeking out over hursts at a funeral convention

their team talking about their wishes for when they die

. And then, there’s the normal workplace stuff like 

 (because it turns out, funeral directors actually want you to live).

We’re also loving the chatty, walk-and-talk style of 

 that Guardian Angel weren’t afraid to post on a brand account, and this 

“How well do you know your loved ones” festive quiz

Professionals in the death space—funeral directors, nurses, estate planners—are trained to contain their emotions in front of families. But through fun content, these brands are showing the personalities behind the people who look after our loved ones when they pass. And there’s something so comforting about that.

Long conversations about death with The Glam Reaper

This company that turns ashes into diamonds has over 1.7M followers

Big Led answers all your weird questions about embalming

There’s an entire podcast about undertaking

People tag Lauren the Mortician to warn others about dumb ways to die

6 tips for creating content in sensitive industries (e.g. funerals, legal etc)

In the pool with…Conor and Michael from Mortuary Marketing

Based in Chicago, Conor and Michael Cooney are the Founders of 

. Michael himself is a fourth-generation Funeral Director and Embalmer, and Conor is a Digital Marketing Specialist (he previously worked for the Walt Disney Company). Together, they’re changing the way funeral homes market themselves.

Why do you think fun content is so successful in the death industry?

Contrary to popular belief, funeral directors possess a great sense of humor, which often goes unrecognised. Up until recently, people haven’t had the opportunity to see that side. It’s like we’ve pulled back the curtain.

Why did you decide to niche down and work specifically with funeral homes?

We come from a line of funeral directors spanning four generations, affording us an intimate understanding of the industry's traditions and challenges. Funeral directors work year-round and often struggle to keep up with the times. It’s a very traditional industry and we saw the immense potential for modernisation and creativity.

Which piece of content have you had the most fun making?

What advice would you give to funeral homes that are interested in creating content that’s more fun (but are scared of coming across as disrespectful)?

First and foremost, maintaining a tone that is tasteful and respectful is paramount for funeral homes. The gravity of the subject matter should never be forgotten, and sensitivity to the emotions of grieving families should guide the content creation process. But, it's essential for funeral directors to connect with families on multiple levels. This means crafting content that not only aids families during their challenging times but also resonates with them in their current life circumstances.

, crowdsource “Ask us anything you want to know about [industry]” questions from your audience and make a video answering them.

And that's all we've got on the death industry. We hope that's provided some food for thought. If marketing can be brought to life (see what we did there?) in death, then surely there's no sector off limits.

Who knew the death industry could be…fun?

The Octopus Energy social team knows how to zoom out and find content inspiration from other industries.

. Zaria Parvez took an owl mascot, merged it with TikTok’s signature “unhinged” humour and built one of the biggest brand accounts on the platform. Octopus Energy’s applying this same strategy to their own channels. Just look at their mascot, Constantine, being the main character in 

” series. Basing your content ideas on comedy skits that were written by professional funny people? Now that’s genius.

Ecotricity is committed to sustainable energy, and their social content makes that clear.

They’re not afraid to get political but they create reaction videos to keep it light. 

Like this one, in response to Rishi Sunak’s changes to the UK’s net zero policy commitments

When COP26 (the United Nations Climate Change Conference) was held in Glasgow in 2021, Ecotricity 

collaborated with Scottish stunt cyclist, Danny MacAskill, on a short film where he cycles on one of their renewable windmills

: Proving that fun content doesn’t always have to be short, funny clips.

Fun content is, at its core, entertainment that sells. But when the biggest carbon emitters in the world use it as a tool for greenwashing, it morphs into propaganda (we’re looking at you, 

 is a group of marketing and PR agencies that have pledged to not work with fossil fuel clients. So far, over 600 agencies have signed up.


The question is, who’s more responsible? Marketers? C-suite? World leaders? Or a mix of all? 

GE’s still got it with these employee takeovers

See how businesses in energy, utilities and services rank for brand sentiment

Creator, Will Hislop, parodies oil companies in this ad for Clean Creatives

We love the talkshow vibe of Heatable’s “Pat’s Chats” series

Why now is not a good time for earnest brand statements

3 brands using mascots in their social media marketing.

Sophie Sankey’s the Social Media Executive for Heatable, who install boilers and solar panels up and down the UK. From their Warrington office, Sophie takes care of all their content—like short, fun TikToks and longer YouTube videos.

Heatable’s TikTok bio says “We try to make boilers fun”—love that! How did this become a part of your content strategy?

We know how serious a lot of companies are within the utility and heating industry. We wanted to break the mould a little and find our own lane. We understand that buying a boiler isn’t a fun experience so we wanted to change that.

There’s been a lot of fun office antics, including office pranks and our very own edition of bake off. There’s also been a lot of solar instals that I’ve had the pleasure of filming and capturing the process of. We’ve just filmed one of our biggest solar instals to date so I would say this has probably been some of the most exciting content as of yet.

How do you manage to convince your teammates to get in front of the camera?

That’s not always an easy one. However, we have lots of fun spirits at Heatable and most of the team are always up for joining in with some fun.

What advice would you give to other social media managers in the energy/utilities sector who want to create more fun content?

Just because we work in a serious industry, doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun with things.

Our ethos has always been that we don’t take ourselves too seriously and we make all of our content and tone of voice light hearted up until the point of installation. From that point we understand that we’re installing high tech products, so it’s important to keep customers at ease.

What’s something you think energy/utilities companies often get wrong with social?

Traditionally energy and utility companies position themselves as ‘corporate’ and don’t have a good reputation amongst the general public. By continuing to let this come across in their content, they’re alienating a large pool of customers. We have an opportunity to educate on these platforms and with Tiktok becoming a search engine, it’s more relevant than ever.

Pick an article or headline related to your industry and create a fun reaction video with a trending sound.

Now we've covered Energy, Death, Finance. Which topic should we tackle next?

Add these brands to your “fun energy sector” folder

Monday.com is a customisable work management platform. And because it’s completely customisable, their target audience is wide.

So, how do you create content that speaks to everyone? Monday.com built a strategy around the one thing that all their customers have in common: office culture.

Let’s look at their “good morning to the person who…” series on LinkedIn. They highlight the people in businesses who keep it all together, like the 

only person in the office who knows how to use a printer

 sales rep that actually keeps the CRM up to date

. It’s a pat on the back for these workplace heroes (and a lighthearted jab for the rest of us). Plus, it’s crazy simple to execute. No videos, no photos—it’s literally a sentence.

We also love their “Work BFF” series on TikTok. Short, 1-minute videos where work besties discuss things like 

. It’s fun, it’s wholesome and it’s universally relatable.

 social media managers (which certainly helps when you’re trying to sell social media management software)

On their Instagram, you’ll find everything from 

. They’ve also ‘meme-ified’ their blog content. You won’t see a faceless screen recording of Later’s website. Instead, they’ll post a funny video about 

what it feels like when one of your Reels tanks

, and in the caption, invite you to read their “

” (link in bio). They’re adapting their content for the channels they use, and having fun with it in the process.

The Later social team have also mastered the subtle art of self-deprecation. They aren’t afraid to point out social media manager’s toxic traits, like 

scrolling through social media as a break from your “work” social media

debriefing about product issues that they don’t have the skills to fix

It’s a risk to make fun of your target audience, but the comments on Later’s content prove it’s a risk that can pay off.

Often, people see B2B as a hurdle for content. But, if anything, B2B brands have an immediate advantage. You’re a business. They’re a business. A lot of the day-to-day experiences you have, and challenges you face, are similar to those of your audience. And because you both share this common ground, you don’t have to explain the joke. Instead, you can just have fun.

Linktree’s “emoji combinations for X” is wonderfully simple (and fun)

HR cloud curate these hilarious retro training videos

Loom made an ad for their “cancelled meetings” candle

Watch the video to hear our thoughts on: 

Professionalism when you're a people pleaser

In the pool with…Social Media Consultant, Christopher Cox

Christopher Cox is the Founder and Principal Consultant of 

. He previously led social media efforts at 

. He’s currently based out of New York City.

How do you think TikTok (and TikTok culture) has had an impact on the way B2B/tech brands market themselves?

I think TikTok has completely changed how the B2B sector approaches marketing. Regardless of whether they are on TikTok themselves, short-form video is one of the most engaging forms of content across YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and even on LinkedIn.

Broadly, the video trends and conversations that originate on TikTok have a ripple effect across other platforms and audiences. Melding pop culture with marketing has now become the norm, leading B2B marketers to feel like they have to push the envelope more often to stay relevant. It’s definitely made it harder to grab people’s attention with pure sales-y content. We’ve become far more focused on bitesize pieces of entertainment and value.

What’s one thing you think brands get wrong about fun social content?

I think that if you’re focused on chasing trends and hype on social media for engagement's sake, make sure you aren’t forgetting why you’re asking audiences to provide that engagement. What does your brand offer that will provide value to them beyond a chuckle on their feed? Most brands can’t rely solely on trend jacking to achieve all their goals. So, it’s also important that you’re locking down additional streams of content to show variety and deliver your key messages.


Which piece of content did you have the most fun making for one of your clients?

 and I made for fun for one of our clients, 

. I think it captures the resourcefulness of social media teams, because we thought of the idea as the Muni was pulling up and only had one chance to get everything in a single take. It ended up being Scoop’s most viral video. Creating content that feels fun, authentic, and spontaneous is the secret to success on TikTok.

What advice would you give to someone who’s a social media manager, but they’re camera shy?

I don’t think that every social media manager needs to get in front of the camera to be successful. If getting in front of the camera isn’t your passion, then you shouldn’t have to, especially if it wasn’t brought up as a core responsibility during your interview process.

BUT if you do have an interest in getting in front of the camera and don’t feel confident, I say it’s still worth giving it a try. You will improve over time! Consider this the beginning of your video portfolio. Have fun, don’t take it too seriously, and use your social media manager brain to test and iterate.

, share your “humbling experiences as a ______” and ask your audience to share theirs in the comments.

 Why don't you try and create something like this? 

And that's all we've got on social SAAS. If you're struggling to convince your team to get playful, hopefully we've provided some inspiration for you! 

The brands shaking up SAAS on social

It comes as no surprise when a brand like 

 has fun content. I mean, it’s a colourful cereal brand for adults!

But you probably wouldn’t expect Citizens Advice—yes, 

 is the perfect blend of educational and entertaining. And this strategy has paid off. They have over 147K followers and almost a million likes across their content.

Things are somehow funnier when they come from someone or somewhere unexpected. It’s like that time 

the queen “jumped out of a helicopter” with James Bond at the London Olympics

If you’re in a “boring” industry, you almost have the upper hand.

Typically, businesses in “boring” sectors are B2B, or exist in very traditional industries that still wear this mask of a stiff, corporate culture.

But behind the mask of even the biggest conglomerates are 

. People with personalities who are great at their jobs.

These people don’t just exist in your business, they’re also your target customers. And if they can acknowledge that they, as a person, can be both professional and fun, then surely they could think the same of your business?

Sao Paolo’s rail network’s video content is *chef’s kiss*

Fun sells (here’s a study that proves it)

The ultimate guide to TikTok marketing for B2B

Need to convince your boss that fun is the future? Try this approach

What Citizens Advice learned from their first year of posting on TikTok

Why it pays for brands to make people laugh.

In the pool with…Eleanor Sutherland from Citizens Advice

Meet Eleanor Sutherland. Based in Sheffield, she’s the Senior Digital Marketing Strategist at Citizens Advice and one of the brains behind their 

What’s one thing you’ve learned about creating content for a charity like Citizens Advice on TikTok?

Probably how to make more traditionally dry or boring content somewhat entertaining. Or that people like to engage with videos they feel passionate about, which then generates comments and more views. So if I was starting an account from scratch I’d think about what people would really care about seeing.

How do you come up with fun content ideas?

Me and my colleague Cara just watch a lot of videos and share trends we like or think will work well. We try to understand what the real point is of the trend, and why people are interacting with it. Then we go through possible topic ideas that could work. Sometimes these go well, sometimes not.

What advice would you give to a social media manager who has to handle sensitive topics (e.g. the cost of living crisis), but still wants to incorporate some lighthearted humour?

There are a few things. Firstly, I think you’ve got to really know the platform well and what kind of videos trends are being used for so you can feel confident with your choice. Secondly,  you’ve got to know what your limits are, and whose side of a story you are on. For example, we knew that as long as we were giving people helpful information, we could stretch our tone of voice. But we would never make the people we help the but of the joke, but we could say make a joke out of the person creating the problem, like their employer or landlord.

Which piece of content did you have the most fun making?

 because it is completely silly and wouldn’t make sense unless you’d seen the trend a few times. It also didn’t involve me speaking!

How can someone convince more people in the office to get involved with TikTok content?

Sometimes I’ve had success by making the process seem a lot less scary, so showing them example videos. I also try to pull on their heart strings by telling them it is good for the organisation. To be honest I think people already know if they are open to the idea of it or not, so just give people lots of opportunities to volunteer. They may just be a little shy in the beginning.

. Why don't you try and create something like this? 

Use this prompt: What are your team’s biggest icks related to industry?

You can still have fun in a “boring” industry

January means one thing - predictions for the year head.

As we dive into 2024, the digital landscape continues to evolve and social media trends can shape the success of your online marketing. In this blog post, we explore some of the key social media marketing trends we predict will make a significant impact in 2024. From the rise of search-optimised social content to the nuances of social commerce, these trends offer a glimpse into how businesses can stay relevant and connected with their audiences.

This is going to keep growing as the popularity of social search increases. If you’re not using search trends to fuel your social media strategies, then now is the time to start thinking about this.

Gen Z + TikTok Shop is like Boomers and Timeshares. Insider Intelligence reported that US

 will surpass $100 billion by 2025. Although I have to say I’m intrigued as to how well this trend will be embraced by luxury brands.

Affiliate marketing powered by UGC creators

Influencers have been phenomenal at driving affiliate marketing in recent years and now UGC creators have been given the green light by brands. It’s insanely easy to make a creator showcase on TikTok.

As much as I hope we don’t see this, I expect we’ll see a rise in content generated by AI which feels generic and unauthentic. The brands that win will be those that use AI to better understand their customers and leverage processes to drive efficiencies.

Social media platforms are increasingly giving brands the capability to create small groups of ‘ultra fans’. Brands are already leveraging this to provide exclusive opportunities to smaller audiences. I predict we’ll see more platforms adopt this approach and see more features of this type released in 2024.

Remember, the landscape of social media marketing is constantly evolving. Therefore the key takeaway we have for businesses is to experiment. Because by leveraging these emerging trends, brands can create more meaningful and profitable connections with their audiences. But don’t forget, whatever you do, do it with authenticity. From there you can adapt and refine.


It’s a limited edition series which means we wait until we’ve researched and written killer content that we know will be invaluable for marketeers.

Swwim is a social media marketing agency that helps businesses grow through genuine collaborations. 

Social Media Marketing - 2024 Trend Predictions

In an era dominated by de-influencing and micro-influencers, relying solely on polished product content and glossy paid advertisements is no longer enough. As we’ve previously discussed here at Swwim, today’s consumers seek more than just a transaction; they desire a connection with a brand. In fact, consumers need to be exposed to a brand message 

 before it registers and starts to influence their purchasing decisions. The key to building this trust lies in User-Generated Content (UGC).


User-generated content encompasses content created by real users for social media, online forums and reviews, that provide authentic opinions about a brand, product or service. This kind of content, often shared by customers, employees, or UGC creators, holds a unique value in today’s 

Unlike traditional influencer marketing or brand-generated content, UGC social media content provides a more authentic feel. This authenticity gives way to trust, with millennials trusting UGC 

than brand-created content. Hearing unscripted, unfiltered opinions from real people strengthens a brand’s reputation, subsequently fostering stronger and more trustworthy connections between brand and consumer.