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Using memes is one of the trendiest marketing strategies
Memes have taken over social media and are used by young and old. Infographics and images garner attention online, but a witty meme often steals the show. Studies have shown that the attention of many people has shortened, and audiences prefer visual stimuli, like memes. Marketers can integrate memes into their marketing strategies to increase engagement and get more clicks.
What are memes?
A meme is a funny or intriguing image, video, or GIF that often references pop culture or things that interest a specific group. Smart memes often go viral and reach wide audiences, and marketers can use this to their advantage.
Marketers can make use of meme marketing
Meme marketing is a method of using marketing memes in a marketing strategy. Meme marketing is light-hearted and engages with audiences, starts conversations in the comment sections, and helps the audience build a relationship with a brand. It also increases the brand’s visibility because it may be relatable and entertaining. Brands can also benefit from the light-heartedness of memes, as using them does not seem like a direct marketing method and may make the audience more comfortable.
Reasons why you should use memes in marketing
- Memes are cheap. Low-cost forms of marketing are always welcome, which is why memes are useful. There are various free meme generators online where brands can make their own memes to suit their style. Some popular meme generators are Canva, Meme Generator, and Imgur. Canva has a meme generation tool that allows you to upload photos or use their existing templates, Meme Generator allows you to use their wide range of popular memes that you can edit, and Imgur is an image hosting platform that allows you to use the latest memes.
- Memes are more relatable than other marketing methods. Memes add the human element and make the brand more authentic. It also creates a sense of community among the audience and followers as they can engage with each other in the comment section of the meme.
- Memes give immediate feedback to brands. Whether the meme is successful and goes viral or if it is found offensive by some, brands will see this immediately and be able to learn from it.
- Trends come and go, but memes are here to stay. As the internet thrives, so will memes because so many people love and relate to them. No matter the situation, people will always make and engage with memes online.
How to successfully use memes in marketing
Just posting a funny meme is not going to cut it. To properly use memes in a marketing strategy, you should first:
- Know your target audience. The audience should understand the meme immediately. For example, a meme about a new teen series like Euphoria wouldn’t be relatable to an older audience. In the same way, a meme about an 80s pop star would likely not be received well by millennials.
- The meme needs to be original. Using trending photos and memes is not a bad move, but the text or context should be fresh. There are so many memes online that recycled or unoriginal memes often become lost in the crowd and don’t stand out.
- Memes need to be timed. Because meme often relies on pop culture, it has to be posted at the right time. For example, referencing an event two years ago would likely not go viral. When creating memes, you should always reference trending topics at the moment to take advantage of the hype.
- Although you should take advantage of trends, you should always stay on brand. At the end of the day, the goal is to have the audience engage with the meme. For example, posting a meme referencing a trend with Kim Kardashian is not relatable to the audience of a hardware brand. Memes always need to align with the brand’s voice to be successful.
In Conclusion
If incorporated and created properly, memes can be a useful part of any marketing strategy. The target audience will interact with them, and brands will be able to reach wider audiences if they go viral.
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