Memes. You love them. You share them with your friends, and you get a good laugh out of them. They’re everywhere in every corner of the digital world. Whether it’s spoofing a famous moment or making fun of an infamous sports play, memes are a constant part of the online experience.
They are practically an internet phenomenon that won’t be going away anytime soon. Certain memes might disappear over time, but new ones pop up continuously to take their place. Memes are meant to be funny or sarcastic, but they ultimately attract our eyeballs and brains. With that in mind, businesses can use them as a marketing tool; as long it’s done in a clever and thought-out manner.
Before we dive into how marketers can use them as a tool, let’s get the description out of the way. A meme, pronounced “mee-m,” according to our favorite dictionary (Merriam-Webster), is “an amusing or interesting item (such as a captioned picture or video) or genre of items that is spread widely online especially through social media.” Many of the popular and trendy memes you see today are actually called Macros. A Macro is a variation on a meme where a marketer or any user can insert text to fit their needs.
Memes for Business
You might ask: “How am I going to effectively use a meme in my marketing strategy?” It’s essential that you find the proper image to use. This can be a photograph you’ve taken, an image of your product or service, or a variation of a popular meme/Macro. If you take the latter route, finding popular memes couldn’t be any simpler. They are pretty much everywhere on social media. You can also find a meme generator too.
Whichever image or overall meme you choose, it must relate to your brand or business in some way. To help your meme get viral and attract consumers, it needs to be amusing, funny, clever, ironic, witty, and a tad tongue-in-cheek.
You can’t choose any picture or meme though. Choosing one that’s already popular can be a good start. For a meme to be popular and trendy, it must be:
- Shareable
- Easy to create
- Relatable
- Familiar
- Consumable
When it comes to the theme of your meme, think about how you want your target audience to associate your meme with your business. Here are some ideas, along with some popular themes:
- Grumpy Cat
- Kermit the Frog drinking tea/’But That’s None of My Business’
- Most Interesting Man in the World
- Babies using adult language
- Animals speaking
- Actors/TV and movie scenes
- Puns, punch lines, famous quotes
- There are endless possibilities!
Don’t throw caution out the window. Make sure your meme is non-offensive, non-discriminatory, and not off-putting to certain people or groups. Also, consider being grammatically correct. Some of the most popular memes out there don’t use proper grammar or punctuation. Use digression when determining this.
Whatever decision your business comes to about which meme(s) to use, it’s about audience reaction and effectiveness. Once you have settled on an idea or plan, it’s time to share your meme. Don’t limit yourself to one social media platform. Push it out often enough to ensure your entire audience gets to see your funny, sarcastic, and witty creation. Only time will tell if your meme was a success.
Memes are one of the many creative and fun tools marketers can use to reach clients and consumers. No matter what your business does, there is a meme out there for you. While you search for the perfect meme, ENX2 Marketing is here to make your digital marketing dreams come true. If you want your business to shine, contact our agency today!