Frustrated at your professor? Throw a meme in your Whatsapp group.
Feeling lazy to write a movie review? Post a meme on your Instagram story.
Memes are fun, easy to consume, and fantastic communication tools. And B2C organizations have effectively embraced the use of trending memes to promote brand visibility and enhance audience engagement. And hey, the world has just recovered from the shock of the pandemic (humor is necessary to provide relief!)
So, aren’t you thinking of getting started with meme-vertising? Don’t worry we’re right here to help you with that.
So, what are memes and how did they come into the picture?
The term “meme” got coined by the English Author and Evolutionary Biologist Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene in 1976. Surprising right? Yes, the term was introduced 45 years ago, but the idea has been redefined, over the years.
Today, memes are a way of connecting through unique photos captioned with sarcastic statements that creates a sense of familiarity among internet users. They have the potential to go ‘viral’ and reflect contemporary issues. Memes are essential language devices that facilitate communication over social.
Almost every meme creator encourages their memes to get re-created, reposted, and re-memed (negation of plagiarism). This has enabled marketers to embrace the art of Memejacking, hijacking popular memes to promote their products.
How is meme marketing useful?
Fun and engaging content
Memes are easy to consume, designed with humor, and create a sense of belonging. You will attract followers by engaging with your audience and making them laugh with fun and relatable memes.
Low-cost technique
Memes are essentially easy to create and do not involve much expense. If you have an idea in hand, a suitable template, a basic editing tool, and are filled with creativity, it won’t cost you much time and effort to create your meme from scratch. Even if you do not have new ideas, you can always get access to existing content across all platforms and add your touch.
Shareable content
Memes are characterized by constant sharing and reposting among a wide range of audiences. Sharing memes that promote your products will generate awareness about your brand and increase your follower count.
Reflect contemporary events
Memes are created based on trending issues and events. Users will appreciate you for staying updated with contemporary events and delivering relatable content. Memes work like magnets for engagements and followers.
How can you use memes for marketing your brand?
Know your audience
Like any other marketing strategy, the first step must be to research your target audience. Memes are gratifying to the newest generation of internauts (mostly 15-40 years old), so having an idea about their behavior will facilitate a better approach to meme-making.
Source: Medium.com
Tinder’s #AdultingCanWait campaign
Understand the format of memes
If you are not a native meme developer, it is better to employ one. Getting clear with the format and purpose of each meme is necessary. Your audience will quickly detect any off note in your content and have an impression that you are trying hard to play cool.
Source: Design Webkit
Nickelodeon at its best while making memes with their own cartoon characters and addressing the young audience
Reflect your brand voice
If you are a fashion and lifestyle brand using affirmative language can boost your audience’s self-confidence. While if you are a sports brand, using an energetic and active voice is appreciated. Define your brand voice and make memes that reflect your voice. To define your brand voice, you determine your target audience and how you want to communicate with them.
Source: Medium.com
Big bazaar announcing offers on their cookwares
Follow up with the trend
It is better to accept the fact that memes do not remain constant and get replaced eventually. Even a day’s delay can reflect the differences between the outdated and the latest. Memes like Bad Luck Brian and Nicolas Cage will not fascinate your audience, but Bean Dad and 2020 showing 2022 around the workplace can captivate your audience.
Source: India Today
Zomato’s meme team is always on track
Contest meme-making challenges for your audience
Who doesn’t love fun contests and challenges? Everyone does, and so does your audience. Organizing meme-making competitions for your audience and encouraging them to participate will likely boost audience engagement. Offer a plain picture and implore them to add taglines, quotes, or captions based on a theme.
Source: Medium.com
And Therefore…
Employing meme marketing is favorable for your business, but overdoing it can lead to serious trouble. Remember to check the license of the content media you use though there is no risk of plagiarism with memes. Well, you never know.
Memes are highly valued by young internet users. Incorporating them into your marketing funnel can be favorable for your business.
