Memes are seen as the cultural vocabulary of our time. From internet-famous cats to political satire, memes have become a staple in social media feeds everywhere. From Tumblr and Twitter to Instagram, brands are increasingly looking to tap into this culture to build relationships with younger audiences.
A recent survey by Variety showed that 92 percent of young people aged 18-34 were using the internet daily for entertainment purposes, making it clear that marketers need to utilize social media platforms toto forge connections with their target audience.
What are memes?
Memes are typically images with short captions that viers can understand immediately. They’re accessible, sharable, and have incredible potential for marketers to use as a means of communication. Memes create an opportunity for brands to post relatable messages across different platforms at little cost, effectively reaching consumers who may not be reached through more traditional means (i.e., television or print ads).
However, to achieve this result, brands need to know how memes fit into the marketing strategy and what they should avoid doing when posting them. In essence, they need to know the “do’s” and “don’ts” of meme-marketing.
Do seamlessly tie your brand message into the meme. Memes are about being relevant, so it’s important that a brand message is told in a funny or compelling way within a relevant context . Take Wendy’s, who recently posted a photo of an Oreo covered in frosting with the caption “When nuggs go missing,” and tagged rival McDonald’s in the image. This was a great way to create buzz around their new chicken nuggets while making a joke at the same time by playing on the recent feud between Wendy’s and McDonald’s.
Do add humor when possible
Adding humor when appropriate is an integral part of meme-marketing because it drives engagement. If you’re not ready to see your brand become a meme yet (and that might be for good reason if you’re in a sensitive industry), then avoid posting memes that aren’t funny or relatable at all. It must be evident that the brand has put thought into what they’ve posted and why it will resonate with their target audience.
Do make your brand a part of the conversation
Memes are, first and foremost, about generating conversation on social media. If you’re not commenting on memes within your niche or participating in discussions around them at all, then there is no reason why someone should follow you for this content. Brands need to be engaging their audiences and offering commentary that will spark further engagement and sharing.
If they don’t, those moments may be lost forever as by the time you come along to join in, and some memes can have millions of views – one such meme was Goat Dad, which went hugely viral after it was posted on Reddit, having 20 million views before being turned into a popular Facebook page.
Don’t forget that creating memes takes more than just uploading an image
If brands want to engage with memes, they need to be prepared for the work entails. Memes are about creating something original, not just repurposing stock images or adapted versions of your logo. Just like how putting together a marketing strategy involves more than just posting an ad on social media, so too does meme-marketing involve developing unique creative content.
Don’t forget your brand purpose
Most of all, remember why you’re doing this in the first place, consult Meme Scout for more! If you want to post relevant memes, it’s important always to consider what that means for your brand. Will you associate yourself with new and younger audiences? Then posting funny memes is right up your alley! Are you looking to become associated with?
