Like it or not, memes play a big part in online culture today. Your customers are experiencing them on social media channels, blogs and they’ve even made their way into marketing. These days, you’ve probably seen memes for marketing on billboards, bus stops and of course, Facebook ads. They’re all over the place. Why? Well, let’s be honest…who doesn’t love a good chuckle at a clever meme? Am I right? Or am I right?
(https://memegenerator.net/instance/62901820)
Memes are meant to grab our attention because they are (for the most part) meant to be funny or sarcastic. They offer the unique opportunity to grab people’s attention and offer up a little bit of shock-value. Businesses can use this to their advantage…but like many marketing tools, a meme’s value comes from how it’s used.
Used correctly, memes can go viral- exposing brands on a whole new level. Used incorrectly and they can cause a business to backfire; falling flat on their face in front of customers.
(http://funnymemes.co/moving-earth-fail-meme/)
What is a Meme?
In case you’ve been hiding under a rock, Meme is pronounced with a long E and the last E is silent (rhymes with “team”). Historically, a meme is something that would travel via word of mouth within a culture such as a fable, joke or expression of speech.
Memes today travel much faster than word of mouth. From instant messages and social media, they’re easy to create and are spreading like wildfire.
Memes for Marketing: How to use Them (and how not to use them)
In order for a meme to be popular (aka: viral), it should be easy to create, easy to understand, relatable to your customers/audience, sharable and clever. They are meant to provide a quick snippet on some sort of pop culture aspect or reflect other social, political or economic situations. And because of their very short lifespan, the text overlay is usually interchangeable.
But, make sure the meme is appropriate. If your business has a very serious reputation (and a serious audience), you may find that using memes will offend customers — the exact opposite of what you want.
Like any joke, it’s all in the delivery.
Where to Find a Meme
The key to using an effective meme for marketing is finding the right image. No matter what your company does, thanks to the overabundance of memes out there, you’ll probably find one that’s perfect for your online marketing campaign. If not, just create your own imagery by using a picture of a product or service you offer.
One piece of advice: just make sure that the rest of the Internet is laughing with you, not at you.
(http://memeshappen.com/meme/futurama-fry/not-sure-if-compliment-or-sarcasm-24076)
Making a meme is as simple as taking a popular image and coming up with relevant, humorous text to impose over it. Several sites allow you to make memes for free, however they add their watermark at the bottom.
- www.KnowYourMeme.com
- www.funnymemes.co
- www.memes.com/generator
- www.MemeGenerator.net
- www.memecenter.com
- www.memeshappen.com
Memejacking
The art of hijacking popular memes for marketing purposes has become known as memejacking. According to Business News Daily, it’s when brands use previously created memes in their own marketing strategies.
It’s a risky move: you’ll either ride the viral wave or miss your target audience completely and appear like you’re trying too hard.
(https://memegenerator.net/instance/64093294)
The best approach is to keep your eye on trends and culture through social media feeds and search out memes that appear like they’re gaining in popularity. Once you’ve found a meme that’s either on the verge of virality, find a way to put your brand’s own spin on it and share it on social.
Boost Branding Efforts with Memes
Meme campaigns work best when your audience already wants the product or service that you sell and already feels like they have a relationship with your company. They can definitely grab the attention of your customers, help increase your reach and boost online branding efforts; just keep these tips in mind to ensure they serve as an effective marketing tool for your next campaign.
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