Memes are a fun way to engage with your audience on social media. According to a survey by Clutch, 53% of consumers say they are most likely to remember an ad if it's funny. Humour is a powerful tool. But getting humour right can be tricky.
In this article, we will guide you through how to successfully use memes in your content marketing strategy. You will learn what memes you should be using and how to navigate where memes are appropriate, and where they are not. Let's get started.
The first and most important rule when using memes in your marketing is to stick to your brand voice. Simply because a meme is popular doesn't mean you should use it. You want to keep all of your content marketing, including your memes, consistent.
If a meme doesn't match your brand voice, you may confuse your audience, appear ingenuine, or even be offensive to your audience by sharing content that conflicts with your brands and your audience's values.
Memes have a lifespan. Old memes die and are replaced by new ones.
Using old memes makes your brand appear out-of-touch. No matter how great your meme idea is, if it uses an out-of-date meme, resist the urge to make and post it.
Keep up-to-date on the new memes being posted. When new memes take off, use them in your marketing. This will show your audience that you are a relevant brand and help you connect with them through shared humour.
Original meme content is a great way to share your brand's voice and sense of humour, as well as build awareness around your brand.
Maybe you will take a ‘meme-able' photo of your product that you can share with your audience. When this gets shared, you will build brand awareness around your product as well as present your brand as relatable and funny.
Is there a viral meme going around? Always. If there is a funny way that your brand can do its own take on this meme, do it.
For example, below you can see BarkBox made a tweet, jumping on a meme trend and making it relevant to their brand. The tweet got over 500 likes and over 200 retweets, showing how successful memes can be in building brand awareness and engaging with your audience.
Memes are great. However, it's always good to remember that they are not meant to be your main form of content. They should be used to supplement other content that you are creating.
You use memes to build engagement and connect with your audience. You won't add CTAs or links to landing pages so they won’t be generating leads for your brand. In addition, if your memes come across as sales-y you will find that audiences will be off-put and they won’t perform well.
Challenges pop up on social media all the time. Some spread like wildfire. When they do, your brand should participate. This is a chance to promote your brand and get your content in front of a lot of new people. Challenges often come with hashtags and when you create a meme in that popular hashtag you will often find it will get more views than your average post.
For example, Lego jumped on board with the #10yearchallenge. They got to promote their product, show that it is timeless, and let audiences know that their brand is still relevant, and funny.
Memes are taking over the world. Almost any brand, in any industry, has the chance to get in on the action. However, posting memes can be a tricky business. It's important to get it right. You need to present the right sense of humour. One that your audience relates to and aligns with your brand. You don't want to come across as false or trying too hard.
If you take the time to understand your audience and keep on top of what memes are relevant and trending you will more easily be able to navigate the difficult world of posting memes on social media as a brand.
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