Reasons to Use Memes in your Marketing

At a time when many consumers skip advertising whenever possible, humor will catch the attention of even the most sophisticated user. Memes can be a surefire tool for attracting new audiences. The secret of their success is simple – good memes are liked by everyone without exception. Let’s look at how marketers need to use memes to build an emotional connection with consumers, and why this content should be included in a brand’s social media strategy.

So, what are memes and how to use them?

The concept of “meme” was introduced by British biologist Richard Dawkins in 1976. In his book The Selfish Gene, he suggested that human culture develops according to the laws of biological evolution. And if in biology genes copy themselves and are passed on from person to person, then there should be a similar term for a unit of cultural heritage. Now memes are witty visual content containing some hidden meaning associated with pop culture. The idea of meme marketing has gone beyond social media and has become a common tool in the digital marketing field nowadays. This marketing involves using popular internet memes and cultural references in advertising campaigns. This approach aims to interact with the audience in a humorous way, as well as increase brand awareness and popularity. The goal of it is to create memorable, shareable content that aligns with values and interests in the public domain.

Here are some good reasons to make meme marketing part of your strategy:

1. Creating memes is relatively easy, quick and inexpensive.
   You can create your own memes using generators that can be found for free online, or have your own designers make them as part of your digital resources.
2. They attract attention.
   Memes are visually distinctive and stand out in crowded social media feeds. This can help capture your users’ attention and make them more likely to stop scrolling to view your content.
3. Memes are great for engaging people.
   Social media thrive on such type of content. People love memes and interacting with them, which leads to remarkable levels of engagement.
4. They evoke a wide range of emotions.
   Strategic use of memes ads can help you connect with your audience on an emotional level.
5. Memes allow you to experiment with different styles, tones, and formats.
   You can test different meme-based content to see what resonates best with your audience and refine your strategy accordingly.
6. They are often based on shared experiences, trends, or cultural references.
   Using them makes your company more attractive to your clients as they instantly recognize the content.
7. You can use memes to convey your company values, highlight product features, or convey important information in a concise, visually appealing and more engaging way.
8. By incorporating brand elements or messages into memes, marketers increase brand awareness and reach a wider audience.
9. Memes can go viral.
   And while you probably won’t get the world’s attention with your meme, current and potential customers will be much more likely to notice and remember one of your posts if such content is there.
10. Memes are more interesting.
    They are one of the most effective ways to make a brand appeal to younger audiences.
11. Memes increase clients’ loyalty.
    It is important for companies to be on the same page with followers and develop friendly relationships with them.
    This content is a great way to show that nothing human is alien to you.
12. They help in dealing with negativity.
    There are situations that cause customer dissatisfaction (e.g., long order processing). Humor can be used to apologize in advance for any inconvenience.
13. And they develop a sense of community.
    This content helps build community because people may have personally experienced the situation they describe.
14. According to experts, memes provide companies with a higher ROI than opinion leaders.

This is partly due to the inherent wit of memes, which leads to high levels of engagement.

On the other hand, meme marketing has some potential disadvantages.

1. This marketing is inherently short-term.
   Most memes don’t have much staying power, which isn’t surprising given the reality of the Internet.
2. This is a crowded forum.
   Memes are extremely powerful, which means that many other companies are also trying to get on board with their own meme strategies. So, standing out can be challenging.

When promoting your brand with memes, follow the rules:

1. Know your customers thoroughly.
   If your audience doesn’t like your memes, it won’t share them.
2. The meme must be consistent with your brand voice.
   Whatever means you use to promote your products and services, they should not conflict with your brand image.
3. Follow trends.
   The lifespan of a meme is very short, and you can’t stick with one idea for long. You should build your own library using existing popular memes.
4. Add originality to your memes.
   Applying original content, there is a high chance that users will like your memes and start sharing them.
5. Organize meme challenges.
   This is a great opportunity for companies to reach hundreds of people.
6. Post memes regularly.
7. But when publishing a viral meme on your pages, make sure in advance that it is not protected by copyright.

At the same time you should avoid:

1. A strong change in the main idea of memes.
   It may cause difficulties for the people to get the joke.
2. Selecting a sensitive topic and insufficient research of it.
   You should remember, one wrong move and you will lose your profitable audience. But the most important thing is not to offend people’s feelings.
3. Excessive use of memes.
   Too many memes take away positive emotions. And their influence on your clients will be reduced.
4. Publications without understanding the context.

Meme marketing has become extremely popular. Many well-known companies successfully use memes in advertising campaigns. Luxury brand Gucci in its campaigns shows that it is not only stylish, but also fashionable, using memes in advertising. Seamless, a popular online food delivery service in the USA, often uses humor (including memes) to communicate with its clients. Marketers of BarkBox, which offers products and services for dog owners, actively use memes in dog-themed marketing to attract and amuse the pet-loving community. Take cues from other companies that have had success with certain memes ads, but don’t copy directly. Try to find your own inspiration. So, meme marketing can be a powerful tool for marketers to create engaging, shareable content on a budget. However, it should be used strategically, taking into account the target audience and brand image, as well as a clear understanding of the potential risks and benefits. Even though memes are easy to create, you may need help from experts to organize a successful advertising campaign. Digital marketing agency Klik Digital can address all your marketing needs. Among other services, we offerSMM services andmarketing for small businesses. Contact Klik Digital and always be positive with us!