Meme Marketing Guide – Answers to Most Common And Complex Querries

In the digital world, Memes are one of the few things that you can’t ignore. Today, from Linkedin to Twitter, Instagram to Facebook, you can trace them everywhere.

Their attention-grabbing potential is superb. Even if people don’t understand a meme at first, they will surely try to figure it out. That is why many brands are now leaning towards meme marketing.

But,

• How successful is this approach for businesses?
• Is meme marketing effective?
• Can you really use memes in marketing?
• Are memes a good way to market?
• How to use memes in Marketing?
• Why do companies use meme marketing?

To find answers to these questions, we did extensive research and brainstorming. Also, we took help from Brand managers and marketing experts that are using memes as a part of their marketing strategy. Read on to know our findings.

What is Meme Marketing?

Meme marketing is the process of marketing a business with memes.

With the internet, anything can quickly go viral today, on surprising scales. What first might seem trivial, the web and its users can transform it into something significant. That is the magic of global interconnectivity.

Within this environment, a type of content is experiencing its peak of fan following. This content is none other than the Memes – the multimedia contents that aim to entertain.

The meme concept was introduced in 1976 by Richard Dawkins in his book – The Selfish Gene. In his book, the author defines “meme” as any shareable cultural element, which spreads like wildfire.

There are several ways to use memes for marketing.

However, the key goal is to engage your audience with your meme content and get benefits from the hype it creates. Meme marketing is currently enjoying immense popularity.

Andrew Maff, Founder of BlueTuskr, states….

To say meme marketing is taking off would be an understatement. There are even Fortune 500 companies with Meme Marketing Managers now. However, it really is an art. If you were to create a meme that shows you’re trying too hard to make a sale, it can backfire and actually hurt your brand. The key to good meme marketing is getting on the most recent meme trend, using the meme correctly, and not worrying about selling or engaging.

Sarah Runyan, Content Creator, GetBoundlessmedia, thinks….

Memes are an incredibly powerful marketing tool that many businesses have not yet tapped into. Memes can be used to give your company a personality, help build customer loyalty, and even promote products.

How Effective is Meme Marketing?

Memes are more than just funny images. Brands can take advantage of them to interact and achieve better empathy results with users. Meme marketing is the new way of communicating with audiences

Memes have been on the Internet for a long time, causing a sensation among people, spreading through forums, portals, social networks, Whatsapp, etc. They seemed like something native to the Internet and in fact, they are.

Their popularity is so high that, according to Google Trends, they are more searched for than the word “Jesus”. People love to share them because with them they communicate attitudes, feelings, and situations.

Moreover, according to Forbes, millennials spend more than 200 minutes a day online. Of them, a large part is used to entertain themselves, so they like to share this type of content.

Therefore, taking advantage of this trend is very favorable for brands. That is why brands want to be part of it. Businesses are betting more and more on ‘Memes” for their marketing.

Already, several brands have taken advantage of Memes, transforming them into a true publicity bomb.

Jamie Ogilvy, Real LLC

“Our best campaigns have all started with viral meme marketing, We find something that the market is reacting to and has become popular – like the sign guy in NYC, switch it up a bit so that it fits our narrative, and 9/10 it gets reactions.

More reactions get more eyes on our product, We have added memes to our emails, texts, and Facebook ads. Meme marketing works wonders.”

Some Sucess Stories of Meme Marketing

There are many successful meme campaigns. Here are some of them that can serve as inspiration for you.

Hipchat

Hipchat is an application that is intended for a millennial audience. They did not hesitate to make use of one of the most popular memes, the “YONO Guy”, to create an outdoor advertising campaign. Internet searches for the brand increased by 300%.

Nutella

Nutella example comparing the user to a jar of Nutella, indicating that both make everyone happier to interact with the post.

Blizzard Entertainment

The memes on the toughness of Chuck Norris are one of the cultural landmarks of the Internet. For this reason, this company used his image for a post promoting World of Warcraft.

Virgin

Another very famous meme campaign was the one Virgin launched with “Success Kid” . In it, the little boy’s face appeared addressing the millennial generation.

How Are Memes and Marketing so Relevant?

To understand this, it is enough to enter your social networks and see the large number of memes that people share. People are passionate about them and tend to share them. Therefore, it is not a bad idea to use a meme no matter how serious your company is.

The main base of social networks is entertainment, and this is where meme plays an important role. With memes, you will be able to connect with your audience since they are tired of encountering promotional content that only seeks to sell.

Therefore, combining memes and marketing in your strategy will have a greater reach. This way, you will reach your audience and all the people who interact with your brand.

Why Are Memes Capable of Capturing so Much Attention?

This question may seem complex. However, it has a simple answer. It’s all about feeling relative and a connection. We see our behaviors, thoughts, ideas, emotions, or feelings reflected in memes. For this reason, we laugh when we see them; and depending on how much we see ourselves or feel identified, we engage with them.

The memes are simply part of the culture of the Internet. Brands can take advantage of them to interact and achieve better empathy results with users; however, it is important to analyze which memes are worth using.

The Science Behind Memes

Have you ever wondered why memes are so popular?

Business Insider tells us that social media users are more likely to share the following content:

• News (72%),
• Humor (66%),
• Opinions (39.5%),
• How-to’s (34%),
• Warnings/alerts ( 17%),
• Fiction (9%).

If you look closely, humor and opinion are among the contents that are shared the most (after the news), and it is precisely these topics that are usually incorporated into memes, causing the user to feel fun, interest, happiness, and joy. Naturally, these feelings increase the chances of content sharing.

How to Use Memes For Your Business Marketing? ‍

Knowing the advantages of using memes, you might be wondering: How to use them in your business marketing? Here are the tips that you can implement. ‍

Promote Your Brand At the Right Moment

This is part of what you want to show as a brand and when to show it are very crucial. It should reflect emotions and feelings that connect with your followers, consumers and audience at the right time.

Snicker makes a funny comparison and takes advantage of International Almond Day, showing the value of its brand so recognized for its rich chocolate.

Adapt Your Content to Your Audience

Analyze our audience. Then adapt your brand’s voice for them in your memes. The idea is to do it with elements and situations that resonate with your audience and most importantly entertain them.

Netflix is ​​the winner with the meme strategy on all its networks. They use material from their movies and series to create content and entertain their audience. Which generates many reactions accompanied by responses to comments.

Promote Your Products Without Letting Them Know

Although memes are very good for entertaining your audience, they are also helpful in promoting your brand without your followers feeling it as “advertising”.

If you are going to use this strategy in your business, do not forget:

• Identify if memes are the most appropriate strategy for your brand: This is based on the identity and persona of your brand.
• Recognize what type of meme is the most appropriate to show your company’s identity.
• Make sure the meme is in context with the moment and time. Social networks move very fast, and you have to be at the forefront.
• There are numerous changing and unexpected options with which you can take advantage of an opportunity to make your brand known online. All you have to do is find memes that add value to your audience that are easy to connect with and have fun with.

Tips to Make Your Meme Marketing Successful

Even though it is easy to incorporate memes to attract Internet users, there are some recommendations that you must follow if you do not want to fail in the attempt.

Think – Which Memes Should You Use?

The first thing you should know is that in the world of memes, you have two options: use your own or one that is already popular and adapt it to the content of your brand. We believe that to hook your audience, it is best to try the latter first. This is because you already have an idea of ​​what is receiving attention at that moment.

Plus, you can take advantage of the success of this meme to publicize your brand. Once you have hooked users a bit, you can allow yourself to experiment with your own creations.

Know The Meanings Of The Memes You Share

There is nothing worse than using a meme without knowing the meaning of it. With that, you will only achieve the rejection of users because it shows that you are promoting your brand without even having knowledge of what you are talking about.

The best thing would be to do some research on the meme that has become popular and see what it is about to use it properly.

According to Forbes, make sure that a native of social networks (maybe a millennial) shares these memes tagging your account to make it much more natural, after all, they already know what a trend is.

Understand Your Audience’s Mood

Another important thing to know is that not all groups understand meme references, so forget about trying to get everyone to like it. The ideal is to study your audience, know their type of humor, what interests them, and use memes accordingly.

Above all, take care of the excess use of irony and avoid hurting sensitivities. For example, the Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was forced to apologize when they decided to use a meme from the movie Bridesmaids that read “Help me, I’m poor.”

Finally, Dawkins himself has pointed out in his book that the most successful memes are those that have resonance according to the circumstances. That is, a meme will be able to spread more if it manages to capture the popular sensation. On the other hand, it can be a total failure and even rude if the moment is not opportune.

You should also remember that memes usually have a short life, so be careful not to use memes that are too old. Timing is crucial.

Michelle Diaz, from OddsJam:

These are the best things to keep in mind when using memes for marketing:

1. Use memes suited to your target audience
2. Keep an eye on trends but also stay unique and original to your brand
3. Niche memes have an edge! Specific can sometimes be better and more successful within a target audience
4. Have fun with it – memes are all about creativity. Use it to your advantage!

Components That Make Meme Marketing More Profitable:

Easy Access: Use digital platforms that anyone can download for free such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, among others. Everyone will be able to have access and it will be easy to reach many people.

Tag People, Influencers: If you impact a follower, they will want to show their friends your content by tagging them. This will help you increase your engagement, impressions, and interactions. Also, use social media marketing tactics to make your memes viral.

Feel Identified: The more your audience identifies, relates with your memes, the greater value your brand generates and the more loyal your followers will be.

Easy to Remember: A good meme will never be forgotten. And that will also happen with your brand.

Forbes gives a good example: “ Would you rather share a hilarious meme about McDonald’s hamburgers or a 500-word McDonald’s blog about their new addition to the menu? You will probably seek entertainment over information, and the same goes for your audience.

All this has been taken into account by big brands. They speak the same language as Internet users to strengthen the bond with their consumers.

Robbie Green, says

Be niche with your humor. There are 4 billion people on the internet, and the spectrum of humor is just as big. A mid 40’s blue-collar Gen-X-er who works in the plumbing industry might find memes about the struggle of working with electricians on new home builds hilarious. A late 20 something millennial might find a meme about turning 30 funny, There is humor for every type.

To Conclude….

Meme marketing can be highly successful for anyone if done wisely. Its content provides value beyond mere entertainment. People laugh at the memes while also receiving a subtle reference to your brand.

Creating and sharing content through memes makes messages much more shareable for users. It can positively impact your marketing, increasing your organic traffic to unsuspected levels. However, the life of a meme is short. That is why it is necessary for brands to be attentive to the meme trends and know how to adapt them to their needs.

Now that you’ve seen how influential meme marketing can be on a brand, you surely want to try it. Let us know the results you achieve.