Memes: the phenomenon that has overtaken the digital space. Today, it seems like you can’t go a day without scrolling through Instagram, Facebook and even LinkedIn without viewing a meme or two. You might think that memes are purely for fun and they serve no purpose other than to entertain. But what if we told you that meme marketing was a thing?
It’s true! Here’s an example of a meme done by Netflix:
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And another one by Burger King:
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That’s right, more and more brands are jumping on the meme marketing bandwagon. These marketing behaviours should come to no surprise as memes aren’t exactly a new trend in the digital space. But there is a right and wrong when it comes to doing meme marketing for business.
Thinking of venturing into meme marketing? Well stick around because, I’ll be sharing some insider tips on how you can use memes to your advantage.
How to Do Meme Marketing
Just like Google Ads and SEO, there is a right and wrong to every digital marketing technique.
Like I said earlier, meme marketing isn’t exactly something that is fresh out of the oven. Nevertheless, it is still relatively niche compared to other types of creative content like podcasts and vlogs. So how do you do it right?
Do’s of Meme Marketing
1. Do Adjust Your Language To Your Target Audience
If you created a meme about a hot topic amongst young people, it’s quite unlikely that your content will resonate with an older audience.
Why everyone is playing and talking about Among Us: https://t.co/tXcP0D9RMu pic.twitter.com/aspv2wOIsK
— IGN (@IGN) December 23, 2020
When using memes for marketing purposes, you need to be aware of the language and ideas your target demographic uses and buys into. Channel them into your memes to create content that will catch their attention and build an impression.
2. Do Use Trending Topics
Trends are everything when it comes to effective social media marketing. You might not to jump on all the upcoming digital marketing, but you do need to be aware of trending stories and ideas.
Listening and responding to trending ideas shows that your business is aware and informed. Plus, it also helps you get more engagement from your target audience on social media.
Check out how Barkbox responded to the one episode of The Bachelorette:
was… was she… teaching him how to kiss?
#TheBachelorette#TheBacheloretteABC pic.twitter.com/8ml7Qnx1QE
— BarkBox (@barkbox) December 9, 2020
3. Do Have Strong Branding
There might be a meme generator online where you can easily use popular memes like Success Kid, Side-Eyeing Chloe, and Doge. But if you want to do meme marketing for business, you might want to avoid relying too much on meme generators.
First of all, it is pretty unoriginal. You are essentially taking someone else’s idea and changing the words in the image to deliver your message.
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Second, using these memes do not do your brand justice. Instead of helping your ideas stand out in a sea of sameness, you are merely doing what everyone else is already doing.
Have a designated designer to take charge of your memes. Ensure that the branding is consistent throughout all your memes.
4. Do Have a Strategy
On which platform do you plan to share your memes?
How often do you intend to post the memes?
Trying to finish your work before going on leave be like 😖💻#ChristmasSeason #Christmas2020 #Christmas pic.twitter.com/ATQ2kb4tL8
— First Page Digital (@Firstpage_SG) December 22, 2020
Effective digital marketing is all about careful planning. Before you deep dive into meme marketing, make sure you brainstorm about how exactly you intend to use them and what your goals are.
Don’ts of Meme Marketing
1. Don’t Flood Your Fed with Memes
Sure, memes might be fun to create and the responses might be fun to read, but you would want to tread lightly especially if you are just starting out with them.
If anything, memes should just be a sub-category of your overall digital marketing strategy.
Decide early if you want to use your memes to build brand awareness, generate interest or drive those conversions. Allocate a specific amount of content to memes and do some A/B testing to observe if the memes work out.
2. Don’t Do it Just Because
For someone who does meme marketing from time to time, coming up with meme ideas isn’t as easy as it seems.
Not everyone is blessed with a strong sense of humour.
If the ideas do not come to you, don’t try to create a meme out of something that you don’t feel confident about. Doing so might just curtail the effectiveness of your meme and might make your feed look mediocre.
3. Don’t Be Callous or Crude
Most memes are poke fun at various real-life situations, but that’s not to say that a business would always benefit from making a joke out of scenarios happening in the real world.
In fact, capitalising on someone else’s plight might make you look like a real jerk. You might even get backlash from your target audience which is definitely detrimental to your brand
Should I Jump on the Meme Marketing Train?
The short answer is that it is entirely up to you.
The digital space is always exciting because there are new trends, ideas and stories everyday. But as the saying goes, there is no one-size-fits-all marketing strategy.
Ask yourself these questions before starting any creative work on meme marketing:
Will my Target Audience Enjoy Looking at these Memes?
To put it simply, if your target audience does not appreciate the art of meme marketing, you are unlikely to get the responses and engagement you want.
What do I Want to Achieve?
How will the memes help you get closer to your marketing goals?
Having a clear endgoal allows you to streamline your marketing strategy. It keeps your creatives and branding aligned.
At the end of the day, memes should earn you conversions. Do some A/B testing and analyse what types of memes work best for your business.
