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What happens next?
For lots of us, memes are just normal online stuff now. Basically, a meme is a funny picture or video that gets passed around on the internet. Most of the time, memes poke fun at stuff or try to say something about our world.
People trying to sell you things have seen this. They’ve started to use memes to make their brands stick out and grab your attention. This is "meme marketing." It’s all about making ads that feel like those popular memes you might see on your social feed.
Here’s why it works: younger people like you and me deal with memes a lot. Surely, over half of us who are between 13 and 35 years old share at least one meme each week. What’s more, memes tend to get clicked on more than emails.
The right meme makes a brand seem cool, fun, and like it "gets" what's hot right now. Memes take big ideas and make them easy to get. They’re often funny and catchy, so people like sharing them.
Still, brands must be thoughtful. Trying too hard with memes can look fake, so they must make memes that sound and feel like them. Yes, it’s a gamble, but meme marketing opens doors to big-time viral buzz at a low cost.
Meme marketing is using famous internet memes or viral stuff to show off a brand or item. Memes usually have funny things, comments on culture, or events everyone knows. Companies use the fame and pass-around factor of memes to get seen more and interact more.
Meme marketing matters because it clicks with young people like millennials and Gen Z, who use and pass around memes all the time on the web. More than half of 13-35 years olds pass around memes every week. Memes also get more engagement, with 14% more clicks than email.
One big reason why memes work is they're relatable. Memes hit on everyday things, struggles, and cultural stuff lots of people relate to. This makes a tight bond of understanding between the brand and the people.
Being relatable also gets things to go viral - people like and pass on things that make them feel "gotten" or remind them of shared stuff. In a way, memes are like inside jokes between the brand and its fans. Because memes are funny and quick, they get passed around a lot
With so much digital stuff out there, memes bust through by squeezing big emotional things into easy-to-get, visual stuff. Using this relatability in meme marketing lets brands make real bonds in the brief world of online interactions.
Making memes that truly connect means knowing both your target demographic and the nuances of online culture. Memes should capture shared feelings or experiences that the audience can connect with in a genuine, fun way.
Memes need to match the brand's character and tone. Forcing relevance can backfire. Study meme patterns and captions fitting with your field and audience beliefs. Check content's effectiveness before broad delivery.
Given memes' fleeting lifespans, when you post is key. Keep a close eye on hot topics, current news, and cultural scenarios ready for commentary.
Take Wendy's or Netflix as an example. They both regularly cash in on trends from entertainment, politics, or societal affairs in their branded memes. This timely relevance ensures the content feels natural, not manufactured.
Scout out digital platforms and emerging online communities for new meme and viral material. Remain versatile - be ready to seize opportunities to comment via memes when they appear. The aim is to keep a steady flow of culturally tuned-in, valuable content, rather than infrequent viral hits.
A number of brands have aced meme marketing. Consider Wendy's, who raised brand recognition by tweeting amusing memes fitting their cheeky online persona. Similarly, Netflix stepped into pop culture with memes about shows like Stranger Things, causing enthusiastic fan sharing and interaction.
Denny's tapped into top memes like the Drake format to stress issues clients experience when eating out. Groupon utilized a saving money meme to boost its main value offer. These scenarios demonstrate how brands can use current, fun memes to grab interest and develop a following.
The "jab-jab-jab-right hook" meme marketing tactic relies on first amusing your followers by posting a series of fun, value-adding memes. Consider these memes as friendly "jabs" that offer the audience something worthwhile without expecting anything in exchange.
If done regularly, this builds trust and rapport, earning you the chance to make the "right hook" - a sales call-to-action. This method fits well with meme marketing, as memes serve as easy, understandable value providers. The trick is not to seem too salesy before forming a bond.
Meme marketing can be very effective, but it does have potential pitfalls that companies should consider. One significant pitfall is negative branding if memes stumble or miss their target. Badly constructed or unrelated memes can make companies look out of sync and ruin trust.
Also, it's always possible to upset folks, even accidentally. As humor tends to be personal, meme references or images may annoy certain audiences. If the cultural/social milieu isn't carefully considered, there might be backlash.
Overused memes can lose their appeal in a crowded market. If relied on too much, memes could give businesses an unprofessional impression, unless smartly combined with other forms of content.
Brands can limit risks by making sure memes match their genuine voice instead of blindly pursuing trends. Pre-testing memes and understanding audience values can help prevent inappropriate blunders.
Memes are designed to amuse without offending, which is essential to remember. Even though humour may occasionally push boundaries, careful judgement on hot-button issues remains crucial. If the thought arises whether a meme might be too daring, it probably is.
Respecting your audience always matters, even when humor is at play. This behaviour portrays your brand as grown-up and self-aware. The fun you create should not be at the expense of disrespected groups. Consider if the meme itself disrespects or if it's in the execution.
Though sites like Facebook and Instagram are the popular choice for memes, there's room for more. Digital marketing, emails, blogs, webinars, and even live discussions can benefit from memes.
Inserting a funny, branded meme into a blog post or in the middle of a live discussion captures interest while sharing a message. Emails with meme-related subjects get more opens. Memes simplify complex thoughts into chewable parts, so they can clarify and enrich communication across platforms.
Want more people to see your memes? Use many channels. Use your website, social media, and emails. Identify the best-performing memes for each place, and share them more.
Make sharing a breeze. Position share buttons next to memes. Measure reach with link shorteners. Share effective customer-made memes. Increase visibility by boosting organic memes.
Use a range of format, places, and budgets for your meme strategy. The more ways there are for people to see and share your memes, the more exposure you get.
The first step to meme success is understanding your brand voice and target audience. Check your current content and messages. What feelings should they bring about? What tone fits best? Knowing yourself helps make memes that look genuine, not fake.
Next, study your ideal audience. What type of humor or references would they enjoy? Spark a sense of belonging by tapping into common experiences that create an “inside joke” vibe.
Now, make and select memes that your audience can relate to. Make new memes that talk about trending topics and current challenges. Adapt popular memes to suit your story.
Encourage your followers to create memes of your brand and highlight the ones that are particularly good. Watch the interaction level on all memes and focus on the most popular ones.
Keep experimenting with new memes but also bring back older content which has been successful in the past. Be aware of upcoming trends and meme styles. Adjust your content based on data, to meet your targets.
The main factors to check the success of meme marketing are interaction rate, views, outreach, shares, comments, etc. Compare interaction rates across memes to identify the most successful ones. Check if memes are getting more attention than other posts.
Find out the total and per meme outreach - how many people viewed or interacted with the memes. Watch the growth in your group and post views over the course of time. Apps like Facebook Insights, Google Analytics, and in-app analytics provide data.
Relate meme posts with website visits and purchases to see the business effect. Use shorter links in the memes to follow the traffic coming from them. Record email signups, online sales, or other objectives achieved by meme viewers.
Find out the return on investment by comparing the cost of making and distributing memes to the income made as a result. Showing clear ROI is important for keep getting support and budget for an effective meme marketing plan.
Refining according to popular memes and themes can enhance results over time.
Meme marketing takes advantage of the contagiousness and relatability of internet memes to extend reach, ignite interaction, and encourage growth for businesses. When done well, memes enable companies to present themselves as trendy, current, and approachable.
Essential tips for successful meme marketing comprise:
While it can be risky if done wrongly, meme marketing offers an inventive way for brands to stand out. As memes persist in infiltrating culture, particularly with younger demographics, brands should experiment with and learn from memes to achieve substantial business returns. Begin on a small scale by reusing viral memes, then advance to more personalized, branded meme content as audience insight and creative confidence grow.
And, less time obsessing about your local presence