In a world where consumers double as creators, memes have become a dominant communication element across social media. 

The instant something happens, people rush to turn them into spreadable social commentary — many times taking the form of a meme. The very DNA of a meme lends itself to being shared rapidly. In 1976, the term “meme” was coined by Richard Dawkins as any shareable cultural artifact that spread through a culture like wildfire.

Memes have become so ingrained in modern culture, it was inevitable that brands would pick up on the trend at some point. Because they have a special way of communicating attitudes, feelings, and relevant situations, brands have tapped into their power. On social media, memes generally take the form of a static picture and oftentimes have text layered on top.

The Benefits of Memes

Put simply, a meme is any image, animated gif, or video that spreads virally and typically refers to a particular phenomena or theme. Here, we break down some of the benefits of memes for use in marketing:

• Relatable: Memes often leverage satire, pop culture, social commentary, and nostalgia, making them a very relatable medium. By uniting consumers through comedic relief, memes can promote a sense of community among your followers.

• Inexpensive: Creating memes is a creative way for you to tap into the free power of social media marketing.

• Shareable: By definition, meme-based content incites shares so it can reach an even wider audience. This makes it easier for you to generate leads and sales in the long run.

• Relevant: Memes are often related to a current event or trend — which is why you’ve probably noticed the spike in memes associated with the coronavirus. By using them, you can make your brand appear modern and relevant in your specific industry.

Best Practices for Meme Marketing

When used successfully, memes can be a hit with your consumers. However, great use of memes isn’t always easy. It’s important to tread carefully to avoid offending consumers or exploiting a situation in an inappropriate way. 

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Make Sure The Meme Aligns With Your Brand: Some memes come off rude or offensive, so marketers must walk a fine line when experimenting with the trend. Producing edgy, humorous content that is characteristic of memes will not work for everyone.

• Adhere To Meme Style Guidelines: While there is no official style guide for memes, creators typically use similar fonts and style techniques. Montserrat, Arial, and Comic Sans are some of the most common meme fonts. The text is often embedded in the image or in a white space above it. Rounded edges and emojis are common style elements as well.

• Don’t Overreach: Because memes are a relatively new digital form, it’s almost guaranteed only a sliver of the population will understand your meme. Zero in on your target audience, and create a meme that will appeal to their interests.

• Be Authentic: Memes are not a medium meant for professional photography or boastful copy. In fact, the best-received memes often appear very homemade and have genuine, conversational copy. 

Incorporating Memes Into Your Social Content

By making use of means, you have the potential to reach your younger, tech-savvy consumers in an impactful way. Below, we highlight some of the common scenarios that leading brands leverage memes in their marketing strategies.

• Reacting To A Social Or Cultural Moment: This is the most popular method of using memes in social content. Whether it’s a sporting event, a holiday, or a presidential election, many brands turn to memes to speak lightheartedly on a widespread topic consumers can relate to. Netflix frequently does this on its social media accounts, like it does below in regards to Thanksgiving:

The streaming giant is no stranger to meme marketing. By leveraging memes, Netflix can both relate to its fans and keep its movies and TV series at the forefront of pop culture.

• Screenshotting Tweets: Many brands have repurposed their Twitter content for Instagram simply by screenshotting and reposting it. Pizza Hut, for instance, tweeted this clever stick figure. They screenshotted it and slapped it on a background featuring their pizza — how’s that for effective cross-channel marketing?

• Reposting User-Generated Content: Rather than creating original memes themselves, some brands look toward their consumers for content to repost. BarkBox, the popular pet subscription service, frequently taps into their user base for content. They take pet photos that their consumers have shared and repurpose them into memes on their own channels — giving credit to the pet owner, of course.

Conclusion

Memes, when used appropriately, are a very powerful tool in digital marketing. They’re relatable, humorous, and they won’t break your budget, either. Just like with every type of marketing, determine where they fit best in your overall strategy, make sure to act sensitively toward consumers, and stay true to your brand.