With changing times and social media becoming an integral part of our lives brands have snuck into this space to make their presence felt through marketing. The most powerful tool in their arsenal is Meme Marketing.
Brands are now using humorous and witty pictures, videos, and gifs to grab the attention of their target audience. Meme Marketing has revolutionized the way brands market their products and services by being the cornerstone of almost all digital marketing strategies.
A meme is a visual piece of content that presents news or speaks humorously about an issue. There are frequently funny captions on these images, which feature lighthearted jibes. Memes rose in popularity along with social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit.
Memes have taken over our social media feeds by storm with a reported 75% of millennials sharing memes while 38% of the users follow meme accounts according to pulse. With memes being so popular and essential to the social media experience these days brands have quickly capitalized on the immense potential of meme marketing.
An average person uses social media two hours a day and brands are looking to encroach this time with their marketing. Meme marketing has become the new fad in digital marketing, companies are looking to make the most of it in order to reach consumers.
Why Is Meme Marketing So Popular?
Brands began using memes to promote themselves as memes became popular, and that’s how meme marketing developed. Memes are well-suited for marketing because they can be relatable and convey thoughts, feelings, and situations. There are many factors that make memes to be an excellent marketing tool and we have listed them for you below:
- Memes help brands connect with people:
The key factor for memes being so popular is the ability to make the audience feel related. A good relatable meme strikes the right strings and sometimes gives comfort to the audience. Paired up with good humor a meme has great potential to influence someone, even slightly.
Brands have identified this and are capitalizing on it. With the right level of reliability and a touch of humor, these brands are able to sell their products to consumers better than when compared to conventional marketing. Memes with great relatability gain a larger reach which helps the brands to showcase their products to a wide audience.
- Memes are affordable content:
Conventional advertising cost a fortune in production and then airing. Memes on the other hand aren’t. Memes do not require many resources and if a brand is keeping up with the current trends then the effort to be put in is even less. However good original content does have a greater chance of going viral. Low effort unoriginal memes that follow the ongoing trend have however proved to be effective in marketing.
- Memes boost engagement:
In the world of digital marketing, a user is more likely to stop scrolling through their feed for a meme than just a regular ad post. Memes help brands increase their online engagement by raking up likes, starting discussions in the comments or even being shared by users. The potential of the memes to grab one’s attention makes it an exciting marketing tool.
- Memes help reach the younger audience:
As seen from studies and reports, a huge number of millennials indulge in memes. This number will be significantly larger in the gen z population. Memes can make the brands more appealing to the younger audience and increase the brand’s popularity.
How To Make Use Of Meme Marketing Effectively?
Any marketing effort is fruitful only if it is implemented in the right way, this holds true for meme marketing as well. In order to reach a huge number of people to become consumers, brands need to strategize and make the most of their efforts. Here are a few ways to use meme marketing effectively.
- Understand your target audience:
The first step in all forms of marketing is to have a good understanding of one’s target audience. Not only do memes connect the Brand with the situation, but they also connect with the audience. An inappropriate meme might not engage your audience well. Engagement will be high if the audience understands and can relate to the content.
- Stay up-to-date with the trends:
The creation of trending memes is one way you can get high traction with meme marketing. Trending memes are always available on the meme market. Take advantage of this when creating content.
Take care not to compromise your brand voice. It is of the utmost importance to understand the purpose and format of each meme. Any off-key tone in your content will be detected by your audience quickly and will give the impression that you’re trying hard to be cool.
- Have a unique brand voice:
One of the oldest and most important marketing tips is given by all marketers, as it is one of the first and very old conventional methods. Memes indirectly reflect the marketing philosophy of your company. Keeping your brand true to its values is essential.
As trending memes lead to higher engagement and traction, everyone wishes to use them. In any case, it is important to make sure that the meme is true to your brand. Keep in mind that not every viral meme is appropriate for your brand. Be selective of what trends to follow for the best interest of your brand.
Conclusion
Meme marketing is an effective tool to grow one’s brand, build an audience and relate with them. The use of memes for marketing can prove to be highly beneficial for brands. If brands follow the right strategies and capitalize on the potential that meme marketing has to offer, it can help them and their brand in the long run.
