One Does Not Simply Write a Blog Post about Memes

If you use any social media platform, it is almost impossible not to encounter a meme. Whether it’s “Bad Luck Brian,”“Success Kid,”“Hey Girl” or—my personal favorite—“Condescending Wonka,” these pictures with clever sayings have taken the internet by storm.

With the popularity that memes have gained, you may be wondering if you should incorporate them into your marketing campaign. The answer is: Why not? Businesses can use memes not only to appeal to a younger audience, but also to show they are aware of the latest trends. Memes can be used to promote a new blog post, or to get the word out about a new service or product.

Memes are free and easy to create, but they make a big impact on your audience. They’re funny, clever and easily recognized, which means your audience will be more likely to interact with them. All you have to do is supply the wit.

Memes are set apart from other types of marketing because they thrive on humor. They play on jokes about society, movies or even just a funny photo that someone captured. This is another reason why they are a great tool for customer connection – they show your company’s personality, creativity and sense of humor. Memes are easy, fast and fun to make. Just take advantage of a meme-creating website, such as ImgFlip’s Meme Generator. Choose your image, type your text and share the image you have created on a social media platform, such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Google+.

If you decide to start creating your own memes, make sure you are using the different versions correctly. Each type of meme has its own punch line, sense of sarcasm or irony. I have come across memes with sayings that don’t have the same humor as the original. This was a turn off to me – it showed the creator didn’t really know how to use them and that they weren’t “in” on the joke.

Take this meme for example:
Although this meme could be considered funny, the caption has nothing to do with the humor of the original. Unlike this particular image, “Condescending Wonka” memes are always sarcastic and mock someone for the irony between what they’re doing/saying and reality.

Whether it’s forgetting to turn off automated marketing tweets during a national disaster, or using hashtags on Facebook, we’ve all seen companies completely fail at social media marketing.

You don’t want to be that person by misusing the meme and sharing it with your followers. To make sure you don’t accidently use the meme incorrectly, simply research the original image before adding your own funny saying.

Here is an example of the meme used correctly:

It is also important to note that while memes can be a great addition to social media campaigns or light-hearted blog posts, they should be used sparingly. You don’t want to bombard your followers with useless information, no matter how funny it may be. Your goal on social media is to be a resource for your clients, while entertaining them along the way. Memes that are relevant to your business or field can be a great way to mix things up and keep your followers interested in between more serious content.

To be perfectly honest, memes probably aren’t going to get you lots of new customers or drastically change your business – but that really isn’t the point. They are made to be laughed at, shared and enjoyed on social media and beyond. Memes can be used to connect with your followers in a way that a lot of other media can’t, and for that reason they can be a great addition to your company’s marketing strategy, as well as its personality.