If you spend any amount of time on the internet, you know what a meme is. These funny pictures often grab our attention and make us laugh. Memes can also be a powerful tool for your marketing. Even Virgin Airlines recently started using Success Kid on their billboard ads. Memes are especially great when added to your social media marketing portfolio. So what is a meme?
Technically, the true definition of a meme is: “An element of a culture or behavior that may be passed from one individual to another by non-genetic means, esp. imitation.” That’s a good definition and all, but a little wordy. I prefer to keep it simple “Memes are a visible unit of relatable culture.”
Why use memes?
- Memes are easy to share. Bring your business and ideas in front of a lot of people right away. People love sharing content that makes them laugh, or says something they wish they could say in person.
- Memes are a great way of humanizing your brand. Go ahead and show your brand’s sense of humor and ingenuity. Be professional, but don’t be afraid to push the envelope a little.
- Memes cut through the crap. There is a lot of clutter of your potential customers feeds. Get noticed quickly by using memes. They take almost no time to consume, can brighten up an otherwise drab timeline.
Words of advice
Each meme has a specific format that it follows. When decided to create a meme for your business, pay attention to the context and wording that others have used with that meme previously. Memes are great at making people feel included, this is because they get familiar with each memes format. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel, or god forbid create a brand new meme image from scratch.
KnowYourMeme is a great resource for finding out the origins and correct format/use for each meme.
MemeGenerator is a super easy tool for fast meme creation.
Do you use Memes in your Marketing? Please leave a comment below!
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@rcottle86
Latest posts by Rich Cottle (see all)
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I can say nothing more than I LOVE a good meme! I think they can be 100% awesome when used correctly and I agree, they have the power to screw you up when used wrong. I know some people frown on them, but I say "Use! All the memes!"
Heck yes! Sometimes a meme just says it all. I'm glad you agree Carrie
I'm with Carrie. Memes woo me over. Sometimes I bring them up in dialogue when I'm trying to convey an emotion! Plus, it adds depth (if done correctly) and stands out in the marketing noise.
Thanks Anne, Yes I love memes as a means to cut through the noise. It's funny how if they are done properly you can leave a long lasting impression quite easily.
The upside on Facebook is if people start liking/commenting/sharing your memes they can help you gain favor with the Edgerank algorithm
Absolutely. Posts with images get are interacted with far more often than imageless posts. My personal experience is that memes get the highest number of like (usually less comments) but definitely does help boost your edgerank.
I think Meme's are like a fine wine, great in moderation, but too much and it loses it's uniqueness.. How's that for uppity??? Honestly, I need to start using them more, but like anything else as an added value yes, a stand alone (all meme's all the time) no….nicely done Mr.Cottle. Dare I say an awesomesauce article…from an awesomesauce Steamfeed Author
Gerry… mmm… wine…
I'm too sarcastic to use memes all the time. The world might explode from all the cynicism…
I'm too sarcastic too. That's why I use memes. People just think I'm joking…muahaha
Who doesn't love a good meme? They have me rolling on the floor sometimes, which makes them that much more shareable. I agree with @GettysburgGerry – too much can water them down sometimes, but if they are amazingly funny then I say bring it on!
Love this stuff! I just created my first meme and tweeted it out. That meme generator is a great find! I looked forward to using them in my post in the future…so fun!
Awesome! I'm glad to have you on board. Can't wait to hear what kind of results you get.
Memes are very cool. I'd like to see us start to use them.