Memes in our content marketing strategy – yes, this is no joke.
Memes are part of internet culture. They are funny collages that poke fun at a variety of topics in our lives, becoming an instant hit.
A number of big brands are also heavily using memes to reach a wider audience. There is even a special term for using popular memes for marketing purposes, which is called meme-jacking (the closest translation into Bulgarian would be “mime hijacking”, b.a.).
In this article, we will also try to convince you that memes should be used in your marketing strategy.
Memes are one of the cheapest forms of content
A meme is a collage that is illustrated with a few words. Of course, to be funny, things have to be “on point.”
But compared to other forms of publications such as articles, videos, recorded podcasts (interviews conducted on a given topic, etc.), memes are significantly and many times cheaper.
Why is that? Because it takes significantly less time to create a meme (you can use already popular ones). Even non-professional software can do the job (like the drawing program “Microsoft Paint”), while other forms of content require research and writing text, using complex editing programs, and having expensive sound and/or filming equipment. Which makes them many times more expensive, with a greater “investment,” the result of which may come after a certain period of time.
Memes can create an audience-community around your brand
It is clear to everyone that to win the war for audience acquisition (and there really is one on the internet), the visitors attracted must become constantly returning ones.
Memes can help in this direction by creating an entire community around your brand. A community that shares and comments on your posts, making you more independent from changes in social media conditions or changes in search engine algorithms that today place a page on a site in a higher position, and tomorrow - remove it completely or lower it in the ranking.
Memes can “humanize” your brand
Modern life is extremely stressful – there are many bills, deadlines, obligations, fear of the future.
A large portion of the people you want to reach may be in a negative emotional state and not really interested in what you have to offer.
Memes are one way you can solve this problem.
Your brand will seem “more human” in their eyes. “Here’s someone who can make fun of themselves and the situation.” That’s the message that will reach them, making them smile.
Memes are a big hit among younger people
If you have a product/service that is consumed by younger people, you can use memes to reach them online. According to some studies, they like them for their more optimistic nature, as well as their approval of specific humor.
Memes can easily profit from current events
One of the reasons that makes memes so popular is that they easily exploit current events, adding humor (sometimes inappropriate humor).
If you doubt it, we will recall an incident from not so long ago. At the inauguration of US President Joe Biden, his opponent Bernie Sanders was photographed frowning, sitting in his chair, wearing a mask. This photo became an instant hit on the Internet. And even Sanders subsequently used the image on T-shirts to raise funds for charity. Even a knitted doll that resembled him was sold for tens of thousands of dollars (again – to raise funds for charity).
Memes and social networks
Modern man is busier today with his work, travel, and care for his dependents than the serf peasant in the Middle Ages (with all the duties he had to perform for his feudal lord).
And yet, according to some studies, on average, people spend an hour and a half a day using one of the popular social networks . This makes an audience that exceeds that of the most popular televisions, radios, and periodicals. And every brand wants to connect with at least a part of this group of people.
As we said, memes are a means of expression that humorously reflects reality. And people unconsciously associate themselves with the topics that are touched upon in the caricature collage.
Therefore, according to some studies, posts that have a meme on social networks may have up to 12 times more engagement from the audience than those that do not.
By using memes, brands can reach more people while spending far less (than if they used paid advertising or audience incentives such as contests with prizes, promotions, and discounts).
If you still have doubts, we will briefly remind you of a meme that became very popular at the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic. Then (as it still is today), a group of dancers from Ghana were filmed dancing with coffins. Their performance became an instant hit, shared by hundreds of thousands of people.
There are publications about them in the largest media outlets in the world, for which, if only the PR value is taken into account, it would cost millions of dollars.
Another thing that is extremely curious is that the song that was used to soundtrack the dance is actually much older. And after the "explosion" of the meme, the song "Astronomy" receives a million plays per day on the most popular platform Spotify .
This is a telling fact about the incredible ability of memes to reach a large number of people.
Of course, like everything, memes should be used in moderation. And with care. Not every meme can be successful.
Final thoughts on why we should use memes in our content marketing strategy
Memes are a cheap (or even free) way to reach a lot of people.
Of course, memes shouldn't be the only thing you use. No. They should only be part of the mix of content that every brand should create for itself.
The serious drawback of memes is that not every attempt can be successful. Like any bad joke, inappropriate memes (that are not tailored to the context or the taste of the audience) can leave a “bitter taste.” And do more harm than good.
A meme is instant content. You won't get a higher ranking in search engines through memes. But you can count on the meme you create being shared today.
