The social media landscape is always changing. It started with YouTube and MySpace, and now we’re all on TikTok (at all times). Doomscroll, who?
One thing that has remained through all the many evolutions of social media is the meme. From cat memes and dog memes to work memes, food memes, vacation memes… you name it, and there’s a dank meme for it.
These hilarious memes can be great for digital content creators boosting their social media presence, social media managers building businesses, and influencer marketing teams — and it’s so much easier than it might seem. We’ve got your closer look at the funny pictures and funny videos that are great for brand launches, growing influencers, and everyone in between.
How Can Funny Memes Boost Campaign Exposure?
Over the last few years, memes have taken on a life of their own. They’re essentially a funny type of content, shared in text, images, YouTube videos, or even sounds, and they move quickly through online spaces because of the sense of humor they bring.
The best memes tap into universal experiences, like hating Monday memes, or lean into fanbases and communities with things like Star Wars Day on May the 4th. Even people who aren’t chronically online are likely to come across some trending and relatable memes in the real world.
But what does all that mean for our businesses? Memes may be funny and culturally relevant, but they’re also a great opportunity for tapping into the popular themes, ideas, and messages of online culture, and that means a chance to grow and build your company or your online presence.
They can improve SEO, support content strategy, and boost brand awareness and all digital platforms. These are just a few of the ways that a meme-based social media strategy can boost campaign exposure and help your business really thrive.
They’ll Help You Connect with Younger Audiences
There’s no denying that younger generations are more likely to be on their phones. And that’s not a bad thing. Cell phones have changed a lot since the days of radio-recorded ringtones, and they now allow us to connect with people around the world and all the information known to modern society.
But because younger generations are more likely to be on their phones, social media, and digital marketing is a great way to showcase your business to a younger target audience. Just think of the Super Soakers between Saturday morning cartoons.
Memes are a type of online language that teens and young adults have grown up with and understand, and that makes this a useful and inexpensive way to catch their attention.
They’re More Likely To Be Shared
Memes are quite literally designed to be shared. These social media posts are built to be customized and personalized to your life, brand, or universal experience, which means you don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
Organic campaign exposure is often preferable to paid exposure, and there’s no better way to get organic shares and traffic than with media crafted for sharing.
All you need to do is adjust the text, swap out the visuals, or change the lyrics, and you’re catching a ride on the relevance wave that’s sure to bring attention to your brand or business.
They Increase Your Chances of Going Viral
In addition to being regularly shared, memes often go viral, which essentially means they spread like wildfire. When you go viral, it means the engaging content you’ve shared has become very popular on the platform and may even spread to other platforms and outside channels. People and brands who go viral may even end up on news or talk shows to discuss the experience.
One of the good things about going viral is that the traffic and growth last well after the hubbub dies down, which is great for business growth and organic traffic.
It can be tough for even top social media content creators to manufacture virality since it’s a different mix of high-quality content, exposure, and reception every time, but when you share memes on social networks, you increase your chances of going viral and getting a ton of new traffic to your brand. If the White House can share a Wes Anderson-inspired TikTok video, that must mean it’s working.
They Make Your Brand More Accessible
Of course, the types of memes you create and share are going to vary depending on the type of business you have. The funniest memes are ones that tap into a universal experience, whether that’s an inside joke with co-workers to get through the day, nostalgia from ‘90s movies, or the Bill Nye the Science Guy song.
All that said, playing around with memes, viral sounds, and funny videos can help to make your brand more accessible. It shows you’re happy to meet your audience or potential audience where they live, and that you’re not afraid to look a little silly in the process.
The Duolingo Owl gave birth to Scrub Daddy’s babies on TikTok for a good laugh. Weird? For sure. But it works!
They’re Inexpensive To Create
TikTok videos can definitely take time and energy from graphic designers and copywriters, but memes don’t have to. Because memes already have a built-in style and structure, you can create something inexpensive and lasting rather than coming up with an entirely new marketing campaign.
A lot of the time, memes are actually designed to be a little rough and ready since they cycle through so quickly, and you don’t necessarily want that extra polish that makes your brand stand out.
When you use memes in marketing, you can reduce costs by boosting organic traffic, and you can reduce pricing on the creation and development side, as well. Now that’s a win for any small or growing business.
They Capture Attention Quickly
Listen, we know TikTok is frying our attention span. But before TikTok, they blamed Netflix, and before Netflix, and it was late-night cable. The truth is, there’s a lot of content out there today, and it’s easier than ever to get distracted by information, news, stories, and videos.
That’s why it’s important to integrate super attention-getting content into your campaign so that you can be the one that scrollers stop for.
Memes are a great way of doing that. With the right infographics, video content, and other digital media, memes that feel both familiar and universal, you can get viewers to stop scrolling, just for a second, to see what the meme is all about. With the flashing lights and bright colors of today’s digital world, that’s getting harder and harder to do, but going back to online basics might just be the way to pull it off.
They’re Always Changing
It can be a little hard to keep up with all the new content, there’s no doubt about that. But there’s also a benefit to the always-changing nature of the internet — you never need to worry about coming up with something new.
Memes are flash-in-the-pan template content, and there’s always something new coming down the pike, which means business owners and content creators aren’t on the hook for new content creation or new ideas.
Simply keeping up with the tide of everything from Mother’s Day memes to back-to-school memes is enough to populate your channels and provide lots of ideas and inspiration for your marketing strategy.
It also means you don’t have to worry if you miss a meme since something new is likely to show up sooner than later. Coming up with lots of new multimedia content that fits your business and reaches the right audiences can be a bit of a balancing act, but marketing with memes can actually help to make it easier.
Conclusion
Creating content with memes may feel like pandering to internet culture, but it’s so much more than that. Memes can be a fun, creative, and clever way to reach new audiences on new social media platforms, develop great content, develop partnerships with successful content creators, and stay relevant in the very fast, very rough tides of the online space.
They’re also affordable to create and provide lots of different content ideas for you and your marketing team.
At the end of the day, memes are also a lot of fun for bloggers, content writers, and videographers. They help your business to connect with younger audiences and can show that your brand doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a whole unique and exciting way of communicating your brand’s message, products, and ideas to the world. And who knows, you may even find yourself going viral with a new hit song or video.
If you’re looking to learn more about connecting with younger audiences, finding your niche in social media and online branding, and taking your campaigns up a notch, 10PM Curfew has you covered. Get insight from the chronically online today, and start taking your digital presence to the next level tomorrow.
Sources:
Social media | Definition, History, Examples, & Facts | Britannica
May the 4th be with you: 4 ways to celebrate 'Star Wars Day' | CNN
Understanding The Differences In Mobile App Use Across Generations | Forbes
Stop The Scroll: Four Tips For Creating Thumb-Stopping Social Media Ads | Forbes