A couple of years ago, social media platforms were used mainly to connect with friends and share pictures. Fast forward to today, it has become a popular channel to start a dialogue, spread awareness, conduct business, build a community, and connect with each other.
With the onset of the pandemic, memes have emerged as a popular format to convey emotions and largely spread humour. From a marketer, what can be a better way to engage with consumers than making them laugh? Apart from being hilarious, here are some benefits that this version of marketing provides your brand –
Visibility
An average Indian is said to spend around 3 hours per day on the internet.With the millennial population spending hours on their social media, looking for catchy content, memes are the go-to option. Further, 84% of these individuals do not prefer conventional marketing techniques. Since it’s a subtle way of talking about the brand, memes avoid direct messaging, while providing an avenue to connect with users.
Shareability
Every time a user sees something “cool”, they share it. The more your posts are shared, the greater are the chances of reaching out to a wider audience base. For instance, brands like Durex, Tinder, and Bumble use memes efficiently to tap into a consumer pool that transcends beyond their direct user circle, simply through the ‘share’ button of their viewers.
Engagement
Effective communication is a two-way road. Memes give you the first-hand opportunity to engage with your audience. Interactive posts drive home a deluge of consumer engagement. If your viewers are commenting on a meme, then be prompt to enter into casual conversations with them. For instance, brands like Netflix use famous dialogues and songs as replies in their comment section. By doing so, you can connect with your users at a personal level.
Now that the “why” bit of meme marketing is covered; let’s dive deep into “how” to make your brand a trend –
Follow a craze
An easy way to go viral is by participating in a meme pattern that is already trending. The audience is on a constant lookout for such posts that piques their interest. As your brand’s custodian, one should search trending templates, words, phrases, and characters. Once you identify a trend that can easily be incorporated with your business ideology, use it to create memes that make you go viral. However, marketers should be cautious about not force-fitting their brand in every trend, as it steals away the organic charm that memes carry.
Start the fire
If you want to be a trendsetter, then there are numerous ways you can go about it. The smartest way to do so is by making use of famous movies, shows or songs. These content items have been around for a while and have a well-developed fan base. Any play on those lines will give you access to a larger set of audience and a greater chance to go viral. For instance, the “Rasode Mein KaunTha?” trend was picked from a Hindi daily soap.
Collaborate
Several celebrities and influencers have started sharing memes to engage, connect and entertain their audience. Companies can reach out to such personalities and collaborate with them to share memes that ‘talk about your brand without talking about your brand’. For instance, if the meme is based on a famous dialogue by a celebrity, then that individual can be approached to help spread the word. Such partnerships are beneficial for both parties.
Meme marketing, though easy-going and funny, needs thoughtful execution. Aimlessly following every trend and creating memes without any plan, will not lead to desired outcomes. Further, it should be noted that as a marketing tool, they are more topical and spontaneous. Memes cannot always be a part of a pre-set marketing campaign. They are independent tools, which when used at the right time, can prove to be highly beneficial.
