Should You Be Using Memes For Marketing?
Memes are a massive part of social media – highly engaging, easily and readily shared, and usually very funny.
They’re generally a comment on current trends, world news, popular culture and society in general. In order to get the joke, you need to be up to date on what is happening in the world around you.
So, how could you use this very informal method of communication as part of your marketing?
The first thing to look at is should you be using memes:
You Could Be Sitting On A Copyright Infringement Line
The thing with memes is that they rely on a general understanding or consensus on a topic to be universally funny. This means that they often use an image of a famous person or from a popular television show or movie. Without this image, the meme doesn’t make sense. That means, your brand has to post that image if you want to use the meme for marketing purposes.
When working with memes as a brand, it’s important to find the legal line so that your brand doesn’t become liable for copyright infringement. Talk to a lawyer about what you can and can’t do, try to track down the original creator to ask for permission, and stay on top of where the memes originated.
You Could Appear Unprofessional
Memes are put in the same category as slang words and emojis. If your brand isn’t about using the second two, then it probably shouldn’t be using memes either – at least not on a regular basis. They can be used to lighten the mood or show a bit of personality in social media marketing, but it’s important to stay true to your brand identity and persona.
You Could Be Too Late To The Trend
Memes regularly have a short lifespan. If you want to make the best use of one, you need to hop onto the trend while it’s still on an upwards trajectory. The moment a trend starts to fade out, your brand will look dated if you’re only getting onto the meme now. A meme can literally be around for only a week before it goes out of fashion, meaning you can’t plan your meme posting too far in advance.
How To Use Memes In Marketing
A simple, straightforward approach is always best:
- Use The Right Platform – Memes can often cross platforms on social media, but it’s best to find out where the meme you want to use is really blowing up. That’s where you want to post it. Alternatively, you should be looking at the kind of content you generally post to each of your social profiles and make sure the meme is appropriate for your audience. If your audience on Twitter is used to news articles from, they may not react well to a funny meme.
- Stay On Top Of The Trends – As mentioned, memes go in and out of fashion really quickly. Your marketing has to remain agile so that you can capitalize on the trend as soon as it comes out. This means spending time scouring social media for the trends and being able to adapt the meme to your brand quickly enough that you can post it at the right time.
- Keep It Right For Your Brand – As with keeping things appropriate for the platform you’re posting to, you also have to consider how the meme relates to your brand. Just because a meme is all over the internet, doesn’t mean you have to use it for your marketing. Always take a moment to look at the message behind the meme and if that’s suitable.
In a nutshell, the golden rule with memes in marketing is definitely when in doubt, leave it out.