Have you ever wondered how people lived before they invented certain things? What did people do before Uber, Whatsapp, and maybe even stethoscopes? How was humanity’s humor before memes got to the spotlight and stormed the internet?
Since memes are how millennials talk and connect to each other, it looks like social media has the answer. They are putting it to good use with a new set of memes that are going viral because they are funny.
Richard Dawkins first used the term “meme” in 1976. And yes, it is not that new. In fact, the word “meme” itself is rooted in Greek, meaning “that which is imitated.” And imitated they are.
His definition of a meme encompassed anything that could be easily passed around social groups.
In 2011, “Jesus” was the most searched term on Google, and it remained so until 2016 when “meme” became the most popular search term. Memes have attracted such a large internet following that there are now communities with thousands of participants.
In today’s online culture, the term “meme” has come to mean something very specific. The uniqueness of memes lies in the fact that they convey mental states, emotions, and circumstances. They are humorous pieces of content, often featuring an image and text, intended for quick consumption. No one should be surprised that companies want to cash in on their popularity.
And good Lord, they did.
We list down 4 reasons why the meme culture is changing the social media marketing scene for better and for worse.
- Memes are funny, witty, and relatable.
You don’t have to be part of Gen Z to understand what and how memes are for.
Memes can pinpoint a shared emotion, experience, or viewpoint in addition to trying to make us laugh. How often have you seen a funny meme, thought, “That’s so me,”?
Because memes are both personal and global at the same time, they have become such a cultural phenomenon. And as a result, they are being shared more frequently than ever.
- Memes reach a wider audience in an instant, feedback is instant too.
A social share is the new age of word-of-mouth and its value is pretty much immeasurable.
A message from you (a brand, business, or website) to a prospect is transformed into a recommendation from one friend to another when it is shared on social media.
Social sharing is now a highly sought-after good and has the potential to fundamentally change the course of social media marketing thanks to this one, rocket-powered component.
People share memes, people tag their friends on meme posts. The more these memes are shared, the more audience they will reach and all you do as a business is post it, leave it, and let people do their job.
It’s a piece of cake task that requires no rigorous hours to complete.
- Memes are free, easy to craft
Search “meme templates” in Google and the result is far more numerous than the Starbucks branches in the Philippines. No kidding, though.
Memes are often made for amusement and recreational purposes; there is no indication of any commercial value or financial gain. As a result, the majority of memes adhere to the fair use doctrine’s first criterion.
Meme marketing is low-cost. Companies can recruit experts. Hiring a meme expert wouldn’t be a bad investment for your social media.
You can participate even without a committed memer. Anyone who follows social media trends may make good memes. Possibly the best part of this practice.
- Memes can make you viral.
Memes can be used to boost interaction on social media. When your post is a hit post, chances are that people may start following you on your social media and that will increase your prospect.
The more your posts get a high engagement rate, the more they will appear on people’s timelines. As a bonus, it may aid in boosting subscription intent and establishing a name for the business.
So, is it okay to fully rely on memes for your social media marketing?
A marketer’s ultimate goal is to produce content that will go viral and be shared endlessly across digital platforms. However, this goal is difficult to achieve through generic advertisements on social media. Meme marketing provides yet another excellent chance for this to occur.
The catch here is that people usually get put off when a post is associated with selling and the hidden agendum of product advertising.
As a marketer, you must have the knowledge of how to integrate sales in your memes so as to not chase your audience away.
ACX Outsourcing Hub knows just what to do. It understands the necessity of remaining professional even when participating in a social media challenge. It understands that people want the brand to behave in accordance with its established identity.
Learn more about how we can integrate memes into your social media marketing strategy.
