Almost everyone that has used the internet or that is active on any form of social media profile will undoubtedly have seen at least a few great memes that have gone viral over the past few years. Although many people consider these pictures to be nothing more than a source of entertainment, there have been instances where they have gone viral and taken businesses with them in the process – an effect that is known as meme marketing.
They Invoke Emotion
Research has shown that one of the biggest motivating factors for memes going viral is because of the fact that they invoke emotional responses in more than 99% of people who view and share them. Regardless of whether the emotions created are positive or negative, meme marketing has the ability to create a feeling of community among those who have shared it – in other words, it provides a way for ‘everyone to join in’ on a business’s marketing efforts or campaigns, which is just one reason why they have the ability to take your business viral within an extremely short space of time.
They are Easy to Copy and Share
A meme is simply a humorous picture that has a line or two of text added to it. This makes them extremely easy to copy and share quickly across a multitude of social networks and other online platforms. One of the best examples of an internet meme that went viral extremely quickly was that of Grumpy Cat. Within just a few weeks, the power of social media sharing had seen a few simple memes that depicted this surly looking cat receiving more than 1 million likes and shares from all over the world. Another popular example of a meme photo that took the online world by storm a few years ago was that of the philosoraptor dinosaur.
Creating a Great Meme
Businesses who want to engage in any form of meme marketing should keep in mind that the meme they choose to use should fit with the type of business they are operating. The meme should also not be one that has previously been used elsewhere containing vulgar language or images of any sort, as this could cause a business to go viral for the wrong reasons. The amount of memes used for marketing purposes should also be carefully regulated – there can be such a thing as too many Grumpy Cat photos. Instead, meme marketing should not be used as the sole form of online advertising – it should be used in conjunction with other strategies in order to make the most impact.
It is also important to ensure that any memes that are going to be used for business marketing purposes are free from grammatical errors and unsavory language, as this will make a company look extremely unprofessional. When used correctly though, meme marketing can end up becoming one of a company’s most popular forms of advertising – after all, pictures are usually remembers for far longer than words.