When a “meme” is mentioned, people tend to either look at you with a blank stare or automatically visualize a silly social media post made by one of their friends to make a joke about a current issue in the media.    While memes do in fact bring humor to social media, when they are used correctly; they are actually a great way to invoke emotion in your audience and bring humor to any topic or subject.  This humor can contribute to a highly effective  means of  PR and marketing.

What exactly is a “meme” for those who are new to the terminology?  A “meme” is a modern and popular internet trend that pairs a visual (usually of a well known character, person or situation) with a clever phrase or joke with a relatable situation.  Memes can include JPGs, GIFS or even videos  The result of attaching your brand and sales pitch to an already known meme and character is that it helps build brand awareness and helps potential customers remember you.   This along with bringing your own creative humor to the table invites higher engagement and targets more people.

Here are a few reasons why your business should consider integrating memes into your social media strategy:

a) They’re easy and inexpensive to create:  Websites such as memegenerator.net are not only free to use, but easy to use as well.  All a user needs to do is log in and choose from thousands of images and add their own text to create a unique marketing tactic for their business.   This particular site also allows you to upload your own photos too.

b) It creates a more personalized experience for your customers:  Everyone likes humor, and humor is an invoked emotion in humans that makes them want to share your content.   It gives your business more “personalization” and show off your own personality.   You aren’t just a plumbing company, but a plumbing company with a sense of humor.  Think about it – are your customers more likely to share a clever meme that makes people laugh or share a typical advertisement for your business?   Customers indisputably will appreciate the fact that you have taken the time to come up with a clever pitch.  This will turn into more people seeing your content.  Additionally, when someone contacts you about your services, it will give them something to break the ice.   This helps build a level of trust with your customers from your first contact!

c) They’re all the rage – People who use social media a lot are trendy.  You want to play into the current trends if you want to grow your following, right?  Memes are one way to show that you’re “hip” and staying on top of current internet marketing trends.

Ultimately, memes are a great way to engage your audience in your own unique way.   Spending some time exercising your creativity can pay off in the long run – you’ll find yourself engaging with customers in ways you didn’t think were possible.  Meme on, small businesses!