In Richard Dawkins’ 1976 book, The Selfish Gene, he coined a term for how cultural information spreads – “meme.” And while memes today have taken on a new form, it has become a tool for delivering a message. For social media marketing professionals, memes are a go-to mechanism for conveying information in a concise, quick and easily absorbed package.
Marketers are constantly challenged with consumers’ increasingly shortened attention span. Have you ever heard the statement “Humans have the attention span of a goldfish?” Well, that’s no longer true – the average consumer has the attention span of 8.25 seconds compared to a goldfish’s nine seconds. Memes are custom made for today’s society.
Building the Right Meme
Building the right meme involves a multi-step process. First, you have to think about your brand, your culture and what meme content will be appropriate and consistent with who you are.
Next, you have to consider your target audience. Your brand voice should appeal directly to that demographic. By researching and segmenting groups, you can establish the right voice and ensure that your content will always be relevant.
Trending topics can come and go in a matter of hours on social media platforms, which is why social media marketing professionals have to be ready with a corresponding meme when a topic is hot.
Consistent Memes
You can be more impactful if your memes are consistent, meaning they will always have a look and feel that is unique to your brand. However, there are some rules to follow that can be similar from one brand to another. For example, use Montserrat or Helvetica fonts on Twitter, as these are the standard meme fonts for that platform.
Another common thread is the use of emojis in the corners of your meme. It is something used consistently across brands.
Meme types differ – from videos to GIFs and photos to screenshots. The content will dictate which ones you use from one meme to the other. Keep an eye on the memes that get more traction with your audience and see if there is something in common with them. This is an opportunity to see what’s working and give you ideas about how to replicate that success with memes across all your social media platforms.
At SJC Marketing, we’re assisting our clients in creating insightful, informative, humorous and relevant memes so they can achieve better engagement with their target audiences. Take a look at some of the clients we work with and then let’s discuss how we can help you.