{"id":590,"date":"2016-09-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-27T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demandzen.com\/marketing-memes-b2b\/"},"modified":"2016-09-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-09-27T04:00:00","slug":"marketing-memes-b2b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demandzen.com\/marketing-memes-b2b\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make Marketing Memes Work for Your B2B Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s in a Meme?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If \u00a0you\u2019ve ever accessed the internet, you\u2019ve encountered a meme. On your way to this blog post, you probably even laughed at a few. While traditionally image macros (photographs superimposed with a humorous caption) come to mind when thinking of a meme, they can be much more than that. The term \u201c<\/span>meme<\/a>\u201d was coined in 1976 by Richard Dawkins to describe a phrase, concept, or element of culture that can be expressed quickly, often resulting in imitation. Even in 1976, memes spread rapidly. <\/span><\/p>\n

In 2016, meme usually means a funny picture, video, hashtag, or slang term shared online that maintains a specific formula as it is repeatedly shared. These modern memes are usually short-lived, plateauing quickly since high reshare rates result in people getting sick of the joke rather quickly. That means in a flash, memes stop being funny. <\/span><\/p>\n

But how can you use memes for your B2B marketing strategy? And why should you? Since memes are so prevalent online, it makes sense to incorporate them into digital marketing strategies. Think of memes as an opportunity to reach new audiences, and for your existing audience to think you\u2019re cool again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Marketing<\/a><\/p>\n

Marketing Memes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In many ways, using a meme in your marketing strategy isn\u2019t too different from traditional content marketing. Afterall, memes are just internet content created by others that you can leverage in a meaningful way. <\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks to useful tools like <\/span>meme generators<\/a> and reference sites like <\/span>Know Your Meme<\/a>, anyone can create a meme. Even us marketers.<\/span><\/p>\n

But with great power comes great responsibility. Let\u2019s get started with crafting your marketing memes strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Evaluating Your Audience<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Before you fill up your corporate page with Bad Luck Brian and Awkward Penguin pictures, you need to evaluate your audience. Just because you know about a meme, doesn\u2019t mean your audience is in on the joke.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Marketing<\/a><\/p>\n

So how do you know what your customers want to see? Learn to speak their language by hanging out online where they hang out. These places might be a particular subreddit, an industry LinkedIn group, or a Facebook page where there are regular discussions. What language are they using? What hashtags? Even if they\u2019re not using traditional memes (photos, video, hashtags), they\u2019re probably using unique language to express a problem. You can emulate that language. If niche image macros exist within your customer base, you\u2019ve hit the jackpot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most importantly, what pain points are you seeing shared as memes? Understanding what problems your audience already finds humor in can help you prioritize.<\/span><\/p>\n

The great thing about memes is they can often be used as satire. If you can satirize a problem that exists in your industry, you can speak directly to your audience\u2019s interests. <\/span><\/p>\n

Not Everything is a Meme<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Now that you understand what types of online messaging your audience will respond to, let\u2019s get one thing straight: not everything is a meme.<\/span><\/p>\n

So take a minute before you start <\/span>posting all the things<\/span><\/i>. It\u2019s important to remember that just because you put white text with a black outline on a photo doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ve created a meme. A key component of a meme is imitation. Use that to your advantage by selecting a meme already in existence rather than trying to create your own.<\/span><\/p>\n

Viral is Not the Goal<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

I\u2019ll say it again. <\/span>Viral is not the goal<\/span><\/i>. Planning a social strategy around memes with the intention of going viral is setting yourself up for failure. Like with all content marketing, your goal should be leads, impressions, engagement–memes won\u2019t magically make your company trend on Twitter. When marketing memes campaigns like this do trend, it\u2019s usually <\/span>not for the best reasons<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Going viral is difficult. It\u2019s often accidental. If you get orders that implementing a marketing memes strategy means it needs to go viral, set the record straight. But, if your campaign does go viral for the right reasons, let\u2019s call that a win and take the team out for drinks. <\/span><\/p>\n

Timeliness<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the hardest things to nail down when it comes to using memes in your marketing strategy is also the most important: when to post. Being timely and topical is the essence of why so many memes are funny. They hit the right note at exactly the right time.<\/span><\/p>\n

News that affects your industry and even pop culture occurrences can be turned into relevant content thanks to the use of memes. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, you must remember how quickly memes fade out of popularity. You don\u2019t want to use a meme that your audience has already decided is dead. If you\u2019ve done your research, you should know what they\u2019re tired of, or at least what isn\u2019t being posted anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n

So act quickly. No one wants to be the one who gets into Pokemon Go two months after everyone else stopped playing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bringing it Together<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

So now you\u2019re all set. You understand the way your customers speak, you know what memes to highlight, and it\u2019s the right time to act. Now what?<\/span><\/p>\n

Decide how you want to leverage those memes by aligning image macros, videos, and phrases with the appropriate medium. <\/span><\/p>\n

Breakdown your strategy:<\/span><\/p>\n