The answer to this question is not an easy ‘yes’ or ‘no’. A marketing strategy is as unique to a company as a fingerprint is to an individual. What works well for one company might not have the same impact on your bottom line. Your marketing strategies should be different, because just as you provide a unique service or product to your audience, how you market that product should reflect that same level of otherness.

When developing your marketing strategy, there are so many different elements to choose from that will influence the success of your efforts. One of the more recent additions to a company’s digital marketing strategy is the use of memes. They’re funny, they’re edgy, and they are super timely, which means that you should never run out of meme-inspired content.

The internet is a breeding ground for these posts, and they are a powerful tool when used correctly. However, just because they’re growing in popularity doesn’t mean that they’re accessible to every business. So, how do you know if memes are the right fit for your brand?

Know your audience

Your audience should be the most obvious gauge of what marketing elements you should be incorporating into your operations because they should inform everything you do. Learn who your followers are. What content do they share? What content do they engage with more frequently?

If your audience is older, they might have a hard time understanding a meme’s purpose, which means they’re less likely to engage with your post. If your audience favors a younger demographic but you aren’t quite sure how they’ll respond, experiment a little. Try doing a few posts to analyze the responses you get. If every post you try falls on deaf ears, it’s because your audience isn’t interested.

Play to the strengths of your employees

What do your employees have to do with memes? Memes have a distinct element in that they all rely on humor. If you have the right audience for memes, that’s only one part of the equation. In order for your memes to be effective, they have to capture a consumer’s attention. If no one on your staff has the ability to successfully mesh your brand and humor together, the posts are consistently going to miss the mark.

A brand is only as successful as its employees. Play to the strengths of your team when you’re putting together your marketing strategy. It’s better to hold off on something until you can find someone who can do it right, rather than try to force it and fail miserably. We’ve all rolled our eyes after seeing an ad or a post from a company that was trying to be funny but wasn’t. Don’t be like them.

You better be responsive

Because some meme content can be on the edgier side, they can often come across as distasteful or controversial to some consumers. This is just something to keep in mind as a company. You can try your hardest, but you’re never going to make everyone happy. Certain marketing materials, like memes, are meant to incite immediate reactions, especially since they’re so timely.

Of course, this requires that you be careful toeing the line of humorous and offensive. A majority of reactions to your post will be calm and positive, but there’s a chance you could poke some vocal and opinionated people as well. This requires that your employees be on standby to respond to these remarks as soon as possible. The longer you let these go unnoticed, the more negativity they could pick up through a snowball effect of comments. 

There is no secret formula for incorporating memes into your marketing strategy. You have to know your audience, play off your strengths, and make sure that you are quick to respond to any consumers who may have issues with some of your posts. If you want to know whether memes are right for you or not, you’re going to have to try it out and see for yourself.