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On the other hand, two-thirds of Millennials and Generation Z share memes on social media. The most common content is infographics and travel photos. Visual media is the most important medium of communication today. According to the survey, 55% of people between the ages of 13 and 35 send memes every week and at least 30% share memes every day. About a quarter of respondents said they send memes several times a day.
The question most marketers are interested in is: "How can I create viral memes?"
If your content contains these five elements, your chances of going viral are much higher.
Related: How to Use Memes to Get More Attention Online
1. Define your target audience
Don't treat meme building like a marketing campaign. Often the best memes emerge organically, waiting to be cultivated. Any popular media event can become a meme, even something as seemingly mundane as President Biden falling off his bicycle. It's innocuous news that can be interpreted in hundreds of ridiculous ways.
But it's good to have some idea of who will enjoy it when creating this content. It's impossible to predict when a meme will go viral, as its popularity depends on the will of other people. In this regard, it is useful to create content that people in your niche will feel an emotional connection with. This is the best indicator that your meme will be successful. A good example is OkCupid, a dating app that shares many relevant memes to promote commitment on their social media.
2. Think creatively
The best memes introduce content (stills from a movie, images from a big news story, etc.) and add a twist that gets people to react.
In the US, there are always memes about politics, politics and inflation. These are regular topics of discussion, so memes naturally follow. These questions are especially "memic" because there are many ways to add humor to non-humorous situations.
The flexibility of your mind is the best meme-making tool you have. Meme formats often originate from the novelty of a movie, news, or media event. For example, Netflix created an Instagram page which is a Netflix joke where their customers share memes and it helps the company gain more audience.
Subject: "Bird Box"
3. Real jokes
The universal love for memes stems from the fact that we humans love to laugh. In today's society, many people use memes as a momentary de-stressor to communicate with friends or strangers. The Trends report shows that 38% of Millennials and Generation Z follow social media accounts dedicated to memes.
Memes are popular on the web which should be combined with simple and funny text. Humor is subjective so you can't always get it right, but memes don't work without humor. You have to embrace absurdity and be able to laugh at yourself or situations to create memes that others like.
There is also a neural network called GPT-3 that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to generate funny memes based on just a few words. Entire memes have accounts that create and publish content this way.
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4. Kind feelings
Memes have become an important communication tool due to their relational nature. The right meme has the unique ability to convey great meaning in a simple image. Yes, memes are used in part for comic relief, but 36% of millennials and Gen Xers use them to express their feelings, and 28% use them when they can't find the right words to express themselves.
This proves that the viral meme is connected. In most cases, it's important to remember that a person is looking for themselves in a meme. They want to see something recognized in the feelings expressed. Gucci was one of the first fashion brands to partner with Instagram meme creators to promote a watch collection.
Related: How to Harness the Power of Internet Memes for Your Business
5. Realistic expectations
You don't need a big budget, a sophisticated photo editor or a deep knowledge of pop culture to create a viral meme. However, you must understand that creating viral content is always a game.
The meme stays popular until it stops. Usually memes rise and fall in popularity. There will be some trend everywhere, until suddenly something new appears and the old meme becomes outdated.
The purpose of a meme is to evoke all sorts of emotions, often in a humorous way. Not everything will be an instant success and nothing will last forever.
Where will meme culture go?
Memes have quietly entered our lives and are now more important than emojis because they can express more subtle feelings. Everyone from the President of the United States to Elon Musk is part of meme culture (both sharing and representing memes).
Now anyone can create a meme about anything. Many people can make money by creating memes and gain followers on Instagram or Facebook. The only problem with these platforms is how the algorithms work. They depend on things like the number of followers and the "age" of your account.
If your brand account is new, your content may not be displayed or recommended to others; Therefore, expanding your account will be prioritized over creating good content.
YouTube and TikTok have more transparent view-based monetization systems, so smaller brands can get more value by creating engaging and entertaining content. Other platforms like Yepp share ad revenue and help users easily create memes and monetize their content.
In the future, we can expect memes to become more embedded in our communications. With the rise of things like Web3 and digital property, memes may become more mainstream in the NFT space and metaverse. At this point, the meme possibilities are almost limitless.