Why Instagram Memes? Increase Your Target Users Engagement

There’s a new way for you to increase your users’ engagement through Instagram Memes. Now that each and every social media network keeps changing and evolving, rapidly.

And we’re all seeing this happen on Instagram today: less polish, more authenticity. In particular, I am noticing an embrace of memes — that historically unpolished, yet highly relatable category of social media content.

Recently, I’ve picked up on the proliferation of memes across many major Instagram profiles. And as such, I’d love to share how brands are making the most of this form of visual marketing. As well as what it could look like for you to give it a try with your brand.

What are Memes?

My first question would be; are Instagram Memes taking over your feed? If your answer is Yes, then that’s because this year’s biggest trend is using memes.

You can use memes to boost your Instagram engagement and that’s why so many brands quickly jumped on board! But, if you’ve no idea, allow me to take you in for a ride. Now that at some point in time, this’s what was once reserved for an Instagram meme account.

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Today, brands are realizing the power of Instagram memes — especially, when it comes to building brand identity, driving product interest, and increasing engagement. So, with that in mind, it’s important to note that Instagram Memes are very user interactive.

We all have seen memes pop up across social media before. And as such, I’ve found there to be a few defining characteristics. Particularly, on what makes this type of social media content so engaging.

Memes are;

Relatable. This is a core element of a successful meme. They summarize a widespread feeling that everyone can relate to.
Witty. Memes are clever. They have a way of putting obvious things succinctly in a way that we hadn’t thought of before.
Entertaining. With the combination of relatability and cleverness, memes can be an incredibly fun piece of content, like being in on an inside joke shared with thousands of others.

According to the Collins English Dictionary, a Meme is “something such as a video, picture, or phrase that a lot of people send to each other on the internet.” That is a very general definition, but it describes memes well. The word once had a loftier meaning.

Richard Dawkins created the term, with the concept that a meme was an idea passed on from one generation to another. Does that mean the reason you share videos featuring your clumsy cat is to benefit future generations?

What are Instagram Memes?

So, what makes Instagram memes a meme? Do they have to be funny? Clever? Pop-cultural? Or some combination of the three? Well, most of us will immediately recognize a meme when we see one. However, nailing down a definition is surprisingly difficult to do.

In the broadest sense possible, an Instagram meme is any piece of media that passes from person to person on Instagram. They usually have some kind of cultural relevance. And they’re often funny or clever.

Typically, some memes do feature a combination of text and imagery (this can be a photo, a GIF, or even a video). But, while they may be difficult to define, there’s one thing that’s for certain — memes are really popular on Instagram — like really, really popular.

Why are Instagram Memes so Engaging?

As can be seen, these notable features mentioned above, make them so perfect for building brand engagement. But, there are tons of different business uses.

I mean everything, from sharing brand identity and values to driving product interest. And, in that case, there are a few reasons behind Instagram memes usage by various brands or even personalities alike.

Consider the following:

As highly-polished photos have proliferated, the “Instagram aesthetic” has come to feel bland and cookie-cutter.
I am sure you’ve learned before about the red vs. blue ocean strategies. A strategy for picks where there is less competition.
Staged Instagram photos are achieving a mass scale, and it’s harder to compete for attention.
So, have we reached “peak perfection?” Ugly Drinks’ social media and community manager Brittany Zenner calls it “influencer saturation.”
But, even though there can be too much of a good thing, these memes are here to stay.

Bearing in mind, the “standard” way to post to Instagram with your very best pictures of your very best self is no longer the only way to get engagement. And with this lowering of the bar comes a welcome to many different types of content.

How are Instagram Memes used for Business?

One trendy style on the horizon is the shift in the ways to get more engagement on Instagram stories. The Trend on Instagram is less on Polish and more on Authenticity. Especially at scale, there is an art to noticing the trends as social media moves.

Taylor Lorenz in The Atlantic wrote about the decline of the “Instagram aesthetic.” Those images look well-staged, highly produced, and dripping with polish. In their place, a new style has taken over, and it’s largely moving in the opposite direction.

Instagram seems to be embracing more raw, organic, and natural images on the platform. And as I’ve already mentioned, memes are so shareable. While at the same time, posting a funny or relevant meme can earn you a ton of likes, comments, shares, and saves.

#1: An Effective Method to Promote your Brand Values

There’s no denying that Instagram is still a very social place. And people want to follow accounts that they can relate to. Regardless of whether it’s a brand, influencer, or something else.

So it’s important to make your Instagram account as relatable as possible and really show off what your business is all about! And memes can be great for this. Take @ritual, for example, the modern vitamin brand often posts fun, pop-cultural memes.

Memes that show off its ethos and brand values — all while engaging its audience in a relatable way. Not forgetting, the same is true for @curology — they often use memes too. To build brand affinity with their audience while tying back to their values.

#2: The Best Way to Share your Viral Community Tweets

As mentioned in the top trends post, one of the biggest (and strangest) design crazes to hit Instagram this year is using the platform to share screenshots of viral Tweets.

For example, meme accounts like @daquan and @thefatjewish have been doing it for years. But, the big surprise is that brands are now jumping on the trend too! Not to mention, the community aspect that I love about this trend is that it isn’t just branding reposting their own Tweets on Instagram.

For one thing, these brands are also finding reflective Tweets from their community. Tweets that reflect their brand style, attitude, and messaging. So that it appeals to their Instagram followers too! And of course, meme accounts are happy to share screenshots as is (aesthetics don’t matter quite as much in comedy).

#3: A Great Way to Promote your Business Products

Because they’re often funny or clever, memes don’t usually feel like an ad or promotion for a product. And for that reason — they can be a great way to “soft promote” your products.

And as such, without being in-your-face about it. A furniture brand like @burrow does this really well! They often share playful memes that entertain their audience while drawing attention to their product in a peripheral way. You can also check out how @meundies does it on their Insta page too.

In the end, these memes offer a more “indirect” way of selling. And that’s perfect for Instagram because they don’t come across as too inauthentic or salesy.

#4: Instagram Memes allows you to be as Timely as Possible

Another key point, Instagram memes are also great for sharing quality, relevant, and timely content. And not just that but, content that relates back to your brand and audience.

Considerably, that’s why a brand like @rocketsofawesome is so timely — the apparel brand for kids often shares laugh-inducing memes that are highly relevant and timely. A brand such as @bustle is also great at this.

Often, sharing timely memes for important holidays. Equally important, businesses and influencers are taking it a step further and adding on-brand backgrounds to their posts.

#5: Provides you with a Greencard to Entertain your Audience

Perse, having a business-central goal in mind is great. But, you can also share Instagram memes for the sole purpose of entertaining your audience. And as such, take @glossier for example.

They often post cute and hilarious memes that are just that — cute and hilarious! Sharing these kinds of memes is a great way to show your followers you’re approachable. And now, that there’s a real human behind your account.

So, the next time you’re in a pinch for something to post, consider pulling up an entertaining meme — your audience will love you for it! You can see the other 10 On-Brand Examples of Memes in the Instagram Feed as detailed by Buffer.

Why are Social Media Branding Tools important?

As can be seen (in this article), social media branding can be a great tool to increase your online presence. But, as more brands jump on the Internet bandwagon, marketing clutter can make it hard to compete.

For instance, think of your professional services brand as the product of your reputation and your visibility. With this in mind, a Brand Building or rather, Branding Tool is a technique that helps you build and refine your firm’s reputation or increase the visibility of that reputation.

A strong brand you can:

Generate leads more easily
Command higher rates
Achieve a higher win rate
Recruit more effectively
Have fewer competitive bid situations

After all, who wouldn’t want these advantages? But, the question is, how do you build a leading brand? That’s where branding tools come into play!

One challenge that a lot of businesses have with social media branding is building initial traction. Getting your first few followers can seem impossible when you don’t even know where to start.

However, if you’ve been in business for a while or have other Web properties (like a website blog, or other social media accounts) then you should start there. Furthermore, unless you tell your current customers, colleagues, and network that you have a Snapchat or Instagram account, how will they know?

Takeaway,

Generally speaking, the above mentions are just a few among the many ways that businesses can use memes on Instagram! And because of these factors and more, brands have begun experimenting with memes on their Instagram profiles.

It’s especially important to note: not all memes need to get a laugh. And that you can use memes in your feed and in your Stories too. As well as in DMs, and anywhere else you communicate with your customers. Like a customer service interaction with an MVP customer?

Also, always remember, that while they’re fun and super-versatile, it’s important to stay on your brand line. Especially, with the Instagram memes that you post. First of all, try to find memes that deliver value to your specific audience — or are highly relatable to even a small portion of your audience!