You don’t have to be a marketing genius to understand that things like memes, GIFs, and emojis can help you get a higher engagement rate on your content.
Why???
Because they’re relatable.
One of the best ways to grow online presence is to appear relatable — think brand but talk human — and memes, emojis, and GIFs will help you do just that.
But not everyone understands why they are successful or how to make them work for you.
So, take a look — we’ve covered all you need to know about these visual elements and how to improve your engagement rates with them.
What are Emojis, Memes, and GIFs?
Emojis, GIFs, and memes are interesting ways of using visual content and humor to bond with your audience. They’re simple, funny, relatable, and clever — and they’re all very different from one another.
What are memes?
The short answer is: they’re funny graphics or photos that are shared online and oftentimes go viral due to their comical nature.
Memes are everywhere on the internet, and they’re only getting more popular! When done right, memes can help your brand or business reach a wider audience and quickly connects to users due to the relevance factor.
What are emojis?
Emojis are a fun way to express your feelings online. They are also versatile and can be used everywhere, from business emails to social media posts.
Emojis have been around for quite a while and have gone through many changes. What started as an internet phenomenon became so big that there are now more emojis available on keyboards than letters!
What are GIFs?
GIFs are everywhere. And you may be guilty of using a few on your social media accounts. After all, they’re pretty popular. Social media & network users have shared 7 billion GIFs every day in the last few years, making them a staple in content marketing.
How do you use them for higher engagement?
One of the biggest reasons visuals like memes & GIFs work is because they’re relatable — creators bring elements of everyday life into them. The content can range from the mundane as going to the office during a pandemic to an exclusive event such as a celebrity’s wedding.
Memes and GIFs especially help us live in the moment because their creation draws from the smallest moments we live every day. Memes and GIFs have become a way of expression for many people. They are a medium that transfers our thoughts into reality.
Let’s look at how these visuals can bring positive reinforcements to your content strategies:
Use Memes to build brand awareness
Memes can be a great way to spread awareness about your brand. They are disguised as visuals and play the role of marketing and advertising very efficiently. Since memes do not typically fall under the category of advertisements, hence the ad blockers used by internet consumers do not affect their presence. It promises a better and wider reach to your brand.
Show emotions with Emojis
With the digital medium, you do not have emotional cues and body language to understand someone’s emotions fully. In such a case, Emojis help bridges the gap. When you use them, you further extend your expression, and there’s a smaller chance of the other person misunderstanding them. This is especially relevant when trying to use humor and wit in your messaging.
Make stories come alive with GIFs
GIFs help bridge the gap between interpersonal textual communication and authentic, human conversations. When you use them, you can make boring text come to life, tell a story in only a few seconds, and even integrate brand stories into GIFs. Used correctly, GIFs can give your audience a laugh and boost engagement on social media platforms.
Three campaigns we loved
Did you know that 25% of consumers have intimate brand relationships? Wouldn’t you want yours to be one of them? Cheat code: use clever visuals and witty copy.
We all love visuals — whether they’re memes, emojis, or GIFs. We live in a world where they make our lives easier, help us communicate better, and capture any moment difficult to articulate in words.
But the best part? They help build emotional connections in the digital world — even with customers.
We loved three campaigns where brands used memes, emojis, and GIFs to bridge the gap with their customers. Here they are:
1️⃣ Zomato – Meme Marketing
2️⃣ KitKat – #TheBreakEmoji
3️⃣ Converse – Monochrome Collection
And finally, how not to use these visual elements
Although the world of memes, GIFs, and emojis can be fascinating, not using these visual elements properly can often backfire. Especially when it comes to clever usage of these elements, there is a fine line between entertaining and not so. It can be challenging to stay on the right side, but it is essential.
Tips for how not to use memes, emojis, and GIFs:
Don’t overly complicate the idea
Remember: these elements are primarily based on contextual messaging, which can be clever or confusing based on the audience. So, tread that line carefully. For example, few brands use emojis to make the audience curious about their upcoming ventures. The Deadpool movie team exploited the whole concept to get people to guess and decode their trailer during its launch. It was a successful gesture and made many people aware and interested in the movie.
On the other hand, the car brand Chevrolet couldn’t precisely put the use of visuals to their benefit. They took the same route as the Deadpool team did but conveyed a confusing message and gained mixed reactions from the audience. This has cost them money and reputation and the difficulty of starting the entire process all over again.
Avoid using outdated content
The use of particular memes and GIFs comes with an expiration date, and so does the interest people have to view them. Your creativity with using memes and GIFs to promote your brand is mainly related to the content’s relevance and whether people care. If it’s too late in the game, they most likely will not. Using memes not currently in trend can waste effort and time.
Best to steer through the line carefully
Staying within the line is essential. No matter how creative you can get with visuals, keeping them connected to your product should be the primary goal. The use of memes, GIFs, or emojis should never distract the audience from the actual purpose of spreading awareness about your product.
Conclusion
In conclusion, creating emojis, GIFs, and memes can be an instrumental tool to boost brand awareness and content engagement. However, it all boils down to how well you use them. Several marketers are aware of the benefits they offer, but not all know how to use them efficiently. A good amount of research, market study, test, and trial using them can be a great way of knowing what will work with the crowd and what will not.
So, keep exploring, do an extensive amount of research, and remember to keep your content relevant to your brand. At the end of the day, you’re looking at boosting your brand presence through this activity. Don’t let it get lost.
Tags: Emoji, Engagement, Engagement Rate, Memes