Being funny on the Internet is a tough business – especially if you’re, well, a business. There are entire Reddit communities dedicated to poking fun at businesses failed attempts at humor or appealing to millennial audiences with haphazard memes and jokes. Typically we’d suggest just avoiding meme culture completely to avoid the embarrassment, but more and more memes are becoming a large part of how users communicate. So how do you do it without making yourself the punchline? Keep these core concepts in mind for you social media campaigns.

 

Understand The Joke

This might sound obvious, but it’s a point worth stressing. There are a variety of memes out there, but not all of them will land with you. Even if you have an inkling that others will think it’s funny, if you don’t get the humor then the idea is dead on arrival. That’s because it’s all about execution. Imagine hearing a comedian tell a joke that kills with the crowd but the punchline is totally missed on you. If you then went and tried to tell that same joke to somebody you know, chances are you’ll botch the delivery.

 

Understand Your Audience

Just as much as it’s important to “get” a meme before you use it, you have to think about how it will relate to your audience as well. What experiences do they relate to? How is a meme going to connect with them in some “meaningful way?” This isn’t to say we’re expecting your audience to have some transcendent moment because you posted a dat boi picture on your Facebook, but more about thinking how it helps you deliver a message. Humor is a great way to exchange ideas, you just have to make sure it’s one that’s going to connect with your audience. Often this has to do more with the content you inject into the meme and not just the meme itself. Industry humor is the safest bet here – inside jokes that only people who know the type of work you do will get. Don’t just post a random funny image thinking it will make you look relatable. It always should come back to your business and your potential customers’ business as well.

Sometimes this also means to actually using memes at all. While it sounds super fun and tempting to embrace this massive part of the Internet lexicon, if your business model is built on appealing to c-level executives or your industry is one that rarely delves into humor then you might be setting yourself up for failure.

 

Understand that Everything is Good in Moderation

Memes are fun. They can be a nice pick me up in the middle of the work day, scrolling through your Facebook feed and seeing something that gives you a good chuckle. But that’s where it should cap out. Remember, you’re still a serious business doing serious work. It’s great to let loose a little and have fun with your audience, but you’re not trying to turn your business page into a meme page. Keep meme posts to maybe once a week. Even then, don’t force it either.

Want to add some life to your social media campaigns? N2Q can help. Our social media team will help invigorate your social platforms and delight your audience, striking the balance between professional and fun that your particular audience needs. Drop us a line today and we’ll chat with you about what N2Q can do for your social.