Can You Really Meme Your Way to Engagement?

By Joey Mechelle Farqué

Memes have seeped into every crevice of internet culture, offering a quick, relatable, and often hilarious way to convey messages. The term itself, coined by Richard Dawkins in 1976, originally described how ideas transmit themselves culturally, a parallel of how genetics reproduce. Today, memes are a staple of online interaction, encapsulating everything from light-hearted social commentary to pointed political satire.  

Significant pop culture events often serve as fertile ground for meme creation. Memes capture a moment while distracting people from reality. They encapsulate the era we live in while reminding us to engage with laughter - even during challenging times. 

I have a colleague who likes to communicate through memes in our work chat. It's amusing and can sometimes brighten my day. My girlfriends and I also frequently use them in our group texts. Even my 73-year-old mom uses memes, but she also calls them “mee mees,” so take that for what it's worth. 

But the question arises: Are memes appropriate for more serious communications like nonprofit marketing? Can they effectively bridge the gap between humor and mission-driven messaging? Are there right ways you can use memes, balancing fun with their serious undertones? 

The Right Fit for Memes 

For nonprofits, the strategic use of memes can humanize their brand, making them more approachable and relatable to younger audiences, particularly among Millennials and Generation Z, who thrive on this bite-sized content. 

Memes are shareable, and every nonprofit would like to have their messages and brand shared. Creating and sharing memes facilitates a sense of community online while maintaining a feeling of exclusivity, especially for digital natives — those younger supporters you are trying to reach. 

Think of an animal rescue promoting its annual art fundraiser: 

Or a school promoting its welcome day, “Actual footage of our very cool and relatable board president welcoming new students.”: 

However, not all nonprofits find memes appropriate for their brand voice or the gravity of their mission, and some supporters might not, either. 

Best Practices for Nonprofit Memes

1. Stay Mission Aligned: Ensure that the humor is appropriate and adds value to your message. The meme should not overshadow the cause but should reinforce the message in a light-hearted way. 
2. Know Your Audience: Tailor meme content to resonate with your audience’s preferences and sensibilities. What works for one demographic might not be suitable for another. 
3. Timeliness and Relevance: Leverage trending memes to stay current but ensure they can be connected back to your cause without appearing forced (the alignment should feel natural—when the right meme comes along, you'll instinctively recognize its fit and know precisely how to use it). Timing can be crucial; what's funny today may not be tomorrow. 
4. Avoid Overuse: Like emojis, memes should be a spice, not the main ingredient. They work best when interspersed with other deeper, content types. 
5. Monitor Feedback: Monitor how your audience responds to memes. Positive engagement can encourage more frequent use, while any negative feedback should prompt a rethink of your strategy.
6. Exercise Caution: If you feel uneasy about a meme or question its potential to offend before posting, it's best to err on the side of caution and not share it. 

Potential Pitfalls of Meme Marketing

The primary risk is alienating or offending parts of your audience, which is why exercising caution is so important. 

Additionally, the legal landscape around using copyrighted material can be tricky. Memes often repurpose copyrighted images without authorization, posing a risk of infringement actions. You must tread carefully, possibly designing original memes or using stock images licensed for modification. 

When done right, memes can significantly enhance your digital presence by engaging audiences in a manner that's both fun and reflective of the organization's personality. They should be used judiciously, ensuring they align with the overall communication strategy and ethical considerations. As you look to connect with a broader, more digitally native audience, memes could be a valuable addition to your marketing arsenal, provided you navigate the associated challenges wisely.