The Meme Marketing Guide to Go Viral on Social Media

More than three billion people use social media, and 60% share memes and funny content on social media. Memes have evolved from simple internet jokes to valuable marketing tools, shaping cultural conversations and driving engagement.

Conventional marketing struggles to stand out as users long for authenticity and humor over sales ads. Brands that fail to engage are being ignored.

Meme marketing surpasses the chaos with relatable, shareable content that ignites conversations and establishes connections—without breaking the bank.

This blog will help you understand why meme marketing works and how to use it to make your brand ever-lasting.

Everything to Know About Meme Marketing

The Evolution of Meme Marketing

Meme marketing is the art of using humor to make brands relatable, shareable, and memorable. It takes pop culture, trending jokes, and witty one-liners and rebranded them into content that spreads across social media platforms.

One who knows this better than most is Aidan Brannigan, a viral content strategist and co-founder of No Boring Brands. In our recent webinar on How to Create Viral Content for LinkedIn, Aidan shared his insights on how memes can be a game-changer for brands. 

His creative humor agency helps businesses grow through engaging, meme-driven content. Having worked with brands like ClickUp and Fiverr, Aidan understands how humor can be a powerful tool for brand marketing.

“We make memes, we make funny skits, any Creator-style video that’s funny… It’s a way to connect, a way to convey intelligence, and a way to sell to people without them even realizing.”

– Aidan Brannigan

Why Memes Work in Marketing?

Memes aren’t just jokes—they’re psychology-backed marketing gold. They tap into emotion, relatability, and instant recognition, making them one of the most successful content formats for enhancing engagement.

Our human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text, and memes, with their image-text combination, provide quick, digestible content that resonates with the audience. But beyond speed, memes flourish on ease and shared experiences. 

A study by Oracle found that 92% of consumers remember brands that use humor in their content over those that don’t. This proves that humor—especially in the form of memes—enhances brand recall and strengthens consumer-brand relationships.

As a reminder from our recent webinar with Aidan, he highlighted how memes thrive on relatability and shared struggles, making them a powerful tool for engagement. 

His words were:

“The reason memes are so effective is that most of them are based on pain points. A typical marketer is juggling 97 things at once, barely keeping up—and memes capture that struggle in a way that makes people feel seen.”

— Aidan Brannigan

Memes don’t feel like ads; that is why they work. Meme marketing slides past consumer defenses and fosters authentic connections. They make brands feel human, witty, and relatable, which is exactly what our audiences crave in 2025.

4 Key Benefits of Meme Marketing

Meme marketing isn’t just about getting a laugh—it’s an eminently successful strategy for brands looking to boost engagement, stay memorable, and community building while keeping expenses low. Here are 4 key benefits that work wonders for businesses:

1. Low-Cost, High-Engagement Strategy

Conventional ad campaigns require big budgets, whereas memes cost next to nothing to create and share. A well-crafted meme can reach thousands—if not millions—without spending big on ads.

And when paired with the right engagement strategies, they become even more powerful. If you’re looking for ways to amplify your social media reach, leveraging memes along with proven engagement-boosting tactics can take your content even further.

2. Increased Brand Recall and Virality

Memes stick! When a meme relates to the audience, they remember it and share it further. They are built for virality, making them one of the most successful ways to keep a brand at the forefront of people’s minds.

During the webinar, Aidan Brannigan talked about Virality, which isn’t just about reaching millions—it’s about reaching the right audience in a way that resonates profoundly.

“If you’re in a super niche industry where you only have like 10,000 buyers, a post getting 1,000 views is viral because you’re reaching 10% of the market in one post. The biggest thing is to rewire your perception of viral and structure it based on your industry. People usually misconstrue humor content as just getting a laugh, but the whole goal is to funnel people—it’s for operating businesses.”

— Aidan Brannigan

3. Appeals to Younger Audiences

Millennials and Gen Z live and inhale memes. If your brand wants to stay relevant and culturally connected, meme marketing is the perfect solution. Memes make brands feel less corporate, more human, and more in tune with what younger audiences engage with online.

4. Encourage Community and Brand Personality

A great meme can ignite conversations and build a brand personality that the audience loves. It gives brands a relatable voice—one that feels natural rather than overly polished. Memes uplift engagement, interaction, and inside jokes, all of which nourish community loyalty.

Now that we’ve cracked the code on why meme marketing works, it’s time to get down to business – how do you actually create your winning meme marketing strategy? Let’s dive in!

6 Ways to Create a Meme Marketing Strategy

1. Audience Perception

Meme marketing isn’t about using laughter for its own sake—it’s about making humor that speaks directly to your target audience. If your memes don’t align with your audience’s humor style, they won’t engage—and worse, they might miss the intent entirely.

Understanding your audience is the foundation of any successful social media strategy. A well-defined social media marketing plan ensures that your content, including memes, resonates with the right people and drives meaningful engagement.

Why Is Audience Perception Essential in Meme Marketing?

Not all humor works for every brand. A B2B SaaS company can’t rely on Gen Z TikTok humor, just as a lifestyle brand wouldn’t rely on corporate-style LinkedIn memes. Perception about your audience ensures that your memes feel natural and not forced. It also helps brands avoid cringe-worthy content that can hamper their credibility.

“We don’t want to get canceled, we don’t want to be seen as tone-deaf, and we don’t want to be cringe. You solve all three of those if you have some sort of awareness of your niche and industry. If you know the industry really well, you know the pain points of these people.”

— Aidan Brannigan

How to Identify and Research the Right Humor Style for Your Audience

1. Identify Your Audience Demographics:

• Are they Gen Z, Millennials, or Gen X?
• Do they favor witty sarcasm, industry pain points, or lighthearted jokes?
• Are they more formal or casual in communication?

2. Observe Your Competitors’ Meme Strategies

• Which meme styles perform well in your industry?
• Are their memes engaging, or do they fall flat?
• What engagement levels do their meme posts generate?

3. Dive Into Niche Communities:

• Browse Reddit, Twitter, and niche Facebook groups for humor trends.
• Look for memes that get the most engagement in your industry.
• Identify common jokes, frustrations, or shared experiences.

4. A/B Test Different Humor Styles:

• Experiment with industry humor, pop culture memes, or trend-based memes.
• Track engagement metrics to see which styles work best.
• Adjust it based on what resonates most with your audience.

A B2B SaaS company like HubSpot leverages memes based on industry pain points, using relatable humor about marketing struggles. Their memes spark engagement because they highlight real-world challenges their audience faces.

Meanwhile, a B2C lifestyle brand like Nike infuses trending internet humor into their memes, often playing on motivational themes with humor tied to fitness culture. This approach makes their brand feel culturally relevant and fun.

2. Staying Culturally Relevant 

Meme marketing flourishes on timeliness and cultural recognition. Staying culturally updated means leveraging trends, viral jokes, and moments while ensuring they align with your brand’s voice. It’s about knowing what’s trending today—not last month—without forcing it.

Maintaining cultural trends is no easy feat, especially in the ever-evolving social media environment. With new formats, challenges, and engagement tactics evolving constantly, brands need to stay ahead. 

Understanding the biggest social media trends can help brands predict what’s coming next and integrate relevant, high-impact meme strategies that resonate with their audience.

Why Is Cultural Relevance Crucial in Meme Marketing?

Memes age like milk, not wine—they have a short shelf life. What’s funny today might be irrelevant (or embarrassing) tomorrow. Brands that use outdated or forced memes risk appearing disconnected. On the other hand, those who integrate trends naturally can enhance engagement and relatability seamlessly.

How to Stay On Top of Cultural Trends Without Missing the Mark

1. Monitor Trending Topics Daily:

• Follow Twitter (X) Trends, TikTok Challenges, and Reddit threads.
• Keep an eye on meme-dedicated websites like Know Your Meme.
• Check industry-specific social conversations to stay ahead.

2. Move Fast—But Not Recklessly:

• If a trend aligns with your brand, jump on it quickly.
• Avoid waiting too long—memes lose relevance in days, sometimes hours.
• But don’t force it—not every trend is meant for your brand.

3. Understand the Context Before Posting:

• Research a meme’s origins before using it.
• Avoid memes with controversial, offensive, or political backstories.
• If unsure, test it internally or with a small audience before going public.

4. Adapt Trends to Fit Your Brand’s Personality:

• Modify trending memes to reflect your brand’s industry and tone.
• Example: A real estate brand could tweak a trending meme to highlight home-buying frustrations instead of forcing a generic joke.

5. Engage With Pop Culture Without Copy-Pasting:

• Use references from movies, TV shows, and viral internet moments.
• Ensure your execution is original and aligns with your brand.

Wendy’s Twitter strategy is a masterclass in cultural relevance done right in meme marketing. They use trending memes with a playful yet on-brand tone, keeping their audience engaged while staying true to their voice.

3. Creating Original vs. Repurposed Memes

Meme marketing involves two major procedures: crafting authentic memes from scratch or repurposing trending memes. Authentic memes are custom-made for a brand, while repurposed memes adapt an existing template to a brand’s voice. Both have their place—it’s all about using them thoughtfully.

Why Does It Matter?

A strong meme marketing strategy balances originality and adaptability. While original memes build brand identity, repurposed memes capitalize on existing virality. Brands that master both approaches stay fresh, relatable, and ahead of competitors.

When to Create Original Memes?

• When Building Brand-Specific Humor: A unique brand voice sets you apart, and with a strong fan base, original memes become instantly relatable, driving engagement and virality. 
• When You Want to Create Long-Lasting Content: Unlike trend-based memes, original memes can stay relevant longer.
• When Targeting Niche Audiences: Sometimes, industry-specific humor doesn’t fit a trending meme template—creating your own works better.

Slack often creates custom meme content based on workplace humor, which aligns with their brand message without relying on trends.

When to Repurpose Viral Memes?

• When a Meme Is Already Viral: If a meme format is trending, adapting it keeps your brand top-of-mind in real-time conversations.
• When Aiming for Quick Engagement: Repurposed memes require less effort but still deliver high-impact results.
• When Tapping into Internet Culture: If your audience is already engaging with a meme, adapting it helps you blend into the conversation naturally.

Netflix frequently repurposes trending memes, adding their own spin related to popular TV shows, making them instantly relatable and shareable.

How to Balance Original vs. Repurposed Memes Effectively

1. Know Your Brand Identity: If your brand relies on humor, invest in creating original meme styles.
2. Ride Trends the Right Way: Jump on viral memes before they fade, but ensure they align with your brand’s voice.
3. Mix It Up: Use original memes for long-term branding and repurposed memes for real-time engagement.
4. Test and Learn: Track which memes resonate most with your audience and adjust your strategy accordingly.

4. Choose the Right Platform

Memes flourish on social media platforms where content spreads speedily and engages users in humorous, relatable ways. However, not all platforms work the same way. The best platforms for meme marketing depend on your target audience, brand voice, and goals.

Why Does It Matter?

Every platform has a distinctive content style and audience behavior. Selecting the right platform helps brands maximize engagement, virality, and audience interaction. Understanding where your memes will perform best ensures better ROI on your marketing efforts.

Top Platforms for Meme Marketing and Their Strengths

1. Instagram: The visual platform where memes bring engagement through Reels, Stories, and Feed posts. On Instagram, brands can utilize memes to increase shares, followers, and brand awareness.
Best for: Lifestyle, entertainment, B2C brands.

2. Twitter/X: Memes flourish in fast-paced conversations and trending topics. This Twitter (X) is best for real-time meme reactions, witty one-liners, and trending hashtag engagement.
Best for: News, pop culture, tech, and B2B brands.

3. TikTok: Short-form content in the format of trendy challenges, duets, and comedic skits can attract massive traction here. Brands can modify meme trends into relatable video content.
Best for: Gen Z-focused brands, influencer collaborations, and entertainment niches.

4. Facebook: Although not as meme-centric as Instagram or Twitter, Facebook still holds a strong audience base for humor-driven engagement. Brands can use memes in groups, ads, and viral posts to connect with different communities.
Best for: SMBs, local businesses, and older demographics.

5. LinkedIn: The underdog in meme marketing, LinkedIn is seeing a rise in B2B brands using humor to stand out. Memes can humanize professional content while keeping engagement high.
Best for: Corporate brands, startups, and personal branding.

6. Reddit: A meme goldmine, Reddit thrives on community-driven content. Brands can engage in subreddits relevant to their industry and share memes that align with niche interests.
Best for: Tech, gaming, finance, and community-based marketing.

7. Pinterest: While not a typical meme-sharing platform, brands can create branded meme boards and use humor-based visuals to drive long-term traffic to their website.
Best for: DIY, fashion, and lifestyle brands.

5. Measuring Meme Marketing Success 

Meme marketing success isn’t just about making people laugh—it’s about turning engagement into measurable success. Whether it’s brand awareness, website traffic, or conversions, tracking the right metrics ensures your memes drive results.

Why Is It Important?

Without clear management, meme marketing can feel like shooting in the dark. Tracking performance helps brands refine their content strategy, improve engagement, and increase ROI. Understanding key metrics ensures memes align with business objectives, not just social media hype.

Key Metrics to Measure Meme Marketing Success:

1. Engagement Rate: The gold standard for meme marketing. It includes likes, comments, shares, and saves, showing how well your audience interacts with your content.
How to track: Engagement rate = (Total interactions ÷ Total reach) x 100.

2. Virality Coefficient: This metric measures how quickly and widely your meme spreads. A high virality coefficient means users aren’t just engaging—they’re sharing.
How to track: Virality = (Shares per user) × (Conversion rate of new viewers into sharers).

3. Click-Through Rate (CTR): If your meme includes a CTA (call to action), CTR shows how many people click on your link to learn more.
How to track: CTR = (Clicks ÷ Impressions) x 100.

4. Return on Investment (ROI): Measures how meme marketing contributes to sales, leads, or website traffic. A successful meme campaign should have a clear impact on revenue-driven goals.
How to track: ROI = [(Revenue from campaign – Cost of campaign) ÷ Cost of campaign] x 100.

6. Best Practices and Common Mistakes to Avoid

Do’s:

A successful meme isn’t just funny—it’s relatable, shareable, and aligned with your brand’s message. It should ignite engagement, encourage shares, and subtly strengthen your brand’s identity.

How to Create Successful Memes

1. Keep It Simple: Memes should be short, snappy, and instantly understandable. Overcomplicating the message reduces shareability.
2. Align with Your Brand Voice: A meme should reflect your brand’s personality. If your brand is playful, lean into humor. If it’s more professional, use wit instead of randomness.
3. Use Trending Topics Wisely: Hop on viral trends quickly before they become outdated. Speed is key in meme marketing.
4. Make It Shareable: Memes should resonate with your audience so they feel compelled to tag others or repost.
5. Test Different Formats: Experiment with GIFs, static images, text-based memes, or even video memes to see what works best for your audience.

Dont’s:

Meme marketing can backfire if done incorrectly, leading to negative PR or audience backlash. Avoiding common mistakes helps brands stay relevant and respected.

Common Meme Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

1. Jumping on Trends Too Late: If you use an outdated meme, your brand looks out of touch rather than trendy.
2. Forcing Humor: Not every meme has to be laugh-out-loud funny. If humor doesn’t fit your brand, use wit or clever references instead.
3. Ignoring Audience Sensitivity: Avoid offensive or polarizing content that could lead to backlash. Always consider your audience’s values and humor style.
4. Overbranding the Meme: Slapping a logo on a meme makes it feel corporate and less organic. Let the humor lead—subtle branding works best.
5. Not Fact-Checking or Researching a Meme’s Origin: Some memes originate from problematic contexts. Always research before using them in your strategy.

Successful Meme Marketing Examples

1. Dunkin’ – Flirty Spider Doughnut Campaign

In October 2024, Dunkin’ introduced a playful marketing campaign featuring its Halloween-themed Spider Doughnut. The brand personified the doughnut with a flirtatious personality, sharing suggestive and humorous messages across social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. 

Why It Went Viral:

Dunkin’s campaign stood out by giving a unique, cheeky voice to a seasonal product, tapping into the Halloween spirit with humor and personality. This approach resonated with audiences, leading to high engagement and widespread sharing.

2. Duolingo – Duo the Owl’s “Death” Announcement

In February 2025, Duolingo created a buzz by humorously announcing the “death” of its beloved mascot, Duo the Owl, on social media. The brand released a statement asking for privacy during the investigation, playfully suggesting that waiting for users to complete their lessons might have been a factor. 

Why It Went Viral:

Duolingo’s unexpected and bold move to “kill off” its mascot intrigued and entertained users, prompting them to share the news and engage in conversations about the brand. The campaign’s novelty and humor made it highly shareable.

3. Ryanair – Witty Responses to Customer Complaints

Ryanair has gained attention for its humorous and unorthodox social media strategy, particularly in responding to customer complaints. For instance, when a passenger complained about being assigned a window seat without a window, Ryanair’s social media team replied with, “You must be new here,” acknowledging the commonality of such complaints with a cheeky twist. 

Why It Went Viral:

Ryanair’s candid and humorous engagement with customers breaks the conventional corporate mold, making their interactions entertaining and shareable. This approach humanizes the brand and fosters a unique online presence that resonates with a broad audience.

The Big Takeaway

Meme marketing isn’t just a trend—it’s a revolution in digital engagement. As traditional ads lose their grip on consumers, memes have stepped in as the ultimate attention-grabber, seamlessly blending entertainment with brand messaging. They’re cost-effective, relatable, and, most importantly, shareable, making them one of the most powerful tools for brands looking to go viral on social media.

So, what’s the takeaway? If your brand isn’t leveraging meme marketing yet, it’s time to start. With SocialPilot’s powerful scheduling, analytics, and collaboration tools, you can effortlessly integrate meme marketing into your content strategy. 

Stay agile, experiment with different formats, and most importantly—have fun with it. Because in today’s digital world, the brands that make people laugh are the ones they remember.