Research shows that using memes, GIFs, and/or images on your Twitter social media page will increase engagement — but that’s not the only reason many big corporations are embracing memes in their advertising. Research shows that using memes, GIFs, and/or images on your Twitter social media page will increase engagement — but that’s not the only reason many big corporations are embracing memes in their advertising. 

Memes are a wonderful way to talk about shared knowledge, humanize your brand, and create a more authentic voice for others to easily understand your company personality and culture. Also, it’ll increase the chances that people will remember you if they see the meme used elsewhere. 

While these are amazing bonuses, you don’t want to hurt your brand image, either. Consider the following questions when you’re about to post a meme on the company’s social media:

• Can I legally use this meme? All meme images have a copyright policy, whether it’s available for commercial use or not. Make sure you’re aware of the risks before you end up on the wrong side of the law.
• Do I have a clear policy for using memes? Every meme or joke brings certain risks, so you need to create guidelines that everyone on your team can understand and follow.
• Am I implying an endorsement? If you imply that someone else supports your product or service when they don’t, that’s grounds to be sued. Be careful — you’re free to use memes to make a fun point, but being too blatant about your advertising within the meme might not impress your audience — or lawyers.
• Have I considered any alternatives? You could license one image for a meme and make it a huge part of your marketing campaign, using it throughout. 

There are more ways to reinvent or brighten your brand image, of course. For AFEUSA members, you can even do it more economically than anyone else with our partnered graphic design firm E6 Agency. Members can even receive over 20% in savings! Don’t wait to give your brand a whole new voice — visually and vocally — for 2021.