How To Use Memes and Gifs To Connect With Your Audience

In the world of email newsletters, it’s hard to know what to include in your emails to get the best response from your audience. Should you stick to text? Should you add images? Should you use memes and GIFs?

The answer is yes—but there’s a catch.

Finding the perfect balance between serious and fun content would be best to make your emails effective. Let’s explore why memes and GIFs are so popular with brands and how to incorporate them into your email newsletter strategy without overdoing it.

What Are Memes and GIFs?

Memes are funny images or videos that feature witty captions, while GIFs (which stands for Graphics Interchange Format) are short videos that loop continuously. Brands have used them for years to engage their audiences with humor and lightheartedness. As an example, look at this meme from Burger King about their new plant-based burger:

This is humorous yet informative; it shows viewers what the product looks like, while providing a clever caption to make them laugh. This combination of information and entertainment makes viewers more likely to remember the message after seeing the image or video.

Can You Use Memes in Emails?

Memes have become a prevalent form of communication on the internet. They tap into humor, a great way to connect with your audience. Plus, they don’t take themselves too seriously, which can make them relatable to many people.

Brands have used memes for years in their social media campaigns. However, why limit yourself to just one platform when you can also leverage memes for email outreach? So, yes, use those memes in emails!

Why Do Brands Use Memes?

Memes are in email campaigns because they help capture attention quickly, elicit emotion, convey complex ideas in an easy-to-understand format, and increase engagement. In other words, they can help make your emails more memorable, shareable, and clickable than traditional text-only emails.

Plus, using memes allows you to show off your brand personality—something that’s increasingly important when trying to stand out among other emails in someone’s inbox.

Do GIFs Work in Newsletters?

You may be wondering whether short animations would work in a newsletter. Would your audience want to see moving images in their newsletters? The answer: Absolutely!

GIFs are short animations used to convey an emotion or create visual interest in emails. They’re perfect for breaking up long text blocks or adding fun and playfulness to an otherwise serious message. Additionally, because they’re visually appealing they draw attention to important information within the email–something that static pictures cannot do as effectively.

Why Are GIFs Good for Emails?

GIFs can help you stand out from other brands by making your emails more engaging and entertaining. They also help build relationships with customers by making it easier for them to relate to your brand personally–especially if you want loyal customers who keep returning!

By using humor in your emails, you can also improve customer engagement levels, as people will be more likely to interact with something that makes them laugh or smile.

Finally, since GIFs tend to be highly shareable, they can help spread awareness about your brand and its products/services even further than just through email outreach.

10 Examples of Meme Marketing

We know that memes and GIFs can take newsletters to the next level. Let’s look at ten examples of meme marketing and how brands use them to connect with customers.

Pop Culture References

Brands can use pop culture references to make their content more relatable to their target audiences. For example, let’s say your company sells video games–you could include references to famous movies or TV shows that feature video games to draw people in. You could also use popular internet slang or well-known phrases, like “YOLO” or “on fleek,” to make your message more memorable.

GIF

GIFs are short animations that can convey a wide range of emotions. They can be used in emails, newsletters, social media posts, and other forms of communication to grab people’s attention and add humor to your message. Just make sure not to overdo it–too many GIFs can come off as cheesy or unprofessional.

Humor

People love funny content–especially from brands they recognize and trust! By injecting humor into your content, you can show that your brand has personality–which people find appealing. Remember not to push the boundaries too much; keep things light-hearted and appropriate for all ages!

Asking Questions

Asking questions can be an effective way to get people engaged in conversations about your brand or product/service offerings. This is especially useful on social media platforms like Twitter, where conversations move quickly, and having the right question ready is critical! Plus, it lets you showcase your knowledge about the topic, which will help build trust with potential customers!

For example, this meme is perfect for a marketing expert to show potential customers that they keep up with the latest trends, building professional positioning with a side of humor.

Brand Comparisons

Comparing two products/services (yours vs. a competitor's) is another excellent way to show why yours is better than the rest! It demonstrates that you understand what makes yours unique, which adds credibility and authority in the eyes of potential customers. Plus, if done correctly, it can also be entertaining for readers!

If you’re worried about the competition, you can also use comparison memes to showcase particular benefits of using your product or service, like this meme by Hello Fresh.

Meme Mashups

A meme mashup combines two memes into one image–usually for comedic effect or fun! Mixing two already-popular memes increases the chances of both being seen by more people (since they already have large followers). This makes them perfect for getting more exposure for your brand without seeming too “spammy”!

Quotes

Quotes are another great way to reach potential customers with inspiring messages or wisdom from famous people throughout history (or even current celebrities!). These quotes don't necessarily have anything directly related to selling products/services. Still, they demonstrate that you care about providing value beyond just selling products/services–which helps build trust with potential customers who may not have heard of you before!

Listicles and Infographics

Listicles (lists) and infographics provide visually appealing ways for readers to learn about topics related to your brand/product/service offerings–in an easy-to-digest format! They're also great for boosting engagement on social media, since visuals tend to perform better than text alone–especially when combined with captions and hashtags!

For example, check out this infographic meme about memes–talk about meta!

Video Content

Video content is becoming increasingly popular among brands looking for new ways to engage with audiences online, including meme videos! The video provides an immersive experience that encourages viewers to stay tuned in longer than traditional text-based content would–which increases engagement and helps increase brand recognition over time!

Social Media Challenges

Social media challenges are fun ways for brands to promote their product/service offerings while allowing viewers and followers to participate in something unique and exciting–all at once! Challenges typically involve users taking pictures or videos doing something specific–like making funny faces while drinking coffee–and then tagging friends who'd want to join in on the challenge, which is a win-win situation.

How To Use Memes and GIFs Correctly in an Email Newsletter

Now that we know how and why brands use memes and GIFS in an email newsletter, let's discuss how best to do it.

First off, it's best practice to limit yourself to one meme or GIF per email; otherwise, things can get overwhelming quickly for readers not used to seeing this content in their inboxes.

Secondly, ensure you use high-quality images or videos; blurry or pixelated visuals will harm your brand!

Finally, keep it relevant; make sure whatever meme or GIF you choose ties back into what you're trying to communicate through your email campaign (e.g., don't use a meme about cats if you're selling shoes!).

Get Started With Meme Marketing

Using memes and GIFs in your emails is a great way to increase customer engagement while simultaneously building customer relationships! These visuals make your messages more attractive and draw attention to important information within the email–something that static pictures cannot do well. So, if you want your emails to stand out from others and make sure people read them all the way through (and maybe even share them!), consider adding humor to your next email newsletter!

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