In November, I developed and executed a viral content marketing campaign. I learned a lot of new skills and lessons along the way. Keep reading to find out if I went viral!
Objectives
Objectives for my viral content marketing campaign included:
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- Reaching high levels of engagement on Twitter
- 100+ Likes
- 50+ Retweets
- Reaching high levels of engagement on Imgur
- 600+ Views
- 25+ Comments
- Reaching high levels of engagement on Instagram
- 100+ Likes
- Retweeted on Twitter by a popular meme account
- Meme account has 15k+ followers on Twitter
- Reaching high levels of engagement on Twitter
The (OG) Meme
College students love their top coffee brands (Starbucks and Dunkin’), but many students are against plastic straws. It is well-known among this age group (18-22 years old) that Starbucks sip lids are a popular alternative at Starbucks to their green plastic straws. Often the sip lids will run out at Starbucks locations because many people prefer them over straws.
I drew my inspiration from the below meme:
dinner choices:
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gas station wendys 4 for 4
boner pills— 𝖈𝖚𝖒 𝖒𝖆𝖓 (@cake_hoarder) September 15, 2019
Analysis of the (OG) Meme
Ultimately, my meme was not resonating with my audience on any social media platforms. My original meme only reached 148 views on Imgur. I reposted it a few days later with more relevant hashtags and it reached even less views. Many of the comments on Imgur were negative and saying that they didn’t understand the meme. I posted it on Twitter and it didn’t do well there either. I was not hitting any of my objectives.
college students:
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Starbucks Dunkin'
nitro cold brew iced coffee
w/sippy lid w/plastic straw— Meredith Lewis (@meredithrlewis) November 4, 2019
Back to the drawing board (or should I say meme board?). I put my Generation Z and Millennial pop culture knowledge to the test for this next meme.
The New Meme
I love the Fox animated show, Bob’s Burgers. It is a witty, self-deprecating, and weird type of humor that has developed a loyal fan base on social media. I knew that taping into this show’s audience would lead to viral success. Also, Bob’s Burgers has some of the best Thanksgiving themed episodes of the 2010s. Late November was the perfect time to post my meme.
Analysis of the New Meme
Guys! I went viral! I hit 1,073 views on Imgur and had a positive comments section this time around. I utilized hashtags like #bobs_burgers, #thanksgiving, #turkey, #fox, #comedy, #memes, #meme, #lol, #funny to reach my audience of Bob’s Burgers fans on Imgur. I posted the meme on the Sunday that the Thanksgiving themed Bob’s Burgers episode for 2019 aired.
if you know, you know. #bobsburgers pic.twitter.com/i0BgWyBBQt
— Meredith Lewis (@meredithrlewis) November 18, 2019
I posted it on Twitter and Instagram as well. I was retweeted by the official Fox account which led to 70+ likes and 20+ retweets.
Again, I posted my meme on Twitter and Instagram during the time period that the show was on. I utilized the hashtag #bobsburgers to guide my meme to my audience Twitter.
My Instagram post did not get much love, but I think that is because the Bob’s Burgers community is more active on Twitter and Imgur.
Overall, I was closer to many of my objectives for this new meme.
Meme Lessons Learned
- If you fail, try again.
- Explore niche communities that will really care about your meme.
- Utilize the right hashtags (aka don’t go hashtag crazy).
- Memes should be fun!
I had way more fun creating my second meme and I believe that this is why it went viral compared to my original meme. If you care about a meme and think it is funny, the right people will too.