This tutorial is part of a series of tutorials we provide on content marketing and web content creation!
We recommend subscribing to our FREE content creation course for more information, tips, methods, and strategies on how to create great content for your website or blog.
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Content Marketing With WordPress – Using Memes And Cartoons
In this series of tutorials on content marketing, we continue exploring different content types and formats that you can use to increase exposure online for your business and drive more traffic to your website.
In this tutorial, we look at incorporating the use of memes, cartoons, and comics, into your content marketing mix.
To learn more about adding images to WordPress, see the tutorial below:
Memes
A meme (pronounced “meem”) is any idea, concept, behavior, style, symbols or practices that spread around from person to person, and from one mind to another within a culture. Nowadays, when most people think of memes, they think of funny images or videos with funny captions going viral on the internet, but it also be anything viral, such as a link, hashtag, a new word taken up in popular culture (e.g. “bromance”), a phrase, and even an entire website.
Memes actually have a deep history (the word “meme” comes from the Ancient Greek “mimema” or “imitated thing”). Its modern usage was coined by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his best-selling book “The Selfish Gene” (1976), where he gives examples of memes in the book such as melodies, catch-phrases, fashion, and the technology of building arches.
Now that you know how interesting memes are historically how can you use memes hysterically as content to promote your business?
You see … memes have to be fun, very funny, highly engaging, adorably cute or address a wildly popular theme that is happening “right now” in order to get shared around.
For example, the viral meme below uses an infographic style to capture and engage readers …
(Viral Meme – source http://www.salary.com/mom-paycheck)
Memes that get shared around attract links, likes, and traffic. Could your business benefit from people liking and sharing your content around?
Memes can be great for getting your business noticed, especially if the subject of the meme relates to your brand.
(Could this meme be used to promote SEO services?)
(What about business services?)
(Or … Pet Travel?)
Memes are also quick and easy to create, especially if you take an existing meme idea and add your own fun twist to it (called “memejacking”).
So, how do you create a funny meme that can spread virally around the net and get your business a whole new level of exposure?
Well, you can start by researching some great memes to try and understand what made these go viral. Here are a couple of good sites you can start with:
Once you get inspired and come up with an idea, the next step is to create your meme.
If you know Photoshop, you can easily create your own memes. If not, there are sites online that let you memejack popular memes and add your own funny text over the images.
For example:
QuickMeme
(QuickMeme)
You can find featured memes on the site’s homepage, browse the popular random section, or upload your own picture to generate your meme.
For more information, visit the site below:
MemeGenerator
(MemeGenerator)
MemeGenerator lets you browse the most popular memes on the internet, create your own meme or caption your favorite character like Y U No, Philosoraptor, Grumpy Cat, Foul Bachelor Frog, and more.
For more information, visit the site below:
DIYLOL
(DIYLOL)
DIYLOL (“Do it Yourself” and “Laugh Out Loud”) lets you create memes by uploading your own image or using existing images. The site also has an iPhone app.
For more information, visit the site below:
RageGenerator
(RageGenerator)
This popular meme generator lets you create conversational memes (memes with more than just a single image and caption), using a WYSIWYG editor that offers various options like the choice of different characters, brushes, layers, etc.
For more information, visit the site below:
If you plan to create and use memes extensively in your content marketing campaigns, then consider using a plugin or tool like the one below.
Meme Generator WordPress Plugin
(Meme Generator WordPress Plugin)
The Meme Generator WordPress Plugin provides similar features to viral meme generator websites. It not only lets you create memes on your website, but visitors can also create memes using images that you approve, download the memes they have generated, and submit it to your website’s meme gallery.
Add a meme generator to your WordPress site using the plugin below:
If you don’t want to invest in a program like Photoshop but would still like to be able to create your own images, there are other graphic software tools you can look at, such as GIMP.
GIMP
(GIMP)
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a free graphic editing software that requires no Photoshop skills and can be used to create and edit images, Facebook covers, video graphics, flyers, infographics, business cards, YouTube channel art, banners, headers, and more.
For more information, visit the site below:
Cartoons & Comics
Cartoons and comics can be used to explain topics that audiences could find difficult to understand, uncomfortable to watch, make a website that provides trades or professional services stand out, or to liven up topics that are not particularly interesting to begin with.
For example, cartoons and comics can be used to help a non-technical audience understand technical products, services or concepts, explain how health, sanitary or hygienic products work, appeal to sites related to children or parenting topics, or used for any type of business marketing. Even just adding a cartoon “mascot” to your site can make your content more appealing and your site more memorable.
(Use a mascot to liven up your content. Source: Bob Mascot)
You can hire professional illustrators to design or create cartoons or comics for your business or use tools like the ones below that will allow you to create your own cartoons:
Animated Videos
In addition to the tools described above, there are a number of excellent and inexpensive software tools that let you create professional animated marketing videos, including the popular “whiteboard” hand drawn sketch videos …
(Use animated videos as content)
We’ve created a separate tutorial to cover the use of animated videos.
To learn more about creating animated videos, see the tutorial below:
Summary
Cartoons, comics, and animated content can be very engaging to audiences. Consider using memes, cartoons, comics and animated videos to liven up your content and help you get more exposure online.
Action Step
Explore the sites listed in this email for inspiration and ideas, and to get your creative juices flowing. Don’t forget to add social share buttons when publishing shareable content on your site and remember to post your fun memes, cartoons, and animated videos on sites like Pinterest and Facebook. You never know … the content you post online today could be tomorrow’s next internet viral sensation!
In the next tutorial, we’ll explore using infographics as content for your WordPress site or blog.
To learn more about using infographics as content, see the tutorial below:
(Source: StarTrek, Season 1, Episode 29, Operation Annihilate)
Note: All images shown in this tutorial are the copyright of their respective authors.
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