We REALLY MEME It! How Memes Can Add a Layer of Fun to Your Rescue

Thursday, Aug 4, 2016

Rachel
Schwartz

We're going to call this one 'Quick Tip Thursday.' Here goes!

If you spend more than 30 minutes a day on the internet (and chances are you spend about 10 times that!) you've likely come across content like this:

memes.png
The Doge and Grumpy Cat are 2 of the biggest pet influencers out there and both have had lots of success using memes to gain followers and fans.

If you don't know what these are called, they are "memes" which, somewhat technically speaking, are just humorous photos or short video clips paired with clever captions that make it easy for them to go viral (note this is different than a GIF which tends to leverage popular movie or TV content instead of an original photo, but we digress...)

Not only are memes becoming more and more popular with social media influencers and brands, but because they help get a message across quickly and easily, they are naturally a great way for rescue orgs to get their adoptables some more attention (or volunteers or adopters or whoever else you want to feature). The good news is that memes are just as easy to create as they are to view, so here's a super quick guide to get you meme-ing!

The Meme How-To

To get started on your rescue meme, all you need is a photo and a meme generator like https://makeameme.org/memegenerator, which we'll use for purposes of this demo.

  • First, go to the website and upload the images you've chosen onto the page (be sure they are well-named and stored somewhere you can easily find them on your computer).
    meme_upload.png
    Click the yellow box to upload your photo or image from your computer
  • Then, using the info on the right hand side, type in the text, both the text you want to appear on the bottom of the meme and at the top. This is probably where you will want to spend the most time - thinking of something funny and clever to say. Remember, you want people to REACT to and SHARE your meme, so after you finish writing ask yourself, "if I saw this on my [insert social media platform name] feed, would I react?" If the answer is "No" then go back to the drawing board!
    meme_details.png
    Insert your clever caption for the image into the text boxes. You can choose to have the text on the top or bottom of the image (or both). You can also give the meme a personalized title.
  • At this point, you can choose to preview what the meme looks like with your caption. Just press the preview button on the bottom right of the screen. Once you’re satisfied with the way your meme looks, click “Make the Meme”. You can then find your meme under the “Your Memes” category at the top of the page. From there, drag your meme onto your desktop to save it. This is really important to do because it's easiest from your desktop to pull the meme into an email or onto a social platform. And that's it!
    meme_final.png

Since animal memes have skyrocketed in popularity, unique memes that showcase your pets or rescue animals are a great way to promote your rescue and gain followers on your social media accounts. We hope this guide has inspired you to start creating some awesome rescue memes. And, like always, if you need some help getting started, hit us up at spark@sparkie.io anytime!