How to create memes for charity social media

Looking to build a special connection with your audiences? Humour is one way of getting there. Over social media, memes can make people laugh and inspire action. For charities, they are also a great way to increase engagement and reach. Rather than reusing content, we show you how to create memes for social media that resonate with your audience.

 

 

Start by knowing your audience

 

If you haven’t already done your homework, do it now. Make sure you know your audience targets. Using a constituent relationship management system, audience segmentation narrows down the characteristics of your supporters. Quickbooks, the finance management platform, says that there are four common types of segments:

• Demographic details include age, gender, income level, and more
• Psychographic characteristics are lifestyle factors, like activities, sports, opinions
• Geographic facts include knowing where your audience lives
• Behavioural information is crucial and is about knowing how people interact with your brand and whether there are any trends

Once the information on your target audience is to hand, get the creative juices flowing.

 

 

Take a look at what’s trendy

 

Social media is overflowing with images, jokes, and memes. When it comes to creating your own memes, take a moment to gauge which ones make sense and relate best to your target audience. Keep track of what works, what is funny, and what excites audience.

 

Digital Trends magazine offers tips for those doing the initial research. They suggest: “Keeping current with news, pop culture, and other memes can be a big source of inspiration. Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook are great for spotting trends.”

 

As part of the background research, Digital Trends also suggests deciding on a subject that relates to the audience and also what medium to use. Our pro-tip here is to make sure your medium is easily shareable by your target group over email, text, and social media.

 

 

Tailor your craft

 

Once the decision has been made on the topic and medium, think about how your meme will come across. Some of the most successful memes are funny, include sarcasm, and can be edgy.

 

While slightly less popular than other types of memes, Wikihow says that ‘wholesome’ humour provides an uplifting or positive message – this could work well for charities not looking to rock the boat.

 

 

Digital resources

 

Creating your meme doesn’t need to include inventing new graphics, videos or concepts. Instead, turn to online generators. Our top five meme resources include:

 

 

1. PicMonkey

 

Creating memes and captioned photos on PicMonkey is great time saver for charities. The ready-made templates include funny pictures and short clips for stories and posts on Facebook and Instagram. All you need are some witty captions, and then you can post your content on social media.

 

Top tip: For those on a shoestring budget, use the free trial. Beyond the first week, plans start at £9.08 per month.

 

 

2. Imgflip

 

Offering more customisation than PicMonkey, Imgflip has template memes and additional overlays. The web-based platform has functions to add text, drawings, and options to amend popular memes. To note, Imgflip adds a watermark on free productions.

 

Top tip: Get even more creative. Use Imgflip to create your own GIF. 

 

 

3. Canva

 

Canva is a web-based graphics and publishing tool. The platform offers a lot of editing functionality, and the meme generator includes humorous graphics with populated captions. This digital tool is best for charities looking to hone basic skills in media production.

 

Top tip: For free, charities can filter, adjust, and flip elements of the meme. Behind the paywall, you can add animation to your meme.

 

 

4. Clideo

 

You might want to explore video and graphic memes. For more advanced users, Clideo specialises in customising uploads. There are limited templates on this platform, so make sure you’ve got stock photos and videos ready to use. For those on-the-go, the digital platform works on devices and the computer.

 

Top tip: A benefit for tech geeks, this platform can format many file types including JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PNG, GIF, MP4, WMV, MOV, VOB, AVI. For charities, this means that content can be created for any purpose, not just memes.

 

5. io

 

Create video memes from VEED. There’s a free media recorder so users can produce their own content. From there, charities can edit captions, speed up or slow down videos, and resize to fit social media requirements.

 

Top tip: Show off your graphic and video skills. Use the Montage maker to mash-up different types of media content. 

 

 

Share, share, and share

 

With the finished product, don’t forget to distribute. Allow your audiences to enjoy and share your meme with others. Provide links in your social media posts and emails to increase reach.