Image source: Mashable
Grumpy Cat, also known as Tardar Sauce, is one of the longest lasting memes the Internet has ever seen. She took us all by storm with her adorable glare and imposing, “NO” response to everything. We have all, at one point or another, shared a Grumpy Cat meme and many of us probably shared the original because it was just too darn cute not to share. On September 22, 2012, the owners of the adorable Tardar Sauce saw their cat skyrocket to stardom and she has been going strong ever since.
How A Meme Stole the Internet’s Heart
We can all thank Reddit for Grumpy Cat, because that is where one of her human’s posted her photo in a thread. He, nor Grumpy’s family, expected this little adorable cat to get so famous, but they are taking this opportunity to make sales and do some incredible content marketing. Grumpy’s family began using this as an opportunity to teach people about feline dwarfism and it also showed the world that a funny looking cat still deserves love. In fact, there are more people rescuing and adopting strange looking animals simply because of Grumpy. Grumpy’s owners are using this as a great marketing ploy to pay for her medical bills and to donate to worthwhile charities (which we will discuss later on in this blog).
This is a great example of pulling on the Internet’s heartstrings when crafting content. You don’t want to overdo it and make people upset by feeling manipulated, but you can follow Grumpy’s path of using something adorable or funny to highlight a serious need. One or two powerful statements at the end of a funny or interesting story can change a person’s mind quickly and can bring in a lot of business you didn’t have previously.
Grumpy and the Grouch and Grumpy
Instead of just letting this meme run is course or focusing solely on the meme generators, Grumpy Cat has been crafting content with several outside sources. Her content is in different formats, which are all still easily shared. A popular Grump experience was when she met up with Oscar the Grouch, having the ultimate throw-down “Grump vs. Grouch” in an adorable Mashable video.
She also met up with the first Grumpy to steal the hearts of people all over the world. That’s right; Grumpy Cat met Grumpy the Dwarf. She has done several TV spots for Friskies, Purina, and other cat products, which is a win for those products as well as for Grumpy.
The lesson to learn from this is that multiple content formats are important in reaching everyone. Some people only like the Grumpy memes, while others enjoy following her on Facebook and seeing her “Daily Grump” photographs. Several of us really enjoy watching the various videos starring little miss Grumpy and we will all watch whichever video is newly released.
Word of Mouth Helped Grumpy
Memes all rely on “word of mouth” actions online. They are required to be shared by hundreds to thousands of people in order to become well known. Had Grumpy not relied on word of mouth, she wouldn’t have gained this popularity or success. This is crucial for all copywriters and content marketers. You need to utilize word of mouth to help skyrocket your content into a successful endeavor. You’ll be amazed by how much business you get simply from people talking about your company and sharing your content online. Grumpy utilized the popular, game changing aspect of the Internet – viral content. Crafting viral content is not difficult and the word of mouth system is greatly going to benefit your content when attempting to go viral.
Nothing Goes With A Good Book Quite Like Coffee
We all enjoy a cup of coffee with the current book we are reading and Grumpy Cat knows this. She’s spied on enough humans to know our habits and, therefore, has learned some excellent marketing strategies. These strategies involve the ever-popular Grumpuccino and official Grumpy Cat books. She also has a plethora of shirts, coffee cups, and other adorable merchandising that many people are scooping up as soon as they can. Grumpy is a great seller for other companies too because most people will buy a Grumpy piece of merchandise on impulse while shopping for other items. That cat is one crafty individual, making money for herself and others!
This is a great example of researching the client market and appealing to them. Use Grumpy as an example and start researching your client base to market effectively to them and make several wonderful sales.
Donating To Wonderful Charities
The one thing that helps many people feel fine with making Grumpy Cat purchases is that the majority of the proceeds go to charities. Some of the proceeds do go to the family, but they have stated that it was a lifesaver for them. Grumpy’s humans will offer merchandise where all the proceeds go to a charity and they always make sure buyers know which ones. For example, their Christmas merchandising went to a charity and many people really enjoyed buying cute Grumpy Christmas items while feeling they were helping a good cause. We all love feeling charitable and Grumpy and her humans know this.
While you might not be donating to charities as often as Grumpy, this is a great way to help your community and encourage your readers to help, as well. Not only will this benefit the charity and community but it will also benefit your business because people like working and shopping with companies who are charitable.
Take A Copywriting Lesson From the Ultimate Grump
The main lesson to learn from Grumpy Cat is that people enjoy laughing and having fun. She hasn’t overstayed her welcome and has grown through different formats and channels. She reaches a wide audience and makes tons of money while doing so. She is the perfect, or should we say purrfect, example of content marketing and copywriting. Take a gander at her website or follow her on Facebook to learn some daily content marketing tips and tricks that made this one little meme a huge success.