If you’ve spent any amount of time on social media sites such as Facebook, Tumblr or Reddit, you’re no doubt familiar with the viral capacity of image-based memes like the one pictured in this post.

It may not be surprising to learn that marketers are using viral memes to generate web traffic, social media followers and even backlinks with minimal effort. Technical SEO Analyst Takeshi Young wrote a blog post at SEOmoz on how he’s help clients boost viral engagement by using memes.

If you’re interested in using memes to market your product, you can use Photoshop or sites like memegenerator.net and quickmeme.com to create simple memes, which you can then post on a whole host of social media sites. Even if you’re not familiar with meme humor, it won’t take too long to understand. Just visit one of the sites linked above or meme encyclopedia (knowyourmeme.com) and browse through some of the more popular entries to get an idea of just how memes work.

There are two important things to keep in mind if you’re considering sending a meme to your social media followers. First, make sure to pick a template that’s hot. Internet trends come and go on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis, so make sure you’re using a meme that’s popular on social media sites at the time.

It’s also important to stick with subject matter that you know your particular audience will find funny. Young describes how he created a “What I Really Do” meme for his salsa dancing website after noticing the meme trending on Facebook. By identifying a popular meme and creating one that suited his audience, Young’s meme sparked a viral buzz, allowing him to pick up 900 new fans for his company’s Facebook page.

Although all social media sites provide outlets for sharing your memes, Young argues that Tumblr  is the best vehicle for memes. Unlike Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, Tumblr allows you to easily pick up backlinks, which boost your site’s SEO regardless of the number of followers. For a boost in web traffic, consider posting your memes to StumbleUpon, which is especially useful for spreading simple image memes.

Creating memes can take as little as five minutes and can potentially be viewed by thousands of people worldwide if they go viral.  This could help increase your company’s social media followers, generate website traffic and provide valuable backlinks. Check out Young’s full post for more information.

What kind of memes are you using for your business?