#24: Shopify: Proof That Memes and Business Can Mix Beautifully on Social

Hello and welcome to a new season of The Social Dot newsletter. I’m Andreea, your local social media expert, and together we shall connect the dots of the social media world. We’ll be deconstructing viral trends & campaigns, and getting strategic insights to help your brand thrive on social.

Looking to break away from the dreaded 9-to-5 routine, driven by ambition and creative ideas, more and more young people take the entrepreneurship route and open up their own business.?

In fact, stats show that 29% of Generation Z have a high entrepreneurial spirit, compared to 36% of Millennials and 33% coming from Generation X.

Entrepreneurship and Gen Z intersect in many ways, with plenty of young people showing a strong interest in starting businesses, where they bring fresh perspectives, leverage technology, and prioritize social and environmental responsibility.

It so happens that this creates the perfect environment where a brand like Shopify can grow and flourish, especially on social media.

For those unfamiliar with it, Shopify is perhaps the world’s most popular ecommerce platform where anyone can set up an online storefront and start selling.

?? What happened?

What happened is that Shopify realized how important (and profitable) marketing to Gen Z and Millennials is and they built a brand identity that would speak directly to them.

That’s why their Instagram grid is dressed up in bold, youthful colors:

It’s also why 2 out of the 3 best-performing Instagram posts are memes or pop references:?

By the way, Instagram is their top-performing channel by community size (which is why it is the focus of this newsletter), followed by LinkedIn and X (Twitter).

Relying on the fact that most of their customers already have a social media presence (some even have a huge following to match), they regularly share client spotlights and tag the user in the post to highlight their achievements, while at the same time promoting their own platform.?

Mixed in with memes and relatable posts, they also include product updates and highlights.

Based on what I’ve seen, Shopify doesn’t overextend itself with social media campaigns.

They run small campaigns throughout the year, mostly related to events that are relevant to the e-commerce world (and of course, to their audience) such as #blackfriday or #cybermonday.

?? My takeaways

Shopify’s social media strategy might not have them reaching virality time and time again, but it nevertheless helps them grow as a B2B tech company on social, breaking the norm which says that all B2B should be serious, professional, in other words sterile on social media.?

I believe that if humor lends itself properly to your brand, be it B2B or B2C, you should make room for it and create content that makes people laugh, relate and share it.

As long as what you’re sharing is not disrespectful and makes sense for your brand, it’s all good.?

Shopify is definitely not the only B2B brand that has stepped confidently into the world of memes, trends, viral audios, behind-the-scenes content, pop references and the occasional “unhinged marketing” moment.?

Given their target audience, they’ve also learned that leaning too heavily into sales might alienate people, and they have found - in my opinion - a good balance between promotion /product education and entertainment.?

?? Food for thought

Your turn now.

Do you think any brand can successfully mix humor and business? Do you know of any failed attempts??

Anyway, this is me signing off. I’ll see you next week, in the next issue of The Social Dot, a newsletter powered by Socialinsider, and written by me, Andreea, your local social media expert.

If you have any viral trends and campaigns you’d want me to deconstruct next, don’t hesitate to send them my way.