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By Em Jurbala

 

Language evolves constantly, and that means marketing strategies need to shift as the way we communicate changes. Given the current shift to virtual communication, fewer people are speaking face-to-face, and more need to rely on other means to convey emotion and intent behind their words. That’s where emojis come in. 

According to Phill Agnew at Brandwatch, over 10 billion emojis are sent each day. Whether they’re being used to convey a tone of speaking, to emphasize a point, or just for fun, emojis are integrated into the way we communicate. Why not use them for marketing purposes too?

“Emotion is more effective than promotion. Emojis are effective in improving enjoyment, personal interaction, and to perceived information richness of our messages,” according to eCMetrics.com. “They’re processed by our brain as nonverbal information. They aren’t the words, but the emotional part of communications.” Let’s discuss what benefits come from utilizing emojis and how to use them properly.

Benefits of Utilizing Emojis in Marketing Campaigns

Some ways of using emojis are more effective than others. Studies show that companies who used emojis in their social media posts saw boosts in engagement. According to Daria Marmer at HubSpot, “emojis in a tweet can increase engagement by 25.4 percent, and emojis in a Facebook post can increase the number of likes by 57 percent and the number of comments and shares by 33 percent.”

Another way emojis boost marketing efforts is by improving email-based campaigns. According to Adobe’s 2019 Emoji Trend Report, more than half of emoji users are more likely to open an email with an emoji in the subject line. In fact, the report found that 58 percent of users are more likely to click on an email with emojis in the subject line, and that number jumps to 64 percent for Gen Z users. 

Lastly, emojis humanize your brand. Oftentimes, professionalism can come off as cold and formulaic, even if that’s not the intent. Providing a simple digital expression allows your audience to have a more organic interaction with your company.

How to Use Emojis Effectively

There are countless other ways to integrate emoticons into your marketing communications, but there are strategies to make your emoji use as beneficial as possible. Following these general guidelines will ensure that you get the most from this marketing tactic.

  1. Minimize the number of emojis you use. Adding as many emojis as you can to a tweet or email will confuse your audience and look forced. Instead, choose a few that apply to the message you’re putting out.
  2. Consider your audience. A younger audience may understand what you mean when you replace words with emojis, while an older audience may be more perceptive to emojis that add an expression to the end of a statement. 
  3. Understand the way emojis can affect your brand image. Emoticons are a playful way of communicating, but they aren’t always appropriate. Adding emojis to a formal conversation may convey a message of unprofessionalism. 

Next time you’re looking to refresh your marketing strategies, strengthen your campaign by using emojis to boost social media engagement, increase email campaign success, and humanize your brand. While you’re at it, you’ll be able to develop a whole new form of communication for you and your clientele.