What are you most excited about when the latest iPhone launches? A better camera? Better color? A bigger screen? According to a report by Preply’s, 42% say it’s the release of new emojis that gets them energized.
Emojis date back to the 1990s when they were designed by a Japanese marketing agency with the intention of replacing words with pictures to enhance emotions and messages. With over 25,000 characters worldwide right now, there’s no denying that emojis have become a permanent part of our digital and everyday lives.
More and more brands are beginning to understand the power that emojis can bring to their marketing activities. Brands are using them to make their content more emotionally appealing, showcase their brand’s personality and boost audience engagement. And they’re doing so across a variety of channels—social media, paid advertising, email campaigns and more. Consider these stats:
- Emojis within your email subject line can increase your open rate by 3-4%. Source: ReturnPath
- Users who add ten or more emojis to their captions receive about 40% more interactions than those who do not use emojis. In addition, studies show that the more emojis you use, the higher the number of interactions you will get with your post. Source: Quintly
- 68% of millennials said they are more comfortable expressing emotions using images such as emojis. Source: Inc
- Humans are naturally visual people, meaning they can process emojis faster than they can read and understand your sentences. Remember, your brain processes images 60 times faster than text and 3x faster than blinking! Source: International Forum of Visual Practitioners
- Tweets with emojis in them generated 25% more engagement compared to the tweets with no emojis.
So, what does all this mean for brand marketers today? If you’re not using emojis in your marketing, it’s time to start!
Interestingly, a recent study from Hubspot examined which emojis improved click-through rates. The results were a bit surprising— none of them include a face emoji. The emojis that have a positive effect on your click-through rates seem a little more uncommon and random. Perhaps they stand out more because people don’t see them very often.
Emojis in Action
While the marketers of the past may scoff at the thought of emojis, they can add a ton of personality to an otherwise dull message. Beyond style, emojis add real value to your marketing messages. Brands are increasingly finding that the addition of emojis can soften up an otherwise sales-forward message. In fact, Intercom found that messages sent by a business that contain emojis are four times more likely to get a response from a customer.
At the same time, emojis should be used wisely. It’s not as easy as taking the list above and incorporating them haphazardly into your next campaign to increase engagement. Always consider context and content and remember that some emojis may have double meanings.
For example, using emojis within in your paid advertising campaigns should be purposeful, helping support your message and aligning with your brand voice. But if you’re not using emojis across the marketing mix, maybe start by weaving them into your organic message so that your paid posts feel more authentic voice. Also consider A/B testing your ads to discover how your audience responds to the change before jumping in with both feet.
Whether your brand has begun to incorporate emojis as a part of its tone and brand guidelines or not, there is a lot to understand about these characters. They are way more than characters to text your friends and family. They are now a unique language that can enhance your message and personality when used strategically and evoke a sense of connection between your audience and your brand. So, if you want to promote greater interaction and engagement with your brand followers, make emojis part of your marketing language today. 
Do you believe in the power of emojis? Please leave a #comment below.
