The rise of emojis and their importance in modern-day marketing

In total, there are more than 3,600 emojis in the Unicode Standard, and that number is only going one way. There’s even an annual World Emoji Day, on July 17th.

But when did it all begin? Originating on Japanese mobiles back in 1997, emoji usage gained serious momentum around the world a decade or so later.

And then in 2016, Facebook officially rolled out ‘reaction’ emojis. Now, according to research by Brandwatch, over 10 billion of the little icons are sent online each day.. 

Transcending language barriers by offering a quick and simple way to express emotion, emojis convey both positive and negative moods and sentiments. Users span a diverse range of ages, with the young, old and everything in-between partaking. But what about businesses?

Why should companies use emoji marketing?

You’ve heard the saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’? Well, these days, you can express meaning, emotion and thoughts via a single emoji, whether it’s laughter, love, approval or some sort of activity – 🤣❤️👍🏽 🚣.

Many brands have used emojis successfully in their campaigns, including Domino’s Pizza, Oreo and Ikea. Indeed, across the board, our clients say the social posts they write perform better when they include emojis. 

Read on to find out how these little icons can enhance your marketing.

Emojis add personality

For a start, emojis humanise your content, cultivating trust and brand loyalty. In turn, people are more likely to recommend you to others. Eye-catching, colourful and customisable, they add a personal tone, fun and relatability – used well, they can help you stand out from your competition.

On top of that, emojis can add context to your messaging – digital platforms like social media copy, email marketing campaigns (subject lines in particular), and paid ads For example, ‘❗’ is more impactful than ‘!’, don’t you agree? 

They also break up copy, making it more accessible for people who find big blocks of text harder to read. And when used consistently, emojis can help solidify a community, feeling or experience. 

Emojis certainly don’t replace well-written content, but they can emphasise points and are a useful means of communication. What’s more, they’re a nifty interaction tool, offering busy people the ability to comment on posts at the click of a button.

For instance, you can ask your audience to respond to a question with a 👍or a👎. Indeed, the World Wildlife Fund used an emoji-based fundraising campaign , sparked by the fact that 17 emojis represented endangered species.

For these reasons, emojis potentially lead to increased engagement, click-through and open rates, and shares.

Emojis make your marketing messages more believable

Alongside these positive endorsements, a 2020 study revealed that emojis also “affect processing fluency” on social channels. As part of the analysis, tweets were shown three ways: with their original emoji, a context-inappropriate emoji, and the emoji removed entirely.

The results showed that copy with the original emoji was deemed easier to understand and more believable than the equivalent wording with no emoji or a context-inappropriate one.

Create an emotional connection with emojis

Alongside making your content more believable, emojis can elevate your storytelling and  help audiences remember your message for longer. How? By offering people something imaginative and creative that catches and retains attention, therefore increasing brand awareness, engagement, and ultimately conversions.

Emojis: a considered approach

However, it’s important to understand your audience and approach emoji use in the right way – research and data-driven analytics can help here. Always ask yourself whether the emoji adds value, is relevant, and aligns with your brand – there’s no point using them without context.

Keep in mind that emojis display differently depending on the device, and ensure you understand what each emoji stands for, so you can implement them effectively.

On top of that, consider accessibility: some of your audience may hear emojis rather than see them. With that in mind, avoid putting emojis within the text itself. For example, let’s say your message is:

“Happy Monday everybody! We kicked off the week with a scenic walk 🚶🌳around the office grounds .”

The screen reader on an accessible device reads that aloud as:

“Happy Monday everybody! We kicked off the week with a scenic walk ‘person walking’ ‘deciduous tree’ around the office grounds”

The flow is disrupted, right? So, it’s best practice to place emojis at the end of your message, unless they make sense when read as part of a sentence.

Emojis and digital marketing go hand in hand

Given that 92% of the online population use emojis, it’s no wonder marketers incorporate them into content. When used appropriately and with context, they can help messages stand out.

Moreover, they’re a way to humanise your brand, make copy more believable, and connect with your audience. Combined, these factors can build loyalty, drive engagement and boost conversions 😊.