An emoji is worth at least 140 words if a picture is worth a thousand words. These small icons allow users to swiftly and accurately convey complex concepts and feelings. They’ve developed their dialect. And if you don’t know how to communicate in that language, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to connect with your audience.
In 2015, at least one emoji appeared in roughly half of all Instagram captions and comments. And according to Emogi, they are used by 92 percent of the world’s online population. People love to tell themselves with something a little more exciting than words, whether they’re commenting or captioning.
Understanding why customers have quickly adopted this new language will help your marketing efforts stand out.
What Is It About Emojis That Is So Appealing?
Emojis are used for two reasons. For starters, they let users instantly share their thoughts and sentiments. When a thumbs-up will suffice, why type “Yeah, that seems like an excellent idea”? Emojis give a common language that cuts down on communication time.
Second, emojis allow people to express complicated emotions that would otherwise be impossible to speak in person. Have you ever tried to convey sarcasm through text? We can better comprehend the complexity of language as a social species when we have a visual reference such as a winky-eyed, tongue-out face to help us.
This all boils down to one thing: Emojis personalize otherwise lifeless words. Emojis give you the option to communicate with audiences on a deeper level, allowing you to stand out from the crowd of rival efforts. You’ll be able to use emojis to peer into consumers’ brains like never before if you have a successful influencer campaign.
What Marketers Should Know About Emojis
Emojis are useful in the workplace for a variety of reasons. For one thing, they’re a reliable barometer of customer attitude. Companies would be prudent to pay attention to the nature of consumer-to-consumer dialogues about their brands, especially how emojis are employed. They can then utilize that data to evaluate their online strengths and weaknesses.
We collected data with our mobile platform, Reach, at my firm, theAmplify, and discovered that customers utilize emojis more genuinely with influencers than with brands. This implies that if you work with the appropriate influencers—those who can authentically engage with the correct audiences—you can track the emoji interaction between influencers and customers to learn more about how people feel about your brand. You can utilize user data to improve future influencer marketing campaigns or apply it to other marketing channels.
Brands can also use emojis to interact directly with customers, fostering trust and affinity. Brands that employ emojis are perceived as more relatable and trustworthy, according to a survey by Appboy. Of course, because there are more emojis doesn’t imply they’ll be more successful, especially if they’re from the brand itself. You’ll need a deft touch to get the most out of emojis.
Saying Less and Getting More
Before you start flinging winks and hearts around, you need to plan. These pointers will assist you in mastering the emoji without appearing dishonest or out of touch.
1. Acquire a command of the dialect.
Just because everyone uses emojis doesn’t mean they’re used in the same way by everyone. Grandma’s kissy face isn’t the same as a kissy face from your significant other.
To figure out which emojis to use, you must first figure out how your target audience communicates. Measure the most popular emojis, their classifications, and the contexts in which they appear. Even better if you have data on which emojis people use while talking about your brand.
Split emoji usage by product vertical during ads, in addition to standard demographics. Someone who enjoys traveling may not be interested in purchasing a new vehicle. Your advertisements’ intricacies and the emojis used in them should represent those fundamental variances.
2. Make sure your message is clear.
Nobody wants to pay a translation to figure out what your emoji code means. Chevrolet released an emoji-only news release in 2015. Although the concept was amusing in theory, the company realized it would need to issue a translated version for readers to comprehend the message fully. Although emojis are widely used, utilizing them incorrectly might cause consumers to become confused, frustrated, or even offended. Remember that not everyone will perceive an emoji the same way you do.
The finest communication is clear and concise. Emojis can often assist you in accomplishing this. Just don’t get too wrapped up in the idea of employing them that you lose sight of your content’s goal. Use them in social media posts, blogs, and other casual forums, but don’t confuse cartoon faces with whole phrases.