{"id":3340,"date":"2020-01-29T11:47:26","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T11:47:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.elixirrdigital.com\/us\/2020\/01\/29\/using-emojis-in-digital-marketing-copy-the-dos-donts\/"},"modified":"2025-06-16T13:52:35","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T13:52:35","slug":"using-emojis-in-digital-marketing-copy-the-dos-donts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.elixirrdigital.com\/us\/2020\/01\/29\/using-emojis-in-digital-marketing-copy-the-dos-donts\/","title":{"rendered":"Using emojis in digital marketing copy: the dos & don\u2019ts"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to linguistic experts, emojis are the fastest growing global language of all time They are also part and parcel of every modern chat platform worth its salt. Since their appearance in the late 90s, their popularity has skyrocketed and in March 2019 the number of official Unicode emojis reached an impressive 3,019.<\/p>\n

So popular are these expressive little icons that they\u2019ve even broken free of the digital space to appear on bedspreads, clothing, and pretty much any other product you can think of!
\nFirst let\u2019s recap how and why emojis came to be, then we\u2019ll look at some important dos and don\u2019ts when it comes to using emojis in your digital marketing<\/a> copy.\n<\/p>\n

Who uses emojis?<\/h2>\n

There was once a time when the answer to this question was invariably and exclusively \u2018teenagers\u2019. If, like me, you\u2019re a child of the 90s, then chances are you\u2019ll remember the original incarnation of emojis as the more formally named \u2018emoticons\u2019 on MSN Messenger:<\/p>\n

MSN Messenger emojis, circa 1999<\/center>
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But unless you\u2019ve been living under a rock for the last 20+ years, you\u2019ll know this is no longer the case. Today, emojis are a cultural phenomenon and are currently used by 92% of the world\u2019s online population<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Just for comparison, these are apparently all the current emojis at time of writing (though I\u2019m pretty sure there are actually more than this!)<\/p>\n

The current selection of emojis (2020)<\/center>
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The chart above is from a 2015 emoji study by messaging technology company Holler \u2013 formally called Emogi \u2013 and shows emoji usage from different age groups. As you can see, even 5 years ago there were frequent emoji users of all different ages.<\/p>\n

Reality check \u2013 why do we use emojis?<\/h2>\n

1) Emojis make digital communication easier to understand.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When it comes to the subtleties of digital comms, tone can often be misinterpreted. A picture is worth a thousand words, and emojis are the difference between \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it.\u201d<\/em> and \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it. \u201d <\/em>\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

2) Emojis are the same in every language.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The old adage that \u201ca smile is the same in every language\u201d pretty much applies here. Emojis can be understood by anyone, regardless of their mother tongue, that\u2019s why they help to break down language barriers.<\/p>\n

3) Emojis make digital communication feel more human.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a face-to-face conversation, we take notice of the body language and facial expressions of the person\/people we\u2019re talking to. Emojis give us a similar visual context in the digital arena.<\/p>\n

Why brands should use emojis<\/h2>\n

According to Adobe\u2019s 2019 Emoji Trend Report<\/a>, over 50% of emoji users are more likely to engage with brands that are using emojis online.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re considering using emojis for social media, email, or your brand\u2019s unique content, it\u2019s important to know how they can enrich the perception of your brand.<\/p>\n

1) Emojis give your brand personality.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Emojis can make your brand pop. When scrolling through social feeds, emojis stand out more than text alone does. If you\u2019re promoting your cake-baking services, why wouldn\u2019t you add a cake emoji? People generally respond well to anything that helps to humanise a brand.<\/p>\n

2) Emojis boost engagement and drive click-through and open rates.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Facebook \u2018Reactions\u2019 came out in 2016 , users gained the ability to respond to content in a variety of different ways (\u201clove\u201d, \u201claugh\u201d, \u201cwow\u201d, \u201csad\u201d, \u201cangry\u201d) in addition to the existing \u201clike\u201d button. You\u2019ll see many brands online leveraging this feature to encourage user engagement via tactics such as voting\/polls (respond with [Reaction] if X or [Other Reaction] if Y.<\/em>)<\/p>\n

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3) Emojis can help set you apart from your competitors.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many consumers react positively to brands that maintain a friendly and informal tone of voice in both their marketing, and their engagement with their target market.<\/p>\n

Using emojis in marketing copy<\/h2>\n

The bottom line is that emojis help to communicate emotion and they not going anywhere soon. So, if you do decide to use them in your marketing copy<\/a> \u2013 be it on social platforms, in emails, or nestled within a blog \u2013 here are some handy tips for doing so effectively:<\/p>\n