Emojis have changed the way we communicate in our daily lives, they’re now options to include emojis in every method of communication; whether it be emails, instant messaging, social media and whilst communicating with a chatbot. Whilst the use of emojis have become somewhat the norm whilst texting in 2021, they were introduced the majority of us after 2010, despite operating on Japanese mobile phones in 1997. 

As the use of emotions became popular with regular communication, they have also emerged as an effective tool to boost digital marketing efforts. You may have noticed that as the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram have enhanced their features, we’re seeing brands utilise emojis in their messaging and branding. 

How can they help digital marketing? 

25.4% of tweets with emojis get better engagement. 57% of Facebook posts get more likes while 33% get shares and comments if they have emojis in them.

Besides the engagement factor, the use of emojis can make a brand come across as more personable; by adding context to posts and digging deeper into the emotions of the audience. If brands are looking to relate to their audience, then using a language they understand, such as emojis, will showcase personality and reliability. 
 

THE FINAL IS HERE! ????

Will all of their hard work in training pay off for ???????????????????????????? tonight? ????

Tell us your favourite player below ???? pic.twitter.com/wOSRNtKibj

— JD Sports (@JDSports) July 11, 2021

???? COMPETITION TIME ????
Fancy winning £100 to spend on-site? Retweet and like this post for the chance to win ???? pic.twitter.com/sVObvhxus2

— boohoo (@boohoo) July 14, 2021

Brands such as Boohoo and JD Sports often use emojis in their tweets as their audience is typically identified as millennials and the younger generation. 

Tweets with emojis almost automatically grab the audiences attention. They’re symbols they recognise, they almost speak a language of their own. However using them the right way will be more effective -such as for headlines or to emphasise a post. 

The main reason why people use emojis when interacting with their friends and family is because they’re fun and engaging! 

Using emojis in Email Marketing 

As all social platforms are now geared to using emojis, marketers and the audience can now easily tap into themed conversations, quite similar to the use of hashtags. Like email marketing more recently, emojis in the subject lines can lead to an increased open rate. We’re seeing retail brands, who are striving for sales, using a more informal style of communication, combined with emojis to boost email open rates. This essentially though, is based on the target audience. With there being an increase on the amount of emails landing in consumer inboxes, the race is on to stand out. 

Emoji Social Media Statistics 

Emojis are used across all social media platforms now, but they could be more effective on some platforms than others. Research by worldemojiday.com revealed the following: 

86% of emoji users on Twitter are 24 or younger

More than 700M emojis are used in Facebook posts every day

By mid-2015, half of all comments on Instagram included an emoji

Over 900M emojis are sent every day without text on Facebook Messenger

The most used emoji on Twitter is Face With Tears of Joy

Including certain emojis in social media posts can be very useful in polls or opinionated posts. This can be done by asking the audience to provide their opinion on a question by using a *thumbs up* or *thumbs down*. 

Summary

Emojis have emerged as a very beneficial tool for many brands to use in recent times, but before they are included in marketing strategies, they must ask themselves whether it aligns with their target audience. The use of emojis may seem normal now, but if unsure, it’s best to do some research beforehand to see the meanings of each emoji before using them. It would be awkward for a campaign to be emphasised with an emoji, to find it has a completely different meaning to what was intended. 

Competitor analysis will help brands understand the most effective way to use emojis, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be successful for everyone. The key is to know the audience and identify the best way to interact with them.