Who doesn't love an emoji?

92% of the world's population use these cute little pictograms to share unbridled joy, deep sadness, seething anger or gut-busting laughter - sometimes all in one day!

Over 10 billion emojis are sent daily, so using them to communicate isn't just a fad. Instead, emoji communication has become a universal language where we can quickly understand the intended message of the author, no matter where we are in the world.

However, despite its mainstream use, there still seems to be some debate over whether it's acceptable to use emojis in marketing communication and copywriting. For example, 46% of young adults think that using emojis in emails and other forms of communication is acceptable. Conversely, 39% of senior managers view it as unprofessional.

So, it begs the question. Should we be using emojis in our marketing copy?

The Benefits of Using Emojis in Marketing Copy

Adding Humanity and Emotion

As we've seen, emojis are used by people all over the globe to express a whole range of emotions. This non-verbal information can prove incredibly powerful when communicating with your audience.

For example, evidence suggests that when a person looks at a smiley emoji, activity in the brain is the same as if they were looking at a real, smiling face. And more often than not, when someone smiles at us, we smile back. This reciprocity has the power to change our brain chemistry and put us in a more positive mood.

So using positive emojis in your marketing copy can help make your brand feel more human, give the reader a boost and make them more likely to interact with you.

Giving Communications Personality

Used correctly, emojis can become a key part of your brand image, making your communications instantly recognisable to your target audience. And with their light-hearted feel, emojis can add a splash of personality where it is appropriate to do so.

By lightening the mood, emojis have the potential to put your audience at ease as they understand that the way you communicate is intended to be more casual and social.

This can lead to more interactions as readers may feel more comfortable interacting with you. They take your lead, knowing they don't have to write a word when an emoji comment can sum up their feelings entirely.

Speaking a Universal Language

There are pros and cons regarding emojis and their role in accessibility.

On the one hand, emojis are a universal language which provide the reader with strong visual cues about your content and marketing message.

However, it's also worth bearing in mind that screen readers may be sophisticated, but they will use the alt text of an emoji (the text that describes the image for those who cannot see it). Sometimes this works well, and sometimes the description doesn't quite sum up the underlying message you were going for.

The best thing to do is to ensure that any emojis are complementary to the copy and do not replace words or phrases. Test this by reading your copy aloud and describing the proposed emoji when you come to it. Does it make sense? If not, choose another emoji or stick to text.

Using Emojis in Marketing Copy

There are certain places where emojis will feel more appropriate. Social media is the prime example, but newsletters and other forms of digital content may also benefit from a smiley or two.

Emojis in Social Media

Emojis appear to positively impact content engagement across the range of social platforms. For example, on Twitter, emojis can increase engagement by 25.4%. This rockets up to 48% on Instagram, and Facebook posts see a 57% increase in engagement when emojis are sprinkled in.

Emojis in E-mail Newsletters

Using emojis in your e-mail subject line or preview text can help increase the visibility of your messages in a crowded inbox. Becoming part of your brand image, they can also increase open rates (if used sparingly).

However, it is worth bearing in mind that some operating systems will struggle with emojis (Windows 7 and earlier won't show them at all), and emojis will look different in different inbox styles.

Emojis in Website Copy

You can use emojis in page titles, metadata and even in the main content of your site to add some personality.

However, if you're looking for emojis to bolster your SEO efforts, there's currently no evidence to show that using these more visual elements helps or hinders your search engine ranking. Search engines may even rewrite your metadata and use the emoji's equivalent word instead.

That said, introducing a well-thought-out emoji could make your site look more appealing to searchers, and you may experience an increased click-through rate. So this is worth testing if you're keen to give it a go.

Things to Consider When Using Emojis in Copy

When adding anything new to digital content, the best approach is to conduct some testing.

For example, for mailers, you could segment your mailbox, sending a mailer with no emojis in the subject line to half of the list and another mailer with emojis in the subject line to the other half to see which performs better.

However, there are some guiding principles you can follow to keep you right from the jump.

Consider your Tone of Voice

Emojis will not be appropriate for every type of business or even for every kind of post. If your content is more serious, it's best to err on the side of caution and give the emojis a miss.

Emojis are not a Replacement for Text

Adding emojis in place of words or phrases can be confusing for the reader, disrupting their flow and leading them to disengage with your message. Instead, keep it simple and only add emojis to complement what you've already stated.

A Few Emojis Will Do

Don't go into emoji overload, or your content will start to look more spammy than those suspicious-looking requests from "your bank". Instead, limit yourself to one or two in mailer subject lines and three or four in social media posts.

Know your Meanings

Some emojis have...ahem...hidden meanings. So, it's best to avoid any that may lead to misunderstandings and uncomfortable conversations down the road. There are many great online resources to help you uncover alternative emoji meanings, including this eye-opening list from Smart Social.

Emojis Will Look Different in Difference Places

With varying computer systems and software, an emoji you can see on one screen can look completely different from another. It's also worth bearing in mind that emojis can look great on a computer monitor, but shrinking them down to be appropriate for mobile can make them hard to understand.

The best thing to do is stick to simple emojis without too much intricate detail and test the emoji on different screens, operating systems and mailbox providers if you can.

In Summary

Emojis can be a great addition to your marketing copy, adding a touch of personality, humanity and fun.

When considering whether to use them or not, think about your brand and tone of voice - do emojis feel appropriate or are you trying to wedge in visual content that doesn't feel right?

If you do decide to use emojis, keep it simple, do some testing and above all, your written message should always form the base. Emojis provide the extra flavour.