These days, emojis are everywhere. They’re popping up more frequently in all of our forms of communication. There are probably even pretty high odds that your latest text message contains at least one of emoji.
This is no different for email marketing. In fact, using emojis in subject lines and sign-offs is extremely trendy right now. And this isn’t just a passing fad; it’s a transformation of how we communicate. In the near future, using emojis won’t just be stylish, it will be absolutely necessary if you want to connect with your audience.
Emojis have been around for a while, but they’re becoming increasingly sophisticated and more common in everyday conversations. Emojis represent much more than their fun visual appearance and people are learning how to express a lot more with just a few simple images.
However, people are still exploring emojis and understanding their significance. Particularly for marketers, there’s still a lot to learn about how emojis can be used to communicate a brand to an audience.
Identify Emojis That Connect With Your Audience
Not all emojis will work for all audiences. It is necessary to determine which emojis will resonate best with your readers. While the smiley emoji is a classic, it may not be exciting enough for a younger demographic.
“With so many different emojis available, it makes it important that you understand the meaning behind any you plan to use,” says Jonathon Long, contributor to Entrepreneur. “You don’t want to start randomly throwing out emojis without a strategy — you need to make sure they are aligned with your audience.”
Use Emojis To Inspire Action
Emojis tap into an emotional response that can be very effective for inspiring action from your audience. Carefully selecting emojis and placing them in relation to a call-to-action can help boost engagement.
“I have found that using emojis in email subject lines drastically increases open rates,” recommends Long. “More people opening your emails means more people coming into contact with your call-to-action.”
Don’t Create Confusion
Emojis are fun, but if they are overused, there is a good chance that it will just create confusion. Remember that good marketing has a clear message, so learn to use emojis strategically.
“I subscribe to a large number of email newsletters in multiple industries, and using a couple emojis that make sense within the email copy is fine, but going overboard can really be awkward,” admits Long. “I cringe when I see emails with an obnoxious number of winky-face emojis.”
Build Your Brand With Emojis
A brand is all about image and emojis are a great way to create association. There is a huge range of emojis, so it’s possible to find some that can become a representation of your brand.
“What works for one brand isn’t going to necessarily work for another, even within the same industry,” says Long. “The emojis you use must match your brand — a natural extension of your voice.”
There’s a Place And Time for Emojis
Emojis are not a replacement for the written language. They need to be used in the right way at the right time in order to create an impact. Abusing emojis looks ridiculous and an obvious absence implies that you might be out of touch. The best bet is to use your data to determine what is the most effective.
“Compare email open rates with emoji-filled subject lines and emoji-free versions. Look at your social media engagement on posts using emojis and those that don’t have them,” says Long. “Every audience is different, so dive into all available data to see how your audience responds to their use.”
