Since 2014 every July 17 is celebrated the international day of the emoji, if they also have their own day on the calendar. These funny ideograms were created in Japan by Shigetaka Kurita and have marked a before and after in the digital language. The goal of emojis is to demonstrate emotions in written communication. For this reason, today emojis are considered a universal language that is used in emails, instant messaging and social networks.
They fill digital communications, more than 90% of Internet users use emojis on a daily basis and express ideas through them. Studies have been published stating that when we see a smiling emoji, the same brain areas are activated as when we see a real human face.

The progression and increase that these graphic representations have had are substantial. When the first emoji package was launched in 2000 it only had 176 figures, currently there are more than 3500. Among all the figures we find, for example, gender variants, skin color, professions, or elements representative of different ones.

The force that these images can generate has made them common elements of digital communication, especially because of their practicality. Emojis are not only used to represent words, many companies currently use them as part of their social media strategies to capture attention. Studies carried out by Emojipedia, the public encyclopedia of these digital icons, on Facebook, at least five million emojis are sent by direct message. And on Twitter, one out of every five posts contains a figure or symbol.
Of course, this does not mean that all companies that have a presence in social networks integrate emojis in their content.

 

Why use emojis in digital marketing strategies?

According to the results of an Adobe survey, it is confirmed that emojis are a secret weapon in digital marketing. Therefore, they are not only an entertaining and enjoyable form of digital communication, but they are also a sales tool. Using emojis will help our brand in the sales strategy, these are some points of why it is a good idea to use them.

  • To temper the tone of the messages. We are going to meet users who will approach our brand to write positive reviews, but also others who will write to us to make complaints. Obviously, our duty is to answer everyone equally, to solve a problem we can ask the user to communicate by direct message. By adding emojis in our conversation we will temper the tone and give a feeling of calm.
  • Engagement. Engagement in social networks is related to the interactions and conversions we have with the target audience. Emojis are emotions that elicit empathy and this will increase the interaction of our brand’s customers.
  • To show kindness. The main thing is that our text is friendly and polite and if we also insert an emoji in the message we will be transmitting calm. This helps users to remember what they have been reading as shown by different studies. It will make us seem more understandable and able to dispel any problems.
  • They sweeten the brand. It is essential to show our brand in a close and humane way so that users can perceive our particularity over the competition. Future clients should know that behind our social profile there are real people, nobody likes to talk with a robot. If we add emojis to our interactions with consumers, we will be solving any type of communication problem.

How to use emoticons

We can use them within our brand marketing in the following ways:

  • Like fragments of a text. We cannot forget that the text is very important, so we will combine emojis that replace words with what we write.
  • As part of our strategy. We can take advantage of the power that emojis give us to personalize a text and in this way capture and connect with the audience.
  • Like stickers, gifs or reactions. We will use them to add expressiveness and personality to our content in images or responses to messages. They will reinforce our publications by associating positive aspects to our products.

The key to emojis is mainly to understand the audience, it is not the same to advertise funeral services as it is to advertise clothing, dance courses, etc.
For those of you who, after having read this far, still have doubts about the reaction of emojis in digital marketing, know that:

  1. Using an emoji on Twitter can increase engagement by 25%.
  2. The probability of getting likes by adding emojis to our Facebook content goes up to 57%.
  3. Regarding emails, it is estimated that there are more possibilities of opening an email if it includes an emoji in the subject.

In short, and in conclusion, using emojis in a Digital Marketing strategy can significantly improve results.

Bibliotecaria frustrada que un día descubrió el potencial que tenía de creatividad y después de varios cursos de marketing decidió explotarlo en redes sociales y terminó haciéndose community mánager de diferentes empresas y artistas. Le encanta el silencio pero es melómana hasta la médula, puro espíritu de contradicción. Fanática de libros, películas y series de terror. Vive mirando una estrella, siempre en estado de espera.