Emoji Etiquette in Modern Marketing 1

In my personal messages, I typically leave emojis out. Emojis can be construed in several ways.  They display differently depending on the device. Also, at an elementary level, I believe emojis come across as childish. However, as my friends tease me, not using emojis can be perceived as being old or not hip. While I can handle a few jabs from my friends, I must be more careful when it comes to marketing.

Emojis have emerged as a new language that can convey things in a simple, effective, and intriguing fashion, that have not been available to companies before. While the applications are endless and the appeal is great, there are certain elements to keep in mind as you deploy emojis in your messages. I have outlined three pieces of advice to note, before crafting emoji-laden messages.

Stick to the Basics.

This practice isn’t unique to emojis and is a key consideration with any new marketing tool, but it highlights an important issue. With the vast wealth of emojis at your disposal, the temptation to dive into the deep pool of them is certainly present. However, you must restrain yourself. Although there are thousands (2,666 to be exact) at your disposal, it is best to stay within the most commonly used selection.

Sticking to a smaller bank of emojis reduces the concern of them being misconstrued – as most already have an accepted meaning. Additionally, this helps eliminate the chance of using emojis that can come across as profane. For example; you might not realize that the “peach” emoji is synonymous with a butt… and I don’t think I have to get into what the “eggplant” represents.

Utilizing commonplace emojis shows that you are aware of the happenings in the social/digital world, and are ready to be a contributor. This is an important line to tread. If you are using emojis just to use them, your approach will come off as inauthentic and will not resonate with your audience.

Let an Emoji-Pro Handle your Emojis.

Talk about a segue, this tip was led into perfectly from the first. Ensuring that someone who is comfortable with emojis, is the one using them will make sure that they are presented in an authentic and true fashion. By incorporating someone already familiar with the uncharted territory, you eliminate a lot of the growing pains.

This idea is analogous to the difference between translating a paragraph of prose in the Google Translator, or having a bilingual translator interpret the differences. As we touched on above, emojis are a new language, and it takes some time to get used to.

If you are prepping a piece that will include emojis (and are not “fluent” yourself,) make sure to allow someone with familiarity of emojis to proofread or edit your work before sending it out. This will also be a good test to see if you are properly depicting what you want to say through those tiny animated faces.

Be Consistent.

If you truly want to be effective in your marketing with emojis; buy into them, utilize them frequently, and be consistent. The ultimate-goal of incorporating this element into your marketing is to come off as being “with the times.” You can’t expect this reaction to set in after just one use.

As you would with other marketing efforts, plan a strategy to allow for plenty of run for your emojis. Implement them on your blog, in social posts, and other efforts – if they are placed in authentic channels and supported properly, you should be able to effectively illustrate the point you are attempting to.

Marketing with emojis is no different than other tools – as you continue to roll out your emoji efforts, monitor the response and reaction. This will give a better idea of how effective you are being and if there are any adverse symptoms of your new approach.

Emojis can be a great tool to help you stand out from the competition. However, they can be obtrusive, alienating, and confusing. By sticking to the basics, leaving it to the pros, and being consistent, you eliminate some of these challenges and make your path to success that much clearer.

For more tips and tricks to utilize in your marketing efforts, check out this section of our blog: http://initiate-it.com/category/tips-takeaways/

Posted by Tom Hinkes who dances poorly, eats worse, and is a shameless supporter of the New York Yankees. He is also the Content Marketing Writer at initiate-it, a digital first, full-service agency located in Richmond, VA.