How To Use Emojis in Digital Marketing: The DOs & DONTs

Love them or hate them. If you want to stay relevant, engage new leads and sell your products or services online, then you better be using them. Yep, I am talking about emojis in this video. I'm breaking down the three reasons why I believe you absolutely need to be utilizing emojis in your branding, marketing and content. And most importantly, how not to use them. We'll cover that at the end of this video, so stay tuned. Hey posse, what's up? It's Alex coming at you this week with a fresh tutorial all about one of the most controversial forms of communication. Yep, the emoji. Now you might be thinking what? How on earth could these little nuggets of pure expression and joy be controversial? Well, I personally love emojis. In fact, I have hired writers based on their use of emojis in their copy before. True story. But one of my rainmakers recently had a different experience here. Here's a post she recently shared in our private members group. I was pitching a client and I used a smiley face emoji, wishing her a great day and just being polite. And she told me this is passive aggressive and I should never use that because it's inappropriate and rude when talking to potential clients. But this is who I am. I use emojis from time to time. Has this happened to anyone? This literally shook me to my core. Are there really people out there who don't like emojis? I have to know. Comment below and please let me know your stance. So in this video I'm be sharing three reasons why I truly believe you need to be utilizing emojis in your branding, marketing and content. But first, if you're new to the crew, welcome. Right here on my channel you'll find hundreds of copywriting, freelancing and digital marketing tips and tricks to help you start and scale your online business. We cover things like in depth marketing strategies, step by step, sales page formulas, how to write the perfect social media captions, finding your dream clients, and hundreds more in between. So if that sounds like the kind of stuff you wanna learn more about, make sure to subscribe below and don't forget to hit that bell to be notified when my next tutorial goes live. And and I am so excited. I am pretty sure that by the time this video goes live, we will have reached 200,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel. That gives me goosebumps. Honestly you guys, when I started the Copy Posse and started this channel three years ago, I never in a million years thought that we would be here. So thank you from the bottom of my heart. Seriously, I cannot believe that this is what I get to do and that I get to hang out and teach incredible people all over the world like you who get to join me in my mission. All on deducifying the Internet and up leveling the standard of modern marketing. So whether you're new or you're OG and have been around for a while, just give me a thumbs up below. Maybe comment below. Let me know when you joined the posse. Honestly, I am so grateful and I just wanted to take a little quick sidebar to tell you all that. Alright, now let's get into it. Regardless of which side of the emoji spectrum you fall on, one thing is absolutely certain. Emojis have become a common language of the modern era. There's an emoji to express your every emotion, to rep your favorite foods, and to even give your friends a virtual fist bump. We use them when we're texting our besties, in group chats, we sprinkle them into the workplace emails to make sure we're not coming across as rude despite what other people might think, and we even use them to represent our body parts. Yep, but besides being a fun and cheeky way to spare us from finger fatigue from all that typing, why exactly are emoji so important for copywriters and digital marketers? Well, let me tell ya, it's not just my opinion. There is actually science to back me up. So the first reason you need to use emojis in your marketing efforts Emojis keep you relevant Evolving with the times, Emojis are becoming more and more relevant to our lived realities. They are symbols of culture with the sole purpose of expressing a mood, a notion, or a concept. So, for example, when the Rona hit the world by storm, emojis became a symbol. We used to feel more connected to our peers during a time when we were really less connected than ever before. Apple even went so far as to update its face with a medical mask to bear a smile underneath, with friendlier eyes and eyebrows raised and rosy cheeks. And yes, while these subtle changes are cool and made us feel more comfortable and connected, the use of the emoji can actually be even more meaningful and impactful. Like how the raised fist icon used in the Black Lives Matter movement has really come to represent solidarity against racism and police brutality. And as our world continues to turn and change, so does the official emoji lexicon. New emojis like interracial couples and a bearded woman help to deepen our connection with more people about the things that matter most. And as these icons become more inclusive, accurate and relevant, they become even better conduits of expression. And as writers, expression and connection is kind of the name of the game. And speaking of connection, that brings me to the next reason why emojis are amazing. Number two, Emojis light up our brains. So this is science, people. According to science, when we look at a smiley face on our screens, our brain responds as if we are looking at a real human face with the same areas of our brain being activated, right? So these digital faces we see can even change our mood and lead us to mimic the same emotion, which is something that we do in real life interactions. So if you need another reason to smile in both your real and digital life, look no further. Because as it turns out, smiling is contagious whether it's online or offline. In marketing specifically, studies have shown that emojis play an important role in getting attention, enhancing consumers experience, and even their willingness to purchase something from you. Basically, emojis are marketing tools. They are not just silly stand in fillers or annoying symbols used by preteens on TikTok, right? They have subtle psychological impacts on your readers, and they really hold a superpower for connection and persuasion. So use them wisely. All right? The next reason emojis are accessible, right? So being wary of very real cultural differences and nuances, Emojis can actually help transcend language barriers. This is not to minimize the importance of the written word, of course. We're copywriters, we love writing. But what makes emojis so great is their ability to be understood on a universal level. These icons are pretty easy to understand without much thought, no translation or explanation needed. And when accompanied by text, they provide readers with important clues that they need to help process meaning or solidify and clarify a message. So for writers, the cues that emojis provide can accompany our words skillfully, bringing that extra personality and pizzazz that we intended to convey in the first place. And with just one little finger tap, it can quickly steer a mood or a conversation without all that wordy or overwhelming text. And since their eye catching attributes make them ideal for grabbing the attention of more readers, they can help us reach more people with our words. And again, as copywriters, isn't that exactly what we want? And hey, speaking of grabbing more attention, here are some stats that prove emojis are effective at doing just that. So on Facebook, posts with emojis get 57% more likes, 33% more comments, and 33% more shares. On Instagram, 50% of all captions and comments contain emojis. On Twitter, tweets with emojis get 25.4% more engagement. And in fact, one study analyzed 31 million tweets and half a million Facebook post to find that emojis were the common factor in predicting social status and influence. And lastly, over 50% of emoji users are more likely to engage with brands that are using emojis online. Now, if those stats don't convince you that the all powerful emoji can in fact enhance your marketing and branding efforts, then I don't think anything will. But before you start adding like a million emojis to your next email or social post, remember that there's a right way to use emojis and there's a wrong way to use emojis. So make sure to remember these emoji marketing rules. Number one one do not put them just anywhere. Sure, the occasional emoji in the middle of a sentence isn't the end of the world, but you definitely don't want to make the habit out of it. So when using emojis, remember to use them like punctuation marks, ideally at the end of a sentence. Number two, do not use them to replace words. Right? Sure, a picture is worth a thousand words, but emojis are meant to help emphasize a message, not communicate it solely. So when the only thing you're using is emojis, you really open the door for misunderstanding, which is definitely not what you want. So always use words to communicate your message. Then add in an emoji here or there for emotional flair whenever you see fit. And next up, do not overuse them. Right? Using too many emojis can really backfire and make your posts hard to understand. You want your audience to understand what you have to say from the first read, not to make them treat your messages like a puzzle that they have to like decipher and put together. And finally, and probably the most important rule of them all, do not force it. Right? Emojis are amazing and can greatly enhance your brand's reach and relatability, even increase conversions. But that does not mean that you have to use them everywhere, all the time, just because I like them or science says so, right? If emojis don't really fit in with your brand voice, don't use them. If you wrote an entire email and can't figure out where to put in the perfect emoji, then don't use one. Never sacrifice the clarity of your message or the credibility of your brand just for the sake of doing what you think you should do. And that is the beautiful thing about digital marketers is that ultimately you get to build the brand and business that you want. As long as you have a product or service that genuinely helps people and you actively cultivate and nurture strong relationships with your audience through a clear and effective brand voice, then of course, you'll still see great results without all the latest trends or emoji uses. So emojis are amazing, but just like anything else, there is a time and there is a place for them. And really, only you will know the answer to that one. All right, now, just for fun, what are the last three emojis you used? Here are mine, so drop them in the comment section below. I can't wait to check them out. And until next time, I'm Alex. Ciao for now. All right, guys, if you enjoyed that video, make sure to check out the next one from me right here. And you can click right here to get a free gift. Power words, when used correctly, can transform your overused words and boring copy from drab to fab. But what exactly are power words? Why are they so important? And how can you find and use them to effectively enhance your writing? Well, stay tuned because that's exactly what we're going to cover today.