Who knew Ancient Egyptians in 3000 B.C. were on to something when they used picture words to write with hieroglyphics. Fast forward to 1997 and according to Emojipedia, (Yes there is such a thing!) the first set of Emojis appeared from the company SoftBank, followed by the company Docomo with an updated version set in 1999. Less than 10 years later, Google and Apple picked up the torch. They now have their own day, with  World Emoji Day  on July17th.

In the last 20+ years, these little symbols have evolved from the standard smiley face to include everything from bugs to mermaids, and oh so much more! 

Since then the world of emojis has exploded, with all of us using them in our texts and our emails. In fact 5 billion emojis are sent daily on Facebook messenger and over 700 million emojis are used in facebook posts daily..daily!

Of course it wasn’t long before digital marketers recognized the trend and began pondering just how they could use them to relate to their audience members. Step in Emoji Marketing!

Subject lines with symbols had a higher unique open rate in 56% 

Emoji marketing is now quickly gaining traction as an actual term in digital marketing.This is because around 92% of internet users are now using emojis and other symbols during their everyday interactions, and it’s working. 

What makes emojis so great for marketing is their ability to break language barriers, since more people are using them and they generally hold the same meanings across multiple languages. They add emotions to dialogues and draw attention than all the rest. In fact, subject lines with symbols had a higher unique open rate in 56% of brands that were analyzed, according to Experian.They create a more visual element to retain the consumer’s attention, something many brands admit to struggling with. 

They add personality to your brand

Today’s consumers respond better to subtle, personalized messages and just by adding an emoji to your email helps humanize your brand, giving it personality and identity. This, in turn, helps strengthen your brand, bringing awareness into your marketing. Simply by adding an emoji to your email subject line or social media post increases your chance of engagement, and they are a colorful, approachable way to communicate. They also save space, an emoji allows more information with fewer characters, by replacing a word or even an entire phrase. 

Obviously the choice of which emoji to use should be taken into account, although unbelievably, the”smiling poop face” got the highest read rate when used in email subject lines! (Mobile Marketer)

But there are a few practices that should be taken into account when adding them to your email subject line;

• Don’t overuse them – To have a number of emojis in one subject line can come off as annoying. Overdoing it could be indicated as spam. Stick to one or two at a time.

• Make sure they serve a purpose – Your emoji should serve a purpose within its message. No use popping in a pineapple when all you sell are apples!

• Consider your content and audience – It’s easy for emoji to come off as unprofessional, so if they don’t fit with your campaign or brand style, don’t use it.

Using emojis are a trend but it’s not always appropriate. Pick emojis that will work best for your audience, then have fun enjoying all the extra clicks!