The Dos and Don’ts of Emoji Marketing

Recent research points to what most of us already knew: Emojis can help you appear more amicable, increase your popularity on social media, and actually make you a little happier — even when you’re offline. But, as with most things, there’s a time and a place for using emoticons in your online marketing. Before you start adding smileys and hearts to all of your messages, read our list of dos and don’ts:

DON’T address serious issues. For example, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton attempted to tackle student loans — a sensitive subject for millennials, no doubt — by utilizing emojis in her conversations on Twitter. Let’s just say the idea did not go according to plan:

The @HillaryClinton campaign has discovered emojis. pic.twitter.com/un70GXlGKy

— Danielle Kurtzleben (@titonka) August 12, 2015

DO comment on (lighthearted) current events. One brand that completely owns this is Domino’s Pizza. Whether introducing a new product or giving its take on a trending hashtag, the pizza chain always seems to have the perfect emoji-laden tweet.

, . #NationalPoetryDay

— Domino’s Pizza (@dominos) October 8, 2015

DON’T go overboard. The great thing about emojis is that they transcend language barriers and promote cross-cultural communication. But that’s not to say they should replace words completely! This all-emoji news release from Chevrolet, for instance, is just plain confusing:

DO craft intriguing subject lines. Emojis can be particularly effective for email marketing campaigns. MailChimp began supporting emojis in subject lines in early 2015, and as of May, they were used in a total of 214,000 campaigns. According to MailChimp, it’s best to include one or more emojis to help explain or describe what an email is about:

Have you tested emojis in your digital marketing efforts? We want to hear your story! Share your thoughts with Ferocious Media on Facebook.

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