The Art of Emojis: Bring Social Media to Life

By Amanda Korth, Digital Advertising Manager

Published: March 9, 2017

Emojis have truly become an art form. Since 2015, “emoji marketing” has increased exponentially. Oxford Dictionaries even selected an emoji as its 2015 Word of the Year: the ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ emoji — ????. Emojis are used primarily to enhance social media posts. While these friendly little pictures seem to be an easy way to enhance your message, there are some tactics to carefully consider:

Enhance, don’t detract.

Emojis shouldn’t completely replace words and garble your message. While Chevrolet playfully released an entirely emoji press release in 2015, this is not standard practice for everyday social media posts. “Pizza” can easily be replaced with ???? but place emojis with care — a brand always wants its message to be very clear.

Add expression to email.

Emojis aren’t just for social media. Amp up your emails with emojis in the subject lines. Emojis in email subject lines increased by 7,100 percent in 2016. This can help your communication stand out in an inbox — just be certain you’ve selected an emoji that’s readable across a variety of browsers.

Be aware that emojis don’t look the same on every platform.

Use a resource like Emojipedia to check how your chosen emoji looks across multiple platforms and ensure the meaning of your selected emoji aligns with what you intend it to convey. Sometimes a grin can look like a grimace, changing your message.

The grimacing face emoji on Apple (left) says “awkward” to some but it comes across a little … differently on Samsung (right).

Consider your audience.

Evaluate your audience to ensure emojis are the best way to convey your message. Try some test posts on social media to gauge how or if emojis affect engagement. Never use emojis as a “gimmick” to reach younger or tech-savvy audiences. Used correctly, they can be a very powerful tool.

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