From 😂 to 📈: Mastering emoji marketing for brand success

Kissy face. 😘 Crying with laughter. 😂 Peace Sign. ✌️ Emojis aren’t just for texting your best mate anymore—turns out that they’re a powerhouse for connecting with customers, adding an element of delight, and boosting engagement in the process. With 76% of people using emojis in work communication, it’s clear they’ve become a universal language, evolving from Japanese mobile origins to a staple in digital marketing. Their ability to express emotions and tone? Pure gold for making your brand stand out on social media, SMS, email and more. So let’s dive into the colourful world of emojis and how they’re shaking up the marketing game.

The science behind emojis 🧑‍🔬

Emojis are like the secret sauce for conveying emotions, tone, and personality in your marketing messages - and there's scientific research to prove it!. Emojis are processed by the brain the same way we process real smiles, triggering that same feel-good emotion we can get from seeing a big grin on a mate. And when we feel good, we’re more likely to engage. By introducing enjoyment and happiness in your customer conversations with emojis, you can drive a 25% increase in engagement rates compared to non-emoji messages. They’ve also been proven to help humanise brands, with 3 out of 4 customers saying they feel more connected with brands who use emojis. Looks like there is a little bit more to emojis than meets the eye. 😉

Endless emojis, endless benefits 😍

Here’s where it gets even more exciting—emojis aren’t just fun; they can actually help deliver results:

• Engagement boosts: Facebook posts with emojis get 57% more engagement, and Instagram posts 48% more (Zazzle Media, Use Sign House). Posts with emojis also have a 33% higher share and comment rate (Zazzle Media).
• Brand love: 78% of people find emoji use more likeable, and 63% think it boosts credibility (PCMag).
• Relatability wins: 73% of users feel emojis make brands cooler and friendlier, with 70% saying they express emotions better than words (Adobe, Statista).

Mastering emoji marketing: A pro's guide

Now it’s time to talk about strategy. Here's the ultimate playbook to ensure you use them effectively:

1. Select the right emojis: Choosing emojis that align with your brand's personality is crucial. For instance, use an emoji for conveying excitement in promotional content. This consistency reinforces your brand's image and message, making communication instantly recognisable.
2. Know when it’s too much: While emojis can add flair, it's vital not to overuse them, especially in serious communications. And be aware of your audience - 59% of 18-34-year-olds find excessive emoji use off-putting. Use them sparingly and thoughtfully to maintain professionalism and clarity in your messaging.
3. Test and refine: Experimenting with emojis across different channels can yield surprising results. Emails with emojis in the subject line have a 56% higher open rate, and it’s also shown that push notifications containing emojis are opened 85% more frequently. Consistent testing helps identify what resonates best with your audience, allowing you to adjust your approach as needed.
4. Innovate with custom emojis: Why settle for standard emojis when custom creations can elevate your brand? Look at WWF’s initiative with 17 endangered animal emojis, raising 11 cents per use for conservation. Tools such as Kapwing and Fotor simplify custom emoji creation, while platforms like Google Chat support their application within organisations.
5. Drive engagement: Emojis can transform a simple post into an engaging conversation starter. A prompt like “Comment 👍 if you agree!” invites interaction, with emojis like thumbs achieving a 352% increase in page likes. This boost in emotional engagement can drive click-through rates and foster meaningful connections.

Real-world wins: Emoji campaigns that rocked 🤘

Let’s look at some emoji MVPs:

• Taco Bell: In a bid to celebrate World Taco Day, Taco Bell rolled out a custom taco emoji that quickly gained viral attention. By tapping into the excitement of a global event, Taco Bell demonstrated how a simple emoji, aligned with their brand identity, could capture brand awareness and create a buzz across social media platforms.
• Domino’s Pizza: Innovatively embracing simplicity, Domino's made ordering a pizza as easy as sending an emoji. Customers could tweet the pizza emoji to place an order, streamlining the process and significantly boosting engagement and sales. This creative use of emojis revolutionised customer convenience, setting a new standard for interactive and customer-friendly marketing techniques, and strengthening customer loyalty through enhanced ease of use.

Lessons? Get creative and align with audience trends. Know your customers and what is true to your brand, so you have a library of common used emojis at the ready. From blogs ✍️ to product updates 🆕, outages 🚨 to social posts 📱, emojis can be incorporated in just about anything.  

Backspace! Common emoji pitfalls 🫣

It’s not all sunshine and kissy faces. There is a downside to emojis and plenty of ways to get it wrong. So be sure to watch out for common blunders:

• Cultural mix-ups: Emojis can express vastly different meanings across various cultures, leading to potential misunderstandings. For instance, while an emoji might represent something light-hearted in one culture, it may have a completely different connotation elsewhere. It's essential to research and test emojis within your target demographics to ensure they align with cultural norms and values. 
• Overdoing it: While emojis can positively impact engagement, using too many in your messages can have the opposite effect. Bombarding your audience with multiple emojis might appear unprofessional or overwhelm the main message, especially among younger audiences known for their emoji literacy. Remember that some audiences might prefer a cleaner, more direct form of communication.

To ensure your emoji strategy resonates well with your audience, A/B testing is invaluable. By experimenting with different emoji choices and their placement within messages, you can identify which combinations are most effective in enhancing engagement. Testing prevents disengagement, allowing you to tweak your approach based on audience reactions and preferences. This strategic approach ensures that emojis enhance rather than detract from your marketing messages.

What’s next? The future of emojis 🔮

With over 160 new emojis proposed for 2025/2026 and over 10 billion daily uses in 2024, emojis are only getting bigger and better. So what’s up next? AI of course. Get ready for AI-generated emojis like Genmoji and AR integrations, unlocking even more customisation and personalisation in your marketing messages. And with the speed of AI, it’s no doubt the evolution of emoji will keep changing at an accelerated pace.

How Pendula can help

So there we have it. Emojis are a fun, effective way to boost engagement, enhance brand perception, and connect with your customers. By experimenting with emojis and learning from industry leaders, you can harness their power for your brand. Pendula's Engagement Hub offers innovative customer engagement tools that seamlessly integrate emojis into your communication strategy. Ready to emoji your way to success? Let’s get started with Pendula today!