Apple gets emojified with emoji predictions, emojification, and three times larger emojis, among other changes coming up in their text messaging app.
When it comes to emojis, it seems you either love ‘em or you hate ‘em. If you’re in the hate ‘em camp, you’ll be glad to know you’re far from alone, although your ranks are shrinking.
When men aren’t afraid to use emojis, it’s time to take them — somewhat — seriously.
Emojis & Emoticons: What is the difference?
Emojis are the colorful images that present as cartoon-like pictures and are a standardised set of characters available on IOS, Android, Windows, and OS X.
While the meaning of each symbol is supposed to be the same, the artwork varies from platform to platform. So what presents as, say, the “grinning face with smiling eyes”, will look vastly different depending on which platform is being used.
Emoticons are the inspiration for emojis. They are the series of symbols typed from the keyboard that depict the same thing as an emoji. For example, a smiley face is typed out as :-).
Using Emojis in Your Email Subject Line
While it’s not a new idea to use emojis in text messages and social media posts, using them in email subject lines is a fast-growing, popular tactic due to the rise in emoji-friendly devices, particularly mobile devices. And as email inboxes become more and more crowded, emojis help you attract audience attention and increase open rates.
Used correctly, emojis are your ticket to communicating a message that is unique and fun. Get a fresh look and add some character to your subject lines with these colorful and inviting symbols.
- Always Check Before Using
Because not all browsers and email providers will display emojis, it’s important to check before using. If the emoji isn’t supported, it could appear as a box, like this: ?.
Go to Can I Emoji? for a handy online tool to check how an emoji will work based on the different browsers.
- Where To Find Emojis
There are 1,851 emojis characters supported by current platforms, including Unicode Version 9.0 which releases on June 21, 2016. For the list of new characters that are included, go to Emojipedia and click on each one to see how it will look on the different platforms.
Go to getemoji.com and copy and paste emojis to your heart’s content.
- Don’t Make the Mistake of Overuse
Although they are understandably difficult to resist, don’t overuse them in your email marketing. Select an ideal reason for using an emoji in your subject line and use sparingly.
There is no such thing as too many emojis when you’re a social media-addicted teen, but for brands, moderation is key.
- Always Ask, “Is It Relevant?”
Before using an emoji, consider the message the emoji communicates, your target market, and your brand image. Check the emoji for its rendering across platforms as well as for any communication problems.
If you find the emoji in question works well, then it’s good to go.
- Get Your Emoji On
The best way to stand out from packed inboxes is with visual email subject lines, which, by the way, will be shorter thanks to emoji characters because saying it with a picture means using less words. You’ll be increasing brand awareness by showing your fun side before your email gets opened.
And even if your email isn’t opened, the subject line sends a message by communicating with an emoji. You’re still making contact and reinforcing your relationship with eye-catching visuals that say “Look at me!”
- Less Is More
By taking the typical 40 to 60 character length of subject lines and inserting an emoji — typically at the beginning or end — you’re sending an invitation that communicates more with less. Visuals offer more potential for engagement when tied to complementary text.
Be careful when inserting an emoji for a word if there’s any chance of misconstruing its meaning. You don’t want your audience to have to guess what you’re trying to say, unlike the latest phenomenon of “guess this movie” using only emojis.
Test your emoji-reading skills here to see how well you do. If you think that’s a bit over-emojied, then how about Sony’s The Emoji Movie? It’s based entirely on emojis and takes place inside a smartphone.
If you’re still thinking emojis aren’t for you, that’s fine. You’re probably right. But here’s an infographic in case you need more convincing.
For a concise round-up of how to use emojis in your email marketing, look below for “The Ultimate Guide to Using Emojis in Email Marketing” from Marketing Cloud.
Get the embed code for this awesome guide to using emojis in your email marketing at Salesforce Marketing Cloud .