Do’s and Don’ts: Using Emojis in Marketing - An Association Management Company

July 2020 – Lauriane Lebrun, Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Let’s talk about emojis. ? These little symbols are a great way to add color and personality to text. Statistics show that they can increase social media engagement, email open rates, and audience satisfaction.

That doesn’t mean you need to start peppering each and every piece of content you create with emojis, though. Consider the following do’s and don’ts to make the most of emoji usage in your nonprofit’s marketing.

Do: Use Emojis to Humanize Your Messaging.

According to Neil Patel, research has “found that a smiley face online is equivalent to looking at a smiling face in real life.” Emotions aren’t always easy to capture using text alone, but emojis can help to reinforce meaning in the same way human beings do: using body language and facial expressions.

Don’t: Use an Emoji That Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means.

When in doubt, Emojipedia is your friend.

Do: Ask Your Audience to Use Emojis.

Looking for feedback on an upcoming event or recent announcement? Consider asking your audience to let you know how they feel about it using only emojis. This gives everyone a chance to have a little fun and respond creatively. At the same time, busy followers can use emojis to respond easily and quickly, which should increase the amount of input you receive overall.

Don’t: Overdo It.

As Hootsuite explains, “most people likely won’t take the time to translate something written with only emoji. Unless you can make your coded message part of a larger campaign, stick with shorter messages or equal parts text and emoji pairings. Remember, social media only works if you’re able to communicate a message clearly. Don’t leave your audience scratching their heads with your emoji use.”

Do: Keep Your Brand in Mind.

Just because emojis can improve your communications, it doesn’t mean they will, and whether or not they’re relevant to your brand can make all the difference. Millennial Marketing suggests that “emojis can come off as gimmicky, which is a major turnoff for Millennials and Gen Z alike.” Rather than just using emojis to be trendy, make sure they add value to your marketing and reflect the image you want people to associate with your organization.