You may see emojis as fun features to use for texting friends or posting on personal social media accounts, but they’re not limited to just personal outlets.

Emojis can do so much more!

They have the ability to encourage engagement and build communication with followers on social media. So, here are a few of our most helpful tips when it comes to using them for different business channels like social media or email!

Understand what emojis evoke (fun, simple and universal communication)

Not every emoji fits the mood of a post or a comment, so it is best to understand the main uses of certain emojis.

For example, LinkedIn offers reaction features to posts that replace simply liking posts. The reactions vary from celebrate, insightful, love and curious, all of which are expressed through emoticons.

Now think about the purpose of a feature like LinkedIn’s reactions. Although you may “like” a post, there may be other reactions that fit a post better.

For example, if you see a post about a new product a company is offering or a promotion that a fellow employee recently received, a celebration would be the best use of a reaction, aka the clapping emoji.

This extends to your use of emojis outside of LinkedIn reactions. When you use emojis in posts or comments, think of them in this way, where they can be associated with a word.

While some emoji meanings are straightforward, others are not, and meanings can vary depending on trends during the time. If you are searching for more clarity about what certain emojis can mean, check out emojipedia.

Also, consider the value in communicating with pictures rather than words. Emojis have the ability to break the bounds of language, and with social media being an outlet for people around the world to communicate with one another, emojis are the perfect way to harness those connections.

Encourage engagement

You may have thought about and questioned how to grow follower engagement in a fun and creative way, and emojis could be your answer.

Emojis are especially effective in the case of increasing comments on posts. Think about some of your own social media interactions. It is likely that you have come across posts on Twitter or Instagram that have asked you to respond with emojis in the comment section.

Take one of our posts, for example:

Here you can see that we asked for people to comment with emojis as it relates well to the topic of the post, social media day. Not surprisingly, this post gained much more engagement in the comments than our typical posts, which receive 1-2 comments on average.

Even though you may have encouraged followers to leave comments on posts before, emojis can be a better return on engagement. In fact, more generally, the inclusion of emojis is Facebook posts have been found to increase comment and share numbers by 33 percent.

So, by both including emojis in your posts and asking for them in your comments, your page engagement is likely to see significant increases!

For more information on increasing your follower engagement, click here.

Create thoughtful emails

So, we’ve talked a lot about emoji use on social media, but what about using them in emails?

Are they appropriate to use in emails? The answer is overwhelmingly, yes (but in moderation)!

Around 43 percent of Americans are more likely to open an email if the subject line contains an emoji. Remember, however, that like any professional interaction, some are more formal and sensitive than others.

Including emojis in light-hearted or informal emails is a perfect match. And as the statistics have proven, they bring about a lot of success, but they do not fit every situation.

Gauge the content of the email and be thoughtful. Like we mentioned earlier, emojis tend to be fun, and they must fit the right situation, so when it comes to formal or sensitive emails, they should be emoji-free.

Otherwise, enjoy including emojis in your email subject lines. The inclusion of them can help drive higher response rates and open rates.

Also, bear in mind your business’s brand voice across the internet. If you don’t consistently use emojis on your social media pages or they aren’t reflective of your industry, then they probably shouldn’t be in your emails.

Use emojis when it matters

In a previous blog, we introduced you to the proper ways to use hashtags. We mentioned that there are limits to the amount you should use in posts, emails, etc. and the same strategy applies to emojis.

Don’t overwhelm your followers or email subscribers with emojis in your content. While emojis have the ability to boost engagement and grow connections, they also have the ability to drive interest away from your business if you overuse them.

As we highlight in our last tip, it’s important to use proper judgment when you are deciding whether or not to use emojis. Understand the content you are putting out, and if an emoji fits well is essential.

If you find that using emojis does fit with a post, include 1-3 emojis maximum. You want to intentional with what you use, not excessive.

Final thoughts

With all of the trends that come with the internet, it may be easy to see emojis as yet another one of those fads, but they are so much more!

As digital marketing grows, new strategies for growing customer interest are being discovered, and emojis have been found to be a strategy worth considering.