Emojis! Whether you love them or hate them, they're here to stay. But how can you incorporate them in to your corporate marketing strategy?

1. Marketing With Emojis
Do’s & Don’ts

2. • Emojis - those happy and sad face icons used in text messages,
Instagram posts, and tweets - have become a language of their own,
particularly popular among teens and young adults.

3. • The ubiquity of the tiny cartoon faces further testifies to the use of
emojis as language - but is it a language businesses can use? And if so,
how and in what ways?

4. Examples
of Brands
Using Emojis
Chevrolet promoted the launch of its 2016 Cruze model with a press release
that consisted exclusively of emoji's the automaker released a translation the next day).

5. Given their popularity, there's clearly some rationale for using emojis in
business settings, but what are the best practices? And what mistakes
do companies need to avoid?

6. DO

7. Know your audience
• Would your customers be receptive of emojis or even understand
them? If they're made up of teens and Millennials, the answer is yes.
Not so much if it's boomers and seniors.

8. Keep Emojis in Context
• "The amazing thing about emojis is how nuanced they are," said a
writer for Bustle.com. "The grinning cat means a different thing than
smiling cat, for example, just like grinning and smiling mean different
things in real life."
• He advised that because emojis are intended to enhance a word or
sentence, people should use them at the end of a sentence rather
than in the middle or separately, unto themselves.

9. Inject Some Personality
• "Use emojis to infuse your emails or Slack messages with personality,"
says Fast Company. "When you're not dealing with face-to-face
interactions on a daily basis, any word can be misconstrued. Use
emojis in these scenarios to let some personality shine through."
• Will Schwalbe and David Shipley, authors of the book Send: Why
People Email So Badly and How to Do It Better, noted that, "the
biggest problem about all electronic communication is that it's
toneless. In the absence of tone, people read negative tone into it.”
• Emojis and emoticons are designed to convey emotion and can help
make that tone clearer.

10. Use Words (Where Necessary)
• If you feel that you'd be unable to communicate your meaning clearly
with emojis, use good, old-fashioned words instead.

11. DON’T

12. …Go Overboard
• Don't use emojis too often. Too much of a good thing can lead to
fatigue and even alienation among your target audience. "Moderation
in all things" is a useful motto that should extend to emoji marketing
as well.

13. …Misinterpret the Meaning of an Emoji
• There are thousands of emojis and emoticons available today, and it's
possible to use one in a way other than what you had planned -
simply because you misunderstand its meaning.
• Also, emojis may display differently depending on the viewing
platform (e.g., iPhone vs. Android), and, there's always the possibility
your customers may interpret an emoji in a manner differently than
you intended. That could, at best, reduce the effectiveness of your
marketing campaign and, worse, offend a customer or prospect.

14. …Take Emojis Too Seriously
• Despite the fact there are a plethora of sad-faced emojis online, it's
best not to take their use too seriously. Have some fun and use them
in a light-hearted way, assuming it fits your corporate culture and
your customers’ tastes.

15. …Follow The Crowd
• Just because big consumer brands are using emojis doesn’t mean you
need to, especially if it’s not a good fit for your organization.
• Emoji marketing is popular now, but will likely fade over time. No one
will fault you if you opt for using tried-and-true tactics, such as email,
PPC advertising, business blogging, and social media. They may be
boring, but they work.
• On the other hand, it can’t hurt to inject a smiley face into a business
communication every now and again, can it? Just don’t let the
communiqué consist only of them.

16. • On the other hand, it can’t hurt to inject a smiley face into a business
communication every now and again, can it? Just don’t let the
communiqué consist only of them.