Love 'em or hate 'em,
if you wanna stay relevant, engage new leads,
and sell your products or services online,
then you better be using them.
Yep, I am talking about emojis.
(laughing)
In this video, I'm breaking down the three reasons
why I believe you absolutely need to be utilizing emojis
in your branding, marketing, and content,
and most importantly, how not to use them.
We'll cover that at the end of this video, so stay tuned.
(upbeat music)
Hey, Posse, what's up?
It's Alex, coming at you this week with a fresh tutorial
all about one of the most controversial forms
of communication, yep, the emoji.
Now, you might be thinking,
"What, how on earth could these little nuggets
of pure expression and joy be controversial?"
Well, I personally love emojis.
In fact, I have hired writers based on their use of emojis
in their copy before, true story.
But one of my ReignMakers recently had
a different experience.
Here's a post she recently shared
in our private members group.
"I was pitching a client, and I used a smiley face emoji,
wishing her a great day and just being polite.
And she told me this is passive aggressive,
and I should never use that because it's inappropriate
and rude when talking to potential clients.
But this is who I am.
I use emojis from time to time.
Has this happened to anyone?"
This literally shook me to my core.
Are there really people out there who don't like emojis?
I have to know, comment below,
and please let me know your stance.
So in this video, I'm gonna be sharing three reasons
why I truly believe you need to be utilizing emojis
in your branding, marketing, and content.
But first, if you're new to the crew, welcome.
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And ooh, I am so excited.
I am pretty sure that by the time this video goes live,
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on my YouTube channel.
Oh, that gives me goosebumps.
Honestly, you guys, when I started the Copy Posse
and started this channel three years ago,
I never in a million years thought that we would be here.
So thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Seriously, I cannot believe that this is what I get to do
and that I get to hang out and teach incredible people
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just give me a thumbs up below.
Maybe comment below,
let me know when you joined the Posse.
Honestly, I am so grateful,
and I just wanted to take a little quick sidebar
to tell you all that.
Alright, now let's get into it.
Regardless of which side of the emoji spectrum you fall on,
one thing is absolutely certain,
emojis have become a common language of the modern era.
There's an emoji to express your every emotion,
to rep your favorite foods,
and to even give your friends a virtual fist bump.
We use them when we're texting our besties in group chats,
we sprinkle them into the workplace emails
to make sure we're not coming across as rude
despite what other people might think,
and we even use them to represent our body parts.
Yep, but besides being a fun and cheeky way to spare us
from finger fatigue from all that typing,
why exactly are emojis so important for copywriters
and digital marketers?
Well, let me tell ya.
It's not just my opinion,
there is actually science to back me up.
So the first reason you need to use emojis
in your marketing efforts is:
Emojis keep you relevant.
Evolving with the times,
emojis are becoming more and more relevant
to our lived realities.
They are symbols of culture
with the sole purpose of expressing a mood,
a notion, or a concept.
So for example, when the 'Rona hit the world by storm,
emojis became a symbol we used to feel more connected
to our peers during a time
when we were really less connected than ever before.
Apple even went so far as to update its face
with a medical mask to bear a smile underneath
with friendlier eyes and eyebrows raised and rosy cheeks.
And yes, while these subtle changes are cool
and made us feel more comfortable and connected,
the use of the emoji
can actually be even more meaningful and impactful,
like how the raised fist icon used
in the Black Lives Matter movement has really come
to represent solidarity against racism and police brutality.
And as our world continues to turn and change,
so does the official emoji lexicon.
New emojis like interracial couples
and a bearded woman help to deepen our connection
with more people about the things that matter most.
And as these icons become more inclusive,
accurate, and relevant,
they become even better conduits of expression.
And as writers,
expression and connection is kind of the name of the game.
And speaking of connection,
that brings me to the next reason why emojis are amazing.
Number two, emojis light up our brains.
So this is science, people.
According to science,
when we look at a smiley face on our screens,
our brain responds as if we are looking at a real human face
with the same areas of our brain being activated.
So these digital faces we see can even change our mood
and lead us to mimic the same emotion,
which is something that we do in real-life interactions.
So if you need another reason to smile
in both your real and digital life,
look no further because as it turns out,
smiling is contagious, whether it's online or offline.
In marketing, specifically,
studies have shown that emojis play an important role
in getting attention,
enhancing consumers' experience
and even their willingness to purchase something from you.
Basically, emojis are marketing tools.
They are not just silly stand-in fillers
or annoying symbols used by pre-teens on TikTok.
They have subtle psychological impacts on your readers,
and they really hold a superpower
for connection and persuasion.
So use them wisely.
Alright, the next reason,
emojis are accessible.
So being wary of very real cultural differences and nuances,
emojis can actually help transcend language barriers.
This is not to minimize the importance of the written word.
Of course, we're copywriters, we love writing.
But what makes emoji so great is their ability
to be understood on a universal level.
These icons are pretty easy to understand
without much thought, no translation or explanation needed.
And when accompanied by text,
they provide readers with important clues
that they need to help process meaning
or solidify and clarify a message.
So for writers, the cues
that emojis provide can accompany our words skillfully,
bringing that extra personality and pizzazz
that we intended to convey in the first place.
And with just one little finger tap,
it can quickly steer a mood or a conversation
without all that wordy or overwhelming text.
And since their eye-catching attributes make them ideal
for grabbing the attention of more readers,
they can help us reach more people with our words.
And again, as copywriters, isn't that exactly what we want?
And hey, speaking of grabbing more attention,
here are some stats that prove emojis are effective
at doing just that.
So on Facebook, posts with emojis get 57% more likes,
33% more comments, and 33% more shares.
On Instagram, 50% of all captions
and comments contain emojis.
On Twitter, tweets with emojis get 25.4% more engagement.
And in fact, one study analyzed 31 million tweets
and half a million Facebook posts
to find that emojis were the common factor
in predicting social status and influence.
And lastly, over 50% of emoji users are more likely
to engage with brands that are using emojis online.
Now, if those stats don't convince you
that the all-powerful emoji can in fact enhance
your marketing and branding efforts,
then I don't think anything will.
But before you start adding like a million emojis
to your next email or social posts,
remember that there's a right way to use emojis
and there's a wrong way to use emojis.
So make sure to remember these emoji marketing rules.
Number one, do not put them just anywhere.
Sure, the occasional emoji in the middle
of a sentence isn't the end of the world,
but you definitely don't wanna make the habit out of it.
So when using emojis,
remember to use them like punctuation marks
ideally at the end of a sentence.
Number two, do not use them to replace words.
Sure, a picture is worth a thousand words,
but emojis are meant to help emphasize a message,
not communicate it solely.
So when the only thing you're using is emojis,
you really open the door for misunderstanding,
which is definitely not what you want.
So always use words to communicate your message,
then add in an emoji here or there for emotional flare
whenever you see fit.
And next up, do not overuse them.
Using too many emojis can really backfire
and make your posts hard to understand.
You want your audience to understand
what you have to say from the first read,
not to make them treat your messages like a puzzle
that they have to decipher and put together.
(Alex laughing loudly)
And finally and probably the most important rule
of them all, do not force it.
Emojis are amazing
and can greatly enhance your brand's reach and relatability,
even increase conversions.
But that does not mean that you have to use them everywhere
all the time just because I like them or science says so.
If emojis don't really fit in with your brand voice,
don't use 'em.
If you wrote an entire email and can't figure out
where to put in the perfect emoji,
then don't use one.
Never sacrifice the clarity of your message
or the credibility of your brand
just for the sake of doing what you think you should do.
And that is the beautiful thing
about digital marketers is that, ultimately,
you get to build the brand and business that you want.
As long as you have a product or service
that genuinely helps people and you actively cultivate
and nurture strong relationships with your audience
through a clear and effective brand voice,
then of course you'll still see great results
without all the latest trends or emoji uses.
So emojis are amazing.
But just like anything else,
there is a time and there is a place for them.
And really, only you will know the answer to that one.
Alright, now, just for fun.
What are the last three emojis you used?
Here are mine.
So drop them in the comment section below.
I can't wait to check them out.
And until next time, I'm Alex.
Ciao for now.
Alright, guys, if you enjoyed that video,
make sure to check out the next one from me right here.
And you can click right here to get a free gift.
Power words, when used correctly,
can transform your overused words
and boring copy from drab to fab.
But what exactly are power words,
why are they so important,
and how can you find and use them
to effectively enhance your writing?
Well, stay tuned
because that's exactly what we're gonna cover today.