The Use of Emojis in Social Media

     It's important that brands keep up with trends in social media in order to stay relevant to consumers. Specifically, the use of emojis is a way for brands to communicate like consumers via social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and even Facebook. More importantly, even if it might feel uncomfortable, brands must adapt to using this form of communication or they could lag behind competitors and the modern times.
     According to Social Media Today, 92% of people use emojis, and more than 1/3 of people use emojis multiple times a day. Marketing campaigns involving emojis have expanded by 777% year after year. On Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, data has shown that engagement increases with the use of emojis. In 2015, Oxford Dictionaries deemed an emoji their "Word of the Year", allowing language to reach a whole new level for marketers.
     To use emojis more effectively, guidelines are offered to aid marketers. I found some guidelines to be extremely helpful, and could make or break marketing campaigns put out by brands on social media. First, marketers need to understand what emojis mean to the public. A survey showed the perceptions of the emoji, the peach, and how the use can be misinterpreted among consumers.

 

     Second, emojis should be used to engage with consumers in real-time. Twitter and Snapchat are the primary social media platforms where brands can interact with consumers at the moment. Therefore, they should capitalize on these conversations, with using emojis to remain trendy and with-the-times. Not matter the type of company, emojis humanize the brand. Shown below is a tweet from Bud Light for Fourth of July that is simple, but more creative than a tweet with words. 

     Last, but certainly not least, brands should use emojis to connect them with their brand. Through the use and repetition, brands have the opportunity to change the meaning of some emojis. For example, the World Wide Fund for Nature is an organization that protects the environment and endangered species in the world. They launched a campaign around emojis on social media that for every character used, 0.10 euros would be donated. There were 17 endangered species who had emojis, so they made these emojis have a meaning and used them to make the public aware of their cause.