Do Emojis Have a Place in B2B Marketing?
In an ever growing industry, it has become increasingly difficult to stand out amongst the crowd. The average message has less than 8 seconds to capture it’s reader’s interest. As a result of this, most marketers are left thinking about the next big thing to increase their impressions. Enter, the emoji.
While the emoji has been around since the late 90’s, it has become significantly more important to the digital language in recent years. In fact, one study reports 92% of the online population uses emoji’s. Traditionally, this has been a very informal approach, more commonly found in when targeting consumers, but in spite of this these expressive ideograms have found their way creeping into the B2B marketplace.
But how effective is the use of emoji’s and is there a place for it in the world of B2B marketing?
Boosting Engagement
When it comes to boosting engagement I think it’s safe to say we are all open to trialing new ideas in order to see the best results and return on investment.
We are programmed to process images faster than words, therefore one benefit of including these small digital images means boosting your engagement rates by up to 25%.
When something that is correlated so effortlessly with friends and in everyday life, it makes sense we process this warmly. It is however important to consider, emoji’s don’t exactly scream professionalism and it is always important to be aware of your audience and the approach before using them.
Personalisation
Humanizing your marketing efforts is the key to a successful campaign, and as humans we are hardwired to respond to faces. Emoji’s are known to drive emotions, context and when used appropriately can render a friendly and welcoming tone.
It is no surprise that when emoji’s are used and aligned with people’s pain points this also makes a positive contribution to the customers buying journey. The below image shows the top 15 emoji’s used in subject lines 2018.
It is however important to note that doing so puts you at risk of being too personable, and campaigns are known to suffer a sharp drop off from users if they are used too frequently.
Social Media and Content
When it comes to social media, two things I’m sure we can all agree on is…
- Social media and emoji’s go hand in hand
- A lot of news feeds can feel overwhelmed with new content/posts
Because of this it can be difficult for marketers to create a post that stands out from the rest. I can confidently say, using an emoji every now and then is good practice for social media and creates the perfect place to play around with this new venture in a more relaxed and unofficial environment.
In fact, a survey of 1,000 workers found that 76% of them use emoji’s in professional digital communication.
Conclusion
While there is definitely more analysis to be done, it’s clear there is notable value behind the emoji and its effects when placed in front of your target market. Its role in your day to day strategy however, I will leave to your discretion.
The most important thing to be aware of is your audience and how this potentially risky approach may resonate with them. Some simple food for thought…
Are they standing out in a positive way or because they are out of place?
Have you tested this on a smaller sample?
And if in doubt, leave it.
For more information on B2B marketing trend check out our other blog – 2019 Marketing Trends: What to watch out for
Tags: B2B Marketing, Emoji, Lead Generation, Marketing Trends