The Power of Emojis

From a marketing standpoint, emojis are undeniably useful. Using emojis in a tweet can increase engagement by 25.4%, and emojis in a Facebook post can increase the number of likes by 57% and the number of comments and shares by 33%. If emojis can so drastically increase the likelihood of engagement, there's no reason not to use them. But why are emojis so effective at boosting digital interaction, especially among the tech-savvy Generation Z? There are hundreds of studies examining the impact of emojis on interpersonal interaction. And in today's world, where digital communication is as normal as face-to-face exchange, the results are hardly surprising.

Emojis Release "Happy Vibes"

Researchers from the Association for Computing Machinery found that people experience a whole range of positive emotions when using emojis. These include joy, happiness, personal interaction, usefulness, and feeling information-rich. Simply put, using emojis makes communication feel good. A 2021 study by Brandwatch found that study participants who received messages with emojis could remember the messages better than those who received messages without emojis. This means that emojis can make your messages more memorable. The same study also found that emojis can help portray your hotel as friendlier and more appealing: participants who chatted online with an expert using emojis rated the expert as both friendlier and more competent compared to participants who chatted with an expert who did not use emojis.

Visuals are Easier for the Brain

According to another study, people process visual and pictorial content 60 times faster than written text. Not only that: the study found that people only read 28% of the words on a webpage. Fun fact: Based on two separate psychological studies, researchers have found that emoji users even get more dates (Psychology Today). It all comes down to the art of connection. Psychologists found that people who use emojis more frequently may be better at building relationships with others.

Emojis = Emotions

Finally, and most obviously, emojis were designed to express emotions. Their origins are disputed. Some attribute them to Japanese artist Shigetaka Kurita, who in 1999 designed a series of basic emoticons. His intention was to signal emotions in chatroom conversations. Even earlier, in 1982, Professor Scott Fahlman of Carnegie Mellon University pioneered the now rudimentary ':-)' to indicate jokes in computer texts.

Concluding one of the most discussed questions in marketing today... Should you use emojis? The research says YES. 😊

In short:

• Keep it simple - and use emojis that create a positive mood.
• Be sparing. Less is more and minimizes the risk of confusion.
• Remember, it's about making a connection, so your text needs to match.
• Have fun - it will resonate with your guests, and that's what makes good marketing and communication.

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