Speaking fluent…Emoji?

There are over 7,000 languages world-wide, yet emojis have become the first universal language that connects us all.🌍 217 new emojis are set to be released to devices throughout 2021, proving emojis are here to stay. From world leaders and influencers to McDonalds and your family’s group chat, everyone else is using them, are you?

Australia and #HongKong have deep, longstanding connections and a rich and diverse relationship. Delighted to address @austchamhk Australia Day lunch and looking forward to signing of 🇦🇺🇭🇰 FTA 📄🖌#onecountrytwosystems pic.twitter.com/T5muHpz49Y

— Julie Bishop (@HonJulieBishop) February 1, 2019

With over 10 billion being sent daily, emojis have become a part of our daily lives. They offer an opportunity to humanise a brand while being relatable and fun. Emoji’s can be used to stand out and get your point across in a way which words simply can not. For example, by surrounding their tweet in red siren emojis, Gymshark added emphasis to their post by drawing a user’s attention in a way which might have seen the post otherwise lost within the newsfeed. The added colour and alertness stands out and demands attention, even if it’s just a glance of recognition.

🚨 BIG DEAL ENERGY IS HEREEEEE 🚨
Up to 50% off selected lines is now live!
go go go → https://t.co/OdzVkkon2V pic.twitter.com/8bL7lgX6kF

— Gymshark (@Gymshark) November 13, 2020

Statistically, social media posts that include emojis see a significant increase in engagement levels:

📈 Facebook posts receive 57% more likes

📈 Tweets have a 25% higher engagement rate

📈 Instagram captions sees an engagement increase of 48%

Although before you get caught up in your 💁 and 🔥, make sure you use emojis intentionally with engagement in mind. Over 771,000 people are members of a subreddit called r/fellowkids, created to poke fun at adverts not understanding a younger audience when marketing to them. With this in mind, understanding your audience is crucial as emojis can be perceived differently user to user – check and double check you know the meaning behind the emoji. Millennials often use simple, expressive emojis such as 😂 or 😊, whereas Gen-Z have created a whole new way of communicating through these icons and often have a different context. As seen in this post by Telegram Messenger, the cowboy hat emoji conveys seeming happy from the outside, while dying on the inside.

Some of our users, primarily in Europe and the Middle East are currently experiencing connection issues. We're working to bring them back online. 🤠 Please hang on, and sorry for the inconvenience!

— Telegram Messenger (@telegram) December 16, 2020

To takeaway🥡:

The bold and colourful nature of emojis draws attention to posts and often results in an increased engagement rate regardless of platform. But be careful not to over-use and confuse your audience, knowing how they use emojis is key.

Stuck on where to start? 🤔 Get in touch with our award-winning social media team at creative@social.co.uk