Did you know that 92% of the online population uses emojis? It basically transcends language and culture!
July 17th is World Emoji Day so we figure there’s no better time to talk about emojis and advertising. Can you and should you use emojis in ad copy? Let’s find out!
Here are the topics we’ll cover:
What are Emojis?
Since their inception in the late 1990s, and in 2022, there are over 3000 emojis out there!
Why Do People Like Using Emojis?
For example:
- Thank you again for the gift! 🥰
- I can’t wait to see you tonight 😘
- Are you kidding me?!?! UGH 😤
- What’s your favorite animal?” 🐶🐱🐸🙈🦭
- Do you agree? 👍 👎
Plus, emojis are diverse and inclusive, which increases the versatility!
Who Should Be Using Emojis in Ad Copy?
Aside from using it to slide into people’s DMs, respond to a Tweet, or a Group Chat on WhatsApp, brands also use emojis to keep their branded messages engaging and personable.
It can be hard to stand out in a world where people are constantly bombarded with ads on social media. But that’s where emojis come in. Adding emojis to your ad copy could give your captions or headlines extra oomph.
Using emojis in ad copy would be a great strategy for B2C and B2B businesses, like eCommerce and SaaS companies.
For businesses or industries with a more formal setting, such as law, financial institutions, or religious groups– emojis might not be appropriate.
We recommend evaluating your Brand Guidelines and voice to determine how many emojis to use (or even use them).
Benefits of Using Emojis in Ad Copy
If you’re thinking of incorporating emojis into your ad strategy, we highly recommend focusing on social media ads, like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok!
Benefits of using emojis in ad cop includes: higher Click-Through Rate (CTR) and potentially lower Cost-Per-Click (CPC).
We recommend A/B testing a version of the ad copy with emojis and one without. Let it run through the learning phase to get data on which is performing better. Keep all the other ad elements the same, and only test one difference per test. So think: ad caption with emoji vs ad caption without emoji – and keeping the photo, and headline the same.
A few years ago, Scoro conducted an A/B test for a set of their ads, one with emojis in the copy, the other without.
They kept all other ad elements the same, except the headline: Version A had just the headline, and Version B had an emoji + the headline, like this:
For this campaign, they observed a whopping 241% higher Click-Through Rate (CTR) on the ad with the emoji in the headline!
AdEspresso by Hootsuite continued to create an A/B test with their Facebook posts to test the theory that emoji content performed better. They shared that the posts that used emojis had a 30-40% higher CTR and 20% lower Cost-Per-Click (CPC) than posts with no emojis.
However, in another experiment, results showed a 12% higher CTR in emoji ads, but the ad with no emojis had a lower CPC. So as you can see, your mileage may vary.
But that’s the joy in digital marketing, isn’t it? Creative experimentation and analyzing data to find out what works most effectively!
Tips For Using Emojis in Ad Copy
Emojis Needs to Add Value
- Does it provide more context?
- Is it to be funny?
- Is it meant to relay an emotion?
- Will it make the post more relatable?
- Is it highlighting something important you want the user to see?
It needs to be strategic and enhance the communication of your ad copy.
Keep It Simple
Do you want to see an ad that says, “Winter Sale on now: Everything is 15% off or more!!!!!!!!!!“
We appreciate the enthusiasm, but that’s a bit too aggressive on the exclamation marks, right?
Think of emojis as punctuations. Use it sparingly and purposefully to avoid overkill or confusion. Keep it simple. 👍
Don’t Use Emojis to Replace a Word
Also, if the emoji isn’t able to be shown on the users’ phone (rarely, but possible), your ad will essentially be gibberish to them, which means wasted ad spend!
For example, which did you find easier to understand:
- 10 🚩to 👀 When Buying a 🏠
- 10 Red Flags to Look Out for When Buying a House 🚩
💡 Use an Emoji to Start a Headline or Bullet Point.
Use Emojis to End a Caption. ✍️
Tell a Visual Story with Emojis
“Skyrocket your revenue with awesome Facebook ads 🔥 😵 👉 💰 🚀”
It adds a fun touch and helps the sentence pop. There is satisfaction as a viewer to understand the story that’s told visually!
So, should you use emojis in ad copy?
We say, most definitely – don’t knock it till you try it!
The main purpose of this blog was to introduce the idea that emojis aren’t just for texting but could also be a viable option for engaging ad content creation.
When it comes to emojis in ad copy, your mileage may vary. But emojis will likely make users slow down their scrolling to and sneak a peek at your paid social ads! Give it a try today!
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PS. Looking to write effective copy? Check out two of our other awesome resources, “170+ Power Words for Emotional Ads” and “A Guide to Creative Best Practices“!
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