From texting and social media to emails and even websites, emojis have become ubiquitous across the internet. And for good reason: they’re a universal language, and they can boost your social media engagement by giving your brand more personality. When your content is fun and approachable, customers are more likely to engage.
But emoji use can have downsides, too. If you use them incorrectly, emojis can cloud your message or annoy customers. Luckily, these pitfalls can be avoided by following some best practices for emoji use. Let’s dive in!
5 Emoji Best Practices for Social Media:
Whether you’re just considering adding emojis into your company’s social media or trying to perfect your current use, these guidelines are for you! You may notice many of these tips relate to social media accessibility. The goal is to have content that is fun, clear, and accessible for everyone!
1. Don’t overuse emojis.
Be mindful of your emoji-to-text ratio. While there’s no perfect ratio that applies to every situation, try to limit yourself to about four emojis per post. Too many emojis can make your posts seem messy, spammy, or confusing. Just like with hashtags, you should use emojis sparingly and strategically for success!
2. Consider your emoji placement.
Emojis are best at the end of a sentence or paragraph. Putting emojis in the middle of a sentence can be confusing or distracting, especially for people who use screen readers. And you don’t want to lead with emojis, as you need the context of your main message first for the emojis to really work.
3. Keep your message clear.
To minimize the risk of confusion or misinterpretation, choose emojis that directly relate to your messaging in a literal way. Try to stick to the more popular, widely recognized emojis, and never use emojis to replace words!
4. Consider your platform and audience.
When using emojis, it’s important to consider your audience and desired tone. For example, you might use more emojis in a fun Facebook post for your customers than you do in a LinkedIn post covering company news.
5. Don’t use emojis as bullet points.
If you’re making a list, be sure to use bullet points rather than emojis. Using bullet points signals to a screen reader that the formatting is a list, and using emojis instead could be confusing for users of screen readers.
By following these best practices, you can enhance your social media marketing while avoiding the common pitfalls of emoji use. You might want to put these guidelines in your brand style guide to make sure your emoji use is consistent, no matter who on your team is posting!
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When used correctly, emojis can have a powerful effect on your social media marketing. If you need help with this or any part of your social media strategy, 2XM is here to help! Contact us for a FREE 60 minute consultation today