The use of emoji continues to increase, and not just on social media. Today we find them even in the subject lines of the emails we receive. These little colorful icons prove to be the allies of your email marketing campaigns.
According to several studies, these little emoticons increase the opening rate. A good reason to integrate them into your marketing emails!
In a previous article, we gave you best practices for integrating them into emails sent to your prospects. But if you're still not convinced about using them, take a look at the other benefits emojis bring to your brand.
1. Emojis in the email subject line increase your open rate
This is one of the main reasons to use emojis in your marketing emails: increasing the open rate. Several studies have looked into the subject and the results are clear.
According to research conducted by Experian, emails with emoji in their subject line get a 56% higher open rate than a text-only subject line.
This trend is also confirmed by a study by Phrasee. In 60% of the tests they carried out, objects with an emoticon were more effective.
Leanplum also investigated emojis. After analyzing 300 million messages (emails and push notifications) between 2017 and 2018, it once again emerged that the opening rate is higher when the email contains an emoticon.
2. Emojis for deliverability
It’s not just when opening emails that emojis work. Adapted to the season, they also ensure placement in your inbox.
For example, in January, inserting a bottle of champagne (🍾) in the subject of your message ensures 88% deliverability. Two beers (🍻) at the time of St Patrick's Day generate 91% placement in the main box. As for the tool icon (🔨), it offers you a deliverability rate of 96% during Father's Day.
3. Emojis in the email subject line attract attention
Let's do a little exercise: go to your mailbox and look at the subjects of the different messages you have received. Which ones catch your attention the most? These are obviously the emails containing emojis.
While in 2015, only 2% of B2B emails contained emoticons, this figure has exploded in recent years. Between 2015 and 2016 alone, the growth of email campaigns using emoticons has increased by 777%.
4. Emoticons have a seasonal impact
According to Return Path's research, your emoticons must have a connection to the season or a special day to be effective.
For example, February 14 is the perfect opportunity to insert a heart with a ribbon (💝) or a kiss (😘) to get an open rate of at least 20%. At Easter, it is naturally the rabbit (🐰) who arouses curiosity and garners a 23% reading rate. While summer is the perfect opportunity to insert emojis with sunglasses (😎), at the end of the year, icons representing families (👪), a baby (👶) or a gift (🎁) offer a reading rate of more than 20%.
5. Emojis give your brand personality
Today consumers are more receptive to personalized messages. By adding emojis to the subject lines of your emails, you humanize your brand by giving it a real identity.
By correctly defining your personality and remaining consistent throughout your campaigns, you strengthen your notoriety.
6. Emojis save space
An emoji allows you to convey much more information with fewer characters. If, for example, you want to write “You will love the sales at XXX!” ”, you can replace the word “worship” with a heart. In addition to attracting attention, you save space!
The space saving is significant when we know that more and more emails are consulted on mobile and that these do not display more than 40 characters for the subject.
So that your message is not truncated, you must save space, get to the point and save words.
7. Emojis convey emotions
For the user to engage with our content, we all want them to feel emotions. This involves storytelling in content marketing, while in email marketing, we tend to use exclamation points and capital letters.
Anti-spam filters are nevertheless sensitive to these last characters… Excessive use can lead you straight to your subscriber's Spam folder.
Emojis seem like an alternative to remaining visible, while transmitting emotions.
Also read: Spam words: the list of French words prohibited in your emails
8. Emojis are easy to use
After all these good reasons, don't be afraid to integrate emojis into your marketing emails. Easy to use, you can integrate them with a simple copy/paste. And if you don't know where to get them, Emojipedia lists hundreds of emoticons.
Also note that the majority of devices and inboxes support emoticons.
How to use emojis correctly in your emails?
To take advantage of the power of emoticons in the subject line of your emails, you should use them in a relevant way. We have just seen the impact of seasonality, but it is not the only determining criterion. Here are 3 tips for using emoticons effectively in your marketing email!
Choose the right emoticons for your business
A brand of children's clothing and a company that sells accounting software will not use the same emojis. The activities are different and so are the targets.
Let's take the example of the Beer icon (🍻) which works well for St Patrick's Day. The clothing brand has no real interest in using it! Combining alcohol with outfits for children risks being frowned upon… She will instead have to choose the shamrock (☘️) or the Irish flag (🇮🇪). Conversely, the B2B company is aimed at adults and can therefore afford to use this emoji.
Test the impact of emojis
If you have any doubts about how your customers will respond to an email with emojis, test your campaign! Divide your file into 2 groups: send a message with an emoji to one and without an icon to the other. Then analyze the impact. If the group with an emoticon has a better opening rate, it’s because your target appreciates this type of initiative!
However, don't rest on your knowledge, the world of the web is evolving all the time. This passion for emoticons may fade. Regularly retest to ensure that your emails are still working at peak performance. Generally speaking, know that you don't have to put icons in EVERY email.
Place emojis correctly
Be careful that your emoticons are legible! Place them at the beginning of your subject line to make sure they appear directly and catch the recipients' eye. Otherwise, they risk not seeing it or only seeing part of it, which would tarnish the impact of the message.
Add emojis to your emails now
Using emojis in your email campaigns can help increase your open rate. Think about it and test their impact on your target now. You might have a nice surprise!
If you are not yet convinced of the power of emojis, I'll let you discover a study on the use of emojis on Instagram. Emojis are a real asset to your emailing strategy. However, be careful to use them correctly! They must be appropriate for your audience and your message; otherwise, you will appear less professional.
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