Texting Emojis for Business Communication
Emojis – they have been around for quite a long time. Remember when we had emoticons on IMs? Emojis are perhaps the more advanced version of them. The addition of them into our lives has made communication easier, more meaningful, and fun. Without texting emojis, it is almost hard to imagine a life without it.
So here a very important question stands! Should business communication include the use of emojis? What kinds of language or tone do the emojis portray? Can everything be said without emojis? And what reaction does the consumer market have on receiving emojis?
In this article, we will talk in detail about texting emojis for business communication.
What are emojis?
Emojis are icons or images that are used in text message conversations. While they were first introduced in 1999, they were introduced to the world by iPhone in 2007. Emojis are part of Unicode. This means that they reduce the character count of one text message from 160 characters to only 70 characters.
Since emojis are Unicode, it is easy to transmit them from one message to another. However, the appearance of the emoji may have slight differences. This difference is because each operating system has its own set of emojis and they be translated when sending out messages to a different operating system.
Emojis are most commonly used in real-time messaging like WhatsApp, Messenger, and other channels.
Importance of emojis
You may think that what do graphic icons have anything to do with business communication. Some people think they are childish. However, research does not state that at all. Time and time again emoji research shows their importance in marketing and business communication.
The primary reason is that emojis help communicates an emotion. This in turn reduces the chance of miscommunication. Moreover, it takes less effort for the reader to understand the undertone of the sender.
Studies show that 92% of the population online uses emojis daily. Since they are universally recognizable, they have become the fastest-growing language around the world.
In 2020 alone, the use of emojis was increased by 60% mainly because businesses were remote and they needed to make better communication.
Hence, the importance of emojis is that they are a great way to catch attention and convey your message in the most accurate emotion possible.
When to send customers emojis
It is quite difficult to show that you are friendly and happy in text messages. Hence, business messages usually look very bland and cold. Adding emojis to these messages can make your marketing messages livelier. Make sure not to overdo emojis. Here are a few instances where texting emojis are acceptable and helpful.
- Welcome messages
When sending welcome messages, adding stars or relevant emojis can make the message seem brighter and happier. Especially add an emoji when you are saying something important in the welcome message to catch the attention of the reader. - Discount messages
Another instance of texting emojis is when you are sending discounts, coupons, or even promotions. Emojis help create the urgency that text messages cannot. You can add a clock or any other relevant emoji to make a mark. - Greetings
Using text messages for seasonal greetings? Make sure to add cute emojis to make your text message more festive. Simple emojis say more than long words!
How to use emojis at the workplace?
Similar to using emojis for business communication, using emojis at work also proves to be a great idea. Studies show that while hesitant at first, employees preferred using emojis at work.
This factor increased during covid when most if not all, communication was done digitally. The increase in emojis shows how important they are to communicate the message with the right tone and emotion.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to use bright and funny emojis at the workplace. There are several emojis for hand gestures that you can use to communicate your response.
Employers can use emojis to help build their rapport as soft and easy-going with their employees. This helps employees open up along with being more productive.
When to NOT use emojis?
While using emojis is a great idea and helps enhance communication, sending them all the time can be wrong.
Some businesses require the formality that goes without emojis. Hence, adding emojis to these business text messages can backfire.
You also have to look at your audience to see if they will like emojis or not. A study showed that only 15% of people over the age of 45 like business texts with emojis. 30% of these people said that it’s too informal. Hence, if your audience does not like it, no matter how informal your business is, don’t do it!
Begin texting emojis with ExpertTexting
ExpertTexting allows you to send emojis in your mass texts. Even though Unicode reduces the number of characters, we got your back. You can send up to 800 characters of extended messages with ExpertTexting. Smartphones concatenate them into one long message and you are charged for multiple messages.
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