Many of us are familiar with livening up our texts and personal posts through the use of emojis. Whether it’s a smiley face to convey thanks or a bashful face when apologizing, emojis can effectively express emotion without words. But before you decide to use this method in the professional sphere, remember that it can be hard to strike the right chord when it comes to using emojis on corporate social media accounts. That’s why we asked eight entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question:
“Emojis: yes or no when posting on your company’s social media page? Why or why not?”
Should Businesses Use Emojis on Social Media?
Here’s what YEC community members had to say:
1. Emojis Make Your Business Personable
“Absolutely! Emojis make your business personable. People buy from people, not from businesses. Emojis make your business real and express true human emotion. They tell your customers you are just like them: real, honest and approachable. We have started using emojis when communicating with our customers on Facebook Messenger; we instantly see the customer put their guard down with a simple smile.” ~ Diego Orjuela, Cables & Sensors
2. Strategic Use Improves Engagement
“Using emojis strategically improves engagement and conversion rates for social media posts. Users are more likely to click and comment on posts that feature emojis (and gifs). Of course, always make sure that the emojis you use reflect your brand voice.” ~ Adelyn Zhou, TOPBOTS
3. Proceed Pragmatically
“It depends on your company. A good friend of mine is the founder of an entertainment site, so emojis are perfectly fine there. But if you run a law firm and your specialization is divorce or murder cases, a fire emoji and a smiley face maybe aren’t the most appropriate. You have to understand what your brand is.” ~ Fabio Viviani, Fabio Viviani Hospitality LLC,
4. Use Them Sparingly and Stay on Brand
“Emojis aren’t just fun little characters to add to your social posts. They’re also used to humanize your brand because sometimes words just won’t cut it. However, as a word of caution, don’t overdo it. Ensure that you’re using emojis to enhance your content, not replace it. Use them sparingly and use emojis that are appropriate for your brand and audience.” ~ Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS
5. Do A/B Testing First
“In general, if you’re on social media, then you’re already trying to engage with a younger audience. Younger people are using emojis, and you should too. But you should A/B test to be sure. Try doing two similar posts, one with emojis and one without. See the results you get. If your fan page is new, or you don’t have a lot of engagement, then try a sponsored ad. It’s cheap, too.” ~ Krish Chopra, United Medical Rotations
6. Social Media Is Supposed to Be Fun
“Social media is supposed to be fun, engaging, entertaining and a representation of your values. Even if your business is in a more traditional, ‘boring’ industry, social media is a place where you can leverage a slightly more relaxed voice from your marketing materials or website.” ~ Matt Murphy, Kids in the Game LLC
7. Use Good Judgement
“This really depends on the company and the post. Use them where they are appropriate. They can come off as fun and lighthearted, or it they can ruin the sincerity of a post. Pick your placements and use good judgement.” ~ Renato Libric, Bouxtie Inc
8. Use Them Only Once a Personal Business Relationship Has Been Established
“An emoji’s cartoonish communication style is playful and suggests that readers shouldn’t take the content too seriously. Because they serve as an emphasis on the true nature of the content, emojis are best used once a personal business relationship has been established. Proper judgment is needed to decipher what kind of personality would actually receive this type of communication!” ~ Duran Inci, Optimum7
Emoji Phone Photo via Shutterstock
This article, “Emojis: Are They Appropriate on Company Social Media Posts?” was first published on Small Business Trends