You already know that emojis are amazing at conveying feelings … but did you know some people pronounce emojis “emoshis” because they showcase “em-o-sh-ons”? (Get it?)
No matter which side of the pronunciation squabble you belong to chances are you use emojis frequently — from cut-to-the-chase texts with your bestie to workplace emails that without the reassuring smiley face would sound borderline bossy.
These tiny digital drawings have been blowing up the way we communicate in the digital space for years, and for good reason…
They are the faces that convey subtly, the symbols that carry nuance, and the fruit icons that are stand-ins for various body parts (We’re looking at you + ).
But besides sparing us from the finger fatigue of texting excessively long and grandiose words on the daily, why are emojis so important for copywriters?
As a proper ode to the emoji here are 3 jam-packed reasons why these cute little guys rightfully reserve a place inside your writers toolkit.
1. Emojis keep you relevant
Evolving with the times, emojis are becoming more relevant to our lived realities. They are symbols of culture, with the sole purpose of expressing a mood, a notion, or a concept.
With COVID-19 blowing up our lives this year, normalizing our mask-wearing realities — emojis saw us through with an assortment of handwashing and microbial imagery. Apple has even gone so far as to update its ‘Face with Medical Mask’ to bear a smile underneath, with friendlier eyes, eyebrows, and rosy cheeks… because, most of us are smiling under our masks anyways, right?
And while subtle additions to these faces bring comfort and connection — the evolution of the emoji can be even more meaningful…
Like how the ‘Raised Fist’ ✊ icon used in the Black Lives Matter movement has now come to be an expression of solidarity in the struggles against racism and police brutality.
And as our world continues to turn and change, so does the official emoji lexicon. Next year 217 brand-spanking new emojis will be released to our devices, including interracial couples and a bearded woman. This not only increases their representation of the real world but also supercharges their ability to connect with more people.
As these icons become more inclusive, accurate and relevant they become even better conduits of expression…
And as writers, expression is our main-game.
2. Emojis actually light up our brains
According to science, when we look at a smiley face on our screens our brain responds as if we were looking at a real human face… with the same areas being activated.
The digital faces we see can even change our mood and lead us to mimic the same emotion (something we do in real life human interactions).
So if you need another motive to smile in both your real and digital life — look no further. Because it turns out, smiling is contagious whether it’s online or offline.
In marketing specifically, studies have shown that emojis play an important role in getting attention, enhancing consumers’ experience, and even their willingness to purchase something…
In short, emojis matter.
They aren’t just silly stand-ins, fillers, or ambassadors of warm-fuzzies. With subtle psychological impacts on your readers, they can be a superpower … not to be abused but to be mindful of in your messaging.
3.Emojis are accessible
Being wary of very real cultural differences and nuances — emojis can actually help transcend language barriers. This is not to minimize the importance of the written word (adjectives and adverbs still reign for conveying complexity) but emojis ability to be understood on face value in many scenarios with no translation, is pretty irresistibly convenient…
And their effectiveness is no surprise considering these smiley faces are a stand-in for body language — a vital part of communication in our regular day to day life.
Accessible in their comprehension, these icons are pretty easy to understand without much thought. And when accompanied with text, they can provide readers the important clues they need to help process meaning … or solidify and clarify a message.
For writers, these cues that emojis provide can accompany our words skillfully, bringing the extra personality and pizazz that we intended to convey in the first place. They can also do it in a pinch, quickly steering a mood without wordy or overwhelming text.
And since their eye-catching attributes make them ideal for grabbing the attention of more readers — they can help us reach more people with our words …. and isn’t that the whole point?
There are the 3 very powerful reasons why emojis are the bomb dot com… and why they should help copywriters and writers in their task of communicating. What do ya think? Let us know and drop your favourite emoji in the comments below!
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The Copy Posse
