Why do companies use emojis in email headers? Why do established businesses feel compelled to implement emoticons in email subject lines and body text? What do they hope to achieve through that?
While a simple question, the truth behind in-email emojis lies somewhere between science and the idea of creating exciting customer experiences and streamlined touchpoints in the inbox.
Think about it, the modern-day email inbox is a busy place when competing against hundreds of others looking to sell their products to the same email subscriber.
And with the rise of the in-email one-click purchase models, businesses are driving mailers to a new avenue of competition. Emojis are just proven methods that grab subscribers’ attention in even the most crowded inboxes.
A Subject Line Is the Most Essential Part of an Email, It Should Not Be an Afterthought
30 Lines recently found that emojis paired with a well-written subject line perform some 20% better than subject lines without these emoticons.
Let’s set the stage with a couple of facts:
- Only 2% of businesses include emojis in their subject lines when contacting consumers, giving them a much higher likelihood of standing out among more monotonous messages in the inbox.
- Emojis in subject lines bring in higher read and response rates than traditional word-only emails.
So let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how emojis play with the human mind to make them notice an email and open it, too.
Why Should You Use Emojis in Emails?
Emojis are personable assets that inject any digital conversation with humor and a light tone. Implementing emojis in emails sets the mood and context for your email since audiences aren’t directly interacting with you — the person writing or sending the emails.
All these little efforts combined directly impact email open rates and other KPIs and metrics that drive conversions for brands.
3 Ways Emojis Elevate Email Campaign Performance
1. They help your brand to stand out and get noticed in a crowded pool of endless emails.
According to Forbes, the average person receives about 200 emails per day. Imagine going through all words and no visuals in your inbox. Emojis just do it better.
Here’s a screenshot of my Promotions inbox, for instance. Which emails do you notice first? Of course, those with emojis.
2. Emojis add emotion to your message.
Consumers don’t always know what you’re feeling or the tone of the message you’re trying to send across. And in this case, the right emoji can make all the difference in making your message stand out without being too pushy or promotional.
3. Less is more.
You can use a compilation of a few emojis to convey an entire sentence in a more thoughtful, engaging, and playful manner.
How MailCon Uses Emojis To Engage Audiences
While we use emojis in subject lines, it’s good to note that you don’t have to limit yourself to subject lines only. Incorporating these icons throughout the text and preview text will add another layer of fun to the equation.
Here’s how MailCon has done both:
See below where we sent a toast to our attendees and sponsors in this post-event email. The subject line read “From All of Us ?.”
We elevated that positive note by sprinkling the same emoji language in the email to reflect whatever the subject line teased — a lovey, positive note. The bottom of that email read, “We ❤️ Our Sponsors.”
Again, a warm message goes a long way in attracting your subscribers’ attention and carrying that positive theme throughout your email communication.
3 Tips on How You Can Implement Emojis in Your Email Subject Lines
1. Develop a Brand Voice and Use Emojis That Work
Many brands in tax, finance, law, and other more “serious” verticals, often allow their industries to dictate whether they can use emojis in their outreach efforts. While valid to a certain extent, messaging should be more important than what may be traditional to the industry.
If you’re a corporate lawyer promoting a recent change to compliance to your email list, you can use these emojis: ?⚖️?.
If you’re an accountant, reminding your clients to file their taxes, you can use the following: ?????️?.
With emojis, the possibilities are endless; it’s just a matter of finding the right time and place to use them.
2. Trigger Emotion in the Subject Line, Draw Conversions in the Body
There is nothing consumers respond better to than a message of urgency that awakens some sort of “FOMO” or fear of missing out.
- Use time-related emojis like ⌛⏲ to let consumers know that time is running out.
- If you want to announce something, perhaps these emojis would work best: ?⚡.
- Talk about hot topics and huge sales through these emojis: ??.
3. Segment Audiences for Best Results
Of course, segmenting should come after you’ve sent test emails to internal team members or test accounts. Still, it is an optimal resource and step in capturing your audience’s attention and getting optimal open and click-through rates for your emails.
Dividing your subscriber list into categories and segments based on their interests and placement in the sales funnel will help you communicate better messages to all the right audiences at the right times.
What You Should Do Next
Remember that if you don’t have your subscribers’ attention, somebody else does. So, make the best use of your time with the subscriber by finding a brand voice that matches your offerings and their needs, spice up your email communication with emojis, and see how your open rates start to climb upwards!
Are you interested in getting more unique insights into the email and omnichannel marketing world? Stay tuned and connected with MailCon for more.
