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Emoticons increase the open rate up to 70%, but at that same time, only 6.9% of subject lines include them. Why don't companies use such a powerful tool?
First, uncertainty about how even an ordinary smiley face will appear on users' screens. Windows 7 or macOS Catalina 10.15? Android or IOS 14? These operating systems display emojis differently, and the older platforms might replace them with empty black squares.
Secondly, email specialists are afraid of risk. They acknowledge voice assistants such as Siri and Alexa that verbalize the emojis' meanings. As you know, some titles are weird.
People are social creatures. We communicate, express our emotions, and use body language to clarify our attitude toward the event or situation.
We find it challenging to show our feelings while typing heartless black letters on a white screen. But human emotion is a vital part of communication with another person, and emojis come to aid here.
- They highlight the email among the black hole in our inbox. 93.1% of subject lines are pure "black and white," and emojis draw the eye right to your message;
- They add a friendly tone, and a recipient treats your email more positively;
- They show an emotional aspect of an email copy.
Marketing leverages psychology to understand customers better and make an impact. Albert Mehrabian's rule says that when it comes to personal communication, words account only for 7%. The non-verbal elements are the key players here. 55% of the transmission of feelings happens with body language. The movements of the small muscles around the eyes have meaningful roles as they transmit shock, doubt, or disgust. Hence, email marketers use smiley faces to display the mood of black and white symbols.
Emoji to shorten the text
If a subject line is too long, replace the word with emojis. This way, your subject line will fit the limitations and display fully on smartphone screens.
Examples
New message is waiting for you → New is waiting for you
Get your money back - use a 50% discount → Get your back - use a 50% discount
Diversify the subject line with emoticons to show what mood you want to communicate to the recipient.
Examples:
Let your relationships be full of love → Let your relationships be full of love ???? We're happy to meet you → We're happy to meet you ????
Emphasize the purpose, importance, and awesomeness of your message by selecting the appropriate emoji.
Examples:
Welcome on board, Jake! → ???? Welcome on board, Jake!
Log in alert. Is that you? → ❗Log in alert. Is that you?
Free sushi delivery only today → ???? Free sushi delivery only today
The most dangerous countries for you [TOP 5] → ???? The most dangerous countries for you [TOP 5]
At Sendios, we try to incorporate the latest trends into our newsletters and test them asap. We have prepared three questions you should answer before sending subject lines with emojis:
Do they reflect the meaning of the text?
Do not insert emoticons just to attract attention. They should have a purpose and be relevant to the topic.
Bad example:
Online shopping brings joy ????
Good example:
Online shopping brings joy ????️ or Online shopping brings joy ????
A little reminder: voice assistants verbalize emoticons’ meaning, so they should match your interpretation and help users understand the text better.
Bad example:
Get 50% off on all kinds of massag ????♂️
Good example:
Get 50% off on all kinds of massage ????
????♂️ - often such emojis are interpreted as “Man Getting Massage,” but its' actual meaning is “Man Bowing.”
???? - “Person Getting Massage”
How to find out what your users prefer? Do an experiment:
1️⃣ analyze the audience and divide the segments by age;
2️⃣ create 3-5 subject lines and send them out;
3️⃣ check which option brings the best performance;
4️⃣ update subject lines using new insights.
Our A/B tests show that an audience aged 35-55 years prefers standard topics or personalized with their name. But, young people (18-34 years old) open emails with emojis in the subject more often.
Some sample subject lines with emoji from different companies
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. We are always ready to help!
Start sending with Sendios today.
