October 9, 2017
To celebrate the release of iOS 11’s all new emoji set we thought it was time for a refresher course on the use of emoji in social media, to prevent some of the more common crimes against emoji.
With Apple announcing the release of everything from Hedgehogs to Wizards in the new emoji set it’s becoming more and more important to ensure they are being used correctly.
Let’s take a look at a few of the new releases coming out in iOS 11 shortly:
Hundreds of new emoji, including more emotive smiley faces, gender-neutral characters, clothing options, food types, animals, mythical creatures and my personal favourite the hedgehog are rolling out over the next few weeks, so be sure you know the basics of how to use them.
1) Don’t Default To Emoji
If the situation calls for it then sure emoji can enrich your content and add subtle meaning that could otherwise be missed, but don’t crowbar a smiley face into every post, only my 67 year old aunt does that.
2) Keep It On Brand
If your brand has a tone of voice that lends itself to emoji use then by all means throw in a hedgehog or a dude in a cowboy hat. But let’s not forget that not everyone can be Innocent Drinks, sometimes it just looks sad.
3) Know What You Are Saying
The meaning of each emoji is essentially two fold; The official meaning as listed by the creator, probably best found on emojipedia or a similar database, and the socially accepted meaning as defined by the masses. For example not all eggplants are eggplants.
4) Don’t Over Do It
Anything over 4 emoji in a tweet or post should be penalised. Seriously, some brands go overboard in an attempt to relate and end up saturating their content without defining their message at all. Don’t do it. If in doubt, stick to words.
5) Avoid Making It A Race Issue
How, in this day and age are people still getting this wrong? It’s fairly easy to avoid, just don’t. If you think you’re maybe being a tiny bit racist, you probably are. There’s no amount of training can instil common sense. If in doubt, you’re probably best to re-think whatever it is you’re trying to say.
