With this week’s observance of World Emoji Day (You are celebrating, right?), perhaps there is no better time than the present to examine how utilizing emojis, GIFs, and memes into your marketing efforts can make a big difference. Read on to catch up on the latest on visual language marketing as well as the other recent news and events you should know.
Does your digital communication speak the right language? ¯_(ツ)_/¯
For small to mid-sized U.S.-based organizations, there often isn’t a reason to translate content into other languages outside of English given the cost of translation work and the smaller potential return on investment. But even if you aren’t translating or publishing content into Spanish, French, or any other global language, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t need to consider other languages.
So, which languages should you consider? Your audience might suggest you take a closer look at the language of emojis, GIFs, and memes? You may be skeptical that these are languages, but there is no arguing the evidence that millions of people employ memes, GIFs, and emojis into their daily digital communication.
In a video on the PBS Idea Channel, host Mike Rugnetta expounds on the effect emojis have on communicators in allowing them to reach people in new ways.
“The excitement in this situation is that beyond using language and speech, insofar as it is being made with things like emoji, the opportunity exists to make language and accessories to it as interesting and varied as the communities of people who will be using it,” Rugnetta said. “And I hope that we continue to take those opportunities.”
Of course, as is true with any language, it takes some practice and skill to speak fluently. If you are not yet utilizing memes, GIFs, or emojis in your content, now may be a good time to start. But if you aren’t currently speaking this visual language, perhaps it is best to tiptoe into this new world — not do cannonballs. So what should you understand about each of these formats as you decide if they make sense in your marketing efforts?
Emojis
- According to the Emogi Consumer Science Team, more than 2.3 trillion mobile messages that incorporate emoji are sent each year.
- The appropriate use of emojis can increase open rates in emails.
GIFs
- GIFs may be effectively used on multiple platforms, including email, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr.
- Some types of GIFs that a brand can use include reaction GIFs, illustration and cartoon GIFs, illusion GIFS, cinemagraphs, and branded GIFs.
- GIF-supplying sites like Giphy are large corporations who will continue to provide new content for usage. For example, Giphy has 300 million daily active users and a staff of nearly 80 people.
Memes
James McCrae, Strategy Director at Blue Fountain Media, offers these five guidelines for meme marketing:
- Speak the language by hiring people who understand and use memes in their daily lives.
- Don’t be afraid to have a little fun. You don’t want to betray your brand’s voice, but you also don’t need to be too serious.
- Focus on the group for whom the memes are intended. Not everybody will understand.
- Use hashtags and engage with audiences to increase meme shareability.
- Be timely with the memes you use. Pay attention to the conversation and share memes when they are relevant.
YouTube is releasing a copyright match tool. The tool allows video creators to search the site for unauthorized uses of their copyrighted material. When the tool finds matches, creators can review the list and determine if they want to report the violations.
A study with new relevance finds that online success doesn’t necessarily lead to offline engagement. The study concludes that offline conversations are held by a different group than online conversations, which tend to skew female and younger.
The YouTube-certified Video Marketing World conference is coming in August. Event organizers expect the Dallas-based event could sell out as early as by the end of July. Full-access as well as virtual-only tickets are currently still available.
Facebook adds new tools to Ad Manager. Among other things, the new tools allow brands to add text overlays to ads, crop images, and add shapes, stickers, and logos. New filters also allow brands to adjust the color of the ads they run.
