The logo for Jo Francis. There are two orange squares, one big and one small, that overlap in the corner. The words Jo Francis interrupt the line of the larger square.
An image of lots of different emojis. On the left side of the image there is an orange rectangle with a grey rectangle layered over the top with orange text reading ‘Could emojis in your Facebook ads be damaging your brand?’ and on the right side of the image there is an orange circle with white text reading ‘Jo Francis’

Could emojis in your Facebook ads be damaging your brand?

/ Facebook Ad Tips / By

Ah emojis. 

We seem to have a love hate relationship with them. No one is ever half hearted about emojis. You’re either all in, or you’re completely out. 

Me?

I love them!

I can literally have a whole conversation with my business bestie based solely on emojis. And be fully understood. And be roaring with laughter (on my own, in my home office, like a mad woman)… 🤷‍♀️

Emojis bring me joy!

But… I get that they’re not for everyone. 

I really felt this recently when a client messaged me to say “I know you love emojis, but could we have a few less in our ads”…

Oh. 

And this got me thinking. 

I could reply and say that statistically ads with emojis perform better, but it’s not necessarily all about that and in truth this client had a valid point. 

So here’s some things to think about, if you are going to use emojis in your Facebook ads.

Do emojis fit in with your brand image?

You know your brand best, and whilst emojis can be seen as fun, lighthearted and playful, if this is not how your brand is perceived then it may well be that they aren’t suited to you. Attracting your ideal audience involves finding the “voice” of your business, and knowing how to talk to your ideal audience in a way that is authentic to you and also appealing to them.

It is possible to use “sensible” emojis in your Facebook ads

When we think of emojis, it’s often the silly ones that come to mind – crying with laughter 🤣, pile of poo 💩, crazy face 🤪… but there are a lot more descriptive emojis that might work for your brand without being seen as daft or frivolous…

✅ Ticks make great bullet points in ads, as does the flame 🔥 or a star 🌟 – they’re just eye catching and make the copy stand out more.

Pointing up ☝️, down 👇, left 👈 or right 👉 are also great ways to emphasise a part of your copy.

Even the emoji numbers can be used to list out points. 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣

So don’t instantly dismiss the use of emojis in your Facebook ads before really delving in to what’s available.

The one constant tab open on my screen is Emojipedia, where you can easily find exactly the emoji you need in any situation!

Emojis in Facebook ads DO resonate with people

Emojis add extra emotion to a message, and sometimes they portray a lot more than words alone can do.

  • Celebrating a launch – add in the chink of glasses 🥂
  • Re-opening your doors after lockdown- the hand clapping emoji is a great one 👏
  • Got some new fitness gear – the running and weight lifting emojis work really well here 🏃‍♀️🏋️
  • Sharing some amazing feedback – add a bit of customer love with some hearts 🥰😍
  • Top selling product, selling out fast – add a flame! 🔥

Again, it has to feel right for you, but I definitely love seeing emojis in Facebook ads.

You can always split test your Facebook ads

Facebook gives you the opportunity to A/B split test your ads, so if you’re in two minds about whether or not emojis will work for your brand then test two versions – one with and one without emojis.

The results of the test will give you a really good indication of how your target audience reacts to your ads and whether the emojis enhance the success of your ads.

Don’t go emoji crazy in your Facebook ads!

If you do feel comfortable that emojis sit well with your brand, then go right ahead and use them in your Facebook ads, but don’t go mad!

Use them sparingly and appropriately, you are not trying to tell a story with emojis you are just using them to emphasise a point or convey an emotion.  Too many emojis can look unprofessional, spammy and confusing.

Overall, the use of emojis in your Facebook ads is very much down to personal choice, but remember it’s about your AUDIENCE and what they like, more than what you personally like. And HubSpot advise that emojis in a Facebook post can increase the number of likes by 57 percent and the number of comments and shares by 33 percent so it’s highly likely that this carries through to ads as well as posts.

If you’re still unsure of the best way forward, we can talk about your ad copy along with your full ad strategy in a Power Hour, so that you have a clear plan of how to move forward with Facebook ads.