Nowadays, we use text messages and chats as a quick form of communication, but we never take the time to carefully consider how to avoid misunderstandings of our tone. The faster the communication and the further removed from context clues like tone and body language, the greater the chances are for misunderstanding. Emoticons are a very useful tool when it comes to short messages and the expression of emotion.
Push notifications are a powerful re-engagement tool in their own right and using emoji within them allows developers to better communicate with their users. Standard push notifications can be difficult to work with since all you have is about 100 characters of text. On Android and iOS, it is possible to include emoji in the message making the message stand out and grab the user’s attention.
When To Use Emoji within Push Notifications
Emoji are great for helping users communicate, but how can they be helpful for app marketers? Putting too many emojis within a message will destroy a message rather than grab the users attention, so it’s important to create a balanced message. One or two emojis included within 100 characters seems like a reasonable number, but it is also important when and for what purpose you plan to use them.
When your main users are from the younger demographic
Like when the White House used emoji in their infographic, you can allow your push notifications to rely on emoji to get your message across to the generation that heavily relies on emoticons for communication – teenagers.
To easily draw attention to important words
E-commerce apps may want to use an emoji purse when messaging users about a handbag deal or to use the high heel emoji when promoting a flash sale of shoes. You can also use different party emoji when sending celebratory notifications for special occasions like New Years or the release of a new product.
To say a lot in a few words
Emoji allow apps to cut down on the amount of text they use in their push notifications. This saves valuable text space and makes for happier users.
How to Implement Emoji within Push Notifications using Parse
Parse’s push console lets anyone in your company send notifications with advanced targeting controls. It’s a great tool not only for developers but also for marketers because there’s no need to write code in order to reach the desired segment of users.
To send a push notification, go to Parse’s website and login to your console. Choose the Push section and scroll down to write your message. Go to this Emoji List and choose the emoji you like and copy and paste it into the message box. Scroll down to see how the push notification will look on the users’ phone.
Those little mobile emoji are a big deal and brands are using them to communicate with their users and to show that they are on top of the latest communications trends. Emoji marketing may not be for every company. If you plan to use emoji within push notification for the first time, the best would be to start small and carefully test different approaches to find what works for your brand.
