Well... what can I say?
:-)
I think this article is spot on! Some people might not enjoy reading an email full of emoticons, but others will not mind at all. :-P
:D
Ok... now seriously.
The point the author makes in this article is that if you are targeting a general audience, you might be better off refraining from the use of emoticons. The main reason is that those who like/tolerate them are not going to miss them on your emails, but those who don't understand or just don't like them will probably unsubscribe.
I thought this one was a fun one... :*-(
Enjoy,
Guillermo
An article entitled, “For better or worse, adults learn to say it with emoticons” by Alex Williams points out the juvenile nature of emoticons, yet it also pinpoints the growing acceptance of the symbols among adults.
For those unfamiliar with the term emoticon you may recognize them by their smiley faces in email correspondence.
Emoticons are blasted by critics as making full use of the English language an archaic notion. Users started out in the 90’s using simple black and white smiley faces or even symbols such as :) to demonstrate their emotion.
Users will indicate emoticons help them convey feelings more quickly without the need for extra words. When time is of the essence emoticons apparently can help shave precious minutes off common electronic correspondence.
Forum users are notorious for using emoticons in their posts. Many have argued that the use of emoticons is simply helpful in letting other users know their intent when writing. Because our words can be misunderstood the feeling is that by using emoticons we can help readers understand if we are being sarcastic or if we meant the post in fun. Emoticons can alert others to times when we are sad or just plain silly.
Emoticons have even gone hi-tech in that some have moved to animated status with emoticons that demonstrate laughter, fear or surprise.
Some business owners are not happy with the use of emoticons. In a traditional sense they consider such use to be infantile and does not exude a professional approach to correspondence.
While some would agree, others side heavily with the use of emoticons in everyday correspondence – even business correspondence.
Emoticons to email marketing in this regard; you will probably have greater success in email marketing if you do not use emoticons.
Now, why would I say that when I just showed how many individuals are using emoticons and love to use them on a personal level?
The primary reason I would not use emoticons in email marketing has to do with reaching the greatest number of potential customers.
I firmly believe that emoticon users will be forgiving if you do not use emoticons, but those who despise the use of emoticons may not give your presentation a fair hearing if you decide to use emoticons.
As a business owner you will want as much opportunity for business success as possible and if it means you must be more creative in using actual words to express yourself it may be a small price to pay to gain the largest potential for positive response.
When it comes to emoticons you can love them or leave them, but in email marketing it may be best to leave them for use in more informal email correspondence.
Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of HighPowerSites and many other web projects. Get your own website online in just 5 minutes with HighPowerSites.com at: http://www.highpowersites.com Start your own ebook business with BooksWealth at: http://www.bookswealth.com
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