Today marks the sixth celebration of #WorldEmojiDay. What started as a marketing gimmick by a Japanese company has now become a pop culture phenomenon that fuels communication through social channels. Emoji’s are incredibly popular and are said to be used by 92% of the population, but my favorite way to use Emoji’s is using the free Bitmoji app.
Just like photos, Emojis help us say what we want to say faster and easier and sometimes in a more dramatic or 
comical way. For instance, I am blessed to have a husband that brings me coffee every morning. (I know… don’t be #Jelly). On the rare occasions that I sleep in, when I wake up, I send a Bitmoji like this to my husband. No words are exchanged, but he knows how I’m feeling and instead of saying “I’m awake.”, or “Coffee please!”, he gets the gist of how intense the urge for caffeine is! 
In book #5 in my #12Books12Months project, Direct Selling 301: The Entrepreneurs Guide to Using Social Media and Live Video to #RockThatStream, I share about how important engagement is in Social Media. Your goal is to connect with people and inspire them to engage in your content. Photographs were our primary means of doing that before, but now… There’s a Bitmoji for that.
With a few clicks, one image can share a lot of information…
We can compliment someone, show support or express emotions. We can also commiserate, apologize, encourage others, or just state our current mood. It is a fun way to express yourself.
A few weeks ago we were experiencing a series of earthquakes that were stressing me out. Posting in text format about an earthquake might get people’s attention, but posting this (WHOA!) Bitmoji got people’s attention and created connection on the post. The same day as the multiple earthquakes I got a call from the doctor at my son’s camp saying he had a concussion and was on his way to the hospital and I posted this. (This is NOT happening!)
It conveyed that I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and when people can identify a feeling, it immediately connects 
them to your emotional journey. Since the brain processess images 60,000 times faster than text, you can see how much easier it is for people to catch what you are trying to convey when you use images and Emoji’s or Bitmoji’s. It is like having a personal artist at your disposal that creates a graphic to reflect how you are feeling at a moments notice.
One of my favorite things about Bitmoji’s is that in less than five minutes, you create a character that looks like you, including the way you dress! That is a game changer because it adds another dimension to the psychology of people connecting with you. (It is equivalent to a Jedi Mind Trick!) 
(Use the Force)
Let’s have some fun for #WorldEmojiDay by communicating with Emoji’s and Bitmoji’s. Tag me in your posts and I promise to engage with you so we can increase your relevance on Social Media (you need to read the chapter in Direct Selling 301: The Entrepreneurs Guide to Using Social Media and Live Video to #RockThatStream called “Just call me AL!”) so you can really #RockThatStream. I know you can do it… because (I Believe in You)
Until next week,