To Notify or Not to Notify
How to Use Effective Push Notifications for Mobile Marketing
You’ve downloaded apps in your smartphone and now you want to know the latest updates. Should you allow push notifications or not?
Push notifications allow a downloaded application to provide users with messages being ‘pushed’ to their phones from the server. So, what does it matter to businesses whether customers avail notifications? Businesses should take into mind the timing and design of notifications. Inconvenient sending and poorly designed notifications can make customers unsubscribe from updates and delete the app from their phones.
How do you make successful push notifications for your subscribers? Here’s advice from Brent Hieggelke and Dan Gesser:
1. Make app flexible for user notification.
An app that alerts every now and then can be annoying, especially for users who are waiting for urgent messages. Authorize users to change how and when your app alerts them to new information coming from your servers. This will make it fun for your subscribers and allow them dictate which times and methods the app they receive newly available information. For example, you have an ESPN app. Let your subscribers select a sport > a specific team > what kind of alerts they want > when they’d like to get the alerts.
2. Supply relevant messages for your users.
Subscribers enjoy messages relevant to their needs for they find it more useful and helpful. Gather data on what your users frequently purchase, download and share with your app. This will aid you in finding the right promotions on the products and services they like. Gather other pieces of data like their location to provide more customized content that complements the things they’re looking for.
3. Create well-designed notifications.
High-resolution graphics and appropriate lettering can make notifications engaging for various users. Be careful to pick designs that match the image you want to project. It might be more amenable to use traditional fonts for news apps and scripts for boutiques. The right choice of designs can make subscribers engage more with the message contents.
4. Send compelling and branded content.
When sending notifications, the content should be short and persuasive with a convincing call-to-action statement. Present subscribers with content creatively written to make them excited about your merchandise. Don’t forget to add either of the following, logo and business name, tagline or unique designs. Attaching these will make your subscribers associate your message with your brand. More brand awareness equals to more engagement.
5. Improve your notifications.
Experiment with new formats and ask feedback from your subscribers on what design/s they like best. The statistics you’ll get will help you determine which format will best attract their attention and make them more receptive to the information you’re giving.
6. Protect user privacy.
Subscribers can be very defensive about their privacy. Make sure your app is secure against malware threats to prevent customer data from leaking. Other than that, treat subscriber information as an instrument to ease customer experience with your app. It is also advisable to warn users when they have to provide personal information like date of birth, sex and other details. Frame short and straightforward terms of use and privacy policies to make subscribers easily understand all the details.
7. Plan how many times you send a notification.
Be careful not to send too many notifications to your subscribers. Your messages may be well-designed, but they could become ordinary if you send more than four notifications every week. Set up workable schedule for your notifications. You can use the time frequency strategies you use with email and SMS campaigns.
8. Monitor how much users interact with your app.
Some users may still be part of the subscriber list but they no longer interact with your app. It may be that they don’t check notifications often or they have many other apps they’re utilizing. Send a series of notifications, which you think may entice your subscribers to become active users again. Make them re-engage with notifications tailored to their product preferences. If they’re fond of clearance sales, send them updates on discounts and upcoming bargain sales. You can also inform them of new product arrivals or newly added services.
There is no single approach to reaching success with push-notification campaigns. You have to observe and study the trends shown in your analytics data to properly measure conversion and response rates. It is unavoidable for some users to uninstall your apps. Ask feedback on why they want to unsubscribe so you can investigate the causes and perform subsequent improvements.
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