How to Prevent New User Churn Using Onboarding Messaging?
Every business marketing strategy works for two types of users: existing and new. While you will get tips and tricks to retain existing users, you also need to retain new users. An old Microsoft study show that an adult loses focus in 8 seconds, and unsurprisingly, it is applicable almost everywhere, including onboarding new users.
The onboarding process is like the first impression of a user's journey. It influences their initial experiences and shapes their perception of the platform.
But how do you do that? How do you analyse if it’s a new user churn? Once you identify them, what should you do to retain new users? No worries! In this blog, we'll explore key strategies to prevent new user churn by leveraging effective onboarding messaging.
What is User Churn?
Understanding user churn is simple. It’s an action in which people stop using a product or service. It's like customers leaving or cancelling subscriptions. The churn rate is the percentage of customers lost over a specific period. High churn is a problem because it means a lot of people are quitting, which can hurt a business. That's why businesses keep trying to keep customers happy and engaged to reduce churn and grow their user base.
Why is it important?
User churn directly affects business revenue. Why? Because acquiring new customers to replace churn users is costly. That's why it is essential to retain existing customers.
How do You Prevent User Churning?
Following are the tips that you can use to refine your marketing strategy and prevent user churning.
1. Understand Your Audience:
Start by identifying your audience and understanding them thoroughly. Recognise their likes, dislikes, preferences, and needs. This understanding will enable you to create relevant content tailored to them. When you communicate what resonates with your audience, you establish a closer connection with your users.
### 2. Clear Value Proposition:
Your content should be straightforward, clear, and concise. Users should quickly grasp the purpose and understand the benefits of using your service at a glance. Use simple language and highlight how your platform can solve their problems or enhance their experiences.
3. Gradual Onboarding:
Do not overwhelm new users with information. This may elicit a feeling of frustration and abandonment among your users. Use a gradual onboarding approach, introducing key features step by step. Start with the basics and progressively introduce more advanced functionalities. This helps users build confidence and familiarity with your platform at their own pace.
4. Interactive Tutorials and Walkthroughs:
Engage users with interactive tutorials and walkthroughs. Provide them with visual help, such as tooltips, guided tours, or videos, that can effectively demonstrate key features. Also, make sure these tutorials are easily accessible and not intrusive, allowing users to explore while learning.
5. Personalised Messaging:
Use the user’s data and preferences to personalise onboarding messages. Address users by their names and tailor messages based on their interactions with the platform. Personalisation creates a sense of individual attention, making users more likely to stay engaged.
6. Highlight Success Stories:
Share your existing users’ experience. Share success stories or case studies of people who have benefited from your platform. Positive testimonials from others can boost confidence and inspire new users to dive deeper into your platform. It works especially well when these success stories match the goals or challenges your new users are dealing with.
7. Feedback Loops:
Ask users for feedback as they go through onboarding. Use surveys or simple questions to understand their experiences. Analysing this feedback helps you make ongoing improvements to the onboarding process and fix any issues users might be facing.
8. In-App Messaging and Notifications:
Use in-app messages and notifications wisely. Send messages at the right time to help users with onboarding, update them on important information, or suggest personalised tips. But be careful not to send too many notifications, so you don't overwhelm users. Finding the right balance is key.
9. Gamification Elements:
Make the onboarding process more fun by adding game-like features. Things like rewards, badges, or progress trackers can make it enjoyable and encourage users to finish the onboarding steps. This not only keeps users interested but also gives them a feeling of accomplishment.
Conclusion:
The purpose of onboarding messaging is to engage new users, thereby reducing the churn rate. As mentioned in the blog, start with understanding your audience and use these tips when creating messages. Leverage personalisation as it builds stronger connections with users.
Also, use interactive elements so you can create a positive impact on users, leading to long-term relationships and satisfaction. Furthermore, continuously analyse user feedback and iterate on your onboarding process to ensure it remains effective in retaining new users.
