Mobile Push Notification: Best Practises to Engage and Retain Users
Push notifications are messages sent to a user's device from a website, app, or other service. But to be effective, you need to follow some best practises. When used correctly, they can increase user retention, loyalty, and even conversions. However, if done wrong, they can easily become annoying and drive users away. This post provides best practises for using mobile push notifications to engage users without overwhelming them.
What are Push Notifications?
Push notifications are clickable messages that pop up on the mobile screen or tablet. It may contain the latest updates or abandoned cart reminders. The two major categories of typical push notifications may have:
- Promotional Notifications: These are notifications that are sent to promote products, services, or special offers to users. It can be a new blog post, a new release, a weekend sale, a new mobile feature, etc.
- Transactional Notifications: These are notifications triggered by specific user actions or transactions, such as order confirmations, shipping updates, or password resets. Other transactional messages could be likes on your social media post, comments, appointment reminders, etc.
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Which Devices Can Receive Mobile Push Notifications?
Mobile push notifications can be received on various devices, including smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches. They are commonly supported on both iOS and Android devices, making them accessible to a wide range of users. It's important to ensure that your push notification strategy is compatible with the devices and operating systems that your target audience uses.
Why Mobile Push Notifications?
A survey found that nearly half of the people (49% of consumers) would use an app more if it sent them messages related to their hometown. But there are other good reasons to use push notifications:
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Instant communication with users
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Increased user engagement
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Personalised content delivery
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Targeted marketing opportunities
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Improved retention and user re-engagement
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Real-time updates and alerts
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Enhanced customer support and service
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Higher conversion rates
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Opt-in nature increases relevancy and reduces spam
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Cost-effective compared to other marketing channels.
What are the Best Practises for Push Notifications?
According to Business of Apps, if users receive three to six notifications per day from an app, 40 percent of users lose interest. To avoid this, it's essential to follow best practises for mobile push notifications.
Push notifications are a powerful tool for engaging, retaining, and delighting users. To get the most out of them, it's important to follow best practises. Let's go through some of them:
Bullseye Your Audience:
The first rule of push notifications is to know your target audience inside out. Segment your users based on their preferences, behaviours, and demographics. Once you have that down, tailor your notifications to their tastes. Remember, it's all about delivering personalised and relevant content that makes them feel like you've got their back!
The Personal Touch:
Picture this: you receive a push notification that addresses you by your name and offers recommendations based on your past app interactions. Pretty cool, right? Personalisation adds that extra flavour to your notifications, making users feel special and understood.
Don't Be a Buzzkill:
Nobody likes irrelevant notifications clogging up their screen space. Keep it real and relevant! Your notifications should be timely, informative, and genuinely valuable. Trust us; users will be itching to see what you have to say next!
Time It Like A Pro:
Timing is everything! Sending push notifications at the perfect moment can work wonders. Pay attention to time zones, user activity patterns, and the nature of your app. That way, you'll hit them right in the sweet spot when they're most likely to take action. You can use the Notifly API to help you schedule and send these timely push notifications effectively.
Call Them to Action:
Want users to jump into action? Give them a clear call to action in your notifications. Whether it's to open the app, make a purchase, or respond to a message, tell them what to do, and they'll be happy to oblige!
Respect Their Wishes:
We all love choices, don't we? Well, so do your users. Some might not be fans of push notifications, and that's okay. Offer them an easy opt-out option, and they'll appreciate your consideration.
Conclusion
Push notifications are a powerful tool for engaging, retaining, and delighting users. As you implement these best practises, you'll see a surge in user engagement, retention, and overall satisfaction. Push notifications will no longer be an annoyance but a delightful way to connect with your users and provide them with value.
