Push notifications, those alerts that your mobile devices display even when inactive, warning about updates, news or any activity within an application are becoming a key tool for improving your app conversion rate.
If we used to look for information in Google, now, in the time of mobile phones, the tendency is for the contents to be sent to us.
This is due to the overload of information: there are so many applications that we have installed in our cell phones that, if they do not send us a notice from time to time, we forget that they exist.
Using Push Notifications is an essential strategy to increase the interaction of your users with your application.
What is a push notification?
Push notification is one of the most effective mobile marketing strategy. It is a short message of 126 characters that are sent directly to users mobile phones. It is an effective way to get people’s attention, to report interesting news and much more.
Most importantly, users do not have to be using the app to receive notification. As a result, notifications push are the perfect tool to reach users at all times.
Steps to consider before sending your push notifications
Check the time
This step is essential to send the message to users. You should not wake them up at 5:00 a.m. for having published new content, so watch carefully. The best time to send push notifications is during the day, during working hours. A lot of people sat in the office during breaks (breakfast or lunch, for example) and that, and they may take a look at their smartphones and see their message. It all depends on the type of application you have. It is not the same to send notifications from a news application than from a tourism application.
If users live in different countries, then take in count the time difference. It may be the case that a notification sent during the day in your country is received in the middle of the night by other users of the world.
Manage Frequency
Also quite important! It is very likely that you have your own smartphone yourself, so you can get annoying receiving hundreds of irrelevant and repetitive notifications throughout the day.
This tool is as invasive as powerful, so be careful and without the uses with extreme frequency, so that your users can end up erasing your application.
Remember that quality is better than quantity. Three or four notifications a week are undoubtedly enough. In turn, just send them when you have something important to communicate.
An update of your app or the publication of an exclusive article are examples of news that could interest your users. In any case, ask yourself how valuable the information is for your users, if it is useful to the whole audience or just for a little group of people.
Write an attractive message
Keep it short and funny. Imagine that Push Notifications are like tweets: they must be direct and to the point. Your users should perceive a simple view of the importance of opening the notification in question. Otherwise, you will annoy them and they will discard the idea of seeing it.
Do not leave in the air what you expect from your users. Take a clear call to action if you pursue your response.
If it is a discount, highlight the quantity and how to use it. For example: “20% discount for haircut with the following code: PROMOCODE”. In case of new written content, do not just say “here is a new interesting article”. Summarize the topic.
Do not overdo it
The secret of success here is finding the balance between providing interesting and useful information, at the right time, and without disturbing the user. Avoid repeating much the same notification, or fill your user’s cell phone by sending lots of messages every day.
Choose carefully what you want to send, select the content that best suits the speed and immediacy of Push Notifications.
Warning your users of a lightning-fast promotion or re-scheduling certain scheduled events will look great on a notification.
Hit the mark
Knowing your audience can make the response rates to Push Notifications, which are themselves high (between 40% and 60%), even higher.
Reaching a user with a message appropriate to their profile increases the chances of interaction and success.
Example: If your makeup products meet promotional prices, send notifications to a large number of men who are not interested, will not generate good results. Target the sending to the female audience and chances of success will increase.
Analyze the results
Take advantage of the fact that sending Push Notifications has no extra costs, and try to find the best result.
Try shorter texts, then longer ones. Or try texts with a formal style, and then with a more colloquial style.
Evaluate responses and try to understand how users respond to your warnings. This way your notifications will improve and be more efficient.
As you can see, push notifications are very important when creating your app and retaining users. Follow these steps and you will see how your app becomes the favorite of your users.
