As any app marketer will tell you, push notifications are key to any app marketing strategy. Automating push notification campaigns can help you on-board new users, nurture in-app purchases and foster loyalty among subscribers. However, getting started can daunting for publishers that are new to mobile app marketing.
Push notifications allow you to send timely, relevant messages to your app users that will inspire them launch your app and engage with content. A great way to start thinking about your marketing automation strategy, and how to schedule you push campaigns, is by defining the messages that are important to achieve each step in the app user journey, from installing the app to subscribing, and well beyond.
Here are 5 push notification campaigns every publisher should implement for their digital edition in order to boost app usage, engagement and retention.
Welcome New Users
A well written welcome message can help you direct the user towards the first important in-app event. Ask yourself: “What can I communicate to provide immediate value?” and “What should a new user accomplish on their second visit”. Depending on your strategy, this might be to read some articles in a news stream, sample an issue, make a purchase or sign in with their subscriber credentials. You may even want to consider welcoming new users with a special offer or coupon code as an incentive to make their first purchase.
Remember, the goal is to make sure the user launches your app again and doesn’t delete it!
Promote New Issues
Whether your publication is weekly or monthly, a great way to get users into your app is by letting them know that a new issue is available. Subscribers will welcome the alert as a heads up, while the temptation of a new issue can help convert users that have yet to buy a single issue.
Up-selling Subscriptions
Subscriptions are the bread and butter of circulation revenues, so it’s important to remind users of the value of subscribing. However, users don’t want to be bombarded by promotional messages and will opt-out of your push notifications if they are too sales-y. The secret is to make your pitch when it is contextually relevant and not disruptive.
One way to do this is to craft a push notification targeting users that have bought a single issue a day or two after purchase reminding them of the benefits of subscribing. Likewise, you can also offer users an “exclusive” savings on a subscription as a reward for their recent purchase.
Re-engage Subscribers
Just because an app user is a subscriber doesn’t mean that your job is done – in many ways it’s only just begun. Some subscribers are active when they first download the app, but slowly use the app less and less.
App marketers have to compete with other publishers and brands for the users attention – and this is where editorial-based push notifications can reignite interest and bring users back into your app. Entice inactive subscribers to check out the latest interview, behind the scenes video or in-depth exposé in your latest issue to help them remember why they subscribed in the first place!
Reward Active Users
Focusing on user engagement is important, but digital publishers shouldn’t forget about retention. To keep active users from spending more time in your competitors app (or even worse – deleting your app), you’ve got to build their loyalty. Publishers can send users that have completed a conversion goal, like subscribing, a thank you message that adds value.
For example, give new longtime users access to exclusive content, invite them to an event in their area, or provide them with a special offer from your advertisers. By going out of your way to thank your app users you’re giving them more reason to use your app, which will pay dividends in user retention and revenues.
Bonus: Breaking news
Push notifications can help you increase readership for your digital edition, however if your app also has a live content feed you’ve got a ace up your sleeve. Why? Because by publishing fresh content like news updates or exclusive posts you’re giving users a reason to visit your app more often, beyond the weekly or monthly visit to read a new issue. As such, you can send push notifications to alert users of breaking news or articles that are trending, establishing your app as THE place to get relevant, up to the minute information or entertainment.
To conclude, these push notification campaigns are the foundation to a marketing automation strategy for your mobile app. As you gather more user and usage data it’s important to optimize your push strategy targeting through personalization & geolocation in order to further increase conversions, build loyalty and ultimately enable you to generate more mobile revenues.
