There has been a rise in the use of mobile devices to surf the internet in recent years. Mobile device use has overtaken the use of desktops in the past year. This increase in mobile internet access has made it necessary for businesses and companies to switch gears to prioritizing mobile.
Mobile-Friendly Websites Are The Present and Future of Online Marketing
Many websites are now mobile friendly, and companies have created strategies for marketing to smartphones and tablets. Even Google is trying to make sure that internet access is better for mobile users. They are going as far as sanctioning those websites that do not optimise their sites for mobile viewing and navigation. However, a rise in mobile internet access has led to a decline in email open rates. Even fewer people open their emails, making it necessary for the email marketing strategy to be revised and made more effective.
While that revision is happening, businesses still need to go on, making sales and generating revenue. As such, companies have adopted a different channel of communication to help them reach out to their target audiences and potential customers.
Push Notifications: What Are They?
Push notifications were first used by Blackberry in their devices to alert their users about unopened emails or new messages. Since then, push notifications have evolved in use and importance, becoming a key marketing tool for businesses worldwide, irrespective of size or scale.
Push notification technology sends messages directly to the mobile device of a customer in real-time, even when the user is not on your company’s website, or has not even opened a browser.
Push notifications are a great way for businesses to engage their audience, and they help your company by:
- Allowing you to promote products and services, especially special offers and discounts, directly to the customer’s device, rather than to their email or on social media
- Informing your customers of your social media platforms and directing them to view your pages
- Building your brand reputation with the delivery of great content, which also builds customer trust and loyalty in you and your brand
- Engaging customers who are not currently visiting your site
- Notifying customers of carts they have abandoned (mainly for eCommerce applications)
Push notifications are very effective for boosting customer engagement and increasing conversion rates. Many companies, irrespective of business type, size, or scale, are all making use of web push notification technology in their marketing strategy.
Advantages Of Push Notifications
Push notifications are very effective for reaching out to many demographics. Statistics show that a high percentage of customers opt-in to receive push notification messages. An even higher percentage claiming to respond to the messages they receive.
Push notifications allow you to send messages directly to the customers’ screens. Not through their emails (which they may not open) and social media (which they may not see in time), even when they are not currently viewing your site. These messages appear in front of them in real time, prompting them to respond immediately.
Push notifications have recorded higher opt-in rates than emails in recent years. Also, push notifications tend to get far more click-through rates than email links, increasing the chances of making conversions.
Disadvantages Of Push Notifications
Just as was the case with email marketing, companies tend to go overboard with push notifications. The same thing happens with email campaigns. Sending irrelevant content to customers will turn them off your business, and encourage them to opt out from receiving push notifications from you.
Some businesses tend to be overly aggressive with push notifications, mainly because they want to stay ahead of the competition. But sending your customers notifications every hour, and repeating messages that you just sent them via email in your push notifications, will also create unwanted results.
Ways Companies Boost Customer Engagement With Push Notifications
1. Sending personalised messages to customers.
Sending generic, one-size-fits-all messages have fallen off the wayside now. Getting personal with customers is what is in. Push notifications are also a great way to send targeted, personalised messages to your customers, even using their names and their location. This will capture their attention and prompt them to carry out the desired action you have prompted them for.
2. Sending messages about things that the customers care about.
An app that is specially made for providing information to expectant parents about their unborn child is a great way to provide valuable content to that group of people. They will also value your services and your product and refer other expectant people to your brand.
3. Remind them about their abandoned carts.
When a customer or a visitor places items in a cart, and then leaves your site without proceeding to checkout or emptying their cart, you can use push notifications to remind them of this and tell them of the awesome deals they are missing out on by leaving their cart like that. You can increase your conversion rates and boost customer engagement by using push notifications this way.
4. Segmenting your audience (if you have a large audience).
By getting your customers’ information from your database, you can know exactly what each customer wants, and send targeted, personalised notifications to them. Segmenting your audience will give your push notifications more impact, and will improve your conversion rates.
5. Sending messages based on your customers’ history.
Using your customer history will give you plenty of information on their buying habits and how they interact with your business. You can also get information on how to re-engage customers who have stopped coming to you for business. These push notifications are highly personalised and are meant to get customers what they want or need. This engages the customers more, improving loyalty and trust in your brand.
Thank you. Such valuable information in this blog really helps me in the future.