Why implement Push Notifications in your marketing campaigns?

Already, many companies are implementing the push notifications into their marketing strategy. At Digital Response we still remember the moment when some of our clients asked us to incorporate this new form of communication into their strategy. With the evolution of smartphones and apps, marketing departments have had to find new forms of communication adapted to this context. In this case, push notifications complement apps and allow to have a direct and non-intrusive contact with the user.

In this post we will look at exactly what are push notificationstheir different typeswhat benefits we get from implementing them and what elements we must take into account.

What are Push Notifications? 

Push notifications are instant messages that the user receives on his or her devices. It is a form of communication via the Internet in which the sending request originates on the server. Normally when we think of them, only those notifications that we receive on our smartphone once we have installed a company's app come to mind. However, promotional SMS, messages sent to us by the web browser or even messages notifying us of a new email are also push notifications.

In this post, we will focus on those push campaigns that we receive through our smartphone apps. They are, without a doubt, one of the mobile strategies with the highest ROI.

Types of Push Notifications

Push notifications are divided into different types depending on what we have set out to achieve with them.

• Notifications of sales or special discounts

These are the push notifications we are most used to receiving. They are launched in sales period or when the company decides to put in promotion some specific products. Often, in order to encourage the use of the app, the promotion is only valid if the transaction is made from the app, excluding purchases via the website or in the physical shop. Here are some examples:

• Loyalty Campaigns

As the name suggests, these notifications inform users of the benefits they can obtain thanks to their loyalty. They can let you know how many points you have accumulated, how many you have left to move to the next loyalty level, congratulate you on your birthday or thank you for a purchase you have made.

• Targeted campaigns

These would be push campaigns designed based on the user's behaviour in the app: visits, clicks, transactions not carried out, purchases, etc.

• What's new in the app

These push notifications help communicate to the user what's new and updated in the app that the company thinks they need to know about to get the most out of it. For example, they can inform them of a new section or feature.

• Update the app

The purpose of this push notification is to inform users of the existence of a new app update. In this way, they will be able to make use of the latest version and all its new features.

What are the benefits of implementing them?

Push notifications help to improving engagement between user and brand. On the one hand, we have a user who has downloaded the company's app and, therefore, we know that they are interested in the possible new products or offers that the company may launch. By receiving the notification on their smartphone, in such a direct and personal way, they are more likely to take action after receiving it. Therefore, we could say that they drive a certain specific activity with the message, while at the same time increase ROI. On the other hand, they help us to user retention and loyalty thanks to their dual function: offering a range of benefits while improving communication with the customer.

Recommendations for creating effective Push Notifications

Finally, we leave you with a series of recommendations to make your push campaigns as effective as possible:

• Set a goal for your push campaign. You need to be clear about what you want to achieve from the user who receives it: interaction, loyalty, conversion...
• Don't be pushy. It is good that the user has you in his or her top of mindbut always in the right measure. It helps to have a planned calendar and determine the specific days and times when you will send to users. This way you will have a more detailed view of the frequency of your campaigns.
• As in the case of email, it is also important for push campaigns to be well targeted. Your messages will be more effective and more in line with the interest of the user in question. Here are some criteria that can help you:
  • Age
  • Sex
  • Active, non-active and loyal users
  • Operating system
  • User behaviour or in app events
  • App version
• Go for emojis! If you take a look at the push notifications we have seen above, you will see that emojis are often used. They give a closer touch to the message and are adapted to the "smartphone" and "social media" context.