Push Notifications: A How-to And Why-to Guide

To app, or not to app, that is one of the questions businesses need to answer for themselves today. Fortunately,

High Acceptance Rate

According to a Responsys survey, when mobile device users download a brand app, they enable push notifications at a rate of 70 percent. Even better, 76 percent of the coveted 18-34 year olds opt in.

The news gets even sweeter. The single most important reason consumers fire up push notifications when they download brand apps is so they can receive special offers and news about sales. In other words, your best customers are greasing the skids to increased sales, if you handle your push notifications properly.

Another reason push notifications are enabled is because consumers want updates, such as shipping information. Again, this gives you a powerful channel through which you can build brand loyalty.

Clicking on tracking numbers is so 2012.

Be ‘Pushy’ Yet Smart

There are some guidelines and some best practices that you should observe when you make push notifications part of your digital marketing plans.

1. Don’t overdo it. The main reason people do not enable push notifications is fear of overuse. This is what has ruined digital marketing tools from banner ads to emails. The way to stand out from the crowd is to be the one tall guy in a crowd of a thousand. Pick your spots. Of course, if you’re sending order tracking information, send whenever you have pertinent information, which brings us to our next point.
2. Make your notifications relevant and valuable. There’s an oriental carpet seller I know who has been running a “going out of business sale” for the last seven years. In the phrase “special offer” the important word is “special.” Train your customers to know that when they receive a push notification from you, it deserves their consideration.
3. Use your analytics. Tailor your offers and your content to segments of your customer base. Don’t think that “one size fits all.” This is as simple as recognizing time zones so you don’t bother people at inopportune times to as sophisticated as predicting buying behavior. Do you know who has abandoned shopping carts? If so, a coupon code might be in order. Also, allow your users to set preferences.

I like brand apps and push notifications because they give both the consumer and the business control. Apps can be installed and removed at any time as can enabling or disabling push notifications. The relationship requires genuine interest on the part of the consumer and genuine value and respect on the part of the business.

That’s the way it should be.

Images: ”Woman using her Mobile Phone in the street, night light Background/ Shutterstock.com“

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