How to use push message for your marketing strategy
Used correctly, push messages can be an effective tool for an efficient marketing strategy. However, as with many marketing measures, the same applies here: Do not use this tool too much. In this article, we’ll explain the benefits of push messages and how you can use them for your business with the help of our OXID eShop app.
What are push messages and why should you use them?
Push messages are notifications that can be sent from a mobile app to smartphone users who have the app installed. The sending is done from a remote server. On the smartphones of the recipients, the message then appears as a pop-up notification, similar to when you receive a new WhatsApp message or the like.
The fact that the use of push messages requires the installation of the associated app is not a bad thing per se. This way, it is ensured that the notifications also address the right target group. This is especially true if you use your mobile app as another sales channel for your store: In this case, existing customers will primarily be the ones using your app. They will most likely have a great interest in being informed about current offers, new products, or the like.
In addition, your customers will have the option to decide on the type and method of notification at any given time. Should it be a beep, a vibration or just a symbol? Hardly any other marketing tool offers its addressees so much freedom. However, there is also plenty of freedom on the user side. With push messages, the when and how can be controlled very easily and specifically. For example, you can send time-controlled notifications when a certain action is performed in the app or within a certain catchment area.
The added value of push messages as an engagement and remarketing tool is particularly evident when you succeed in reactivating your customers at a time when they had not actually planned to use your app.
Advantages of push messages:
- suitable target group address
- flexible forms of notification
- time and situation-dependent addressing possible
- increase of engagement
The dosage is crucial
Getting customers to install your app is the first important step in building lasting customer loyalty. However, it’s no use to you if they don’t use the app. Sending push messages can help you influence the user behavior of your target group, but be careful: the dosage often determines whether app users appreciate notifications or find them rather annoying. Then the flexibility we described as an advantage can quickly be reversed on the part of the recipients – they, too, are free to completely deactivate messages from a particular app. Often, however, the route of complete uninstallation is chosen, in which case you lose the opportunity to address your clientele via the mobile channel.
For this reason, you should contact your customers wisely and use push messages to introduce them only to topics that really interest them. Below, we’ll give you 5 more tips on how to optimize your push messages.
Create incentives
In order to get as many users as possible to follow the call of your messages, you should create appropriate incentives for them. Depending on the nature of your business and the app’s purpose, different rewards may come into question, such as discount coupons, loyalty points, or exclusive discounts reserved only for users of your app.
Personalize your push messages
Even when sending push messages, targeting specific audiences always works better than generic content that is the same for every addressee. Ideally, address the person by their first name. If possible, you should send the notifications based on certain behavioral patterns. For example, if your customers shop more frequently in certain categories of goods, a discount of the corresponding products will most likely attract their interest.
Let users decide
Depending on how many apps your users have in use, they may receive many push messages. This is mainly because they are enabled by default in many apps. For a particularly considerate approach to your users, they should be allowed to decide for themselves whether they want to have push messages displayed or not. You could, for example, ask them to do this when setting up the app. Of course, the number of potential recipients will be smaller compared to the default activation of the push messages, because in this way there will also be a group of users who refuse to receive your messages in the first place. However, this way you can filter your users more precisely and contact only those among them who are actually interested in the information.
Use emojis, GIFs or images
Push messages consisting only of text don’t look very creative and appealing. You can use emojis, GIFs and images to lighten them up and encourage interaction. Of course, the creative tools you use should fit the nature of your business.
Invest time in monitoring success
As is the case for all marketing measures, you should also attach importance to detailed success monitoring for push messages. This will help you unlock new optimization potential and improve engagement in future campaigns. For example, you could look at what time of day your messages are particularly popular and send them specifically at that time.
Examples of push messages
Now you know the main reasons to use push messages and how to optimize them. Below we suggest a few more usage scenarios.
Say hello
A friendly greeting often helps break the ice. This is also true in everyday business: customers feel valued by the attention they receive and are put in a positive mood. For this reason, push messages could be used, for example, to greet your new users after they have successfully installed the app. Of course, the joy is doubled if you garnish the greeting with a small welcome gift, for example, a discount on the next purchase.
Inform about your products
This form of push message is probably the most obvious: you can send short text messages to draw attention to product updates. Let your clientele know that a particularly in-demand item is now back in stock, promote discount promotions, or inform them about new products.
Minimize shopping cart abandonment
Sending push messages can also be done for retargeting purposes. If a visitor has already added products to the shopping cart but has not completed the purchase, he or she can be reminded of the omission. This way, your abandonment rates can be reduced.
Use the OXID eShop App from ESYON
ESYON has developed the OXID eShop App, a mobile channel for the process-stable store system OXID eShop. The app supports offline capability, the use of the barcode scanner for shopping cart creation and much more. Out of the box, all standard functions of OXID can be used. We are happy to support you with the individual development and creation of a mobile app for your omnichannel strategy.
