Develop a Successful Push Notifications Strategy

How to Find Success With Your Push Notifications Strategy Push notifications can be an incredibly effective way to stay connected with your audience. However, many users also find them to be annoying. Companies have to find the perfect balance between adding value to the lives of their users and overwhelming them with information or notifications. If you are ready to upgrade your push notifications strategy and develop more engaging push notifications content, then use this guide every step of the way. What Are Push Notifications? A push notification is a message sent directly from an app to an individual user, even if that app is not open. When companies discuss push notifications, they are usually talking about notifications on smartphones. However, push notifications can also pop up on computers and be linked to websites. In short, they are brief messages that appear on the screen, and they are clearly linked to a specific application the user already has. When you swipe or click on the message, it will bring up a new window and take the user to a particular page or function.A push notification looks a lot like a text message, and it functions in many of the same ways. However, a push notification wont cost the user any money as long as they have an internet connection. In addition, users typically have to opt in to receive push notifications. If for any reason they dont want to receive these notifications going forward, they can also opt out of them. Therein lies the challenge for creators: finding the balance between maximizing the potential of push notifications and preventing users from opting out of them.The Importance of a Push Notifications Strategy Some of the biggest challenges for any business or organization are keeping customers interested, holding their attention and gaining brand awareness. In all three respects, push notifications can be very effective. Even when users are not on your website or using your app, your content can pop up. Users might click through if the notification is interesting enou gh to capture their attention.A great push notifications strategy can drive traffic straight to your website. It is cheaper than traditional advertising, and it is only accessible to those who are already interested and have opted-in to the notifications. It can also be a wonderful method for delivering new content when it is created. If you write a new article about a recent or upcoming event, for example, you can get a lot of eyes on your content in a hurry.However, blanketing users with push notifications is never a smart move. It can be overwhelming to the user, and it can give your brand a negative reputation. Therefore, it is vital that any company that opts to use push notifications develops a thoughtful strategy for their employment.Why Push Notifications Content Needs to Be a Priority Before you start planning out the timing of your push notifications or thinking about the exact word choice for each one, make sure you know what your push notifications will be leading to. Af ter all, the goal is to use push notifications to drive traffic to your primary content. For that reason, you should have a solid plan for that content before you dive into the details of your strategy.If you already have a solid plan in place for content creation, then you may already be set. Great content should be valuable to your intended audience, and it can be funny, visually appealing, informative or some combination of all three. If you dont have a solid plan for content creation, it may be worth spending some time and figuring out what story you want to tell. Do you have some valuable information you want to share with potential customers? Do you want your business to be a thought leader in a particular field? Answering these questions can help you figure out what kind of content your push notifications should lead to. Developing an Effective Strategy for Push Notifications When developing a push notifications strategy, some of the key factors to keep in mind include timin g, frequency, message length and segmentation. First is the issue of timing. This is critical because if you send push notifications at inopportune times, users will either get frustrated or not see them at all. If you send a push notification in the middle of the night, for example, users are unlikely to respond to them. Using your own data indicating when users are most active on your app or site, and time your push notifications strategically for the future.Next, consider frequency. Although there are many variables to consider, more than one push notification per week is rarely recommended. With two notifications per week and up, businesses will see more opt-outs and users who stop visiting the website or app completely. Too few is always better than too many in this regard.The next factor to consider is message length. Short and sweet is always a good strategy, so aim to keep messages just a few words. This is when having a writer on hand can be helpful because someone familiar with writing copy can trim down your message to the bare minimum while still retaining plenty of user appeal.Finally, consider segmentation. If data and budget allows, separate your users into groups. Instead of sending the same message to all users, or sending all users to the same content, create segments. This allows users to receive information about the subjects or areas that are most relevant to their lifestyles. Implementing segmentation can increase click-through rates and upgrade user experiences.Case Studies: Companies Who Have Effectively Used Push Notifications Companies large and small have used push notifications to great success. Beyond the Rack is an online clothing store that started offering time-sensitive sales via email to existing subscribers. Since emails are not time-sensitive, customers often began shopping too late to take advantage of the sales. The solution was the implementation of push notifications, which encouraged shopping in real time and increased the click-through rate by 20%.Google recently promoted a case study on the use of push notifications for a Saudi Arabian company called eXtra Electronics. By implementing an effective push notifications strategy, the company was able to experience a 100% increase in sales as well as a huge jump in re-engagement.Clearly, push notifications can be a valuable tool for any business that wants to increase traffic, brand awareness or conversions. However, there has to be a strategy in place. These tips can help you develop a strategy and maintain a positive brand reputation among your desired audience.