How to Create an Effective Online Engagement Strategy — A Comprehensive Guide
When was the last time you re-opened an app because of a sneaky notification that popped up from nowhere in your screen?
Yes, that clandestine messaging that brought back your interest to an app that you already considered deleting.
And now you’re wondering why you spent $20 for a game or $99 for a 12-month subscription to Apple Music.
You’re not alone.
Each day, millions of people around the world experience the oomph of snowballing mobile marketing strategies like in-app messaging and push notifications.
These nascent trends are changing how developers are engaging their users. So it behooves both developers and marketers to understand what they are and what they can do.
Essentially, push notifications and in-app messaging are a part of a bigger omnichannel engagement strategy that covers all marketing channels.
Let’s dig in.
The Omnichannel Engagement Strategy
People’s shopping habits are changing. And marketing is evolving, too.
Having an omnichannel engagement strategy means engaging your customers on multiple channels, whether it’s through in-app strategies like in-app messaging or outside methods like SMS.
Using a single channel won’t work. On the contrary, having multiple channels means more ways of acquiring new users.
In this article, we’ll explore the most effective channels in mobile marketing today.
6 Engagement Channels:
- In-App Messaging
- Push Notifications
- In-Browser Messaging
- Web Push Notifications
- SMS
You can separate the 6 engagement channels into two categories: in-app strategies and outside-of-the-app strategies.
In-App Strategies vs Outside-of-the-App Strategies
Basically, in-app strategies are marketing campaigns that appear inside an app or web application.
They’re usually displayed as texts. The goals of in-app strategies are to drive engagement and increase conversions.
In-App Strategies:
- In-App Messaging
- In-Browser Messaging
On the other hand, outside-of-the-app strategies are marketing campaigns that are happening outside the app.
They include push notifications, email, and SMS.
Marketers and developers use them to deliver updates and, importantly, bring back users to the app or website.
Outside-of-the-App Strategies:
- Push Notifications
- Web Push Notifications
- SMS
Now that you have an understanding of what an omnichannel engagement strategy is, let’s dig deeper into each channel and find out when is the right time to use one.
1st Engagement Channel: In-App Messaging
In-app messaging is, fittingly, a way of communicating to your users within an app. Mostly, it’s done in real-time.
Engaging app users used to be difficult. But this new form of direct communication is changing how brands are interacting with their users.
Today, you can engage app users in real-time and even conduct A/B tests on the fly to optimize your messages for better conversion.
When to Use In-App Messaging
In-app messages are great for displaying promotions and showcasing special offers and in-app purchases. You can even use them to on-board your users.
Overall, in-app messages are native content and are triggered by user interactions. Use them to prolong app usage and session time.
Because the more your users play with your app, the more they’re likely to spend money for it.
You can use in-app messaging for:
- Showcasing special features
- In-app purchases
- Onboarding new users
- Personalized content
- Opt-in requests
- In-app notifications
- New app features
- Feedback requests
How to Create Effective In-App Messages
In-app messages are woven into the user experience of the app, appearing as texts or images with call-to-action buttons. And because they are personalized, they look and feel authentic.
When using in-app messaging, it’s important not to overwhelm your users. Don’t overdo it. You can create effective in-app messages by following these steps:
1. Offer high-quality, relevant content — Content is always the king. This applies to your in-app messaging. Your content must be clear enough for your users to understand. Use images, icons, and a clear call-to-action. And it needs to be relevant to where the user is at in your app.
2. Figure out the perfect time — It’s one thing to create a catchy in-app message and it’s another to know when to properly launch it. Review the customer journey and figure out when is the perfect time to display an in-app message.
3. Test your in-app messages — Prior to launching your in-app messages, make sure to conduct tests. If possible, perform some A/B testing.
2nd Engagement Channel: Push Notifications
Contrary to in-app messages, push notifications work outside the app. They’re designed to draw your attention back to an application on your phone.
Push notifications usually appear at the top of your phone’s home screen. These short texts work like alerts and are pretty effective at engaging users.
Perhaps the only caveat of this engagement channel is that users will have to accept your invitation to enable push notifications. So, it won’t work unless a user allows you to push a notification to their device.
When to Use Push Notifications
The big question is when to use push notifications in your omnichannel engagement strategy. It really depends on your goal and the information that you have.
What matters is that they’re timely, personal, and actionable, says Noah Weiss, Head of Search, Learning, & Intelligence at Slack.
Push notifications are great for:
- Time-sensitive reminders
- Flash sales
- Announcing new features
- Promotions
- Bringing back users to the app
- Abandoned shopping carts
- Payment confirmation
- Customer lifecycle campaigns
How to Create Effective Push Notifications
When done right, push notifications can increase conversion rates and customer lifetime value.
But when you abuse it by sending too many crappy notifications all at once, your users will get annoyed. They won’t hesitate to delete your app once and for all.
That’s why it’s important to send useful content. It’s also paramount to send push notifications at the right time.
Here are some things to remember when creating push notifications:
1. Send useful content — There’s a limit to the number of characters that you can use in a push notification. Make sure to use catchy, personalized messages.
2. Timing is key — Send your push notifications in a timely manner. 2 to 4 push messages in a week is optimal. Consider the time zone of your users.
3. Be clear about your goal — Are you trying to convince your users to make a purchase? Or are you urging them to use your app again? Having a clear goal will help you create a compelling call to action.
4. Perform segmentation — This simply means adjusting your push messages based on the preferences of your users.
5. Don’t forget to test — Perhaps the most overlooked phase is testing. Test your push notifications before launching them.
3rd Engagement Channel: In-Browser Messaging
In-browser messages are much like in-app messages. The only difference is that they operate on web browsers.
For it to work, a user needs to be active on the website. Meaning, the user is currently viewing the website using a web browser.
When to Use In-Browser Messages
You can use in-browser messages to target your loyal visitors and those who are actively viewing your website.
Use in-browser messaging to:
- Onboard new visitors
- Control how users navigate your website or web app
- Promote your services or products
- Cross-promote other websites
How to Create Effective In-Browser Messages
Opt-ins aren’t required for in-browser messages to appear, so marketers can actually launch campaigns without the visitor’s consent.
Here are the steps to creating your first in-browser message:
- Start by creating a short message similar to that of a push notification. If you’re inspired, you can create content-rich messages that have images on them.
- Make sure that your message is relevant and valuable to your visitors. The last thing you want to do is to waste your visitors’ time.
- Use personalization and segmentation to optimize your messages. You can create custom campaigns to target your visitors.
- Make sure to test your in-browser messages using tools.
4th Engagement Channel: Web Push Notifications
Web push notifications are similar to mobile push notifications. But, as you might have guessed, they’re built for websites and web apps.
However, unlike in-browser messages, web push notifications can only be sent to users who have agreed to enable them.
The good news is once they’re enabled, they’ll show up even if the user isn’t visiting the website. It’ll work as long as the browser is open.
When to Use Web Push Notifications
A web push notification is designed to target users who aren’t on the website. The main goal is to bring back the visitors to the website.
You can use web push notifications to:
- Encourage people to visit your website
- Drive more traffic to your website
- Send time-sensitive information
- Display activity messaging
- Show payment transactions
How to Create Effective Web Push Notifications
Web push notifications work hand in hand with in-app messages. They compliment each other.
To create your first web push notification:
- Create a new message using your preferred tool.
- Start writing your message. Remember to keep your copy short and clear.
- Segment your web push notifications.
- Don’t forget to test.
5th Engagement Channel: Email
Email continues to be an indispensable channel for many brands even as modern mediums like push notifications are becoming more popular.
One of the reasons why it’s so effective is that it offers rich content.
It also goes straight to the inbox. That’s why a lot of marketers use email for their most important campaigns.
When to Use Email
Did you know that 57% of emails are opened on mobile devices? That number is increasing each day.
So it makes sense to use email as an integral part of your omnichannel engagement strategy.
You can use email to:
- Send promotional campaigns
- Drive traffic to your website
- Target those who stopped using your app
- Send updates
- Keep your customers engaged by sending useful content
- Ask for reviews
How to Create Effective Emails
69% of phone users delete emails that aren’t optimized for mobile devices. So making your email responsive is the first step.
But there are other important practices that you can follow to make sure your emails get read.
- Personalize your emails by addressing your customers by their names.
- Keep your emails short and use catchy texts to get their attention
- Use a clear CTA early in the message. Make the buttons visible and clickable.
- Figure out the best time to send the email. Take note of your customers’ time zones.
- Segment your email campaigns.
- Test your emails. Make A/B tests if possible.
6th Engagement Channel: SMS
Lastly, there’s SMS. You simply can’t ignore this underrated marketing channel that goes straight to your customers’ phones.
SMS is a powerful conduit for marketing. Did you know that 90% of text messages are opened within 3 minutes?
They’re simple, short, and easy to read. That’s why SMS is perfect for urgent marketing campaigns. It’s free, too.
When to Use SMS
SMS is a double-edged sword, though. Some of your customers might see the channel as old and boring. But when done correctly, it can help boost conversion rates.
You can use SMS to:
- Send personalized messages
- Drive traffic to your website
- Verify payment transactions
- Send login alerts
- Re-active app abandoners
- Notify real-time information
- Send promotions
How to Create Effective SMS
The average open rate of SMS is 98%, so your chances of getting conversions are pretty high. But here are some things to keep in mind:
- Keep your texts short and sweet. 160 characters are optimal.
- Make it personal.
- Be respectful.
- Include a clear call-to-action.
- Segment your list.
- Schedule your SMS texts. Don’t send texts at night.
Omnichannel Experiences vs Multi-Channel Experiences
In a nutshell, an omnichannel engagement strategy uses multiple channels to interact with customers.
However, if the channels aren’t working together, then it’s really not an omnichannel experience.
You could be using multiple channels in your marketing, but if the user experience isn’t smooth, then it’s just a multi-channel approach.
It all boils down to the depth of the integration, says HubSpot.
Conclusion
Today’s average phone user installs more than 30 apps on his or her device. And roughly 23% of smartphone users stop using an app after one use.
Getting downloads isn’t enough. Your users need to be engaged.
That’s why you need an omnichannel engagement strategy.
But the real challenge is to make everything work. All channels must work seamlessly to engage your users.
This means that your goals, objectives, marketing campaigns, and messaging are evident across each channel.
Ultimately, you’ll know that it’s working, because your customers can feel it.
