Email notifications may be easy to ignore, but chances are if you get a notification directly from your phone screen you can’t miss it! So, what exactly are these notifications being sent to your phone and how can they help your company? They are called mobile push notifications and they create a sense of urgency among viewers.

See examples of different ways mobile push notifications can be used:

Take advantage of mobile push notifications and reach your target audience based on their wants and needs. In our previous blog post about first impressions, we discussed the importance of narrowing your target market and speaking directly to your audience. Mobile push notifications are now more customizable than ever. Meaning they can reach a designated group of customers depending on your company’s strategy. Dunkin Donuts has capitalized on this more than once.

Case In Point

After a winning game at the New York Jets stadium against the Cleveland Browns, Dunkin Donuts sent out a mobile push notification for those in the surrounding area celebrating the win. For New Yorkers who are DD Perks members, Dunkin’ Donuts was offering a medium hot coffee for one dollar, if the user paid with his or her Dunkin’ Donuts Perks-enrolled card. This customized notification allowed Dunkin to connect with their audience based on their love for the New York Jets.

Here is another example of Dunkin geo-targeting customers based on their location. Well-done Dunkin!

Still not convinced that push notifications are fitting for your industry? Check out 8 Apps That Prove Location-Based Messages Work for Any Industry.

Different Ways To Customize Push Notifications

There are numerous ways you can segment and customize the push notifications your mobile app sends out to those that have downloaded your app:

• Location— targeting a certain geographical area (see example above)
• Transactions/Payments–update customers about the status of their order
• In-App Activity–encouraging a customer to return to something they were previously visiting (i.e. items left in the shopping cart at online checkout)
• User Preference–content related to the customer based on things they’ve previously searched for or showed preference for  (i.e. prompting the customer to “choose your favorite topics/brands/etc.”)

Something to Consider…

When downloading an app on an Android device, push notifications are automatically enabled upon download. However, Apple has a stricter policy and gives the user more control when it comes to allowing mobile push notifications. Upon downloading the app, Apple gives the user two options: “allow” or “don’t allow.”

By default, Android users are more likely to be responsive to mobile push notifications than Apple iOS users. Android users direct open push notifications at more than four times the rate of iOS users, 8.2% versus 2%. Interestingly enough, the rate at which Apple users open push notifications greatly differs from Android users. iOS users open notifications much more quickly, within seven minutes, while Android users take nearly seven times that long at 48 minutes.

It is important to consider that your strategy may need to be adjusted based on the device in which you are sending push notifications to.

Rich Push?

Earlier, we spoke of mobile push notifications which included only text. But, the latest mobile marketing trend is based on rich push notifications. We all know the saying a picture says more than a thousand words… Rich push notifications, supported by both Android and iOS 10, which make it possible to include images, animated GIFs, video, and more in your urgent outreach, increase conversions by up to 57%.

Users and marketers rejoice! Rich push notifications are more effective for markers and provide a more enjoyable user experience for consumers.

See examples below of different types of rich mobile push notifications:

Conclusion

It ultimately boils down to personalization and timing. If mobile push notifications are personalized they are more relatable to the target audience and thus more likely to elicit a response. But of course, it is important to have a strategy when it comes to sending notifications. You want to keep users engaged, but don’t want to blast out messages that can become an annoyance. Too many notifications may lead to customers opt-out of mobile push notifications. Or worse, delete your app entirely.

The key is to find the balance and customize your mobile push notifications. Customization can be based on the users’ location, recent transactions/payment, in-app activity, user preferences or a combination of any and all. Don’t forget there are some key differences between the Android and Apple user and it is important to be aware of these differences as they can/will affect your marketing strategy.

While push notifications are useful, rich push notifications are far more effective. The use of images, animated GIFs, video, and audio are all examples of rich mobile push notifications. That can be implemented to coincide with your strategy to make a more content more engaging!