By Olatayo Ladipo-Ajai
Mobile apps have become an integral part of our daily lives, offering businesses an incredible opportunity to engage with customers and boost revenue. Among the various strategies available, push notifications have emerged as a powerful means to captivate users throughout their app experience. By aligning your push notification strategy with key business metrics, you can maximise its impact. One effective framework for achieving this alignment is the ‘pirate metrics’ framework, which encompasses acquisition, activation, retention, referral, and revenue.
Acquisition: Grabbing Attention from the Start
Acquisition refers to the phase before a user installs your mobile app. Although there is no direct communication with the user during this phase, it’s crucial to collect data about them for future use. This data might include the source that led the user to the app and advertising content, which can be employed for personalised communication. For example, you can send tailored onboarding messages to new users, guiding them through the app’s features, enhancing user engagement, reducing churn, and setting the stage for long-term retention.
Activation: Turning Users into Active Participants
Activation involves motivating users to complete specific actions, such as creating an account or making their first purchase. Push notifications can be instrumental in achieving this by showcasing the app’s value and providing guidance. Here, you can engage with users by setting up triggered notifications based on user behaviour, nudging them at critical points, and driving higher activation rates.
Retention: Keeping Users Coming Back
Retention is a critical metric, with around 90% of new users churning within the first month after installation. To combat this, mobile developers should track all users who launch the app and reach out to those who don’t. Personalised re-engagement push notifications play an important role in this as by sending messages to dormant users, reminding them of the app’s value, and offering incentives can improve retention rates.
Referral: Amplifying Growth Through Advocacy
Referral is essential for customer acquisition, especially for mobile apps. Well-designed scenarios involving push notifications can encourage users to share information about the app on social media, write reviews, or rate it in stores. Implementing referral programs through targeted push notifications that offer rewards or incentives for user referrals can turn satisfied users into brand advocates, driving organic growth.
Revenue: Monetising User Engagement
Revenue is the ultimate goal, and push notifications can play a crucial role in achieving it. By encouraging users to take actions related to payments or promoting products, you can boost revenue. Sending targeted promotional offers and upsell notifications to users based on their preferences and previous interactions can drive conversions, boost sales, and increase revenue.
Overcoming Data Challenges with a Customer Data Platform
Without a sound central Customer Data Platform (CDP), organisations may encounter significant challenges, including struggling to manage multiple vendors and handling siloed data, resulting in increased costs and a disjointed customer experience. Without a central CDP, businesses may lack the ability to communicate intelligently with their customers, leading to redundant or irrelevant messages. This challenge can easily be resolved by consolidating data and utilising a unified CDP.
Embracing Technological Advancements in West Africa
The technology landscape in West Africa continues to evolve rapidly, with a particular focus on the expansion of mobile apps and social media chat platforms. According to the GSMA Mobile Economy Sub-Saharan Africa Report 2022, West Africa ranked among the top African countries in terms of growth in the technology landscape. This emerging trend highlights the increasing adoption of these types of technologies in the region. The growth in this sector also creates a wealth of opportunities for businesses, highlighting the importance of investing wisely in technology.
The Right Technology Investments for Success
Mobile engagement is now a vital component of any business strategy. With the rise of mobile apps, a well-thought-out mobile engagement strategy is essential to keep customers engaged and loyal to your brand.
To achieve this, businesses need a robust customer engagement solution that includes mobile app messaging capabilities and analytics. Mobile app messaging allows real-time communication with customers, while analytics help tracks user behaviour and trends to optimise the engagement strategy.
Additionally, a customer data platform (CDP) is essential. A CDP consolidates customer data from various sources, providing a unified view of the customer. This understanding helps businesses personalise their communication and deliver a seamless customer experience across all touchpoints.
A successful mobile engagement strategy requires a comprehensive customer engagement solution with mobile app messaging capabilities, analytics, and a customer data platform. By leveraging these tools, businesses can create a personalised and engaging experience for their customers, driving loyalty and, ultimately, revenue. So, it’s time to harness the power of push notifications and watch your mobile app’s engagement and revenue grow.
Olatayo Ladipo-Ajai, Regional Manager: West Africa at Infobip