definitive guide to in-app messaging

7/28/2019 Definitive Guide to in-App Messaging

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The Definitive Guide to In-App Messaging

In this eBook you will learn the right way to engage

users with mobile app marketing through in-appmessaging best practices.

You will walk away with a basic understanding of:

The definitions, advantages and disadvantages ofdifferent mobile app marketing approaches and

how to choose the right one for your brand What the best practices are for great in-app

messaging Examples of how you could use in-app messaging

for your brand The key steps you need to take to kickstart in-app

messaging for your brand


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CHAPTER 1Mobile Marketing Definitions &

ApproachesFirst we need to consider how people use mobile and what that means for yourbrand.

Here are four common mobile use cases to think about when designing yourorganizations mobile app strategy:

The News Junkie The Couponer The Gamer The Second Screener


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The News JunkieNews junkies love getting the most up-to-dateinformation on their key interests, whether thatslocal news, politics, or weather. They aregenerally the tastemakers, too, being the one intheir social circle that shares the news with their

friends both in person and via social media.


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The CouponerThere are two aspects of the Couponer mobilepersonality.

First, a recent phenomenon in the retail space is thehabit of Showrooming among mobile consumers.

Showroomers visit retail stores only to see theproduct in-person and have the total intention ofpurchasing it online if they can find a sale. They doreal-time price research on the items in store,comparing prices and reading reviews.

The Couponer is generally motivated by saving money,and can be enticed to engage with an app if it makes iteasier to do just that by claiming mobile coupons orearning loyalty points.


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The GamerTrends come and go, but one thing thatremains the same is that people will alwaysseek out new ways of escapism and relaxation.The popularity of social media sites likePinterest and Tumblr is a prime example of this.

Its no wonder then that gaming is one of themost popular activities on mobile. Mobile appgaming companies must take into accountwhether the price of an app is a barrier toregistration. They must consider generally lowcost of apps offers the potential for long-term

monetization or if supplementing with anothermarketing offer is necessary for profitability.


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The Second ScreenerSecond screening is the use of an additionaldevice like a tablet or smartphone while watchingTV. According to Nielsens 2012 State of SocialMedia Report, 44 percent of US tablet owners and38 percent of smartphone owners use their devices

daily to access social media while watching TV,producing the phenomen known as Social TV inwhich brands and content producers haveattempted to merge TV content with socialconversations through hashtags and other methods.But second screening is more than social media

conversations. There is also an opportunity forbrands and content producers to engage with thecurious consumers who often use second screens toperform Google searches for content related to theTV programming.


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CHAPTER 2

3 KINDS OF MOBILE

MARKETINGSTRATEGIESMobile advertising, push notifications and in-appmessaging are three kinds of mobile marketing optionsthat you may already be broadly familiar with. That said,

understanding how they work both together andseparately enables brands to create the best possible in-app messaging strategy.


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Mobile AdvertisingMobile ads enable brands to engage with users outsideof the app through banner and interstitial ads onmobile websites and other apps, as well as throughSMS.

Mobile advertising offer a clear call to action in an ad.Mobile advertising companies offer increasinglyaccurate inventory with which marketers can targetthese messages. A disadvantage of mobile advertisingis that it can feel interruptive. Mobile ads often lack astrong relationship to your brand as they appear on 3rdparty mobile apps and sites. They also lack contextualawareness, meaning they often dont take into accountwhat the user is doing at the time the ad appears.

Mobile app publishers need to keep these things inmind when developing their mobile monetizationstrategy.


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Push NotificationsPush notifications empower brands to engage withusers outside of the app by delivering messages tousers on the home screen or during their session withanother app. Push notifications are a useful tactic fordriving users back to your app, but they can be

intrusive. Consider the worst case scenario: Getting apush notification from an app at 3:00 am on a Tuesdaywhen youre trying to sleep. Easy-to-customize usersettings help prevent this type of situation, as well astargeting messages to actions that truly benefit theuser.


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In-App MessagingIn-app messaging engages users within the app anddrives them deeper into the most profitable appactivities and user flows. In-app messages stand outfrom the pack because they are highly contextualmessages, triggered based on what the user is actually

doing in the app. When done correctly, in-appmessaging doesnt feel like marketing. It just feels like apart of the app.

Localytics customers use cohort analysis and funnels toidentify user flows and features that deliver the mostlifetime value out of their app users. This approachtakes a keen eye for analytics and commitment toplanning, but when done well the results can becompelling.


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CHAPTER 3

5 IN-APP MESSAGING BESTPRACTICESIn-app messaging is only as good as the analysis that fuels it. Fulfilling thevision of sending the right message to the right person at the right time isentirely founded in knowing which users are doing what and when.

Data segmentation drives targeting messaging. For example, daypartanalysis reveals the times of day your users are most likely to buy. In-app

messages delivering promotional offers sent at that opportune momentwould approach when they are in the purchasing mindset. Similarly, yourability to differentiate phone and tablet marketing campaigns andknowing if that is the right strategy - depends on your comparativeunderstanding of purchasing behaviors.

These 5 best practices will guide your analysis and actions you take on that

information.


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1. Get a Holistic Viewof Customer DataOne successful Localytics customerdiscovered that customers who usetheir mobile app drove 5x more

revenue than customers who didnot use the app. This eye-openingfinding validated the money andeffort invested in mobile anddirected them to increase theirinvestment in the app.


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2. Measure LTVThe number one metric brands should use toassess the value of their mobile customers isthe lifetime value (LTV) for customers who usethe mobile app and for those who dont.

To gain this knowledge, brands need to

achieve a holistic view of the customer byconnecting mobile, web and in-persontransactions. To do this, you must collect thecustomer identifier from app users. This ishow you can trace customer actions within theapp back to a uniform customer profile andultimately connect in-app actions to web and

in-person revenue. In-app messaging canprompt users to take these necessary actions.

Two examples of these actions include: Logging in to an account Completing a profile, including a field for

information that uniquely identifies that

user


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3. Remember: Not EveryFeature Needs an In-AppMessageThere is no hard and fast rule about the number of in-app messaging campaigns you should run at once. 3key steps should drive your thinking about this: Understand what your users are trying to accomplish

with the app. Know what you want your mobile customers to do

in the app.

Strike the happy medium.Brands should strive for simplicity in their userexperience and avoid placing messages on too manyscreens or features. Push mobile customers to thefeatures and user flows that have a proven track recordof driving the most lifetime. Let the rest of the features

speak for themselves.


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4. Balance the DifferentKinds of Campaigns YouRunFind balance between short running and long runningcampaigns as well as broad and targeted campaigns.

There are user actions that you are likely to consistentlywant to drive, such as subscribing to a newsletter orupgrading to the latest version of the app. In one wayor another, these messages are meaningful for all users.

Then again there are short-running and more targetedpromotions youll want to incorporate into your in-appmessaging as well. To avoid repetitiveness and increasethe effectiveness your in-app messaging, be sure tostrike a balance between both.


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5. A/B Test Your Way toSuccessJust about every element of a campaign can be A/Btested. The creative design, the color of the call toaction button and even the text on the call to actionbutton itself can all be tested. But to really learn what isworking and what isnt working, you should only focuson testing one element at a time. This approachrequires planning, strategy, and a watchful eye on yourcampaigns, but the results are well worth it.


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CHAPTER 4

3 IDEAS FOR GREAT

IN-APP MESSAGINGCAMPAIGNS

Your best ideas for in-app messaging campaigns willmost likely come from your customer data. When youidentify the user flows and actions that produce the

most profitable results from your business, youll knowwhat actions you want to drive with in-app messaging.

But to get you started and get you thinking outside ofthe box, here are 3 ideas for great in-app messagingcampaigns.


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UpgradeWe all want our users to have the latest version of ourapps so they get the best functionality possible, andpresumably are less likely to churn given that they areusing the best version of the app that your company hasto offer. An in-app message can help nudge current users

to upgrade.

To make this type of campaign as effective as possible,you should run both a targeted version of the campaignin parallel with a broadly directed one. In the targetedversion, you can target users who are using the featuresthat are upgraded in the new version of your app. Youcan run this jointly with a broader campaign that targetsall the other users of the app when they open the app.


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Net Promoter ScoreThe Net Promoter Score is a standard customersatisfaction metric. That familiar question ofHow likelyare you to recommend our company to your friends?makes for a great in-app message in several ways. First, itprovides brands with critical feedback on customer

sentiment. This information fuels a multitude ofmarketing and customer service initiatives to reducechurn and increase lifetime value. NPS information coulddrive an effective follow-up in-app messaging campaignthat retargets responders based on their opinion of yourbrand.

For example, brands can retarget promoters by askingthem to rate the app in the app store. In parallel, brandscan encourage detractors to share concerns in an internalfeedback channel. This increases the number of positivereviews in the app store while providing detractors aplace voice concerns. Win-win.


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Give a TourTo achieve great mobile user experience, users mustknow what they are supposed to do and what is goingon with your app. A well-thought-out and effectivelycommunicated onboarding is key to this understanding,and a series of in-app messages can help achieve it.

Provide new users with a series of instructional in-appmessages that will guide them through the features ofthe app. Prompt users to complete their profile orconnect with familiar faces via the social graph. Provide a3-step tour of the key app features so the user knowshow to get the most value from the app from the veryfirst use.


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5 Steps to Kickstarting Your In-AppMessaging Strategy1. Take a hold of your data. Use analytics to drive your companys understanding ofwhat paths your most profitable customers take.

2. Identify what actions produce profitable customers. Think about whatthey are doing that you want them to do more of.

3. Draft up ideas for campaigns: Who, What, When. Think through yourfirst campaign: Who is going to see it? What will they see?

4. Start small and focus on quality. Expand to more complex campaigns once youget the hang of it.

5. Launch your first campaign. Measure the success of the first campaign and adjustaccordingly.


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Learn more about the advantage ofin-app messaging, real-time mobile-firstanalytics, and so much more for your brand with Localytics today.

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