When working on a mobile marketing strategy, it should go beyond App Store Optimization (ASO). Once a user has downloaded an app, the next step is to get the user to engage and interact with the app. One of the preferred tactics that we like to use at Appyness is push notifications and in-app messages.
In a Localytics article, “Push Notifications vs. In-App Messaging: What's the Difference for App Marketing?,” they discuss the difference between the types of messages, push notifications and in app messages, and the importance for marketers to have messaging as part of their mobile marketing strategy.
Push notifications are marketing messages that are sent to users outside of the app. Marketers use push notification when they want users to perform a certain action, and they look similar to SMS messaging. For example, it is common for a user to download an app and only open once. Sending a push notification to this type of one-and-done-user is a way to encourage app usage.
This differs from in-app messages, which are going to be sent to users based on certain events that they perform while using the app. This type of messaging typically has a similar look to the app and are used to inform the users. For example, power users (users who frequent an app) might receive an in-app message that reminds them of a feature they may find useful.
While both push notifications and in-app messages are used to present different types of messaging, they can be powerful when paired together. If an in-app campaign is triggered when an app is launched, but an app has a low launch rate, a marketer could use a push notification with a prompt to open the app, which in turn will trigger the in-app message.
Generating downloads is important, but the real challenge is keeping users active. To do this, it is important to have a solid messaging strategy included in a mobile marketing strategy.