Mobile Push Marketing: Definition, Types, and Benefits

1. What is Mobile Push Marketing?
2. The Benefits of Mobile Push Marketing for Businesses
3. What types of Mobile Push Marketing exist? 
4. Three Examples of Successful Mobile Push Campaigns
5. 3 Tips to Avoid Annoying Recipients with Your Push Notifications
6. How do you measure the effectiveness of Mobile Push Marketing campaigns?
7. What Mobile Push Marketing Tools are Available?

Mobile push marketing involves sending push notifications to mobile users - here's why it's so important to companies.

Have you ever downloaded an app and then not used it for days? A little while later, you receive a notification from this app, urging you to pay it another visit. This is called mobile push marketing. It's about sending short messages to mobile users to inform, engage, or prompt them to take action. In this article, we take a closer look at mobile push marketing and the benefits it offers your company.

What is Mobile Push Marketing?

Mobile push marketing, also known as push notification marketing, is a strategy in which so-called push notifications are sent to mobile users. Push notifications are short messages sent by an app or website to customers' mobile devices to attract their attention and prompt them to take action. They usually contain a title, a message, and a URL. However, they can also include logos, emojis, GIFs, as well as images and videos.

There are two main categories of push notifications, depending on their purpose: 

• Transactional Notifications:These messages are sent based on users' interactions with an app. They often contain important information such as payment status or delivery updates. Transactional notifications enhance the customer experience by providing relevant information to users at the right time.
• Marketing Notifications:These messages aim to improve app binding and generate revenue. They can include special offers and deals as well as relevant content to bring mobile users back to your app or website.

The Benefits of Mobile Push Marketing for Businesses

Mobile push marketing offers businesses a number of benefits, including:

• Increased Engagement:Push notifications allow you to boost user engagement by creating messages based on user behavior. For example, you can send notifications to remind recipients of items in their shopping cart. This increases the likelihood that they will return, interact with your app or website, and ultimately complete the purchase.
• Higher Subscription Numbers:Since push notifications generally do not require personal data such as email addresses or phone numbers, users are more likely to subscribe to them. After they have downloaded the app, they only need to tap once to opt in. They can then easily opt out again by changing their phone settings. This simplicity makes push notifications more acceptable to users than other marketing strategies.
• More Conversions:Push notifications not only help companies lure mobile users back to an app or website. They also boost the online conversion rate. Messages can use discounts to persuade potential customers to buy products or avail services. This is also proven by a Study by invescrpro, which analyzed the impact of push notifications on the conversion rate. It found that 48% of mobile app users made a purchase after receiving push notifications.

What types of Mobile Push Marketing exist? 

There are four main types of mobile push marketing:

1. Messenger Push

Messenger push sends push messages via messaging channels like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. Brands use this strategy to keep customers informed about the status of their shipments and to notify them about current promotions and offers.

To receive messenger push notifications, your recipients must have the respective messenger apps installed. Once the users click on the push notification, they are first redirected to the messenger or WhatsApp chat. If you have a link in your message and they click on it, the specified website will be opened within the messenger app. Messenger push notifications are not limited to Android and iOS devices. You can also send them to subscribers with desktop computers.

2. Web Push 

Web push is the process of sending messages through browsers like Google and Firefox to the users' desktop, tablet, or mobile device. Users also receive these when they are not on the sender's website - provided their browser is open.

To send web push notifications, you don't need an app. You only need to install a code (a web-based SDK from a web push service) on your website. As soon as the users click or tap on the web push notification, they are redirected to the URL you chose. The only downside of web push notifications is that they are not available for Safari on iOS devices, which can reduce your mobile reach.

3. App Push

App push notifications are messages that app users receive, even if they don't have the app open. They usually appear on mobile phones' lock screens or notification panels. App push messages aim to re-engage the users in your app and prompt them to take immediate action.

To send app push notifications, you need to obtain the recipients' opt-ins. Fortunately, it is easy to collect these from Android users. They automatically receive push notifications unless the notification function has been disabled in their smartphone settings.

However, things are different for iOS users. After they have installed your app, you first have to ask them for permission before you can send push messages. The rejection can only be reversed by manually changing the app permissions in the settings – a multi-step process that most users don't want to go through.

4. Wallet Push

Wallet push sends messages to mobile users who use Google Pay and Apple Wallet. These appear as a pop-up message on the device's lock screen. As soon as users tap on it, the Wallet app opens. They can then view the card with the push notification.

Since Wallet Push is supported by Google and Apple, no app download is required. The function is particularly useful when used in conjunction with geolocation. This means that messages are automatically sent when a customer is at a certain location. For example, a credit card company can inform the recipients about the VIP lounges when they arrive at the airport.

Three Examples of Successful Mobile Push Campaigns

1. eBay Classifieds 

eBay Classifieds not only notifies its users when there are new results for their saved searches. It also informs them when a marked item undergoes a price/description change or has been deleted from the platform. In addition, eBay Classifieds sends push notifications before an item you posted expires and offers you a paid extension. All of this ensures that you return to the app again and again.

3. Amazon 

Like eBay Classifieds, Amazon also sends various push notifications to its app users. It informs the buyers about the delivery status of the items they have purchased among other things. The app also recommends products based on the user's purchase history and alerts about price changes for the saved products. These messages are not only meant to create a smooth customer experience but also to incentivize the users to buy products in the app.

4. Township

Township is a mobile game that combines farming and city building. The app uses push notifications to prompt the players to return to the game time and again. There are notifications, for instance, when a regatta starts to invite the players to participate. The users are also notified when it's time to harvest.

3 Tips to Avoid Annoying Recipients with Your Push Notifications

According to a Study, almost 53% of respondents said that push notifications irritate them, while 49% complained that they get distracted by them. To avoid annoying your subscribers, here are some tips on how you can make your push notifications appealing:

1. Create Compelling Content

Since push notifications are very short, it's tricky to convey your message in the few lines. You have to communicate your message creatively but also efficiently. To create a compelling push notification, you should consider two things:

• Length:The content of your push notification should be a maximum of 100 characters long. The title should only be 50 characters. Therefore, it is important to use simple and clear language. Avoid filler words like 'really' or 'very' and get to the point. This makes it easier for users to understand the message.
• CTA:Your call-to-action is important to prompt the recipients to take action. Therefore, you should formulate it meaningfully and urgently. Instead of saying 'click here', for example, you should use CTAs like 'get your discount', 'join in', or 'test it for free'.

2. Personalize Your Message

Like your marketing emails, your push notifications can be segmented and personalized. This results in a 400% increase in response rate to your notifications. But personalization doesn't just mean adding the recipients' first name. You can customize the messages based on the following information from your subscribers:

• Geographical location
• Industry or job title
• Age
• Previous purchases and browsing behavior

3. Don't Bombard Users with Push Notifications

A study conducted by Business of Apps found that a mobile user receives an average of 46 push notifications per day. 42% of respondents also stated that they change their settings if they receive too many messages. To avoid unsubscriptions, you should only send time-critical or heavily personalized push notifications. User behavior can also help you determine the frequency of your notifications.

How do you measure the effectiveness of Mobile Push Marketing campaigns?

To effectively measure and optimize your campaign, there are five key KPIs you should pay attention to:

1. View Rate:the number of users who have seen your push message compared to the number of notifications sent.
2. Open Rate:the number of users who have opened your push message, divided by the number of notifications sent. For example, if you sent 1,000 push notifications and 300 were opened, you achieved an open rate of 30%.
3. Conversion Rate:the number of recipients who performed a desired action after seeing your push messages.
4. Unsubscription Rate:the number of users who have unsubscribed from your push notifications. A high unsubscribe rate can suggest that your messages are being sent too frequently or are not personalized enough.
5. Revenue:This is especially important if your main goal is to promote purchases, subscriptions, or other forms of revenue in your app or website.

What Mobile Push Marketing Tools are Available?

Here are some mobile marketing tools that support the sending of push notifications:

Braze

hello again

Sinch Engage

Airship

CleverPush

WonderPush

CleverTap