Pushing without being pushy- 7 best practices for push notifications

Is there a way to push your luck without being too pushy? There has to be; if 3D food printing is possible, anything is.

Coming back to our topic of discussion, every app developer or business owner out there wants to know the best practices for push notifications because studies claim that they result in up to 26% higher mobile app open rates and 92% higher user retention rates.

By understanding the best practices for push notifications, you can drive the message open rate upto 60%. Interaction rate can run as high as 40% in comparison with the average click-through rate of an email which is only 5.4%.

Are you breathless yet?

Wait up, we’re not done yet, by getting push notifications right each time, you can expand your sales too. Trends say that 50% of mobile users that sign up for such messages usually do it to avail special or exclusive offers that you might have for them. Phew!

It is after all safe to say that being a little pushy won’t exactly hurt your business but you should know where to draw the line. The best way to make the most of your push notifications is to understand a few simple rules which are as follows.

Discover the best practices for push notifications in 7 easy steps

1. Seek user permission

best practices for push notifications

Let me correct it; “always” ask for user permission before you start sending them push notifications. After all, they are just little reminders of what all your users could be missing out on or not. This is the best practice here for your push notification messages because some of them might not be interested in such promotional info at all.

These are a dialogue that happens between the consumer and the marketer and are aimed at informing about and promoting the offers that a business might have for the user. During your mobile app onboarding process it is better to ensure that the setup asks whether or not to enable receiving a discreet, yet non- invasive “alert” about the same. This is a great way to make push notifications work.

2. Hand over control to the user

How convenient it is when you can opt out of receiving push notifications as and when you please. Users should always be in control and should have complete freedom when it comes to receiving any promotional messages, otherwise you run the risk of getting your app uninstalled. That is without a doubt one of the best practices for push notifications and we don’t say that, studies do.

3. Select a precise number

best practices for push notifications

With time, you need to discover the magic number for the frequency of push notifications that suits your audience. Most developers have trouble getting push notifications right. How many are enough? Either they post too often or too rarely, just to be on safe side. So what happens when they overdo it; it simply becomes a major reason why people uninstall apps in the first place. This demands for a serious research and study of your own that would enable you to come up with a number that suits your business needs the best.

4. Maintain relevance

It is important to maintain relevance throughout your promotional process. Push notifications are a means to inform, promote and remind users of offers and features. Make sure that all these offers and features hold relevance. Sending the right messages to the right people at the right time is what counts the most and makes your push notifications work every time.

5. App updates

Using messages for app updates is a way of getting your push notifications right every time. Mobile app developers look for constant scope for improvement when it comes to adding features and functionality to their apps. Push notifications can be best used to inform users of what is new with your app and keep them engaged for longer. That way, your users are also updated how the app is improving.

6. Remove expired messages

best practices for push notifications

Say your goodbyes on time. This is another item to be included in your checklist for push notifications. It is very important for you to delete the messages that have lost relevance. You know that not all push notifications would stay applicable over time unless you have something of a recurring scheme or package that you keep on reviving at your users’ insistence. For instance, a notification that displays “50% discount on shoes” should be valid if and when a user taps on the link. In the event that the user is led to discover that the offer expired a week ago, that could negatively impact your reputation.

7. Personalization

Another thing that could be done to make your push messages more effective and successful in the long run is Personalization. Making the messages more personal is one of the best practices for push notifications as this way you can ensure that the users get what they actually want to see. You can’t assume that each of your users wants to know about the same products or services or offers. Sending a notification that is valuable and offers something that he or she seeks is the right way to make your push notifications work every time.