app value 101: how i learned to avoid bombarding users with disruptive messages

App Value 101 How I Learned to Avoid Bombarding My

Users With Disruptive Messages

#appanswers

Here Are Your Hosts!

Chris Kiertz Marketing Conversion Manager

Josh Todd Chief Marketing Officer

Here Are Your Hosts!

Chris Kiertz Marketing Conversion Manager

Josh Todd Chief Marketing Officer

(he’s the actual host) (he’s the presenter)

What’s on the Agenda?

Agenda: - Differences between push & in-app messages - Lessons in messaging: Are your messages disrupting or delighting your users? - The future of app marketing - Key Takeaways + Further Learning + Q&A

Push v In-App Messages: What’s the Difference?

Push Messages •  Deliver messages to

your users’ home screens

•  Interact with users who aren’t currently using your app

1 out of 5 users won’t come back again

Push Message Use Cases: mCommerce - reminds users of items left in their shopping cart

Gaming – notifies users when all lives are restored

Retail - sends 10% discount to app users walking by their brick-and-mortar store

Finance – notifies users when a large transaction occurs

In-App Messages •  Notifications that

are displayed when the user is actively using the app

•  Highly contextual and triggered based on in-app interactions

In-App Message Use Cases: mCommerce – recommends a product similar to one the user just favorited

Gaming – surprises the user with an extra life after getting stuck on one level

Retail – presents a launch screen to explain the cross-platform experience

Finance – introduces the new update that lets users more easily browse their accounts

Lesson 1: Show Users Why They Should Opt In

Industry Averages 52% of app users have push enabled on their phones

52% of app users have push enabled on their phones

Industry Averages

48% of app users don’t have push enabled on their phones

Industry Averages

48% of app users don’t have push enabled on their phones

Industry Averages

How do you get more of this push message pie?

Disruptive: -  Ask them to opt in

immediately after launching the app for the first time

(first launch)

Delightful: -  Welcome your users

with a sequence of introductory, how-to screens to show value

1 2 3 2 3

Delightful: -  Welcome your users

with a sequence of introductory, how-to screens to show value

-  THEN, ask them to opt in with a unique, well-designed in-app message

Lesson 2: Segment Your Users

Segmenting = -  Creating groups of users based off of similar

behavioral or profile-based attributes

Ex. Favorite Music Artist = Paul Simon Ex. Gender = Female Ex. Loyalty Rewards Member = False

(your entire userbase)

Sports Apparel App

(your entire userbase)

Sports Apparel App

Disruptive: -  Send a blanket message

to your entire userbase -  Provide vague details in

the messaging

Disruptive: -  Send a blanket message

to your entire userbase -  Provide vague details in

the messaging

Delightful: -  Send a contextual

message to a behavior-based segment of users

-  Send a relevant update to a segment based on profile data

Delightful: -  Send a contextual

message to a behavior-based segment of users

-  Send a relevant update to a segment based on profile data

3% of broadcast push messages are clicked

7% of targeted push messages are clicked

Broadcast: Targeted:

3% of broadcast push messages are clicked

7% of targeted push messages are clicked

15% of users converted 54% of users converted

Imagine an app with 100,000 users

3% of 100,000 users = 3,000 opened messages

15% of 3,000 opened messages =

450 converted users

54% of 7,000 opened messages =

3,780 converted users

450 converted users 3,780 converted users vs.

Lesson 3: Get Personal!

•  If your messages sound robotic or “canned,” you risk being ignored

•  Think of how you would talk to them if they were right in front of you

Rules of thumb

Disruptive: -  Don’t give any

indication that an actual person wrote the message

-  Send a generic-sounding message about the product

Disruptive: -  Don’t give any

indication that an actual person wrote the message

-  Send a generic-sounding message about the product

Delightful: -  Show some enthusiasm,

let your users know you care!

-  Sound like a human, not a robot

Delightful: -  Show some enthusiasm,

let your users know you care!

-  Sound like a human, not a robot

Lesson 4: Make It Your Own!

You know your brand better than anyone

else, let it show!

Disruptive: -  Use the default, native

pop-up to display new offers

Delightful: -  Design the in-app

messages to be consistent with your app’s branding

Delightful: -  Design the in-app

messages to be consistent with your app’s branding

Lesson 5: Get the Timing Right

•  Always imagine when and where your users will be when sending a message

Rules of thumb

Push Messages: •  Day of the week •  Time of the day

In-app Messages: •  Screenflow •  In-app behavior

Both Types of Messages: •  Relevant events

going on in the area •  Based off of

transactional, in-app behavior

Disruptive: -  Sending a push

message at 5am with irrelevant content

-  Sending consecutive messages about the same topic

Delightful: -  Send push messages during the weekdays -  Schedule your messages for the afternoon -  Use in-app transactional behavior to send relevant

messaging

Lesson 6: Keep It Short ‘n Sweet

Rules of thumb •  The shorter, the

better •  Keep push messages

to less than half the size of a Tweet

Disruptive: -  Sending a message with

too much text for the user to spend time actually reading

Delightful: -  Be concise with your

messaging, only use just enough words to get the message across

Lesson 7: Don’t Ask, Do Tell

Rules of thumb •  Be straightforward •  Questions can use

up valuable space and create ambiguity - avoid when you can

Disruptive: -  Asking a question to

your users (one that has a pretty obvious answer)

Delightful: -  Avoid questions when

possible to avoid any ambiguity

-  If you’re going to ask a question, make sure it actually helps the user better understand the message

Lesson 8: Keep the Conversion in Mind

Rules of thumb •  Use actionable

language •  Make it completely

obvious what the user’s next step should be

Disruptive: -  Use unclear or vague

language about what the user’s next step should be

-  Use clear, concise language; make it obvious what the user should do next

Delightful:

Lesson 9: Provide REAL Value

Rule of Thumb -  You know what’s

valuable to your app, but think of what’s valuable to your users

Disruptive:

-  Make references your users don’t get (nothing wrong with being clever, but make sure your users get it!)

-  Don’t show any real value in the users engaging with the message

Disruptive:

-  Make references your users don’t get (nothing wrong with being clever, but make sure your users get it!)

-  Don’t show any real value in the users engaging with the message

Delightful: -  Put yourself in the

users’ shoes and craft messaging that speaks to what they would find valuable

Delightful: -  Put yourself in the

users’ shoes and craft messaging that speaks to what they would find valuable

Lesson 10: Measure the Right Metrics

Rules of thumb •  Measure past the

download (forget about vanity metrics)

•  Understand your KPIs, what counts as a conversion to your app & business?

Disruptive: -  Craft your messaging based off of vanity metrics

-  Downloads -  App launches

“This message has led to more app launches, we should make more messages like it.”

Delightful: -  Pay attention to your most valuable engagements,

and write your messages to encourage those actions. -  Session length -  Session interval (time between sessions) -  User lifetime value -  Conversions

“This in-app message has led to a 10% increase in users purchasing an upgrade through our app. Let’s

do more of that.”

The Future of App Marketing

2008 2015

App Store Launches June 2008

100,000 Apps November 2011

10 billion downloads January 2011

1 million apps October 2013

1.4 million apps

January 2015

So, What’s Next?

1.4 million apps + 75 billion downloads = a LOT of data

How do we use this data to create the best possible app experience for our users?

Creating the Best Possible Experience For Our Users

Today: - Take a deep dive into your app analytics, identify trends and respond with smart app marketing campaigns

Tomorrow: - Use machine learning to predict behavior of valuable user segments and respond with even smarter app marketing campaigns

Reactive

Reactive Proactive

This future of app marketing is Predictive App Marketing

So what is Predictive App Marketing?

Machine Learning

Personalized Recommendations Auto-optimization

Want more info about predictive? Go to localytics.com or call 617.418.4422

Key Takeaways

Push vs In-App Messaging -  Push messages are for users who aren’t actively

using your app -  In-app messages are for users who are currently in

your app

Key Takeaways

Lessons in Messaging -  Provide real value

-  What’s in it for the user?

-  Put yourself in your user’s shoes -  What type of offers and messaging would you want to

receive?

-  Get the timing right -  Make it personal & brand it

Key Takeaways

Future of App Marketing -  Predictive app marketing will change the way we

interact with our users -  Reactive vs. Proactive

Further Learning

Q + A#appanswers

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