Push notifications are extremely powerful channels for brands to reach customers.
Push notifications also have a high engagement rate. But the way push is being used — matters. Marketers not using them effectively hurt their ability to reach and retain users
Push notifications are extremely powerful channels for brands to reach customers. Push notifications also have a high engagement rate. Marketplace Analytics and Insights Platform Kahuna data revealed click-through-rates as high as 40%.
For some perspective: email click-through-rates hover in the 1-4% range. Used with Map Your City’s dynamic deep linking, you can use push notifications to easily draw your followers to specific locations. Or add vouchers, unique news to share and tell about events coming up.
Create better and effective push notifications - three rules
R emember effective push notifications are always timely (relevant), personal and actionable. If you remember these three guidelines – you will be able to engage and retain your customers. Map Your City’s platform helps you with all three. As soon as you create your community on Map Your City you are able to create Push ads that perform exceptionally well for almost any type of advertising campaign. Here’s the link if you want to Send Push Notifications that Get Delivered.
Stay Relevant
Research shows that notifications triggered by a user’s behavior, location, or preference is valued and opened more.
Get Personal
Personalized content of the message appeals to your followers as an individual, making it stand out and triggering followers to engage.
Make it Actionable
Effective messages make it clear what your followers should do next. Deeplink to locations or direct link to your website, tickets, webshop, coupons, anything really.
Do more – 21 ways you can increase effectiveness in every push
B ut you can do more. We have found at least 21 ways you can increase effectiveness in every push, feel free to use these examples as inspiration but make them your own by adding your own unique content.
Ways to Start a Conversation
Seth Godin has many times emphasized the importance of making a real connection. And not without reason marketers listen when Seth Godin speaks. To make a real connection you will have to earn trust with your followers. Here’s 7 ways to start a conversation.
Tell your followers their input is invaluable
Thanks for helping thousands of //your brand name// shoppers with your reviews. Update your name and manage all your reviews on your //your brand name// profile.
Hints:
- The copy implies that my reviews are being seen by “thousands of shoppers,” giving me the sense that my opinions matter.
- There are two action steps here: “Update your name” and “manage all your reviews.” The fact that it tells me my opinions matter right before asking me to update my name primes me to do it (who wouldn’t want their name associated with their important opinions?).
Pique Curiosity
It is Called “The World’s most important room”. Go inside the hidden Arctic Global Seed Vault ?
Hints:
- Send at a peak time for smartphone use (after work, before bed)
- Lower-casing “the hidden” also helps to visually set off the words “Arctic Global Seed Vault,” making the push easier to parse at a glance.
- And the plant emoji confirms what we already expect: this is an article about seed storage in a very unexpected place.
Make your followers feel like insiders
Shh don’t tell…our brewmaster created some NEW Fall Brews. Come help us test the first samples at our Sunday Beer Tasting ???
Hints:
- Check out the selective title casing — if it’s important enough for a headline, we capitalize each word. So, using title casing in other spots signifies that the copy is extra important.
- Letting followers in on a secret and asking them for help adds to the insider feel.
Ask a simple question
Baffled zookeepers wonder: Why do people burst into tears when they see a sloth?
Hint:
- Who doesn’t love sloths? Any user who wants the answer will assume the article contains it, and tap to read more.
Use flattery
You have accomplished a lot today. Let us reward you for your hard work. Book our Spa and get the relax treatment for free. Try it, >
Hints:
- Send it at the end of the day, when you assume that the user is at work.
- A bit assumptive maybe – but that’s ok. It gives the user the benefit of the doubt. ?
- “Try it,” with no end punctuation except for a caret pointing in the direction of a swipe, makes booking seem easy.
Be conversational
You think our last Dance Event was insane? Wait until you see the artist line-up of this year. Watch the trailer.
Hints:
- Followers to this Festival community are interested to get offers for personalized suggestions for shows.
- Use engaging, lighthearted copy that still gets its point across.
- “Watch the trailer” tells the user clearly what to do next.
Help your followers get more out of life
Weekend plans? Don’t forget to stop by and get your bike tuned at Mike’s bike cafe ?
Hints:
- Send ahead of the weekend and act seasonal.
- Local followers of this community are reminded to have their bikes checked at first spring weekend
In Map Your City - Everything happens in a community
A Map Your City community is simply a group of people mapping and telling stories together – like your company, organization, city or town. You can follow or join a community – or – create your own. Start your experience by downloading the Map Your City app.
Choose messaging that gets delivered
As customer driven professional you know the value of delivering integrated, real-time, relevant experiences. Our Dashboard Interface helps you create just that.
Ways to be Playful (and a little cheeky)
By utilizing the power of playfulness, companies can make their messaging something that consumers will naturally be drawn to — and remember, as a result. Here’s 7 ways to be playful
Issue a challenge
There’s a new pop-up on Main. You are probably not gonna like it, though.
Hints:
- This is the copy equivalent of “negging” your followers — it’s tricky to get right, depending on your followers you could get away with being a little snarky.
- Use a direct challenge to prove your community wrong, even though the user might actually agree with the message (or not care at all). Either way, “a new pop-up” is also sufficiently vague enough that your follower will swipe for more info.
Make a joke
In the olden days, by 5PM on a Friday you were screwed if you hadn’t booked dinner #nostalgia
Hints:
- Reference to the time of sending.
- Stand out by using a wry tone and lively use of both antiquated (“olden”) and modern lingo (#nostalgia).
- Imply action, in this case: that the user is not, in fact, screwed if they haven’t made a dinner reservation yet — and that they can tap to make one now.
Be absurd
Survival Sunday! Save $25 NOW on a case of Meals, Ready to Eat! As the Zombie Apocalypse rapidly approaches, you’re gonna need a survival kit.
Hints:
- Refer to the day of the week
- Paint a picture of what will happen when…
- Use light-hearted language
Play a game of trivia
It’s Trivia Tuesday! What famous John founded Famous John’s Tavern? Take a guess now and win a free pint for you and your friends >
Hint:
- Throw in some local trivia
Use lots of emoji
A simple Saturday night ?+?+? =?
Order your drinks >>
Hints:
- Paint a desirable picture using playful emojis. Expect an average 124% CTR uplift with pushes that use emojis.
Present an exciting update
It’s true. Drake is coming home. Book your tickets now.
Hints:
- Join the conversation in the user’s head and use short, punchy sentences to make your push copy sound like a personal text.
Be profane
When life gives you lemons…slice that shit and order a bottle of tequila ?
Hints:
- This is the copy equivalent of a little red devil sitting on the user’s shoulder. That sheepish-grin emoji says a lot.
- Know how to speak to your targeted followers — then even if a follower doesn’t tap the entertainment value is appreciated— and those good feelings are gonna linger.
Organize a pub crawl
It’s Survival Sunday! Go on a haunted pub-crawl and mix booze with creepy ghost stories – starts at McGibbins ?☠️????
Hints:
- Use lots of emoji – it improves your CTR
- Link to your locations – helping your followers to tickets and info.
Ways to price promote
Sales promotions and discounts offers many benefits when used effectively. It is important to understand which sales promotion ideas will work for you and how they fit with your other marketing activities and how sales promotions affect your brand. Here’s some messaging examples that can support your strategy.
Create excitement
Cha-ching! That’s the sound of the 1k $ prize money coming your way when you win our Summer Skate-off! Bring your skates or board and best tricks to the the Skate Cafe. Register to compete>>
Hints:
- Use positive wording and exclamation marks to bring positive news
- Link to the location or registration form
Offer mystery savings
Will you get 40%, 30% or 20% off? Reveal your mystery savings at Sneaker District.
Hints:
- Link to a tantalizing offer that might be time-limited.
- At first glance this push is a little bit jarring. It also assumes that the user will get a discount (i.e. tap).
Promote a limited time offer
It’s Lunch Hour Flash Sale | 12 PM – 13 PM | $100 Cashback on overnight stays. Use: FLASH100
Hint:
- Packed a ton of info in just few lines: the exact terms of the deal and how long it lasts, how much cash the user will get back when she/he books, and what code to use for the deal.
Ping users about a price change
Just when you were about to take a shopping break, the Weekly Wow drops. Sorry ’bout it ?
Hints:
- Use a more relevant way to introduce a weekly product roundup than “NEW PRODUCTS THIS WEEK!”
- Yep it’s ok to be a little sarcastic.
Word a reminder differently
TWO WEEKS until Football Season kicks off. Make sure you reactivate your Season Tickets!
Hints:
- Send it right around lunchtime, when lots of folks take a break and check their phones.
- Use something like “Reactivate [Your League Name]” to make it even more personal. The urgency of the caps and double exclamation point might run the risk of alienating less-engaged users, though.
Create a sense of urgency
Reminder: V-day is 5 days away – find a table before it is too late.
Hints:
- Find a table before it’s too late” conjures visions of fully booked restaurants. If your offer is time-limited or based on a calendar event, giving the exact time left to get the offer is a push notification best practice.
Hype an upcoming event
Game on! Thru Sunday, score savings up to 30% off ticket prices and more! ⚽️
Hints:
- Send a few days before an upcoming soccer game.
- Use a peppy tone to ape a fan’s enthusiasm for the sport, and the soccer emoji drives the point home. “Thru” is a time-saving mechanism that also makes the copy feel more casual, and the multiple exclamation points add urgency.
- Use a time-limited offer that encourages interested followers to tap to see what the “and more” includes.
Create better location experiences
Create and customize amazing Mobile app experiences, build stunning web Maps and Landing pages, write killer Blogposts and Email campaigns, create Payment options, add Ticketing or Online Reservation Systems and Booking Platforms.
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