Since the last couple of years, the rise of mobile internet usage has increased so much that specific mobile marketing strategies have become the norm. As a mobile optimization expert, we can tell you that this trend is not going to die down anytime sooner.

In fact, the sooner you realize the importance of mobile marketing, the better it is for your business. One of the most popular mobile marketing tools that has seen emergence in this period is Push notifications.

A lot of business owners are overlooking this fantastic tool! So, what are push notifications? Are they useful to engage your mobile users? Are they effective for a multi-channel marketing plan?

If you want to step ahead in the current marketing game, read on to find out how push notifications can take your business to the next level.

Understanding the Push Notifications

If you are not already aware, push notifications are the messages and updates that an app sends to its users.

Also, it has to be noted that although mobile device users are the biggest users of apps, they are not the only ones. Windows also runs Android apps, so a lot of app users access these apps from laptops and computer systems, in addition to mobile devices like smart phones and tablets.

If you have ever used an app at all (of course you have), you might have noticed a red badge-like symbol over the app icon with a number. This number indicates the total of new messages or notifications that await you.

These are known as the Badge notifications – the most common type of push notifications.

Then there are Banner notifications that go directly to the device screen.

Alert notifications are those that pop up on the screen and the user needs to remove them manually by either taking the required action or simply clicking the small X button.

The whole purpose of the different types of push notifications is to offer convenience and valuable information to the users. This helps the user to take the required action which leads to an increase in the engagement.

How can Push Notifications help your Business?

Have you ever thought of the awesome way these push notifications offer a direct line of communication with your users?

You can send them messages, valuable content, great promotions, and what-not with the help of these tiny-looking push notifications! Here’s what you can do with this powerful marketing strategy:

• Promote your products and services
• Deliver and promote new valuable content
• Promote special deals and offers
• Turn your users into your social media followers
• Increase user engagement
• Notify them of abandoned carts

What you need to know

There’s a right way and a wrong way to do everything. For using push notifications, you need to grasp a couple of concepts:

Moderation is the key – You need to remember something here – nobody likes to be pushed into doing something. You don’t want to annoy your users by sending them a lot of push notifications. What you want to do (we’re guessing) is build trust and share content they find value in.

Bullet-proof – Spend some time and effort to create notifications that are personalized and focused on your active market users. Don’t just fire broad shots and hope that enough will take the bait. This requires some research but definitely pays off in the long run.

Sync the platforms – If you are sending push notifications promoting a new offer to, say, 1500 users, make sure that these 1500 don’t receive the same offer via email or Facebook. This requires you to sync your push notifications with the whole marketing strategy.

Choose a perfect timing – Just like the emails, you should research when your users will be more receptive to the push notifications. As a rule of thumb, weekday afternoons are a great time. You can test the various time windows to find that right sweet spot for your targets.

Be careful with the tone – Did you hear about the latest Pepsi ad fiasco? It is very important to understand the user demographics and consider the emotional side of your message. Wrong tone or even a hint of the wrong sentiment can alienate the users and make them feel that your brand’s voice is inappropriate!

Don’t trap them – That’s right! No matter how important you think your notifications are, do not try to trap the users by making it hard to opt-out. They will feel trapped, they will curse you and the creative ones might also leave you bad reviews!

So, that’s it. Avoid the various pitfalls we have outlined here and remember that valuable content is what that will win you the new customers. Don’t try to take push notifications as a way to annoy your customers. You wouldn’t want to end up in the SPAM, would you?