Researchgate found out that the average number of notifications a user receives is 80 a day. This shows the prevalence of push notifications in digital marketing, especially in smartphone applications. It has been proven to increase application retention rates by 3 to 10 times.
Push notifications allow third-party providers to communicate with users even if the application is not currently or inactively being used. It provides a visual and audio reminder to inform users of a new message or update, keeping them informed and engaged to drive action.
This post will discuss notification strategy, specifically next-gen notification, and the implementation of AI and personalization to enhance engagement.
Understanding AI and Personalization
We all know how artificial intelligence is now used in every aspect of our daily tasks; it does not escape the marketing realm either. Businesses have been leveraging AI algorithms to analyze data, automate, perform predictive analysis, and personalize their operations.
Using personalization in notification strategies through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is developed by analyzing user behavior, preferences, and interaction patterns. With the large data that AI analyze easily, businesses can identify and even automate highly personalized content and relevant messages or notifications a user will be more likely to engage with.
What Is Notification Strategy?
A notification is a message that alerts users of an update. It comes in many forms, like email, SMS, in-app applications, or push notifications. All of these inform users about new content or any activity relative to their application.
- SMS is directly sent to your inbox or device.
- Email is delivered to your inbox, which you can access on any device or platform.
- In-app notifications are messages displayed within the application itself.
- Push notifications are sent to the user's device from a server.
The frequency and timing of how and to whom notifications will be sent are what make up a notification strategy. The planned approach of notification strategy ensures that notifications are delivered accurately and effectively without overwhelming the users. A well-crafted notification strategy enhances user engagement, retention, and satisfaction.
The Current Notifications Landscape
Notifications are an essential bridge between applications and users, delivering timely information and updates. This interaction, however, has diversified into two main aspects - traditional notifications with limited personalization and AI-powered notifications, which offer a more tailored and interactive experience.
Traditional vs. Next-Gen Notification Strategies
Traditional notification approaches are a one-size-fits-all methodology. For instance, an e-commerce app might send out the same promotional email to all its users, irrespective of their purchase history or preferences. Like how emails, phone calls, and messages notify people regarding an update or event, these notifications are not customized to the individual user, lacking engagement on a personal level and information for relevance.
Next-gen notification strategies understand user preferences through interaction patterns and data analytics. For example, a fitness app using next-gen strategies might remind users to log their workout and suggest workout routines based on their goals and past activities.
Why Next-Gen Notification Strategies Matter
Notification strategies are helpful for businesses to maintain relevance and engagement amidst a saturated market. However, with the constant technological evolution and consumer behavior, traditional notification strategies may no longer be as effective.
Next-Generation Notification Strategies:
Next-generation notification strategies incorporate technological advancements and consumer behaviour insights to improve relevancy, delivery, and engagement. Some key characteristics of next-generation notification strategies include:
- Enhanced User Experience: Implementing next-gen notification strategies through leveraging AI and machine learning (ML) to analyze user behavior to deliver personalised notifications, making interactions with users more meaningful.
- Better Engagement: Segmented notifications based on user interests and interactions help businesses create more engaging content that entices users to open the notifications and keeps the audience interested and interacting with the brand.
- Foster Brand Loyalty: Personalized and well-timed notifications show users that the brand understands their preferences and values their time, making them more likely to advocate for the brand than others.
- Drive Conversion Rates: Targeted notification strategies by delivering personalized offers and information optimally encourage users to take action immediately, boosting conversion rate.
- Providing Personalization: Personalization stands at the core of next-gen notification strategies. Utilising data analytics to craft notifications that cater to users' individual preferences, needs, and historical interactions can dramatically enhance the effectiveness of communication efforts.
- Increased Sales: Directly linked with driving conversion rates, next-gen notification strategies increase sales.
- Stay Ahead of the Competition: Standing out with creative, personalized notification tactics makes the brand more noticeable and appealing, providing a competitive edge among competitors.
- Combat Notification Fatigue: Users become stressed by the constant inflow of messages. Next-gen strategies address this by ensuring that notifications are valuable, well-timed, and finely tuned to the recipient's current context and preferences.
Best Practices for Implementing Next-Gen Notification Strategies
People nowadays expect to be notified quickly and efficiently to keep up with their fast-paced lives. Next-gen notification strategies have emerged to address this need, providing businesses with more effective ways to engage and inform their customers.
Below are some best practices for implementing next-gen notification strategies.
Defining Specific Goals and KPIs
Identifying the target audience and understanding their notification preferences is the first step in implementing any next-gen notification strategy. As each demographic has different communication preferences, not all notification methods may work for every audience.
Set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals to help create a focused and actionable strategy. Relevant KPIs such as open rates, click-through rates, and user retention rates help track progress towards these goals, allowing for real-time adjustments and optimizations.
Investing in the Right AI Tools and Technologies for Successful Implementation
AI-powered notification platforms can automate the entire notification process, saving time and resources while ensuring that their notifications are sent out accurately and efficiently.
Investing in the right tool should align with the business's needs and goals to implement a successful notification strategy. Factors such as scalability, security, and data privacy should be at the forefront when choosing the appropriate tools and technologies.
Designing Notification Strategies for Different Platforms
Notification involves sending messages through various channels and devices. Businesses must understand the unique characteristics of each platform and device and design notifications that leverage these features to deliver the most effective message.
Whether it's push notifications for mobile devices, emails for desktop usage, or SMS for immediate reach, each strategy should be crafted with the platform's strengths and limitations in mind.
Leveraging Data Analytics for Effective Notification Strategies
Data analytics measure the success of notification strategies and identify areas for improvement. Regular data analysis helps businesses gain insights into user behavior, preferences, and engagement patterns, allowing them to refine their notification strategies for maximum impact.
Balancing Frequency and Relevance in Notification Delivery
In your notification strategy, balance between frequency and relevance in delivery. Too many notifications cause notification overload and lead to user fatigue, while infrequent notifications may decrease engagement and retention rates. Also, notifications with irrelevant content can cause frustration and lead to users ignoring or unsubscribing from notifications.
Prioritise sending relevant and timely notifications that offer value to users, segment users based on their activity, and adjust notification frequency accordingly.
Constant Monitoring and Optimization
Regularly reviewing notification performance data gives insight into how the strategies align with the goal. It also helps identify areas for improvement and refine notification strategies based on users' feedback to ensure that the strategy remains effective.
Continuous Learning and Adaptation
Staying updated about the latest AI advancements and notification technologies ensures that strategies remain effective and relevant all the time. This commitment to continuous learning and responsiveness allows businesses to keep up and stay ahead of the competition and deliver quality notification experiences for their customers.
Case Studies: Successful Implementation of Next-Gen Notifications
Century 21 is a well-known real estate company. They aim to increase their active users and retention, engagement rates, and leads.
They created a segment for app installed date, days from the last visit, and number of visits.
This allows them to target push notifications that include welcoming new users, giving tips, and suggesting actions. Those inactive users were targeted with promotion, while active ones were asked to rate the app positively.
With this, app usage increased, and store ratings increased six times.
Contteudo is a large media group with the concern that its subscribers are not active enough. With the help of Notix, a free web push notification service, they incorporated emojis into their messages, scheduled the push, and chose the right prompt of the choice that their subscribers make.
In two months, they collected 3.4 million subscribers, and the number of clicks grew, which indicates that the subscribers were active and engaged.
Conclusion
Next-gen notification strategies with AI tools, strategic planning based on data analytics, and a keen understanding of target audience preferences bring in effective and relevant communication that leads to improved engagement, retention, and increased revenue.
The key is to set clear goals, invest in the right technology, design platform-specific notifications, leverage data for insights, balance notification frequency, and continuous optimization and adaptation.
It's time to maximize your engagement strategy and drive meaningful connections with your audience!
