Mobile Notification Best Practices

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Mobile
Notification Best
Practices

Diana Laboy-Rush
Senior Product Marketing Manager
Urban Airship
Alyssa Meritt
Head of Strategic Consulting
Urban Airship
Today's Presenters

Agenda
• Mobile Notification Types Explained
• Cross-Channel Marketing Implications
• Your Top Questions, Answered
• Key Takeaways

Mobile
Notification
Types

Overview of Notification Types
Mobile
Wallet
In-App
Messages
Message
Centers
Rich
(Interactive)
Notifications
Push
Notifications

Push Notifications Overview
• Opt-in messages delivered directly
to phone or tablet home screen
• Broadcast or targeted
• Real-time or scheduled
• Location-based
• Easy to create with
• Deep Link Capability
Light up their screen

Push Notification Best Practices
1. Identify the action
desired
2. Make it timely and
relevant with context
3. Focus on in-the-
moment
4. Use precision
targeting
5. Make it a
conversation

Can They Read It?
Maximum characters by operating system and device
Message Length
43 characters:
The briefest display type is
"banner style" on iOS with an
iPhone 4/4S.
37 characters:
The briefest display type on
Android in "lock screen portrait"
on Nexus 5, 6 and 6P.
Here’s what concise
messages around 40
characters look like:
Retail: "Members only:
20% off shoes. Shop now!"
News: "BREAKING: DC
homicide suspect in
custody."
Travel: "CHANGE: Flt 39
departing from gate C2."

Rich
Notification
The New Paradigm: Rich Notifications
Include Rich
Media
(JPGs,
GIFs, etc.)
Interactive
Buttons
Share
Directly
from the
Notification

Rich Notification Examples

Rich Notifications Considerations
56% higher direct open rate
vs. standard notifications
• Attention grabbing
• Interactive buttons
• Images
• Video (iOS)
• Gifs (iOS)
• Sound (iOS)

The Interactive Notification
Not just “notifications,”
trackable interactions.
• Immediate & specific actions
• 2 button, 1 button, no button
• Better conversion routing
• Engaging experiences
• Yes/No, Like/Share, Remind
Me Later/Share
• Emojis
Interactive Notification Types

Rich Notifications Best Practices
• Use rich media to compel action
• Video for news and publishing
• Gifs for emotional appeal
• Images for transactional info
• Use interactions to capture insight
• Prompt with a “shop now” button to deep link into app
• Include a “share” button to grow audience

In-App Interactive Notifications
Reach opt-outs & create notification continuity
Send in-app only, or with a push notification.
Background & font color can be customized.
Great uses for in-app messages
• Encourage push opt in
• Feature update
• Quick tips / pro tips
• Contest entry

Message Centers: Now or Later Reading
Your user’s mobile inbox
• Reach entire app audience
• Unread messages are flagged with
badges
• Customize content with different icons
• Can be used for promotions
• Marketers can add or expire messages

Message Center Examples

Rich In-App Pages in Message Center
Marketer-deployed landing pages
• Storytelling through great visuals,
video, or audio with rich content
landing pages.
• Reach your entire app audience —
not just opt-ins.
• Track user behaviors via UA tagging
and 3rd party analytics
• Can be promotional
Branded Templates Upload HTML 5

Temporary In-App Pages
Interstitial, temporary experience
Reach opt-ins on the fly
Display stand-alone landing pages to
your opt-in audience without a message
center
• Out-of-the-box with SDK, leveraging
branded templates
• Actions can be tagged for
re-messaging
• Temporary

Messaging Tactic Recommended Usage
Push Notification Lights up screen, provides immediacy, great for time- and location-sensitive
content.
Great for re-engaging lapsed users.
Rich Notification When you want a response- follow up on a story, share.
Badging (iOS) Creates urgency, but non-interruptive.
Helps bring back engaged and lapsed users.
In-App Notification When your message has to be seen- reaches entire app audience. Can be one,
two or no buttons.
Delivered to home screen. Temporal, in the moment messaging, that can be
sequenced.
Messaging Tactics Help with User Experience

Messaging Tactic Recommended Usage
Message Center Connect and get more value out of users who already use the app.
User is brought to the inbox by a standard push or by badging.
More room for copy, offers now or later reading, high engagement via
rich content (video, audio, text, surveys), can be used for testing.
In-App Page Larger area, can be temporary (like a pop up) for opt-ins only or within
the message center (entire app audience).
Mobile Wallet No app needed. Can be shared via email, sms, print etc. Can be
updated and location triggered.
Messaging Tactics Help with User Experience

Messaging Types

Three Main Messaging Types
• Educational:
• Value add as your customer grows with your brand (lifecycle)
• Promotional:
• Coupons, offers, opportunities (the give for the get)
• Transactional:
• Reorder, shipped, confirmed, changed tier (service and loyalty)

The Intersection of Brand & User Goals
USERBRAND
• Reach, engage,
retain audience
• Gain user insight
• Reduce cost
• Repeat business,
increase LTV
• Increase efficiency
• Be informed
• Make it easy
• Save money
• Save time
• Security
• Better deals
• Be reminded
• Have fun

Relevant & Useful Messaging
• How is it relevant?
• Why does it matter here and now?
• What do you what them to do?
Three questions to ask before you push send: Use everything you
know about users to
deliver value
• Inform
• Alert
• Direct
• Entertain
• Connect
• Choose wisely
• Save money
• Increase efficiency

Educational

Promotional

Framing the Communication Opportunity
EMOTIONAL
Regular
/PUSHED
Content based on calendar or
lifecycle. Heighten customer
emotional engagement.
Content that responds to a
specific event or customer
behavior. Heighten customer
emotional engagement.
Content based on calendar
or lifecycle. Aim to grow,
serve, protect, engage.
Content that is specific to
customer need or transaction.
Aims to make experience
hassle free and effortless.
Action /
TRIGGERED
PRACTICAL

Transactional

Process
Planning your messaging:
• Draft your message
• Ask the 3 questions
• Identify where the message should go
• Consider and tag for interactive notification elements
• Send to a specific segment

Cross Channel
Considerations

Cross Channel Opportunities
App
Mobile Wallet
Email
Web

Cross Promotion with Email
Email to increase
downloads, push to
reinforce message

Multiple Channels Working Together
Voucher to new users after they
download the app. Helps welcome,
onboard and drive adoption.
Objectives
• Educate and on-board new users
• Cross promote Redbox content across
channels
• Give users easy access to rental
kiosks and content availability
Redbox employs a multi-channel marketing
strategy, which includes its app with push
notifications and a message center, as well
as text messaging and email

Multiple Channels Working Together

Multiple Channels: Offer Flow

Consider Social

Expand Your Reach to Numerous Platforms
Web Notifications
Wearables
In-App
Notifications

Your Questions

Where should mobile
notifications direct the
audience?

Mobile web
page
Specific
app screen
In-app
landing page
• Push notifications (or msg delivered within a message center)
can take your customer anywhere within the app itself, or on the
mobile web
• Avoid the default, sending your message recipient to the home
screen
• Use “deep links” to ensure each message takes your audience
to precisely where they want to go
Help Them Take Action

How often should
I send a push
notification?

• Is this something your
customer asked for?
• Is this expected
communication?
• Is this message
helpful to my
customer?
• Is it on a reasonable
cadence for my
brand?
Think About Your User’s Expectations

What makes a good
message center?

• Badge
• Iconography
• Preview text
• Expiration date
Strongly Branded, Easy-to-Use, Rich Source of Content

How do I move
beyond broadcast
push?

Even adopting a single
variable for targeting can
drive massive improvements
in response, let alone
combining multiple points of
user insight for precision-
targeting.
Targeted push notifications were more
impactful than broadcast push notifications
Effect Of Targeting On Push Response
Source: Urban Airship’s “Good Push Index” Study

How can I get
more people
to opt in?

• Tell users why they
should opt in
• Show them how to
opt in
• Welcome them to
the app
Clearly Demonstrate Value

What should I
do to re-
engage
inactive users?

• Highlight
features not yet
used
• Offer value
based on
segments
• Updates based
on preferences
Remind Them Why They Downloaded

Key Takeaways

Plan! Build Editorial, Marketing Calendars
Balance your messaging
• Determine key segments
• Establish messaging types
• Look at potential volume
• Assess messaging coming
from other channels

For notifications:
1. Identify the action desired
2. Decide on best notification type
3. Make it timely and relevant with context
4. Focus on in-the-moment
5. Use precision targeting
6. Make it a conversation
Best Practices
Remember:
How is it relevant?
Why does it matter here and now?
What do you what them to do?

• Sign up for a free trial
• Utilize our docs for best practices & quick start guides:
• In-App Messaging: Quick Start Guide
• Custom Events: Quick Start Guide
• Lifecycle Lists: Quick Start Guide
• Interactive Notification Types
• Maximum characters by operating system and device
Resources

• Check out our blog, where we post content designed to make your
mobile growth easier:
• How to Make a Successful App: 10 Fundamentals for Maximizing
Your Investment
• How to Earn Push Notification Opt-Ins: 7 Essential Resources
• Addressing — and Winning Back — Dormant App Users
Subscribe to receive a weekly digest of our best posts.
Resources

Q&A
Luke, we need a slide
here that we can sit
on while we have
Q&A. Also add: “Want
more? Check out the
online resources in
our Content Library
for more best practice
and benchmark
resources.” in smaller
text on the slide. Thx!
Q & A
Want more?
Check out the resources in our online
Content Library for more best practices and
benchmark reports.

Thank you
| Portland San Francisco London | +1 855 385 3155 | urbanairship.com

Mobile Notification Best Practices

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