Smartphones have become an increasingly natural fixture in people’s lives over the years. It’s a common occurrence to look around in a public place and see dozens of people swiping, tapping and scrolling on their mobile devices. On the one hand, this phenomenon of ever-increasing usage represents a golden opportunity for mobile app developers and marketers. People are engaging with mobile devices like never before, including apps for every function imaginable.
But, on the other hand, there’s only so much time in the day—and people have limited attention spans. With more apps vying for attention and storage space, the challenge becomes standing out and getting people to engage with your app in meaningful ways continually over time. Getting someone to install your app isn’t enough to monetize it; you need to encourage people to return over time.
So, how can mobile app marketers cut through the noise to drive post-install events? Here’s why re-engagement is the name of the game.
Re-Engagement Is Cost-Effective
In a nutshell, acquiring new customers tends to be more expensive than retaining existing ones—six to seven times more expensive, according to a Bain & Company statistic cited by Digital Marketing Magazine. The takeaway here? In the online magazine’s words, “By introducing the ability to re-engage dormant users, brands can reduce both the pressure and cost to create new app downloads.”
Retargeting Ads Lift Post-Install Conversions
It’s important to remember that lapsed and dormant users were, at one time, interested in your app. They saw its potential and went so far as to install it onto their mobile devices—but for whatever reason, their engagement fizzled down the line. This could be due to myriad factors: distraction, freeing up storage space, thinking about making a purchase before pulling the trigger or simply forgetting about the app. So, sometimes all it takes to job a mobile user’s memory is one well-placed retargeting ad or push notification.
The best retargeting companies drive meaningful in-app engagement by targeting unengaged users with relevant messaging in the form of dynamic advertisements. Dynamic advertisements are personalized to suit the mobile user viewing them—including demographics, mobile device type and previous in-app behavior.
The specific call to action depends on the nature of your app. Retargeting for an ecommerce app would entail showing mobile users’ products from your catalog they’d previously browsed or added to their shopping carts but didn’t buy. Similarly, dynamic ads for travel apps would implore users to revisit hotels and destinations they’d previously searched. A user who stopped playing a game after a certain level would see an ad for new levels, features or items meant to entice them back into the fold. The ultimate goal is to re-engage mobile users, so they convert, driving revenue in the short- and long-terms.
Push Notifications Keep Apps Top of Mind
Push notifications are another way to re-engage mobile users and drive monetization. The key is sending relevant messages to the right segments of users at the right times of day. After all, the last thing you want is for your push notifications to come off as spammy, prompting users to disable them or delete your app altogether.
Just like when it comes to serving mobile users’ dynamic advertisements, user segmentation is your friend when it comes to push notifications. People tend to appreciate personalized messages more than generic blanket updates. Craft your push notification calls to action around the goal of pulling mobile users back into your funnel where they left off.
Mobile app re-engagement can be a cost-effective way to drive post-install events from people who installed your app in the past but need a nudge to convert again.