Push isn’t mobile email and in-app messaging isn’t mobile pop-ups. As mobile marketers we can buzz someone’s leg with a notification – let’s make sure we’re doing it the best way possible. In this session you’ll learn about different fool proof strategies to better engage your users.

1. Fool Proof App
Engagement Strategies
Richard Sgro
@SoSgro

2. About Me
• Lead West & APAC Solutions
Engineering at Localytics
• Avid rugby player
• Love to cook & travel

3. About Localytics
Launched 2009 | Offices: Boston, San Francisco, London | 220 Employees
$60M total raised | $35M in last round led by Sapphire Ventures
6,000 37,000 2.7billion 120billion
COMPANIES APPS DEVICES DATA POINTS

4. What’s Ahead
• Why do we build apps?
• Why are we here?
• Push Strategies
• In-app Strategies

5. 5
Why do we build apps?

6. 6
Portio Research, March 2013
Portio Research, March 2013

7. 7
1. Mashable, 2014 2. Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers KPCB, 2014

8. 8
Harnessing your mobile app
presence is key to for growth
1. Apple, 2014 2. ABI Research/Porto Research, March 2013 3. eMarketer, 2013

9. What problem are you solving?
• Business Goals
– Direct to consumer
– Logins
– Retention
• True North
– MAU + In App purchases
– Weekly posts / user
– # of files

10. 10
Why are we here?

11. Nielsen, 2014
41APPS ARE
INSTALLED ON THE
AVERAGE
US SMARTPHONE.

12. NOT
EVERYONE
WHO DOWNLOADS
YOUR APP WILL
BECOME
A USER.

13. 25%THE PERCENTAGE OF
USERS WHO ONLY OPEN
AN APP ONCE.

14. WARNING: SCARY CHART FOR MOBILE MARKETERS
Despite massive
number of available
apps, users are
downloading and using
the same number of
apps
Sources: eMarketer, Flurry, Nielsen, Activate analysis

15. Hurdle: Channel Overload

16. Hurdle:
Relevance
Cool
Localytics ad!
(But I work here)
Cool
Verizon ad!
(But I’m already a
customer)

17. Hurdle:
Continuity of
Experience

18. Deconstructing a simple push message
Push
Message
Customer
Profile
Database
Dynamic
Messaging for
Personalization
Push Tracking:
Viewed / Open /
Clicked
Audience
Qualification
Event
behavior
trackingMessage
A/B Test
Scheduling
Automation to send at
right time
Influence on Engagement,
Conversion, Retention

19. There’s a lot of technology to help

20. Let’s Be Real…
• Sometimes marketers ruin things

21. 21
Marketers are using push like ‘mobile email’

22. How to not do that:
• Manage opt-in
• Prioritize user-value, not clickthrough
• Personalize with segments, not word choice
• Send in real-time not “optimal” time
• It is too late for retention campaigns

23. How to not do that:
• Manage opt-in
• Prioritize user-value, not clickthrough
• Personalize with segments, not word choice
• Send in real-time not “optimal” time
• It is too late for retention campaigns

24. DON’T ask users to opt in
immediately after
launching the app for the
first time
(first launch)

25. THEN, ask them to
opt in with a unique,
well-designed in-app
message
Welcome users with a sequence
of introductory screens

26. How to not do that:
• Manage opt-in
• Prioritize user-value, not click through
• Personalize with segments, not word choice
• Send in real-time not “optimal” time
• It is too late for retention campaigns

27. Good - Extend App Functionality
• Sports scores and breaking news stories
• Social updates
• Immediate action experiences
• Notifications of progress

28. Bad – Compete for Attention

29. How to not do that:
• Manage opt-in
• Prioritize user-value, not clickthrough
• Personalize with segments, not word choice
• Send in real-time not “optimal” time
• It is too late for retention campaigns

30. Sports Apparel App
(your entire userbase)
Segment Your Audience

31. 3% of broadcast push
messages are clicked
7% of targeted push
messages are clicked
15% of users converted 54% of users converted
BROADCAST TARGETED
Segment

32. Imagine an app with 100,000 users
&
A $25 average sale price
Segment!

33. 3% of 100,000 users =
3,000 opened messages
7% of 100,000 users =
7,000 opened messages
15% of 3,000 opened messages =
450 converted users
54% of 7,000 opened messages =
3,780 converted users
BROADCAST TARGETED
Segment!

34. BROADCAST TARGETED
Segment = $$$
$11,250 $94,500

35. How to not do that:
• Manage opt-in
• Prioritize user-value, not clickthrough
• Personalize with segments, not word choice
• Send in real-time not “optimal” time
• It is too late for retention campaigns

36. Source: Localytics, 2014

37. How to not do that:
• Manage opt-in
• Prioritize user-value, not clickthrough
• Personalize with segments, not word choice
• Send in real-time not “optimal” time
• It is too late for retention campaigns

38. Save your Users Before the Churn
1. Have a model (or use a tool) that predicts churn
2. Engage appropriately

39. Use Facebook if you must win-back

40. Your Pushes are mobile emails if…
1. Very large audiences
2. No deep links
3. My actions don’t impact my messages
4. Use my first name
5. Success = engagement

41. 41
Marketers are using In-app like ‘mobile popups’

42. The Potential
• User commitment
• Context
• 2-way communication
• Testability
• Engagement

43. Source: Localytics, 2014
And yet, this is what we get

44. The best in-app messages
• Extend the app experience
• Feel like part of the brand
• Triggered by user context
• Are helpful

45. The best in-app messages
• Extend the app experience
• Feel like part of the brand
• Triggered by user context
• Are helpful

46. Extension of the App
• Short-lived content
• Testing recommendations

47. The best in-app messages
• Extend the app experience
• Feel like part of the brand
• Triggered by user context
• Are helpful

48. Don’t do this
Show this message box 3
seconds after a user signs
into your application for
the first time

49. Be Better – you’re in the App!
Ask for a rating at a time
where users have had a
positive experience and
use In-App tied to that
event.

50. The best in-app messages
• Extend the app experience
• Feel like part of the brand
• Triggered by user context
• Are helpful

51. They’re using the app
• You know
– What they’ve done in the app
– How long they’ve been there
– Who they are
– (Maybe) where they are

52. The best in-app messages
• Extend the app experience
• Feel like part of the brand
• Triggered by user context
• Are helpful

53. Helpful
• Any OOBE (e.g. push,
microphone, photos)
• Sign-in, sign-up
• New features

54. Your in-app messages are pop-ups if…
1. Interrupt user journey
2. Untested
3. Impersonal content
4. looks like a pop up

55. Closing it out

56. 3 Keys
1. Remember why you built your app
2. Segment, segment, segment
3. Iterate constantly using in-app messaging

57. THANK YOUContact me at rsgro@localytics.com
@SoSgro