5 Most Common Mobile Push Notification Mistakes To Avoid

With many different factors at play, including demographics, industry, the number and type of apps one has installed, as well as one’s permission settings, it may not be easy to give an all-encompassing, meaningful number, but some statistics show that smartphone users may be receiving even as many as 46 Push Notifications a day. This goes to show how fierce the competition for user attention is and that sending fewer notifications may sometimes be better. One way you can improve your messaging strategy is by simply avoiding some of the common mistakes made in mobile Push communication. Let’s clear these up to set you for a successful campaign.

In this article we discuss:

• Mistakes to avoid while sending mobile app notifications.

• Best practices for avoiding these mistakes.

• Ways to improve user experience and business results.

Push Notification mistakes to avoid

Using Push Notifications to alert app users about a variety of topics in real-time is a powerful marketing strategy. However, there are certain pitfalls you must avoid at all costs. Here are five mistakes many Push Notification senders make but you don't have to.

Relying solely on Mobile Push notifications in your communication strategy 

Pushes are great for quickly reaching your customers’ home screens with whatever message you’re trying to convey. Despite how attractive this format is, also in purely visual terms, you shouldn’t put all your eggs into this basket. Email and SMS remain powerful channels with their own unique strengths. Cross-channel communication is a viable strategy allowing you to synergize for best results. 

Now, why Push Notifications may prove to be insufficient? Well, even though the app itself may be offering substantial value, customers have to willingly download it AND give consent to receive Push Notifications.

Besides, you may have segments within your customer base which simply engage and convert better via SMS. Thus you can use this channel to run remarketing efforts aimed at those who aren’t interested in Pushes. The key to maximizing results lies in combining communication channels, adjusting to user preferences.

Trying to send notifications with multiple vendors 

Running a marketing campaign utilizing multiple communication platforms can be counterproductive. It can make coordination challenging and render the communication disjointed, as every vendor has his own unique tools which may negatively affect the quality of your Pushes. 

On top of that, using multiple communication platforms may lead to a fragmentation of the audience, as well as increase the costs of managing your marketing campaigns. 

Ill-designed content and incorrect segmentation 

When designing your Push Notification strategy, make sure it fits with the interest and behaviors of your target audience. Tap into available data pools to better understand what it is that users are looking for in your app, and then deliver relevant, clear and concise content including a CTA they’ll be most likely to engage with. Additionally, consider the very format of your notification. 

For instance, if you have highly visually attractive products, you may want to send a rich media Push Notifications including an image instead of just plain text. That said, not all communication platform providers offer the option to send different types of Push messages, as this requires having extensive tech infrastructure.

Sending generic messages

And since we’ve touched on segmentation, not directly addressing the recipients of your Pushes in a way that’s relevant to them is another big blunder. You need to forget about generic messages and make your notifications fit each user's style based on their preferences and actions. There’s no room for one-size-fits-all script here. 

Personalization also means taking the physical location of your audience into account. You should speak their language, literally and culturally. Missing out on these seemingly second-tier details could throw a wrench in the works, dampening the impact of your message. Keep sending highly relevant notifications that are personal and localized for a communication strategy that hits the right notes.

Not analyzing campaign performance 

A/B test your Push Notifications and analyze how well they perform as it's essential for steady improvement and long-term success. By collecting and interpreting data you can gain valuable insights into how many messages were delivered, how many users opened the app or converted, which of the elements of the messages were most efficient, and which user groups have been most engaged. 

The campaign analysis can also be focused on content to show which headers or button texts have generated the most interactions. At the end of the day, content is the most fundamental channel within the channel that speaks (pun intended) to the customer.

Summary of common mistakes to avoid while sending Push Notifications 

Mobile app Push Notifications are a powerful tool to draw customers’ attention and get them to engage with your brand. However, there are common Push Notification pitfalls you need to avoid in order to maximize the impact you have on your mobile audience. By allowing other channels in, working with a reliable partner, properly designing content and segmenting the audience, as well as analyzing the results, you position yourself to elevate the conversion rate and enjoy other benefits mobile notifications have to offer.

Send Push Notifications with MessageFlow

Looking to send Pushes to mobile phones? We’ve got the solution just for you. MessageFlow is a cross-channel communication platform you can use to send notifications for Android and iOS including text-only, images, and action buttons to the users of your mobile app. 

If you aren’t a developer, that’s fine, as there’s a user-friendly panel allowing you to set up a campaign. In case you need a closer integration with your existing tools, we offer an API for that. Once your personalized, segmented communication has been sent, dive into its performance and learn where to improve.

Reach out to us at contact@messageflow.com if you’d like more information about how we can help you achieve your communication goals.