Did you know that in 2022, more than 142 billion apps and games were downloaded worldwide? However, according to a 2019 survey, 25% of those apps will probably be used only once. This means that there are a lot of missed opportunities for many app developers and marketers. How can you solve this problem? You need to re-engage your users and motivate them to use your app. But how? You can do this by using different re-engagement channels. In this post, let us learn what re-engagement is, why it is important, and what channels you can use to do it.
What is re-engagement in app marketing?
Re-engagement is a marketing strategy that aims to persuade inactive or dormant users to interact or use your app again or more frequently. Inactive users may refer to users who have downloaded your app but didn’t use it for at least 14 days. Please note that re-engagement is different from re-targeting. Re-engagement tries to encourage users who are not using your app regularly. On the other hand, re-targeting is done to persuade users who uninstalled your app to install it again.
Why is re-engagement important for app marketing?
Re-engagement is important for various reasons. These are some of them:
- Improved user retention
Sometimes, app downloads can be misleading. You might get a lot of them, but if your app downloaders don’t use your app frequently enough, it’s not that great. That’s why, besides app downloads, you need to check your retention rate and churn rate. The retention rate measures how many users come back to your app and use it while the churn rate measures how many users don’t come back to your app. Retention rate and churn rate are opposite performance metrics. What you want is to have a higher retention rate and lower churn rate and that’s where re-engagement marketing strategies can help.
- Increased app usage
Re-engagement motivates your users to use your app more often or on a regular basis. Through re-engagement strategies, you remind your users to use your app again by telling them the value of your app and how your app’s features can help them. With increased app usage and sessions, you’ll have more business opportunities.
- Improved app ratings and reviews
It’s no secret that the more engaged and active users are, the more they will be willing to give you high ratings and positive reviews. Re-engagement strategies help satisfy your users. What’s great about this is that having higher ratings would improve the reputation of your app, which leads to more users downloading your app.
- Cost-effective
Performing re-engagement strategies are more cost-effective than getting new users. You don’t have to run expensive ad campaigns just to increase your app’s visibility. In re-engagement, you already have a list of inactive users. All you have to do is persuade them to use your app once again.
What are the different re-engagement channels?
Re-engagement channels help you reach as many inactive users as possible. That’s why, it is a must that you are familiar with them. Here are some of the most common and effective channels you should use for your re-engagement:
- Push notifications
Push notifications are messages that pop up on the user’s device screen even when they are not using the app. They are one of the most popular and effective ways to re-engage users because they are timely, personalized, and actionable. You can use push notifications to inform users about new features, updates, offers, reminders, tips, and more.
- Ads
Ads are another way to re-engage users by showing them relevant and appealing content on different platforms such as social media, websites, or other apps. You can use ads to showcase the benefits of using your app, highlight user testimonials, offer discounts or incentives, or invite users to join a community or event.
- Emails
Emails are one of the oldest but still reliable ways to re-engage users by sending them personalized and engaging messages directly to their inbox. You can use emails to educate users about your app, share valuable content or resources, provide customer support or feedback, or ask for reviews or referrals.
How to create an effective re-engagement campaign?
The tactics you use to re-engage at-risk users will depend on your app; it’ll look different for games than grocery apps. But every re-engagement campaign should: be relevant and timely, reduce user friction, and use the right communication channels. These three strategies will help you get there:
- Be relevant and timely
Your re-engagement campaign should be relevant to the user’s needs, preferences, behavior, and stage in the customer journey. You should also send your messages at the right time when the user is most likely to open and act on them.
- Reduce user friction
Your re-engagement campaign should make it easy for the user to use your app again. You should remove any barriers or obstacles that might prevent them from doing so, such as complicated registration, slow loading, or poor design.
- Use the right communication channels
Your re-engagement campaign should use the right communication channels that suit your app and your audience. You should also test and optimize your messages across different channels to see what works best for your re-engagement goals.
Conclusion
Re-engagement is a vital marketing strategy that can help you retain and satisfy your users, increase your app usage and revenue, and improve your app ratings and reputation. By using different re-engagement channels such as push notifications, ads, and emails, you can persuade your inactive or dormant users to use your app again or more frequently. However, you need to make sure that your re-engagement campaign is relevant and timely, reduces user friction, and uses the right communication channels. By doing so, you can rekindle the relationship between your app and your users and make them loyal and happy customers.