Why Is This Important?
As a mobile application owner it is very important to attract users and to run user acquisition campaign, but it is equally important to keep them and make them use your app over and over again. Even though it is very challenging to grow user lifetime value it is all worth it in the end because more engaged users will attract more revenues. According to Esteban Kulsky, CEO at thinkJar, engagement is user’s knowledge multiplied by its trust in your product divided by the time he invests using it.
A research made by Localytics reveals that the average retention rate after one month from installation is around 39% which falls to 20% after 3 months from installation. So, what are you waiting for? Do something!
How to Keep Users Engaged With Your Mobile App
If you are asking yourself what to do in that case, we will show you some tactics that will help you engage your users:
1. Improve your app.
It goes without saying that your app should be amazing and without any kind of errors. These bugs will crush the app and the next second, users will uninstall it. A good idea is to make your app to solve a problem for users. If your app is the key solution for making their live easier then you have a winner. Do I have to mention Pokemon Go, the most popular app of all times, that offered users an interesting way to get together with their friends?
2. Easy onboarding flow.
If the app is not intuitive and the user struggles to understand how to use it, then you can be sure that he will never return to it. Another trick is to create an easy signup process, maybe using social media account and be careful not to ask too much personal information, too early. This is the reason why Instagram is in top 10 of most popular apps in the world.
Image Source: UX Archive
3. In – app messages.
In –app messages are messages received by user while he has the app opened. These messages can be shown on top as banners, or they can occupy the entire screen. You can send users messages with special offers or you can help him with onboarding workflow if he uses your app for the first time. Be careful not to show them too frequently or in the middle of an activity. If you use them in the right way and with a relevant content you can reach your goal. According to Localytics brands that implement this technique have a retention rate almost 3 times higher. Just look at this example from Nike + Running app where a message pops up explaining what user should do.
4. Push notifications.
Push notifications are messages sent to users even if they don’t use the app in that moment but they have the app installed on their devices. The good news is that using this method you can remember customers to use your app again. The bad news is that they need to have this service enabled from settings. The condition for this strategy to work is to send relevant push notifications not messages that can annoy your users. But, if you adopt Saucey technique, you will attract users for sure.
5. Deep linking.
Deep linking is the process of creating links inside the app to the desired content. Deep linking works like links on web pages, only it is created for mobile applications. If you provide rich content you can convince your users to use your app again and again. More details on deep linking you can read in an article from AppSamurai.
Take as example the strategy of Foursquare to use deep linking for presenting Metropolitan Museum of Art from Twitter.
6. Sharing buttons.
Never underestimate the power of word. Allow users to create the rumor around your app and make it easier for them to do that by implementing social media buttons inside your app. It is recommendable to do that after they finished a successful task or after they win a level in a game. Let people brag about their results. Another trick is to offer little prizes for sharing your app. For example, you can give your users bonuses or lives in a game if they tell their friends about the app, like Candy Crash, a popular game loved by all players worldwide.
7. Offer incentives.
You can offer giveaways or, even better, if you find out that some customers like a category of products from your app a great solution is to inform them of sales in that specific category. Mobile Marketer studies strategies of Zappos, including their offers for users in order to grow conversion.
8. Track metrics.
If you keep an eye on your analytics, you will discover all the features that attract users and their actions within your app. If you discover the characteristics of users that love your app, you can focus to convince other users to come back to your app in the same manner. More information you can get from our previous article. You can also check a great eBook: 7 Best Practices to Increase Mobile App Engagement.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know what to do to engage users you should get to work. First of all, take a look at your app and remove all the bugs and useless features and add better ones so users can have an easy onboarding flow and a great experience overall. Even more, add sharing buttons between key activities to encourage them to spread the word about your app. Next, you can create some discounts or to offer some prizes for those who already have installed the app. To convince them to come back to your app and to show them the value of it after the improvements, you have to send push notifications, but don’t forget about deep linking so customers won’t get lost inside your app. They have to land on the exact page that you were talking about. Use in – app messages to thank them of being such great customers. But, to make this plan work you have to check your analytics from time to time and to follow your users’ behavior. Good luck and let us know when you reach the top position in your category.
