4 Powerful Methods For Increasing Engagement on Your Mobile Application

If you are like most smart phone users you have several apps on your phone and you use a handful of those regularly.

What makes those apps different?

Why do you keep coming back to them and not the others?

Those apps have succeeded in engaging your interest.  You want to keep using it. Many of these apps have integrated themselves into your everyday life.

There are several ways you can improve engagement on your mobile apps to keep users coming back rather than having them sit unused on users’ phones. Make sure you evaluate which of these fits your business, mobile isn’t an arena where one-size-fits all. Your iPhone app developer or Android app developer can offer insights as to which is the best fit for your program and existing apps as well as helping you understand what is needed to implement each.

Collect Data

Whenever your users open your application they complete an action that can be tracked. This is just one type of action. Action taken within you application can be tracked using analytics. Understanding how your users use your app and knowing which features they utilize the most can be very useful information.

The cornerstone of any great engagement program will be allowing users to opt-in to data collection in order to improve their app experience.  Not only will it allow you to focus your efforts for future app updates but the data will also allow you to create personalized, relevant messaging for your users.

Personalize Content

More than anytime in history there is data overload. Personalized content can cut through the clutter and be relevant to users.

To deliver content that matters to your users keep in mind their goals for using your app and then deliver information based on their user habits. As you can imagine, you won’t know those habits unless you have built a program to collect data.

Push Notifications

Customers regularly will opt-in for push notification programs (60% in some app categories). This is a huge opportunity for you and your business as push notifications are a great way to engage and retain app users.

The most effective push notification programs are offer value and are relevant to users.

Your app can improve its chances of a user giving you permission to send them push notifications if you let them know how push messages will add to their experience when asking for permission.

Mobile Only Rewards

If you have users that don’t use your app regularly, you can re-engage them by creating off mobile exclusive offers or a mobile loyalty program. Incorporate these offers with your push notifications and personalize them per the data you are collecting to maximize effectiveness.

Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns (Flikr) http://bit.ly/1emjUQV