7 Proven Tips to Create Customer Engagement with A Mobile App

There exist plenty of ways to boost customer engagement with a mobile app, but these 7 sure-fire ways will make the biggest difference in how your audience reacts to your app.

With 3.5 billion smartphone users, the mobile app market is rapidly growing. The appeal of a mobile app in business is all-time high. The reasons are many. It is viewed as a versatile tool for successful branding strategies as well as effective customer support. Similarly, it is often called the best way to interact with customers and affect their buying decisions.

To date, every startup jumps into a market with its own mobile app since in this way, the odds of winning the audience’s attention and loyalty are much higher. But not every app launched to Google Play or the App Store catches up. Why? Some of them lack usability or customization, whereas others fail to serve their purpose. But the most common difficulty is that a mobile app does not provide enough options to keep the user involved in the app’s usage for a long time.

Your business mobile app, however, still can be flawless. By following these 7 tips below, you can make sure your app delivers superior user experience and easily engages new customers.

1. In-app messaging
In-app messaging is the first way to improve customer engagement. It is used to inform the user of how to navigate the app when installed for the first time as well as of various events and giveaways that your brand is planning to hold. In-app messages are said to boost user retention on average by 25 percent as users can easily get in touch with support agents or chatbots and solve any issues without feeling anxious or annoyed.

2. Push Notifications
Unlike in-app messages, push notifications play another important role. Their goal is to catch the user’s attention when they are not using their mobile devices or, on the contrary, are involved in another app. Push notifications have enormous potential in keeping the audience engaged, but their usage should not have an intrusive and irritating effect on the audience. While every other user is tolerant to push notifications, the remaining ones tend to remove the app if this option is overused.

3. Loyalty Programs
The launch of a loyalty program through mobile apps is another way to win the users’ affection. The collection of points that later are exchanged for a variety of bonuses is the most used variant. This format of interaction with customers has a double effect. While the mobile application development company has a chance to promote brand awareness, the user can benefit from exclusive offers and enjoy one-of-a-kind consumer journeys. The loyalty program always encourages the user to go for more awards and thus are best suited for the businesses that deal with the extremely demanding or complicated audience.

4. Deep linking
Deep linking is a must for every business that strives to offer the utmost comfort to the users picking their app. Its purpose is to make sure that the user’s interaction with the app’s content and pages are smooth and uninterrupted. For instance, when the user decides to follow a web ad, it helps to immediately direct them to the right page, but the apps without deep linking send the user to the homepage and so they should search for the right page themselves. This might lead to a rise in the bounce rate and damage to the app’s reputation.

5. Gamify your app
All people love games. By gamifying the app, you can achieve better customer engagement. To create a good gaming experience, you should come up with the award that will be able to lure both regular and inactive users. This may be some daily rewards such as a coupon, discount, etc. that the users can collect through simple gameplay. Gratification strategies work best for any type of user as every person tends to feel happier after achieving a small goal. The right gamification normally pushes the majority of users to check the app more frequently.

6. Ask for feedback
Of all the methods, the simplest one is to ask the audience for genuine feedback. This may require a brief survey with a number of YES/NO questions. However, you should bear in mind that not every user is ready to share their opinion or have a spare minute to take a survey. By seeking the opinion of your audience, your audience feels wanted and valued. 

7. Regular updates
The last factor to define the audience’s willingness to keep using the app is regular update. The need for updates is explained by the user’s evolving needs and behavior. It is vital to collect their feedback based on which you can observe which changes should be introduced first to enhance user experience and make the app more effective purpose-oriented.

Why should you create customer engagement with the mobile app?
The mobile is not only an amazing tool for building a strong connection with your customers but a good way to keep track of your key metrics. Many mobile apps let you monitor KPIs based on which you monitor your progress and business growth. This knowledge is also essential to develop smart marketing strategies and optimize your business performance. For example, by knowing the number of daily active users, you can clearly see what segment of the audience is most interested in your business value and can be targeted when promoting new exclusive products. Finally, with the help of mobile analytics, you will be able to calculate the ROI of any promotional campaign you launch. The value of the mobile app lies not only in its advantages associated with customer engagement but also with its multivariate functions any business can use to promote their brand on a global level.

The 7 tips above can be used by both start-ups and experienced businesses that seek to retain their loyal users and attract new ones.