Inspiring Push Notifications to Stir Up Your Mobile Campaigns

Push notifications were introduced more than 10 years ago, in 2009. The technology allows marketers to send messages to their customers even if the app isn’t running. Push messages pop up on the screen of users’ gadgets.

Nowadays, it is a popular tool, which is actively applied by many companies. People are already used to the numerous push messages they receive every day. Therefore, it is important to create interesting and useful pushes that will make your app stand out from the rest.

In the article, we’ll define what mobile push notifications are and what goals they pursue. In addition, we’ll figure out how to improve your notifications by analyzing a few examples of best practices in pushes.

Types of Mobile Push Notifications

There are several types of notifications, which are divided according to their purposes:

• informative;
• transactional;
• promotional;
• win-back push campaigns.

Informative notifications

These messages engage users with important information concerning their accounts or app updates. For example, Instagram comments and other actions with the user’s content trigger alerts.

Another example is the location-based notification from Amazon when logging in to the app from a new gadget. 

Tell users about changes in your app that may be essential to them. A good instance is below from Vodafone (a mobile carrier, which informed clients about a new section in its application).

But these may not even be so much important changes as new features in your application. Just an example: a mobile game “Manor Matters” notifies gamers as soon as their character is ready to play.

Also, use informative pushes to remind users about interesting or highly important things. They help to improve user experience and build strong connections with your audience.

Transactional push notifications

Transactional pushes inform customers about the status of their orders. Getting instant updated information is a crucial thing when spending money. And push messaging is the key to that.

Let clients know if their money was submitted, received, returned, etc. Then send them the shipping information. You can easily report the shipment as shown in the example below. 

Tapping on the push will lead a customer to the app page with details about the parcel.

Or add more data to the notification to simplify understanding of your message. The example below shows when and where to expect the parcel (clients receive personalized “forecasts” about the delivery date). Also, it contains a special button that allows paying for shipping in the application. 

Transactional pushes are a must-have feature for any business that sells goods or provides services. Customers wish to be informed about everything related to their orders. For example, an application for ordering a taxi uses notifications to announce the arrival of a car.

Promotional mobile push notifications

Advertising pushes capture the users’ attention to the application. They reveal the benefits of a particular offer and invite potential customers to get familiar with it.

The promotional pushes may have to do with sales, seasonal discounts, new services, etc. For example, a notification from the Pull&Bear app offers to view products that customers can buy only online.

Mobile and web push notifications are often used to promote holiday sales. Using them, companies can congratulate customers and offer products at a special price.

Win-back campaigns

These marketing campaigns send different messages to customers depending on the application type and business purposes. For example, an educational or training project can remind the user of the goal for which the application was installed.

Push messages are able to arouse the user’s curiosity by announcing an interesting topic available for study in the application (this is just one of the push notification examples).

If app users haven't completed a lesson or finished some project, you should remind them of that. Perhaps, they were distracted by another activity and forgot. This way you encourage users to come back to the app and show that you appreciate their efforts. 

Below, a classic push win-back campaign for mobile games is announcing a time of an in-game competition.  

By the way, a timer as a tool of mind pressure is suitable for eCommerce stores and other types of business. Applications usually warn customers to hurry up and use their discount.

Also, the most popular win-back triggers for e-commerce apps are abandoned views and abandoned carts. 

Ideally, pushes not only return clients to the application but also stimulate them to make a purchase. 

For publishers and mass media, this kind of notifications is very important because it keeps readers informed. 

The push looks like a short piece of news. Its purpose is to inform subscribers and reveal certain facts. Readers should open the app to get more details and clarifications.

How to make creative push notifications

Keep your push notifications short and straightforward. No one needs a huge promotional message on their smartphone screen.

If necessary, include a clear call to action button. Your users must immediately understand what they need to do.

Use personalized recommendations. Personalized messaging has a great impact on customer engagement because it catches people’s attention more successfully than regular pushes. Use the personal data of your clients to form appropriate content. The data may be as follows:

• general information about a person (name, gender, age, localization, marital status, etc);
• behavior data (viewed pages/items, a shopping list, a list of favorites, search queries). 

For instance, Tasty sent a user a recommendation relying on the search and in-app usage history. Previously, the user was interested in recipes for chicken dishes.

Or the YouTube Music app announced to its subscriber a new music release. The recommendation was based on user behavior.

Push notification ideas for inspiration

Let's look at several mobile pushes that inspire with their designs and interesting ideas. 

Pictures catch attention  

Show clients what they can lose

Another important thing is to add images to the "Abandoned Shopping Cart" trigger for e-commerce. A customer will once again see the product he chose earlier and may decide to make a purchase.

Use the magic of emojis

Notifications full of elements

Don’t hesitate to add more information to a message if it is really worth the user’s attention. Above in the push notification example, we see a text, a picture related to the story, and CTA buttons. The image isn’t so big but still noticeable. Also, you can use more unusual pictures that creates a 3D effect. The instance below will definitely be noticed by clients.

You can add up to 3 CTA buttons to motivate users to interact with pushes. But resort to that when it’s really necessary. To be honest, CNN mobile notifications don’t need the View button because you’ll see the piece of news after tapping on the text. Anyway, maybe someone needs the option.

Unique sound alert makes users quit everything

You can attract additional attention to your push message by using not only the design but also a unique sound. By default, all notifications come with a standard signal. But some apps like BBC have their own sound. 

However, the company uses a special signal only for breaking news to avoid abuse. The rest of the application notifications come with a standard sound alert.

Play games with subscribers

Who said that entertainment is only about games? Amuse your subscribers with intriguing notifications and encourage them to open the app. 

For example, BBC Learning English sent a quiz. Subscribers could find out the correct answer after watching a video in the application.

Let's ignite the curiosity of users

Sometimes you need to share just a grain of information to make mobile users open the app. A good example is Daily Art, which sends only an image of a masterpiece with its name. If a subscriber wants to figure out its author, history, and other details, the app is always at his service. This method can work for educational applications, publishers, mass media, etc.   

Summarizing

Mobile notifications allow you to solve various marketing tasks, influence customer loyalty, and increase customer engagement. Despite the small format, they include all the necessary elements: text, graphics, and CTA buttons. But a lot of app users don’t wish to receive too many promotional pushes. Therefore, marketers need to be more creative to make really good push notifications. We hope the examples collected in this article will inspire you.

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