Fool Proof App Engagement StrategiesRichard Sgro@SoSgro

About Me• Lead West & APAC Solutions

Engineering at Localytics

• Avid rugby player

• Love to cook & travel

About Localytics

Launched 2009 | Offices: Boston, San Francisco, London | 220 Employees$60M total raised | $35M in last round led by Sapphire Ventures

6,000 37,000 2.7billion 120billionCOMPANIES APPS DEVICES DATA POINTS

What’s Ahead• Why do we build apps?• Why are we here? • Push Strategies• In-app Strategies

5

Why do we build apps?

6

Portio Research, March 2013

Portio Research, March 2013

71. Mashable, 2014 2. Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers KPCB, 2014

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Harnessing your mobile app presence is key to for growth

1. Apple, 2014 2. ABI Research/Porto Research, March 2013 3. eMarketer, 2013

What problem are you solving?

• Business Goals– Direct to consumer– Logins– Retention

• True North– MAU + In App purchases– Weekly posts / user– # of files

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Why are we here?

Nielsen, 2014

41APPS ARE INSTALLED ON THE AVERAGE US SMARTPHONE.

NOT EVERYONE WHO DOWNLOADS

YOUR APP WILL BECOME

A USER.

25%THE PERCENTAGE OF USERS WHO ONLY

OPEN AN APP ONCE.

WARNING: SCARY CHART FOR MOBILE MARKETERS

Despite massive number of available apps, users are downloading and using the same number of apps

Sources: eMarketer, Flurry, Nielsen, Activate analysis

Hurdle: Channel Overload

Hurdle: Relevance

Cool Localytics

ad!(But I work here)

Cool Verizon ad!(But I’m already a

customer)

Hurdle: Continuity of Experience

Deconstructing a simple push messagePush

Message

Customer Profile

Database

Dynamic Messaging for Personalization

Push Tracking: Viewed / Open /

Clicked

Audience Qualificati

on

Event behavior trackingMessage

A/B Test

Scheduling Automation to

send at right time

Influence on Engagement,

Conversion, Retention

There’s a lot of technology to help

Let’s Be Real…• Sometimes marketers ruin things

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Marketers are using push like ‘mobile email’

How to not do that:

• Manage opt-in• Prioritize user-value, not clickthrough• Personalize with segments, not word choice• Send in real-time not “optimal” time• It is too late for retention campaigns

How to not do that:

• Manage opt-in• Prioritize user-value, not clickthrough• Personalize with segments, not word choice• Send in real-time not “optimal” time• It is too late for retention campaigns

DON’T ask users to opt in immediately after launching the app for the first time

(first launch)

THEN, ask them to opt in with a unique, well-designed in-app message

Welcome users with a sequence of introductory

screens

How to not do that:

• Manage opt-in• Prioritize user-value, not click through• Personalize with segments, not word choice• Send in real-time not “optimal” time• It is too late for retention campaigns

Good - Extend App Functionality

• Sports scores and breaking news stories• Social updates • Immediate action experiences• Notifications of progress

Bad – Compete for Attention

How to not do that:

• Manage opt-in• Prioritize user-value, not clickthrough• Personalize with segments, not word choice• Send in real-time not “optimal” time• It is too late for retention campaigns

Sports Apparel App

(your entire userbase)

Segment Your Audience

3% of broadcast pushmessages are clicked

7% of targeted pushmessages are clicked

15% of users converted 54% of users converted

BROADCAST TARGETED

Segment

Imagine an app with 100,000 users

&A $25 average sale price

Segment!

3% of 100,000 users =3,000 opened messages

7% of 100,000 users = 7,000 opened messages

15% of 3,000 opened messages =450 converted users

54% of 7,000 opened messages =3,780 converted users

BROADCAST TARGETED

Segment!

BROADCAST TARGETED

Segment = $$$

$11,250 $94,500

How to not do that:

• Manage opt-in• Prioritize user-value, not clickthrough• Personalize with segments, not word choice• Send in real-time not “optimal” time• It is too late for retention campaigns

Source: Localytics, 2014

How to not do that:

• Manage opt-in• Prioritize user-value, not clickthrough• Personalize with segments, not word choice• Send in real-time not “optimal” time• It is too late for retention campaigns

Save your Users Before the Churn1. Have a model (or use a tool) that predicts

churn2. Engage appropriately

Use Facebook if you must win-back

Your Pushes are mobile emails if…1. Very large audiences2. No deep links3. My actions don’t impact my messages4. Use my first name5. Success = engagement

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Marketers are using In-app like ‘mobile popups’

The Potential• User commitment• Context• 2-way communication• Testability• Engagement

Source: Localytics, 2014

And yet, this is what we get

The best in-app messages

• Extend the app experience• Feel like part of the brand• Triggered by user context• Are helpful

The best in-app messages

• Extend the app experience• Feel like part of the brand• Triggered by user context• Are helpful

Extension of the App• Short-lived content• Testing recommendations

The best in-app messages

• Extend the app experience• Feel like part of the brand• Triggered by user context• Are helpful

Don’t do this

Show this message box 3 seconds after a user signs into your application for the first time

Be Better – you’re in the App!

Ask for a rating at a time where users have had a positive experience and use In-App tied to that event.

The best in-app messages

• Extend the app experience• Feel like part of the brand• Triggered by user context• Are helpful

They’re using the app• You know

– What they’ve done in the app– How long they’ve been there– Who they are– (Maybe) where they are

The best in-app messages

• Extend the app experience• Feel like part of the brand• Triggered by user context• Are helpful

Helpful• Any OOBE (e.g. push,

microphone, photos)• Sign-in, sign-up• New features

Your in-app messages are pop-ups if…

1. Interrupt user journey2. Untested3. Impersonal content4. looks like a pop up

Closing it out

3 Keys1. Remember why you built your app2. Segment, segment, segment3. Iterate constantly using in-app messaging

THANK YOUContact me at rsgro@localytics.com

@SoSgro