Push notifications for apps are a fundamental digital marketing tool to complete the strategy of an application and achieve better results over time. For example, it can help us improve loyalty, conversion rate, get an effective remarketing, recover inactive users, etc.

We could say that push notifications are the evolution of SMS (SMS 2.0). Its use is growing exponentially due to the high profitability it offers.

Like everything in marketing, it requires prior planning, aligned with the business strategy chief marketing officer email list. In this article we will see what they are, what types there are, what formats they offer and most interestingly, their potential at the level of digital marketing.

What are push notifications?
Push notifications in apps are a direct and instant communication tool with the user. For example, the notification of a WhatsApp message is a push notification, but also a Pull and Bear message with “40% discount on your orders this week”.

They are widely customizable, they can be manual or automatic, with sound or without sound, with image or without image, with deep link or without it, etc.

It is important to bear in mind that an incorrect or excessive use can generate the disabling of the notification permission (if we have that option) or even the uninstallation of the app.
Here we can see the evolution of push notifications in recent years:

Types of push notifications
In my opinion there are two types of push notifications depending on your objective:

“Business” push notifications
Are those notifications that arrive automatically based on the actions we perform within an app. Receiving a chat message, accepting a work request, reminding a flight, ending a service, etc.

Generally these automatic notifications are configured from Google’s Firebase.

“Marketing” push notifications
They are sent by the marketing team of a company depending on the needs of the moment or as part of a strategy of loyalty, recruitment, retention, etc.

They are used to achieve specific actions in previously segmented users; An abandoned shopping cart, temporary discounts or special offers, reminders to use the app, etc.

In most cases, an external provider is used for shipments. These offer a simple shipping panel that does not require technical knowledge to schedule shipments, as if it happens in Firebase.

Formats of push notifications
Classic Push: It’s like an SMS and its shipping strategy is the same as that done in SMS Marketing. Although it is the simplest option, it is widely used and enormously effective.

Push Notifications for Apps – Classic Banner

Interactive Push: It is quite common and its objective is to be less intrusive. It appears on the top of our smartphone and usually has one or two options.

Interactive alert: It is an interactive banner that comes out in the middle of the screen and forces you to make a decision to continue. It is a very intrusive option but it gets very high response rates (of course, it is mandatory to answer).

Within this option you can use the interstitial which is an image or video notification with a much more promotional character.

Push Notifications for Apps – Interactive Alert

Push with image, video or GIFs: Contains a message accompanied by multimedia content. They are aggressive, but if we have segmented well users can achieve very good results.

Push Notifications for Apps – push with image, gif or video

Push with carousel format: They are like the previous ones but with several images in carousel format. An example where we usually find this type of push is in apps related to fashion.

Push notifications for Apps – Push carousel format

Push with rich media format: It is a notification linked with a rich media content. They are not the most usual.

Push Notifications for Apps – Push with rich media format

Potential at the marketing level
At the level of digital marketing, push notifications can be a great help to push any strategy towards success.

Loyalty strategy: Help get loyal users with a recurring and personalized shipping plan. You have to be very precise and not be heavy with the shipments.

Improve recurrence: Increase the recurrence of use of the app. The idea is to depend as little as possible on attracting new users through payment.

Remarketing strategy: Get actions (such as the purchase of products) from users who have already tried our product / service or who were previously interested.

Recovery of abandoned carts: We can use notifications to impact users who have added products to the cart and abandoned it. The link will lead directly to the cart to finali