Are you interested in improving your mobile application and creating a better user experience (UX) for your customers?
If so, great! You’ve made it to the right place.
As many of us started buying smartphones, we were introduced to mobile apps. Android and Apple released their respective storefronts in 2008, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Now, these programs have become an integral part of our lives. Virtually everything we do can be improved with the right app. For context, the average smartphone user spends nearly 4 hours daily using apps.
Shocking, right?
Due to the surge of new developers and apps on the market, it’s not easy to stand out from everyone else. You have to come up with inventive ways to keep users interested in your mobile app long after they click the download button. Most people will download an app for the first time, then uninstall it in about a week.
Today, we will explore 6 smart ways to improve your app and skyrocket engagement.
Let’s get started!
Tell People Why They Should Download Your App
Before you can start improving your app, you have to convince website visitors to click the download button. This step is one of the most important parts of the process. If no one is there to see all the changes you’re making, you won’t have enough data to make informed marketing decisions.
Research shows that 56% of website visitors are not ready to buy, 41% are just starting the process, and 3% are prepared to place a same-day order. Introducing the 97% of people who are not quite ready to pull out their debit card to your app can help you build rapport and turn first-time visitors into loyal customers.
The best way to get people to download your app is to tell them how they will benefit from the experience. The key is to tie the benefits to the needs of your customers.
At this point, I suggest referencing your buyer personas. You’ll want to consider the needs, pain points, and demographics of the people most likely to engage with your business.
Once you create a list of benefits, I suggest updating your app listing and creating a landing page on your website. You want to make it as easy as possible for people to visualize themselves using your app. Developing a marketing strategy that relays these benefits to readers can dramatically improve downloads and engagement.
Streamline Onboarding
Onboarding is the process of getting a user comfortable with your brand. In this case, we are talking about helping users figure out how to use and find value in your app.
If you don’t have a solid onboarding system built into your mobile app, you will likely lose a majority of new users soon after they install your program. People like to have a general understanding of a tool during and while they are using it.
Failure to address this need will lead to people feeling frustrated and confused.
Luckily, there are a few ways to improve customer onboarding and help people learn the ins and outs of your app.
The first thing you should consider is the average user journey. In other words, what do people want, need, and expect from your app? Use this information to bake a guided onboarding system into your app. If you can clearly explain functions and benefits to users, they will likely continue engaging with your brand.
Include In-App Customer Support
I also recommend including options to talk to support within your app. People are more likely to interact with a company that quickly and accurately answers their questions.
Imagine how you would feel if you installed a new app but wanted to ask a few questions. Instead of getting help in-app, you’re expected to go to the company website, find the support channel, wait on hold, and then reload the program.
Sounds inconvenient, right?
Imagine the same situation, but you can instantly chat with an agent in-app. Suddenly, your 20-minute inconvenience is resolved in less than 5 minutes.
The best course of action is to use a hybrid customer service system that uses live agents and chatbots. The chatbots can help users with common questions, send reference articles, and guide new and long-time users.
Meanwhile, your live team can assist users with more nuanced issues that require a human touch.
There’s no question that including in-app support will help you create a better user experience and skyrocket engagement.
Send Personalized Push Notifications
Did you know that 4 out of 5 people say they prefer to engage with brands that personalize their experience? This shocking statistic is just one reason why you should use personalization and, more specifically, personalized push notifications within your app.
I’m a big fan of pushing alerts to drive users back to our app from their mobile devices. Research shows the average open rate for emails is around 2%. Meanwhile, push notifications have a staggering 20% open rate.
Another reason this strategy works is that push alerts are sent immediately to the notification tray, while people can sometimes take 8 hours or more to read an email.
Personalization can help you connect with visitors and turn them into customers. Meanwhile, you can use what you know about your existing customers to create tailor-made alerts that include content and special offers.
Build a Strong Feedback Loop
Feedback loops are critical for improving your website, products, and other marketing platforms, so it makes sense that this strategy can also help with app engagement.
My go-to way to gather feedback is to send surveys to our app users both inside the program and through email. I ask users a couple of simple yet crucial questions. These questions usually deal with the following:
- Requests for future features
- Advice for streamlining existing features
- Questions regarding the technical performance and accessibility
- General guidance (How can we improve?)
Here’s an essential tip for creating and distributing surveys; don’t overload your questionnaires. It’s better to send 2-3 short surveys yearly than one lengthy questionnaire. Research shows that people are increasingly impatient when it comes to filling out surveys and other types of forms. I believe this is why removing one field from your form can improve engagement and conversions by 26%.
You can now use data from various feedback channels to improve your app. I have a list of long-term and short-term goals that consist of the top-requested features, changes, and updates. This type of list works for us because we can make tons of minor improvements with a few occasional extensive updates each year.
Back to You
As you can see, there are plenty of creative ways to improve your app. The one theme that runs through all of these tips is you have to make an effort to engage with your audience while encouraging them to reach out to you. Virtually every interaction you have with users can help you grow. It’s up to you to take this information and shape it to benefit your business and mobile app.
