With Apple's WWDC 2024 keynote behind us and a laundry list of intuitive iOS 18 features on the horizon this Fall, there are plenty of additions to look forward to but a few changes that may have raised concerns. On the email front, iOS 18 promises some major quality-of-life improvements for users but has many senders questioning their ability to reach the ever-changing inbox.

The good news? Your email deliverability will not be negatively affected by iOS 18. The better news? You may actually experience a reduction in complaint rates and an improvement in deliverability along the way.

How is Apple Mail Changing With iOS 18?

Apple Mail is making two major changes to its email platform with the release of iOS 18, both powered by their new contextual AI system (known as “Apple Intelligence”).

The first is the introduction of the tabbed inbox, similar to Gmail’s popular interface, which will automatically organize emails by category for a much more streamlined user experience. Emails will now be sorted into one of these four categories:

• Primary – “High priority” emails like time-sensitive messages and messages from friends, family, or other close connections.
• Transactions – Emails related to purchase confirmations, receipts, and other transactional communications.
• Updates – Notifications about account changes, policy updates, or other service-related information.
• Promotions – Marketing emails containing offers, discounts, and product announcements from brands and businesses.

The goal of this change is to help users more quickly navigate to the messages that matter most to them, while simultaneously decluttering the inbox.

The second change gives Apple Mail users a brand new way to view snippets of receipts, newsletters, and other regularly received marketing emails in an easily scannable “feed,” grouped by sender.

Will This Affect My Deliverability?

In short, no. Your brand’s emails aren’t going to be rerouted to spam or lost to the depths of some mystical inbox abyss. As long as you continue to maintain a clean email list, stay up to date on email sending best practices, and personalize your emails for maximum relevance, your brand voice will remain as present as ever.

Those who were sending a decade or so ago most likely remember the Great Gmail Scare of 2013, when tabs were first introduced to email inboxes. At the time it was seen as a major disruption, with the perception of these new “invisible barriers” creating paranoia that legitimate marketing emails would be lumped with all other email spam. In reality, email deliverability never became as destabilized as everyone had feared.

In fact, this disruption ended up pushing marketers to adapt their email marketing strategies to place a stronger focus on personalized and engaging content to maintain open rates within the Promotions tab. Over the years, as user expectations and marketing literacy have evolved, our marketing practices have only continued to become more refined.

Why the Promotions Tab is Your Friend

Jumping back to present day, with Apple’s adoption of inbox tabs, email senders may actually see lower complaint rates and a boost in deliverability.  

When a user is in their Primary tab, they are focused on personal and time-sensitive communications. This “high-priority environment” is one where promotional emails feel intrusive, potentially leading to a negative response or even being marked as spam.

However, when users switch to the Promotions tab, their mindset shifts with it. They are more likely to be in a receptive state, primed to see marketing messages, deals, and offers. In this context, promotional emails are no longer competing with personal or urgent messages, reducing the likelihood of being ignored or marked as spam. Instead, users are actually more open to engaging with these emails because they are mentally prepared to browse through marketing content.

By aligning with user expectations, this system fosters a more favorable environment for marketing communications, ultimately benefiting both users and marketers. Even if you see a slight reduction in open rates for promotional messages, the opens that you do receive will give you higher quality engagement.

OneSignal for Email

Making a splash in user inboxes begins with your email provider. At OneSignal, we’ve made a name for ourselves not only by revolutionizing the way brands communicate with an omnichannel approach but also by giving email marketers new life with the right tools for the job.

Whether it’s through our drag-and-drop email composer, targeted Segmentation Editor, or powerful real-time automation (like Email Auto Warm-Up), we’ve paved the way for new sender shortcuts straight to the inbox.

Long-term mobile user retention is built via a consistent stream of habit-forming experiences. But a habit-forming app doesn’t just capture users’ attention; it becomes a part of their daily or weekly routine.

How do you make your app indispensable in users' lives? The answer lies in creating engagement loops that keep users coming back for more, and omnichannel mobile messaging plays a significant role in achieving this. For mobile marketers, the end goal is to foster consistent user interaction that feels natural and compelling, ultimately driving retention rates.

Let’s explore five unique ways to build a habit-forming mobile app through strategic, personalized, and well-timed messaging.

1. Triggered Engagement Reminders

To build a habit, users need to be reminded of your app's value at the right moments. Triggered engagement reminders are powerful because they connect directly with users when they are most likely to take action. The key channels here are push notifications and in-app messages, which can deliver timely nudges based on user behavior or time-sensitive events.

How to Implement:

• Behavior-Based Triggers: Set up push notifications that are sent when a user reaches a specific milestone or exhibits certain behavior, such as abandoning a cart or completing a task.
• Time-Based Reminders: Use in-app messages to remind users to return at a specific time, like sending a notification for a daily challenge or a weekly check-in.
• Personalized Content: Make sure the reminders are personalized to the user’s preferences or past interactions to increase relevancy and encourage engagement.

2. Daily or Weekly Challenges

Challenges are a great way to create an ongoing engagement loop that users look forward to completing. These challenges tap into the principles of commitment and reward, making users feel accomplished and motivated to continue using the app. Push notifications and email are the key channels for this strategy, as they provide both immediacy and a more detailed follow-up.

We have some perfect examples of this strategy in action in our guide: 10 Tips for Creating Engaging and Rewarding In-Game Challenges

How to Implement:

• Daily Challenges: Create a series of small tasks that users can complete each day, such as fitness goals or learning exercises, and send a push notification to remind them to participate.
• Weekly Challenges: Design a more in-depth challenge that takes place over a week, offering a special reward or recognition upon completion. Use email to provide updates, progress tracking, and encouragement throughout the week.
• Reward System: Implement a points or rewards system that incentivizes users to complete challenges, offering tangible benefits like discounts or exclusive content.

3. Personalized Content Recommendations

Users are more likely to engage with your app if they feel the content is tailored to their specific interests and needs. Personalized content recommendations keep the app experience fresh and relevant, encouraging users to return regularly. The primary channels for delivering these recommendations are in-app messages and emails, where you can provide personalized suggestions based on user behavior.

Explore these email segmentation best practices to bring personalization to your email strategy.

How to Implement:

• Content Algorithms: Use data analytics to track user behavior and preferences, then develop algorithms that recommend relevant content, such as articles, videos, or products.
• In-App Pop-Ups: Show personalized content recommendations through in-app pop-ups when users log in, making the suggestions feel immediate and relevant.
• Email Summaries: Send weekly email summaries of personalized content that users might have missed, encouraging them to re-engage with the app.

4. Social Proof and Community Building

We are social creatures, and leveraging social proof can be a powerful way to create a habit-forming app. When users see others engaging with the app, it reinforces their own behavior and encourages continued use. Building a community around your app through social channels, in-app social features, and push notifications can create a sense of belonging and encourage regular interaction.

How to Implement:

• User Testimonials: Feature user reviews or success stories within the app or in push notifications, showing how others are benefiting from using the app.
• Community Forums: Create an in-app community forum or chat feature where users can share tips, ask questions, and engage with each other.
• Social Media Integration: Encourage users to share their achievements or progress on social media, using push notifications to prompt them to share at key moments.

5. Habit Streaks and Progress Tracking

Tracking progress and maintaining streaks can be a strong motivator for users to keep coming back to your app. This strategy plays into users’ desire for consistency and the fear of losing progress. Key channels for promoting habit streaks and progress tracking are in-app messages and push notifications, as they can provide immediate feedback and encouragement.

How to Implement:

• Streak Reminders: Send push notifications to remind users to continue their streak, whether it’s logging in daily, completing tasks, or tracking their goals.
• Progress Bars: Include visible progress bars within the app that show how close users are to reaching their next milestone, providing a visual incentive to keep going.
• Milestone Celebrations: Use in-app messages to celebrate when users reach significant milestones, reinforcing their commitment to the habit.

Habit-Forming Tools For a Habit-Forming Experience

Creating a habit-forming mobile app is about more than just good design; it’s about creating consistent, meaningful engagement that keeps users coming back. A retention-focused engagement solution like OneSignal offers the tools you need to build these habits, with deep automation capabilities and a multi-channel builder tool that allows you to connect with users at the right time, on the right channel, and with the right message.

Your mobile app onboarding process is a key driver of early engagement and the perfect opportunity for a lasting first impression. While this experience is crucial for setting the stage, it’s really only the tip of the iceberg. The real challenge lies in what comes next: keeping those onboarded users engaged and loyal over the long haul.

This is where many mobile marketers fall short, concentrating their efforts on onboarding and neglecting the engagement strategies that sustain user interest moving forward. Let’s explore how you can extend your engagement strategies post-onboarding to build lasting user loyalty and drive sustained retention rates.

5 Retention Strategies to Keep Users Coming Back

1. Personalized Content Delivery

After the onboarding process, the next big challenge is to keep users engaged by delivering content that resonates with their specific needs and interests. Personalization ensures relevance, which makes your messaging resonate with user interests. When done correctly, personalized content can significantly boost both retention and session length.

How to Implement:

• Segment Your Audience: Use data gathered during onboarding to segment users based on their behaviors, preferences, and demographics.
• Dynamic Content: Dynamic content delivers information based on user interactions, such as showing relevant articles, videos, or product recommendations.
• Behavioral Triggers: Set up in-app messages or push notifications triggered by user behavior, such as revisiting a feature they previously explored.

Our Message Personalization Best Practice Guide is a perfect place to start tailoring your engagement strategy for maximum relevance.

2. Regular Feature Updates and Announcements

Introducing new features and consistently improving your app can keep users excited and engaged. The psychology behind this strategy lies in the novelty effect—humans are naturally drawn to new and fresh experiences. Regular updates also give users a reason to revisit your app, which can positively impact your app’s retention rate and session frequency.

How to Implement:

• Highlight New Features: Use in-app messaging or push notifications to announce new features, emphasizing how they enhance the user experience.
• Exclusive Early Access: Offer loyal users early access to new features or beta tests to make them feel valued and involved in your app’s evolution.
• Update Prompts: Encourage users to update their app by highlighting the benefits and improvements in the latest version.

Need a way to re-engage users after a major app update? Learn how to retain users after app downtime with our Re-Engagement Guide.

3. Gamification and Reward Systems

Gamification taps into the innate human desire for achievement and recognition, making it a powerful tool for increasing user retention. By incorporating elements like points, badges, and leaderboards, you can create a sense of competition and accomplishment. This strategy can significantly enhance user engagement metrics, such as session length, frequency, and long-term retention.

How to Implement:

• Points and Rewards: Implement a points system where users earn rewards for completing specific actions, such as logging in daily or achieving milestones.
• Leaderboards: Introduce leaderboards that showcase top users, encouraging competition and regular app usage.
• Achievement Badges: Reward users with badges for reaching certain milestones, like completing a set number of tasks or using your app for a specific duration.

Check out these 7 Strategies to Incentivize App Referrals for quick gamification wins for your next referral program.

4. Proactive User Support and Feedback Loops

Providing proactive support and establishing feedback loops post-onboarding helps users feel supported and valued, which strengthens their connection to your app. This approach addresses users’ need for assurance and contributes to building trust and loyalty. When users feel heard and supported, they’re more likely to stay engaged and continue using your app.

How to Implement:

• In-App Support: Integrate an easily accessible in-app support feature, allowing users to get help or ask questions without leaving your app.
• Feedback Requests: Regularly ask for user feedback through surveys or in-app prompts, and act on the suggestions to show users that their opinions matter.
• Proactive Outreach: Use messaging channels to reach out to users who haven’t engaged in a while, offering assistance or inviting them to explore new features.

Explore these key tips for collecting user feedback to improve the in-app experience for your users.

5. Ongoing Education and Content

Keeping users informed and educated about your app’s full potential can significantly enhance their engagement over time. Ongoing education strategies address users’ desire for mastery of their experience, helping them feel competent and confident in using your app. This strategy can improve metrics like user satisfaction, feature adoption, and retention rates.

How to Implement:

• Tutorials and Tips: Offer ongoing tutorials or tips through in-app messages, emails, or push notifications, guiding users on how to make the most of your app’s features.
• Webinars and Live Demos: Host webinars or live demos to showcase advanced features, new updates, or best practices, encouraging users to explore more of what your app has to offer.
• Content Libraries: Create a resource library within your app where users can access articles, videos, and guides tailored to their specific needs and goals.

If you’re sending long-form content via email campaigns, timing is everything! Learn the best times to send marketing emails to give your strategy a retention boost.

Aligning Your Mobile Messaging Solution With Your Long-Term Goals

Retention doesn’t stop at onboarding; it’s a continuous process that requires consistent effort and strategic planning. A retention-focused engagement solution like OneSignal can be a game-changer, offering deep personalization capabilities and a multi-channel builder tool that are designed to facilitate long-term engagement and growth.

What’s the one mindset that separates a flash-in-the-pan branding victory from a self-sustaining user engagement juggernaut? Data-driven decision-making.

Every move you make as an app marketer needs to be backed by accurate metrics that give you a clear picture of what's working and what's not. With the right data, you can fine-tune your mobile engagement strategies, connect with your audience more effectively, and ultimately scale your app with minimal friction. To make things a little easier, we’ve identified the seven app marketing metrics that have the highest impact on your ability to grow.

Why These Metrics Matter in 2024

The app marketing landscape is more competitive now than ever. Users are bombarded with options, and their expectations for even a basic, “out-of-the-box” experience are much higher. Understanding these key metrics isn't just about knowing your numbers—it's about using those numbers to inform your engagement strategy and nurture lasting relationships with your users.

Remember, the goal is to thrive, not just survive.

For a deeper dive into tracking mobile engagement metrics, check out our guide to understanding mobile app user behavior.

7 Metrics Every App Marketer Should Track

1. Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV)

Customer lifetime value (CLTV) is a critical metric that estimates the total revenue you can expect from a user throughout their relationship with your app. It’s essential to understand how much you can afford to spend on acquiring new users and how to allocate your marketing budget effectively.

Knowing your CLTV helps you determine the return on investment (ROI) of your marketing efforts. It also guides your decisions on user acquisition costs and retention strategies.

Say you’re a marketer for a mobile fitness app and you’ve noticed that your CLTV is lower than you’d like. After digging into the data, you realize that while many users download the app and use it for a few weeks, a significant portion never convert to the premium subscription or tend to churn within a few months.

To address this, you segment users based on behavior:

• High-engagement users receive personalized messages promoting premium features
• Low-engagement users get re-engagement offers like discounts or free trials
• Churning users are targeted with win-back campaigns featuring personalized challenges

The tailored engagement strategies not only boost user retention but also optimize the marketing budget by focusing efforts on users with the highest potential value. This approach leads to a higher ROI, as you spend less on acquiring new users and more on maximizing the value of existing ones, ultimately leading to more sustainable growth for the app.

Curious about the quality of your users? Our guide to calculating mobile user lifetime value goes into more detail!

To summarize, CLTV is calculated by multiplying the average purchase value by the average purchase frequency rate, then multiplying the result by the average customer lifespan, and finally subtracting the customer acquisition cost (CAC).

2. Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

Cost per acquisition (CPA) measures how much you’re spending to acquire a new user. This metric is fundamental for determining the efficiency of your marketing campaigns. Keeping your CPA low while maintaining high-quality user acquisition is crucial for sustainable growth. A high CPA could mean you’re spending too much to gain users who don’t provide enough value in return.

What about cost per install (CPI)? Where CPI only measures the cost to get a user to install the app, CPA measures the cost to acquire a user who completes a specific action (such as signing up or making a purchase) and provides a more comprehensive view of acquisition costs as it focuses on users who take meaningful actions beyond just installation

Monitor your CPA across different channels to identify which ones are delivering the best value for money. Consider reallocating your budget towards higher-performing channels.

To reduce your CPA, consider:

• Optimizing ad targeting using advanced targeting options, such as lookalike audiences or interest-based targeting.
• A/B testing different ad creatives, messaging, and formats to identify which ones drive the highest conversions at the lowest cost.
• Leveraging retargeting campaigns to re-engage users who have shown interest in your app but haven’t yet converted.
• Focusing on high-performing channels and allocating more budget to those with the best performance in terms of conversion rates and lower CPA.
• Improving user onboarding to reduce drop-off rates and ensure new users are more likely to complete desired actions.

3. Retention Rate

Your retention rate is the percentage of users who continue to use your app over a specific period. This metric is vital for understanding how well your app is meeting user needs. High retention rates indicate that users find value in your app, while low rates suggest there may be issues with user experience, engagement, or overall app value.

If your retention rate is dropping, analyze the user journey to identify pain points where users may be disengaging. Consider implementing personalized onboarding or re-engagement campaigns to keep users active.

When was the last time you gave your onboarding experience a facelift? This Mobile Onboarding Toolkit has the resources you need, all in one place (and it’s free!)

These are the five keys to success to keep top of mind when striving for a strong retention rate for your app:

• Seamless User Experience: Ensure your app is intuitive and easy to navigate, minimizing friction points that could lead to user frustration and drop-off.
• Personalized Onboarding: Offer a tailored onboarding experience that addresses individual user needs and showcases the app’s core value quickly.
• Regular Feature Updates: Keep users engaged by consistently rolling out new features, improvements, and content that meet their evolving needs and preferences.
• Effective Push Notifications: Use personalized push notifications to remind users of your app's value and encourage regular engagement without being intrusive.
• Strong Customer Support: Provide accessible and responsive customer support to quickly resolve user issues, enhancing their overall satisfaction and loyalty.

4. Average Session Length

Average session length refers to the average amount of time a user spends on your app during a single session. It provides insights into user engagement and your app's ability to hold attention. Longer session lengths often indicate higher user engagement, which is key to driving in-app purchases and ad revenue.

Consider this example:

An app marketer for a mobile e-learning platform notices that the average session length is shorter than expected, indicating that users may not be fully engaged with the content. To address this, the marketer decides to analyze user behavior and discovers that users often abandon sessions due to lengthy video tutorials.

Based on this insight, the marketer initiates a strategy to break down long tutorials into shorter, more digestible segments and sends personalized push notifications to users, encouraging them to complete the next module.

As a result, the average session length increases, leading to higher user engagement and improved course completion rates.

5. Click-Through Rate (CTR) for Push Notifications

Click-through rate (CTR) for push notifications measures the percentage of users who tap on a push notification after receiving it. This metric is specific to mobile messaging and is crucial for evaluating the effectiveness of your push campaigns. A high CTR indicates that your push notifications are relevant and engaging to your users, while a low CTR suggests that your messaging strategy may need adjustment.

Relevance through personalization is the key driver in improving mobile app CTR – How many of the following tactics are you currently using in your engagement strategy?

• Leverage User Behavior Data: Send notifications based on individual user actions, such as reminding them to complete an abandoned task or revisit recently viewed content.
• Incorporate User Preferences: Tailor notifications to align with the user's stated interests or preferred topics, making each message more relevant.
• Use Geotargeting: Trigger notifications based on a user’s location, offering relevant content or promotions when they are near a specific place or event.
• Personalized Timing: Schedule notifications at optimal times based on when each user is most likely to engage with your app, rather than sending at a generic time.
• Include Personal Details: To create a more direct and engaging message, include the user’s name or other personal details in the notification.

Test different messaging strategies, such as personalization or segmentation, to improve your CTR. Pay attention to timing and relevance to ensure your notifications are both timely and valuable.

6. In-App Messaging Conversion Rate

Your in-app messaging conversion rate tracks the percentage of users who complete a desired action after receiving an in-app message. This could be anything from making a purchase to updating their app. This metric directly ties your in-app messaging efforts to tangible outcomes, showing you how effectively your messages are driving user behavior.

If your conversion rates are low, experiment with different types of messages, calls-to-action, or targeting strategies to see what resonates best with your audience.

Sometimes the simplest changes are the most effective. If you are A/B testing different CTAs for your mobile shopping app, you may experiment with copy like "Shop Now," "Discover Deals," and "Claim Your Discount." After discovering that "Claim Your Discount" consistently drives the highest conversions, you learn to start leveraging more incentive-based CTAs across your messaging strategy, ultimately boosting in-app conversions as users respond better to messages that emphasize immediate value.

Learn how to write better CTAs to give your in-app messages (and conversion rates) a shot of new life!

7. Opt-In Rate for Push Notifications

Opt-in rates for push notifications measure the percentage of users who agree to receive push notifications from your app. This metric is crucial because it determines the reach of your push campaigns.

A high opt-in rate means you have a broader audience for your push notifications, which can drive higher engagement and retention.

Apps with low opt-in rates for push notifications often struggle because users don't perceive immediate value or relevance in the notifications they might receive. This can be due to poorly timed opt-in prompts, where users are asked to enable notifications before they've had a chance to experience the app's benefits.

Additionally, if your app's initial user experience is confusing or underwhelming, users may hesitate to opt in, fearing that notifications will be more annoying than useful. Privacy concerns also play a role; if users aren't confident that their data will be handled responsibly, they're less likely to allow notifications.

Finally, if your app doesn't clearly communicate the benefits of opting in—such as personalized updates, exclusive offers, or timely reminders—users may simply choose to skip the opt-in process altogether.

If your opt-in rate is low, consider revisiting your opt-in prompt strategy. Clear communication about the value users will receive from opting in can significantly improve this rate.

Choosing the Right Messaging Provider

Tracking these metrics is essential for any app marketer looking to stay competitive. However, understanding these metrics is only half the battle—you also need the right tools to act on the insights they provide. Choosing a messaging provider that gives you clear visibility into these metrics is crucial.

OneSignal offers app marketers an accessible engagement solution, with deep personalization, a brilliant cross-channel campaign builder, and a robust analytics suite that allows you to optimize your strategy and drive success.

In the ever-evolving landscape of user engagement, standing out in a crowded inbox or notification center requires more than just clever copy. Visuals play a crucial role in capturing attention and driving engagement across various messaging channels. This blog post delves into the best practices and tips for creating and using visuals specifically in push notifications, SMS, email, in-app messages, and iOS Live Activities.

The Power of Visuals in Messaging

Visual content can significantly enhance user engagement. Messages with visuals are more likely to be read and remembered compared to text-only messages. Visuals can convey emotions, illustrate ideas, communicate tone, and prompt actions faster than words alone.

Push Notifications

Push notifications are a powerful tool for re-engaging users, but they must be compelling to avoid being swiped away. Here's how visuals can make a difference:

Best Practices:

1. High-Quality Images: Use high-resolution images relevant to the message. For example, a travel app might use a stunning image of a beach destination when promoting holiday deals.
2. Personalization: Incorporate personalized visuals that cater to the user's preferences or past behavior. For instance, Shake Shack might send you a notification with an image of the shake you purchased the last time you visited.
3. Brand Consistency: Ensure that the visuals align with your brand's aesthetics. Starbucks, for instance, consistently uses its iconic green and white palette in its notifications.

Tips:

• Animated GIFs: Capture attention with movement and convey more information and tone in a short span. For instance, this holiday gif adds personality and humor to this notification while also underlining the urgency of shopping now.

• Emojis: Adding emojis can make your notification more relatable and expressive. For example, a food delivery app could use a pizza emoji to grab attention when promoting discounts on pizza orders.

SMS

SMS is often limited by character count, making it crucial to convey messages succinctly. However, visuals can still play a role:

Best Practices:

1. Link to Visual Content: Include a link to a visually rich landing page. A fashion retailer might send a link to a lookbook featuring the latest collection.
2. Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): Ensure the CTA is prominent and directs users to the visual content, e.g., "Check out our summer sale! Click here to view."

Tips:

• MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service): Send images, videos, or audio files directly to users. For instance, a car dealership might send an MMS with a video showcasing the features of a new model.
• Shortened URLs: Use URL shorteners to keep the message concise and trackable, e.g., "See our new arrivals: bit.ly/new-arrivals."

Email

Email remains a versatile and widely used channel for communication. Here’s how to effectively incorporate visuals:

Best Practices:

1. Responsive Design: Ensure that your visuals are optimized for both desktop and mobile devices. An email with captivating visuals should look great on any screen size.

1. Alt Text: Always include alt text for images. This is crucial for accessibility and for cases where images fail to load, e.g., "Image of a beach resort at sunset."
2. Balance Text and Visuals: Maintain a balance to ensure readability. A marketing email for a software company might include screenshots of the product along with concise descriptions.

Tips:

• Infographics: Present data and statistics in a visually appealing way. An email from a financial service could include an infographic about market trends.
• Animated Elements: Subtle animations can draw attention to key areas. An eCommerce email might have an animated "Shop Now" button to encourage clicks.

In-App Messages

In-app messages are seen by users who are actively engaging with your app, providing a unique opportunity to use visuals effectively:

Best Practices:

1. Contextual Relevance: Ensure that the visuals are relevant to the user’s current activity within the app. A fitness app might show a congratulatory image after a user completes a workout.
2. Non-Intrusive: Visuals should enhance the message without disrupting the user experience. A music streaming app could use a subtle pop-up with an image promoting a new album release.

Tips:

• Dynamic Content: Use dynamic visuals that change based on user behavior or preferences. A news app might display images related to topics the user frequently reads about.
• Interactive Elements: Incorporate interactive visuals, such as buttons or sliders. A gaming app might use an interactive slider to showcase different character skins.

iOS Live Activities

iOS Live Activities provide real-time updates on the lock screen, making it essential to use visuals that are both informative and engaging:

Best Practices:

1. Simplicity: Use clear and simple visuals that can be easily understood at a glance. A food delivery app might show a live progress bar indicating the delivery status.
2. Consistent Updates: Ensure that the visuals update in real-time to provide accurate information. A sports app might use live score updates with team logos and score changes.

Tips:

• Progress Indicators: Use visual indicators to show progress or status updates. A ride-sharing app could display the driver’s real-time location with a moving icon on the map.
• Rich Media: Incorporate rich media, such as live images or short videos. An event app might show a live feed of a concert on the lock screen.

Using visuals in messaging is not just about aesthetics; it’s about enhancing the user experience and driving engagement. By following these best practices and tips, you can create compelling visuals for push notifications, SMS, email, in-app messages, and iOS Live Activities. Remember, the key is to ensure that your visuals are high-quality, relevant, and aligned with your brand's identity.

Trust is the foundation of any successful financial relationship, whether it's a bank, a digital wallet, or an investment app. Your mobile engagement strategy is mission-critical in fostering this trust. With relevant, personalized messaging, Fintech platforms can significantly strengthen user trust and loyalty.

Personalization in Fintech: More Than Just a Name Game

Personalization isn't just about adding a user’s name to a message. It's about making users feel understood and valued, providing them with relevant information and offers, and addressing their unique needs and preferences. In Fintech especially, where users entrust companies with sensitive financial information, personalization is the cornerstone of engagement.

Here’s how to do it right.

1. Know Your Users Beyond the Basics

Understanding your users goes beyond knowing their names and email addresses. Utilize data analytics to gain insights into their financial behaviors, preferences, and pain points. Use this information to tailor your messages, ensuring they are relevant and valuable.

For example, if you know a user frequently travels internationally, you can send them personalized messages about currency exchange rates or travel insurance options. This approach ensures that every interaction feels tailored and considerate, enhancing user satisfaction.

2. Provide Timely and Relevant Financial Advice

One way to build trust is by offering timely and relevant financial advice through personalized messaging. If your app tracks user spending, you can send push notifications about their spending habits, saving tips, or investment opportunities. For instance, if a user is nearing their monthly budget limit, a helpful reminder with tips on how to save can be much appreciated.

3. Leverage Transactional Data for Enhanced Security Alerts

Security is a top concern for Fintech users. Use transactional data to provide personalized security alerts. For example, if there's an unusual transaction on a user’s account, send an immediate notification asking them to verify it. This proactive approach not only helps in preventing fraud but also shows users that their security is your priority. Quick and clear communication in such situations can greatly increase user confidence in your service.

4. Tailor Content Based on User Behavior

Monitor user behavior within your app to deliver personalized content. If a user frequently checks their stock portfolio, send them personalized updates on their investments. Conversely, if a user hasn’t engaged with your app in a while, a personalized re-engagement message offering new features or benefits can rekindle their interest. By catering to individual preferences and habits, you make each user feel uniquely valued.

5. Celebrate Milestones and Achievements

Recognize and celebrate your users’ milestones and achievements. Whether it's their first investment, reaching a savings goal, or their app usage anniversary, sending a personalized congratulatory message can make users feel valued and appreciated. This positive reinforcement encourages continued engagement and loyalty. Such recognition can transform routine interactions into memorable experiences.

6. Offer Personalized Product Recommendations

Based on a user’s financial behavior and preferences, offer personalized product recommendations. If a user is frequently saving money, suggest higher-yield savings accounts or investment products. For users who often use credit, personalized messages about balance transfer offers or credit-building tips can be beneficial.

7. Create Personalized Learning Paths

Financial literacy is a key component of user trust in Fintech. Create personalized learning paths for users based on their financial knowledge and interests. For example, new users might receive beginner guides on budgeting and saving, while more advanced users could get information on investment strategies and retirement planning.

8. Utilize Multi-Channel Engagement

Engage users across multiple channels, including push notifications, in-app messages, SMS, and email, to ensure they receive your personalized messages in their preferred format. For instance, urgent security alerts can be sent via push notifications, while detailed financial advice might be better suited for email. Multi-channel engagement ensures that your message reaches users in the most effective and convenient way possible.

User Trust Begins With the Right Messaging Provider

In the competitive Fintech landscape, choosing a messaging provider that allows for deep personalization is crucial. OneSignal offers Fintech apps a premium engagement solution with robust personalization features. By leveraging OneSignal’s deep segmentation editor and omnichannel Journeys builder, you can build trust with your users through timely, relevant, and personalized messaging across all channels (via drag-and-drop interface), enhancing their overall experience and fostering long-term loyalty.

As digital engagement strategies evolve, so do we. Over the last quarter, we've made strides in enhancing the capabilities of our platform. By focusing on new ways to engage users, improving access to customer data, and making email more accessible, we’re helping brands of all sizes around the world nurture and retain their audiences. Here are some of the key advancements we've made to help you connect with your users.

Activate Your Data with Improved Integrations

We’ve made it even easier to control the data you send from OneSignal to your customer data and analytics platforms with our improved integrations. Our integration with Twilio Segment is now bidirectional, allowing you to send message engagement data from OneSignal to Segment to unify and store real-time data on all touchpoints and user interactions.

We’ve also enhanced our bidirectional integrations with Mixpanel and Amplitude. Our customers can now exercise granular control over which events to send out of OneSignal, simplifying data management and controlling costs. Additional events for email and SMS, along with new event properties, provide a more comprehensive view of your omnichannel engagement strategy.

Stay Top-of-Mind with Push-to-Start Live Activities & Android Live Notifications

Since Apple released Live Activities in 2022, apps across industries have adopted this functionality to stand out from the competition and engage users with their real-time content and app experiences. However, the original version required an app to be open for a Live Activity to begin. This year, Apple released “push-to-start” Live Activities, which removed this requirement altogether. Now, OneSignal is among the first platforms to offer a solution for push-to-start Live Activities, so you can initiate a Live Activity even when your app isn’t open.

Push-to-start Live Activities keep your app’s content at the forefront during key events—live sports, breaking news, deliveries, and more—ultimately driving users back to your app in new, more powerful ways than previously possible. While push-to-start Live Activities are currently iOS-exclusive, we offer a guide for creating Android Live Notifications, which offer a similarly dynamic experience for Android users.

Explore Email with No Strings Attached, and Get Set up Faster

Email has long been a marketing workhorse—after all, 99% of consumers check their email daily and $1 investment in email has an ROI of $42. But even though email has existed for decades, many mobile apps are new to this channel. That’s why, at OneSignal, we’re working to help more mobile apps understand, experiment with, and leverage email.

We know that new things can be easy to put off. That’s why we’ve made it easier to explore what email can do for you and your brand. Now you can play around with this channel before making any commitments or going through technical onboarding. We've introduced the ability to explore building an email before setup, allowing you to experience the channel's potential before committing to a sender identity.

Try building an eye-catching design with our drag-and-drop or HTML builders, and then send it to your own Inbox to get a glimpse of what this channel can do. Once you're ready to get set up, we've streamlined the process of purchasing a domain directly from our onboarding flow and included 10,000 emails a month for Free plans, accelerating your time to your first official send.

Making Journeys Accessible to Free Plans

Many marketers and businesses are now expected to do more with less. That’s why we’ve become the only omnichannel solution to offer our powerful Journeys tool to Free plans. Journeys unlock the ability to efficiently drive customer engagement across channels and key phases of your customer lifecycle.

Try automating onboarding, re-engagement, and promotional sequences to drive users toward key milestones, purchases, and actions. Combine timely push notifications, creative emails, contextual in-app messages, and attention-grabbing SMS to get your message across in new, engaging ways. For inspiration on how to get started with Journeys, visit our past blog posts that cover how to build a Journey for onboarding, re-engagement, and retention.

This quarter, we’ve introduced new tools and improved integrations to help brands drive better outcomes. We are committed to supporting your journey toward more effective and engaging customer messaging. If you’re ready to get started with OneSignal, please reach out to our sales team, who can provide consultation on what makes sense for your business. You can also get started on your own for free by creating an account and consulting our documentation.

At OneSignal, we believe in the power of small yet mighty UX/UI enhancements. These are tiny tweaks and improvements that our engineers can tackle in three days or less. In this way, engineers can keep their eye on the larger roadmap while still devoting time to small UX iterations. Despite their size, these changes can significantly boost user satisfaction and product usability. Our process for managing these enhancements ensures that we consistently deliver value to our users, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Where Ideas Come From

Our ideas for these enhancements come from a variety of sources, ensuring we capture a broad spectrum of user needs and insights. Some idea sources include:

1. Customer Support Inquiries: Our customer support team is often the first to hear about recurring issues or pain points. They relay these insights to our product team, providing a direct line of communication for users experiencing real-world problems.
2. Usability Testing Sessions: Conducting regular user testing allows us to observe firsthand how users interact with our product. These sessions are invaluable for uncovering usability issues and identifying opportunities for small improvements.
3. Discovery Calls with Customers: During discovery calls, our team gathers feedback and suggestions directly from customers. These calls often reveal new perspectives and ideas that we hadn't considered.
4. In-House Cross-Functional Collaboration: We encourage collaboration across different teams through sessions often conducted via FigJam. This tool facilitates brainstorming and allows us to capture diverse ideas from various stakeholders.
5. Continuous Measurement of Current Designs: We continuously measure the performance of current designs within the product. By analyzing user feedback and behavioral data, we identify areas for improvement and ensure that our designs evolve to meet user needs.

From Idea to Implementation

We have a streamlined system to manage these ideas, ensuring they seamlessly flow from conception to execution within our two-week sprint cycles. Here's a detailed look at our process:

1. Idea Creation and Triage: When an idea surfaces, it's immediately added to a triage list and tagged as an "idea." This initial step captures the idea without delaying its consideration, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
2. Grooming by the Triad: The next step involves a detailed grooming process by our triad of the lead engineer, lead product manager, and lead product designer (EPD). Every two weeks, during our grooming sessions, the team assesses the idea's quality, scope, and potential impact on end users. They discuss the feasibility and prioritize based on user benefit and alignment with our product goals.
3. Design Phase Holding Area: If the idea passes the grooming stage, it moves into the "Needs Design" phase. This holding area is a queue where designers can pick up tickets as their bandwidth allows. It ensures that design work begins promptly without overloading any team members.
4. Design: When a designer picks up the ticket, they tag it as "Designing" and start working on the necessary UX/UI elements. This phase involves creating wireframes, mockups, and prototypes, which are then reviewed for consistency and usability.
5. Ready for Planning: Once the design is complete and reviewed, the ticket is tagged as "Ready for Planning." This designation indicates that the design work is finalized and the enhancement is ready to be considered for implementation.
6. Planned: During the next sprint planning session, the EPD reviews the "Ready for Planning" designs. If an enhancement meets all criteria, it is moved to the "Planned" phase. This status indicates that the enhancement is now part of the upcoming sprint and will be worked on by engineers.

A Seamless Iteration Process

In the past, we set aside time to dedicate to investing in our UX debt. Although this approach was fruitful, it was hard to keep up a steady cadence. Our updated process creates a fluid system for quick UX/UI iterations. Each feature team at OneSignal harnesses this process, enabling continuous and seamless user experience improvements every sprint. By maintaining this structured yet flexible approach, we're able to address user needs promptly and efficiently, ensuring our product evolves in line with user expectations.

Impact on NPS & ARR

Our commitment to continuous UX/UI enhancements has had a significant impact on our annual recurring revenue (ARR). Over the past year, we've seen a marked increase in ARR, directly correlating to the improvements we've made in user experience. By systematically addressing user pain points and refining our product's usability, we've increased our user satisfaction and net promoter scores as well as contributed to overall retention and new customer acquisitions. At OneSignal, we understand that even the smallest enhancements can make a big difference. By following this structured process, we ensure that every UX/UI iteration is purposeful and impactful, driving our growth and reinforcing our commitment to delivering an exceptional user experience.

Join Us!

We're always looking for talented and passionate individuals to join our team. Check out our current job openings to browse open position that fits your unique skill set.

As digital communication completes its shift towards a more holistic approach to customer engagement, OneSignal has had the privilege of maintaining a front-row view of emerging trends along the way. Based on a recent marketing awareness survey, we’ve surfaced some telling customer engagement insights that indicate exactly how much progress (and stagnation) marketers are experiencing on the road to omnichannel success.

Big picture? Marketers are optimizing the value of existing, reliable communication channels while simultaneously acknowledging critical gaps in their data utilization and omnichannel execution.

These trends paint a fascinating picture of a marketing ecosystem that has identified the need to evolve its engagement strategy but is stuck in the second half of that transformation when it comes to execution.

Mobile Marketing Trend #1: A Heavier Investment in Email

In no world would email qualify as an “emerging trend,” however, we truly see this as a case of finding newfound value in a historically reliable (and affordable) channel. So much so that 62% of marketers today plan to invest in email as a marketing channel in the future.

Email’s ability to deliver personalized and targeted messaging at scale makes it a rather effective foundation for omnichannel customer communication — especially in an era where hyper-relevance is critical for quality engagement. Furthermore, email provides measurable results through detailed analytics, enabling marketers to track performance, optimize campaigns, and demonstrate ROI with precision.

In 2024, email's role is further amplified by its seamless integration with other channels. As businesses aim to create cohesive customer journeys, email serves as a central hub that ties various touchpoints together. Whether nurturing leads through custom recommendations, re-engaging inactive app users, or complementing push notifications and SMS, this interconnectedness ensures consistent messaging across all platforms.

Fortunately, many email providers offer sophisticated builders and automations, allowing for real-time personalization and record-setting open rates. As a result, email continues to evolve as a cornerstone in achieving an omnichannel messaging approach, helping businesses improve the customer experience and drive sustained engagement.

Don’t reinvent the wheel, just make the one you already have faster.

Mobile Marketing Trend #2: Many Are Still Stuck With a First-Party Data Blind Spot

Marketers face increasing challenges in collecting third-party data due to heightened privacy regulations, such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), along with the phasing out of third-party cookies by major browsers. These changes have significantly limited the availability and reliability of third-party data, altering how marketers go about tracking user behavior across different channels and platforms.

So why are a third of companies still not utilizing first-party data to personalize messaging?

This is a tough one to pin down without having full insight into specific data collection capabilities, but it is most likely due to one of the following reasons:

• Many companies may not have the necessary tools or systems in place to collect, manage, and analyze first-party data effectively.
• A lack of expertise to leverage data for personalization.
• Organizational silos hinder the integration of data across different departments, making it difficult to create a unified view of the customer.
• Concerns about data privacy and compliance with stringent regulations may make companies hesitant to fully utilize first-party data.
• Lastly, some companies might not fully understand the value of personalization or how to implement it effectively, leading to missed opportunities in their marketing strategies.

First-party data has become more crucial than ever for marketers aiming to maintain a competitive edge through personalized and relevant customer engagement. First-party data, collected directly from customer interactions with a brand's own channels (such as websites, apps, and emails), is not only more reliable but also more compliant with privacy regulations. This data allows marketers to build detailed customer profiles and deliver highly personalized experiences tailored to individual preferences and behaviors — a recipe for sustained retention rates.

Mobile Marketing Trend #3: The Omnichannel Roadblock

Throwing the term “omnichannel engagement” around is all well and good, but implementation isn’t always so slick. According to our marketing awareness survey, these are the top omnichannel marketing challenges businesses face in 2024:

• A lack of access to the right data
• Inefficiencies between switching platforms for different channels
• Dependence on engineering tech teams
• Inability to orchestrate messaging across multiple channels
• Inability to target the right audience

Integrating new tools efficiently is hard enough as it is and a disjointed data landscape only hampers consistent, personalized messaging. This often leads to operational inefficiencies and dependency on technical teams, drastically slowing down strategy execution. To compound problems, organizational misalignment further complicates matters, as conflicting priorities among departments hinder the orchestration of a cohesive strategy. It’s a mess that many marketers are a little too intimate with.

These roadblocks only highlight the need for businesses to invest in robust data management solutions, foster cross-departmental collaboration, and most importantly, stay agile in adapting to technological advancements and regulatory changes. Addressing these challenges, sooner rather than later, is crucial for companies to achieve a seamless and effective omnichannel engagement strategy.

Mobile Marketing Trend #4: Most Marketers Are Ready For a Change in Engagement

Believe it or not, 88% of marketers are considering switching customer engagement platforms this year. Why the mass migration?

One major reason is the need for better integration. As businesses adopt omnichannel strategies, the ability to seamlessly integrate various communication channels into a single platform becomes more and more crucial. Many existing platforms lack the sophistication required to handle this integration efficiently, prompting marketers to seek alternatives for a more unified approach to customer engagement. Additionally, advancements in technology have introduced new features and tools that offer enhanced personalization, automation, and analytics capabilities, which many older platforms do not support.

Another driving force behind this migration is the increasing demand for improved user experience and support. Marketers are looking for platforms that are not only more intuitive and easier to use but also come with robust customer support and documentation. A change in engagement solutions is made all the more enticing by the natural competitive landscape. New and improved platforms have emerged that offer more competitive pricing, flexible customization options, and innovative features that better align with businesses' evolving needs.

Speaking of a Better Engagement Solution…

OneSignal was built by app developers who foresaw the need for a more cohesive way to communicate with their users. One in every five apps now uses OneSignal to craft, analyze, and automate their mobile messaging strategy.

Today we offer push, in-app, email, SMS, and Live Activity support with the sophistication marketers and developers need to keep their engagement efforts on the right track. We encourage you to try us out for free and let us help you stay ahead of future omnichannel trends.

Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024 brought a host of exciting updates and new features across its entire software ecosystem. Here’s a recap of the key highlights and what developers and iOS users can look forward to in the coming months.

Apple Intelligence: A New Era of Smart Features

One of the least surprising yet most anticipated announcements at WWDC 2024 was the introduction of Apple Intelligence, Apple's latest foray into advanced AI and machine learning. Apple Intelligence pairs existing generative models of OpenAI with “personal context” to enhance the functionality of Apple's ecosystem, making their devices smarter and more intuitive.

Setting a “New Standard” for AI Privacy & Security

In addition to promising a more seamless and advanced UX, Apple promises that its AI system will be secure and private  — two values that have become a brand hallmark in recent years but haven’t been a strong suit of generative AI systems to date.

To achieve this higher security standard, Apple leverages the powerful processing chips in iOS and Mac devices to handle many AI tasks locally rather than relaying personal information to the cloud.  For more complex tasks that require additional processing power, Apple built its own AI servers called Private Cloud Compute (PCC) which limit the amount of personal information relayed to the server and prevent that data from being stored or accessed by Apple or others. Although Elon Musk made headlines challenging whether Apple can truly promise such lofty security and privacy standards when using a system such as OpenAI, the reception for Apple’s “new standard” of privacy has been overwhelmingly positive.

iOS 18: AI-Driven Enhancements & Customization

Broad Language & Understanding Upgrades

iOS 18 is one of the most significant updates to date, packed with innovative features and AI-fueled improvements. Enhancements to Apple’s WritingTools will revolutionize language and understanding capabilities across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices. Some standout upgrades include the introduction of Smart Compose, enhanced dictation, AI-powered grammar and style Suggestions, handwriting recognition, collaborative writing tools, and customizable templates.

New Home Screen Customization Options

Users can now place app icons anywhere on the screen, create blank spaces between them, and customize the icons to match dark mode settings. Additionally, larger icon sizes are available for improved accessibility, and the Control Center has been revamped with a multipage layout and third-party widget support.

Siri Enhancements

Siri is getting some serious AI upgrades to become more powerful, intuitive, and versatile. Apple’s new App Intents feature allows it to integrate with third-party apps and perform more complex tasks such as editing photos and managing emails. This system leverages machine learning to understand user behavior and preferences, providing contextually relevant suggestions and automating routine tasks. Siri updates also include a revamped full-screen interface and the ability to type commands to Siri in addition to voice commands.

Improved Privacy Controls

Apple is introducing several new privacy controls for iOS, including the ability to lock individual apps with Face ID, ensuring that sensitive information remains secure even if the device is unlocked. Additionally, the updated iOS now features enhanced Bluetooth accessory pairing to prevent unauthorized devices from connecting. Users can also hide specific apps from the home screen and search results, further protecting their privacy.

Messaging App Updates

With the introduction of Rich Communication Services (RCS), conversations between iPhone and Android users are (finally) more seamless. RCS supports cross-platform emoji reactions, read receipts, and real-time typing indicators, so no one gets device-shamed or left out of the conversation.

Photos App Updates

Apple’s photo app will get a complete redesign to handle growing photo library sizes more efficiently. New features include enhanced photo organization with a Collections feature, improved person grouping, and a new carousel interface for easier navigation. Additionally, the app now offers advanced photo editing tools powered by AI, allowing users to enhance photos with simple voice commands to Siri​Enhanced with AI-driven editing tools that allow for spoken or written commands to edit images.

Safari Updates

Apple plans to introduce Smart Summaries to highlight key information directly within web pages while browsing, offering users a quick way to understand the main points without scrolling through the entire content. These summaries are generated in real time and provide a snapshot of the essential details, enhancing the browsing experience by making it more efficient and user-friendly.

Additionally, a new Passwords app integration allows users to securely store and manage passwords directly within Safari. Enhanced privacy features were also introduced, such as improved tracking prevention and more control over website permissions.

Notes App Updates

Apple’s Notes app will benefit from enhanced handwriting recognition, making handwritten notes more fluid and legible. Other app upgrades include the introduction of Smart Scripts, new collapsible sections to improve note organization and readability, and the ability to add rich text formatting, such as bold, italics, and underlines to highlight important content.

Password App Updates

The iOS Passwords app now serves as a comprehensive hub for managing all your passwords, passkeys, and verification codes in one hub. This centralization makes it easier for users to securely store and access their login credentials across various accounts and devices. In addition, enhanced security features, improved AutoFill functionality, deeper integration with Safari, and a redesigned user interface all aim to provide a more secure, convenient, and user-friendly experience.

Introducing Genmojis

Apple introduced Genmoji, a new feature in iOS 18 that allows users to create custom emojis using AI-powered tools. With Genmoji, users can generate unique emojis by simply typing a description into the Apple keyboard. For example, you could create an emoji of a "smiley with cucumber slices over its eyes" or a "DJ squirrel." The tool then generates multiple variants of the described emoji, allowing users to choose their preferred design.

These custom emojis, known as Genmojis, can be used as stickers in messages, placed inline within text, and used as tapback reactions. This feature leverages Apple's advancements in AI to provide a more personalized and expressive way to communicate.

Updates to Notifications Announced at WWDC24

At WWDC 2024, Apple introduced several significant updates to the notifications system across its platforms, aiming to make notifications more useful, less intrusive, and more customizable.

Context-Aware Notifications

One of the standout features is the introduction of context-aware notifications. This system uses AI to understand when and where notifications should be delivered, ensuring they arrive at the most appropriate times. For instance, if you are in a meeting or driving, non-essential notifications might be delayed or summarized to avoid distraction.

Notification Summaries

Smart Notification Summaries have been enhanced to provide more relevant information at a glance. These summaries group non-urgent notifications together and deliver them at scheduled times, helping users to focus on their tasks without frequent interruptions. The summaries are now more interactive, allowing users to perform quick actions directly from the summary.

Improved Customization

Users can now enjoy greater control over their notifications with enhanced customization options. This includes the ability to prioritize certain notifications and set different notification styles based on the app or contact. For example, messages from important contacts can bypass Do Not Disturb mode, ensuring they are seen immediately.

AI-Powered Categorization

The notifications system is also leveraging AI-powered categorization, which intelligently sorts notifications by type, such as personal, work, or promotions. This categorization helps users quickly identify and respond to the most important notifications.

New Interaction Features

Apple has introduced new interaction features for notifications, including the ability to respond to messages and emails directly from the notification banner without opening the app. This streamlines user interactions and saves time​.

Privacy Enhancements

Lastly, there are significant privacy enhancements. Notifications that contain sensitive information can now be automatically hidden from the lock screen until the device is unlocked, ensuring that personal data remains secure even when the phone is in someone else’s view​.

macOS 15 (Sequoia): Bridging Devices and Enhanced AI

macOS 15 “Sequoia” aims to enhance the synergy between Apple's mobile and desktop environments. One of the new key features is iPhone Mirroring, which allows users to mirror their iPhone screens on their Macs for seamless integration and control. This feature will also enable users to receive iPhone notifications on Mac, providing a more seamless UX and giving apps even more opportunities to connect with users wherever they are.  Additionally, macOS 15 leverages Apple's Neural Engine to introduce advanced AI capabilities, including enhanced Siri functionality and smarter system apps. The System Settings app also receives a much-needed overhaul, improving usability and organization for a better UX.

iPadOS 18: Powerful Tools and Greater Accessibility

iPadOS 18 integrates many of the new features from iOS 18, enhancing functionality and accessibility on the iPad. One notable addition is a dedicated Calculator app, which includes advanced features such as handwritten notes and graphing capabilities. The Notes app has also been significantly updated with smart scripts and collapsible sections, improving organization and ease of use. Additionally, a new eye-tracking control feature has been introduced, allowing users to operate their iPads through eye movements, thus greatly enhancing accessibility for users with mobility impairments.

watchOS 11: Health and Fitness Innovations

watchOS 11 enhances the Apple Watch's health and fitness capabilities with several new features. The new Vitals app tracks key health metrics and provides insights into overall wellness, offering users a comprehensive view of their health. The Training Load feature measures the intensity and duration of workouts over time, helping users optimize their fitness routines. Additionally, customizable activity rings allow users to pause their activity rings without affecting streaks and set different goals for each day, providing greater flexibility and personalization in their fitness tracking.

visionOS 2: Enhanced Spatial Computing

visionOS 2, the latest update for the Vision Pro headset, significantly enhances the spatial computing experience with several new features. One of the standout additions is Spatial Photos, which transforms traditional 2D images into immersive, three-dimensional experiences using advanced machine learning techniques. This feature adds depth and realism to photos, making them more vivid and engaging.

Another notable improvement is the introduction of Intuitive Hand Gestures, allowing users to access frequently used features with simple hand movements. This makes interaction with the Vision Pro headset more natural and efficient, as users can perform tasks without needing to use physical controllers.

Moreover, the international rollout of the Vision Pro headset will expand its availability to several new countries. This broader distribution aims to increase the user base and make the advanced features of VisionOS 2 accessible to a more global audience.

AirPods and Siri: Smarter and More Interactive

AirPods have received significant updates aimed at improving usability. One of the major enhancements is Voice Isolation, which improves call quality by isolating the user's voice, even in noisy environments. This ensures clearer and more effective communication, particularly in places with a lot of background noise.

Additionally, the introduction of Siri Gestures allows users to interact with Siri through head gestures. This hands-free interaction makes it easier to control devices without needing to touch them, offering a more seamless and convenient user experience.

Build a Better UX with OneSignal

As a global leader in messaging and engagement, we've helped millions of developers take their applications to new heights by making it easy to create a seamless user engagement and retention strategy. Our intuitive solution makes it easy to execute, manage, and automate user messaging across all devices, including iOS, iPadOS, Safari, and many more.

We offer a built-in solution to simplify sending iOS notifications and initiating Live Activities, so you can take advantage of the latest and greatest iOS enhancements and remain in lockstep with user expectations.

We pride ourselves on staying on top of the latest device and industry trends, so you can spend your time where it matters most — on your product.  Create a free account to try out OneSignal for yourself.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) specialists play a crucial role in bridging the gap between apps and their users — a gap that sometimes feels like a canyon. They are often responsible for crafting meaningful communication strategies, analyzing user data, and optimizing engagement campaigns to nurture long-term relationships with customers.

Finding the right mobile messaging solution poses significant challenges for CRM specialists. The customer engagement landscape is complex, requiring a delicate balance between personalizing messaging to meet individual user needs and managing these efforts at scale to ensure efficiency. Many CRM specialists function in close coordination with a company’s product roadmap, making their choice for a mobile engagement solution that much more integral to success.

Let’s take a look at how CRM specialists can use OneSignal to meet their needs and enable them to build impactful and personalized user journeys with ease.

The Search for the “Goldilocks” Engagement Solution

Many platforms lack the flexibility, scalability, and integration support needed to execute sophisticated strategies effectively. CRM specialists often face difficulties in synchronizing messages across channels, accessing actionable analytics, and maintaining seamless communication without overwhelming their users.

OneSignal makes it a point to cater to these needs by offering a three-pronged approach that resonates with the sweet spot many CRM specialists are looking for:

1. A Painless, Centralized Platform: As companies expand into new markets, it’s vital that they can quickly onboard and train new team members to maintain a seamless UX.
2. Integrated A/B testing: For CRM specialists to make data-driven decisions and drive long-term retention, an accessible A/B testing suite functions as a engagement laboratory to continually optimizing campaigns for performance.
3. Deep Personalization: It’s the lifeblood of retention and a crucial element of mobile messaging, helping turn casual users into loyal advocates.

“We use OneSignal because it’s simple to use and there’s the possibility of scaling campaigns. If you have a variety of campaigns and markets, giving everyone access empowers you to scale. It’s quite user-friendly compared to other tools — even for people who have never used them before.”

Traci Trang
CRM Specialist, Taptap Send

Unifying Campaigns Across Channels, in One Place

For brands with a global audience, automation is key to achieving sustained, meaningful engagement. Creating omnichannel flows through the use of OneSignal’s Journeys has proven, by far, to be the most impactful feature for CRM specialists. These Journeys not only help in coordinating personalized campaigns efficiently but also offer significant potential for scalability and application. Rather than manually running similar campaigns back to back, Journeys allows CRM specialists to consolidate campaigns into a single, drag-and-drop sequence to be triggered in real-time.

At OneSignal, we’ve worked with CRM specialists who have set up over 100 unique, multichannel Journeys. This demonstrates the ease and effectiveness of building a communication strategy using multiple channels in the same flow. Consequently, this approach allows for respecting user channel preferences and engaging with a wider global audience.

Journeys is particularly useful for onboarding users and assisting them in navigating the app. It helps users “unblock” themselves by providing guidance on how to use various features.

Optimize, Refine, Repeat With A/B Testing

With OneSignal, CRM specialists can optimize communications at scale by leveraging A/B testing within those multi-channel messaging flows we discussed above. By splitting Journeys into different branches and targets, CRM specialists can experiment with various messaging strategies across push notifications, in-app messages, SMS, and email. This allows for precise targeting and segmentation, enabling the identification of the most effective communication tactics for different user groups.

For instance, one branch of a Journey might focus on push notifications for users who frequently engage with the app, while another branch might prioritize email for less active users. This methodical approach ensures that each user receives the most relevant and engaging messages, thereby enhancing overall user experience and retention.

Use these A/B testing best practices to get the most out of your experiments:

• Understand the benchmarks: Keep easy access to past results to set practical goals and interpret A/B testing outcomes.
• Have a clear goal and hypothesis: Define what results you aim to achieve and predict the outcome to build effective tests.
• Control your experiment: Change only one variable at a time for clear insights. Finalize one variant, then alter one variable in each subsequent variant.
• Have a control version: Use a baseline version to measure the results of your variants.
• Test the variants simultaneously: Ensure messages are seen at the same time and day for accurate comparisons.
• Continuously experiment: Optimize strategy by testing various elements (subject lines, email layouts, CTAs, promotions, etc.)

By analyzing the performance of various branches over time, CRM specialists can identify which strategies yield the highest engagement rates and which ones need refinement.

An iterative process like this allows for continuous improvement and the development of a robust understanding of user preferences and behaviors. Consequently, CRM specialists can make data-driven decisions to optimize their messaging strategies, resulting in more meaningful and effective engagement with their audience. This approach not only enhances user satisfaction but also drives long-term growth and success for mobile apps.

Slice and Dice Data to Your Liking

OneSignal empowers CRM specialists to personalize communication with diverse audiences through advanced segmentation and analytics. This enables CRM specialists to tailor messages based on user behaviors, preferences, and engagement history, ensuring that each user receives the right communication at the most impactful point in their journey.

Whether creating custom filters or syncing audiences from existing analytics providers, CRM specialists can bring deep and effortless targeting to their multi-channel campaigns. Segments can be created based on several factors including:

• First session
• Last session
• Session count
• Usage duration
• Amount spent
• Purchased item
• Language
• App version
• Device type
• User tag
• Location
• Rooted (for Android)
• Country
• Test users

By leveraging OneSignal's advanced segmentation and targeting capabilities, CRMs can deliver highly relevant content, fostering deeper user engagement and loyalty. This strategic approach not only enhances the user experience but also positions CRM specialists to drive their company's growth by scaling personalized communication efforts efficiently across a large and varied user base.

Scaling Up Engagement With OneSignal

If you're a CRM specialist, we know how frequently you're held accountable for coordinating with different internal teams, optimizing campaigns, and maintaining alignment with product teams. It's a tall order and we think you deserve a platform you can depend on to get the job(s) done, without the need for a lengthy learning curve.

We encourage you to reach out to our team to learn more about OneSignal Journeys, and in the meantime, try us out for free.

Sender reputation is a silent yet powerful force that can make or break your  campaigns. It's the behind-the-scenes score that determines whether your carefully crafted emails land in the inbox, the dreaded spam folder, or get blocked entirely. For email marketers, mastering sender reputation is crucial for ensuring your messages reach and resonate with your audience.

In this blog post, we dive into the concept of sender reputation, explore its impact on your email marketing efforts, and provide actionable steps to build and maintain a strong sender reputation.

What is Sender Reputation?

Sender reputation is like your email domain’s credit score. It’s a score assigned to your email-sending domain and IP address based on factors that reflect the quality and trustworthiness of your email practices. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and email providers use this score to decide if your emails deserve to be in the inbox, the spam folder, or blocked entirely.

Key Factors Influencing Sender Reputation

1. Spam Complaints: When recipients mark your email as spam, it’s a clear signal to ISPs that your emails might be unwanted or harmful.
2. Bounce Rates: High bounce rates due to invalid addresses can damage your reputation. Keeping a clean email list is vital.
3. Engagement Rates: High open and click-through rates (CTR) show that recipients value your emails. Low engagement can suggest the opposite.
4. Spam Traps: These are email addresses set up to catch spammers. Hitting a spam trap can severely harm your reputation.
5. Frequency and Volume: Sudden spikes in email volume or frequent sending can raise red flags. ISPs prefer consistent sending patterns.
6. Content Quality: Spammy language, excessive links, and misleading subject lines can trigger spam filters and damage your reputation.

Why Sender Reputation Matters

A strong sender reputation is your ticket to the inbox. Here’s why it’s essential:

• Inbox Placement: A good reputation means your emails are more likely to land in the inbox, not the spam folder.
• Deliverability: Ensuring your emails are delivered successfully is crucial for reaching your audience.
• Engagement: Emails that make it to the inbox are more likely to be opened, read, and acted upon, boosting engagement.
• Brand Trust: Consistently reaching the inbox helps build trust and loyalty with your audience.

How to Build and Maintain a Strong Sender Reputation

1. Authenticate Your Emails

Implement email authentication protocols like SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance). These help verify that your emails are genuinely from your domain and prevent spoofing.

2. Maintain a Clean Email List

Regularly clean your email list to remove invalid or inactive addresses. Use double opt-in methods to ensure recipients genuinely want your emails. Avoid buying email lists, as they often contain outdated or unverified addresses.

3. Monitor Engagement Metrics

Track key engagement metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Use this data to refine your content and sending strategies. Segment your audience to send more relevant and personalized content, boosting engagement.

4. Manage Bounce Rates

Regularly monitor and manage bounce rates. Remove hard bounces (invalid addresses) immediately. Keep an eye on soft bounces (temporary issues) and manage them accordingly.

5. Avoid Spam Traps

Ensure your email list is organically grown and comes from legitimate sources. Regularly clean your list and use email validation services to detect and remove potential spam traps. For more tips and best practices, check out our article on how to identify and avoid spam traps.

6. Optimize Sending Frequency

Find the right balance for your email sending frequency. Avoid overwhelming recipients with too many emails in a short period. Establish a consistent and predictable sending schedule that honors user preferences.

7. Create High-Quality Content

Craft engaging and relevant content that provides value to your recipients. Avoid spammy language, excessive symbols, and misleading subject lines. Use clear, concise language and ensure your emails are well-designed and mobile-friendly.

For more email writing best practices, check out the following articles:

• 10 Tips for Writing Good Email Subject Lines and Preheaders
• How to Write and Structure Captivating Marketing Emails
• The Anatomy of a Successful Marketing Email

8. Monitor Sender Reputation

Use tools and services to monitor your sender reputation regularly. Platforms like Google Postmaster Tools, Sender Score by Validity, and Microsoft SNDS provide insights into your reputation and help identify areas for improvement.

9. Solicit Feedback

Encourage recipients to provide feedback on your emails. Include options for them to update preferences or unsubscribe if they no longer wish to receive your emails. Listening to your audience and making adjustments based on feedback can improve engagement and reduce complaints.

Choose a Trustworthy and Reliable Email Provider

By understanding the factors that influence sender reputation and implementing best practices, you can enhance deliverability, increase engagement, and build lasting relationships with your subscribers. Your email provider can be instrumental in helping you maintain good email hygiene and nurturing brand trust.

OneSignal provides built-in analytics and segmentation options, so it's easy to target your messaging and ensure that each email resonates with its intended audience. We also make it easy to handle user consent and opt-ins, manage unsubscribes, and maintain regulatory compliance, so you're always aligned with industry best practices. For new email senders, our auto warm-up feature enables you to establish a positive reputation for a new or inactive sending domain and build trust with ISPs from day one.

By integrating personalized messaging at each stage of the customer journey, lifecycle emails function as critical guiderails that steer users through the stages of awareness, consideration, purchase, and loyalty. A context-rich welcome message or personalized re-engagement email sent at the right moment is often the difference between churned users and brand champions.

The psychology behind lifecycle emails is rooted in their ability to resonate with users on a personal level. They address users not based on what they bring to your brand but rather as individuals with their own definition of how your brand fits within their day-to-day lives. Done effectively, this personalized approach taps into triggers such as reciprocity, where users feel more valued, leading to sustained usage and increased lifetime value.

For a complete overview of meeting your users as the correct place in their journeys, this Journey Engagement Guide goes into more detail.

These seven lifecycle email examples illustrate how helpful and dynamic your messaging should be to maximize retention rates.

Lifecycle Email #1 — The “Covering All Bases” Welcome

This welcome email from pet product company Fresh Patch sets new customers up for success through a variety of value propositions, all designed to point them in the direction most natural for them at this early stage in their journeys.

• They start with a simple, warm welcome and a 10% discount to incentivize customers who may be immediately interested in purchasing.
• For those who aren’t yet ready to purchase, Fresh Patch includes a brief brand elevator pitch in the form of digestible bullet points highlighting their most popular product, their origin story, and their appearance on Shark Tank — all of which lend to sharing their core value propositions: convenience, genuineness, and credibility.
• Fresh Patch also includes a prominent feature for its social media presence, capitalizing on its massive (and inherent) brand strength—an adorably irresistible online community.
• Lastly, they end their welcome email with a footer detailing some of their other auxiliary products to reinforce that they’re not just a brand that delivers fresh grass to pet owners, they’re a brand that has your back when it comes to solving a very real problem: the training and ongoing comfort of our furry family members.

Apps that send onboarding messages have 24% higher install-to-purchase conversion rates.

Lifecycle Email #2 — The Fork-in-the-Road Welcome

As a direct comparison to the above example, it is worth noting that there is more than one way to onboard new customers. Mental health booking service Zocdoc uses its welcome email as a stage for driving users to their mobile app. After a brief bit of copy touching on some of their most practical benefits, they give new users only two places to go:

1. “Download the app”—This takes mobile browsers directly to the Zocdoc app store page and web browsers to an app download page containing a QR code.
2. “Book an appointment” — This funnels users directly to their platform to encourage conversions.

Although it seems counterintuitive (and depends on your industry), sometimes offering fewer options helps alleviate the overwhelming nature of entering a new brand’s ecosystem and actually increases the chances of quick conversions.

Lifecycle Email #3 — The Progress Report

Ah, usage statistics — the vanity mirror of mobile engagement! There are a couple of reasons why email reports like the above from Grammarly are so effective. The first is that usage reports validate users' efforts and achievements by showing progress and milestones. Whether it's tracking fitness goals, spending habits, or writing productivity, seeing tangible evidence of improvement is highly motivating.

This validation taps into the human desire for achievement and recognition, providing a sense of accomplishment that encourages continued engagement and effort. Notice how Grammarly adopts a celebratory tone by congratulating users on their total words analyzed as well as their current writing streak. Gamification can be incredibly engaging when backed by personal data.

Speaking of personal data, the second reason usage reports are so engaging is because they’re inherently just that… personalized and tailored to the individual’s specific actions and preferences. This high level of relevance makes the content feel more meaningful and valuable to the user. It demonstrates that Grammarly understands and caters to their unique needs and interests. This relevancy enhances the overall user experience, making it more engaging and satisfying. Notice how Grammarly includes users’ “Top 5 Mistakes” — turning a seemingly negative into a teachable moment and something helpful for users.

Lifecycle Email #4 — The Personalized Re-Engagement Incentive

We are more likely to engage with content that feels directly relevant to our interests, and the exclusivity of this personalized offer email from PetSmart is a perfect example of this. The offer is targeted based on the user’s past purchase history with the Blue Buffalo dog food brand, offering bonus reward points for making a repeat purchase.

By tailoring rewards and offers to the specific preferences, behaviors, and past interactions of individual users, these emails create a sense of personal connection and value. As a bonus, notice how PetSmart reminds its customers of how much reward money they have saved currently (the blue banner at the top) to reinforce a sense of progression and remind them of the money that should be burning a hole in their pocket!

Lifecycle Email #5 — The Referral Program

Referral programs are a fantastic way to drive app traffic via word-of-mouth promotion, but as you can see in the above example from the outdoor brand, Parks Project, they don’t always warrant their own dedicated campaign.

Your referral program is a great opportunity to seamlessly integrate additional value into communications that your users are already inclined to open. By embedding these programs within relevant promotional emails, you capitalize on the existing interest and engagement, subtly encouraging users to take advantage of the referral or loyalty incentives without overwhelming them with separate messages that may feel like homework.

Check out these 7 ways to incentivize your referral campaigns to drive more app traffic!

This approach not only increases referral awareness but also enhances the perceived value of the original promotional offer, as users see the added benefits of participating. And on top of all that, it reinforces the idea that your brand continually provides opportunities for users to gain more rewards, fostering a sense of ongoing engagement and loyalty.

Lifecycle Email #6 — The Feedback Request

This one is tricky, as I’m sure we’ve all awkwardly stood at the counter promising we’d take a survey or leave feedback knowing full well we probably won’t. To combat that disengagement with your online feedback pathways (which are even easier to ignore than in-person ones), a little extra incentive may be in order.

This email from the web hosting company SiteGround makes taking a survey worthwhile by offering a drawing to win an Apple Watch. This approach not only increases response rates but also enhances the quality of the feedback, as users are likely to take the survey more seriously when they know they are being rewarded. Additionally, it demonstrates that SiteGround values its users' opinions and is willing to invest in their satisfaction, fostering a stronger connection and loyalty to the brand.

These in-app survey building tips will help you get started increasing the likelihood of user feedback.

Lifecycle Email #7 — The Upgrade

UltimateGuitar, the musician’s tablature provider, offers existing users a (steep!) discount on upgrading to a pro membership appeals to users' desire for enhanced features and benefits at a lower cost, making the upgrade very attractive and accessible.

The inclusion of a countdown timer is an excellent choice to emphasize the limited-time nature of this offer and motivate users to act before they miss out. Combined with the premium benefits listed on the right-hand side, this email makes a compelling case for users to invest further in the app, reducing the likelihood of churn as they become more reliant on its advanced features. This strategic move not only boosts immediate revenue but also strengthens long-term user loyalty and retention.

Create Emails That Go Beyond Day-One Engagement

As mobile marketing continues to become more and more unified, strategically combining your messaging channels has become a prerequisite for sustained success. OneSignal’s intuitive drag-and-dorp email composer and multichannel Journeys builder unlock a whole new way for you to delight users at key engagement moments.

The power of word-of-mouth cannot be overstated. Mobile app referrals harness the trust and credibility inherent in personal recommendations, often resulting in higher conversion rates and more loyal users compared to traditional acquisition methods.

Unlike paid ads or organic search, referrals come from a trusted source — friends, family, and colleagues — making them a highly effective way to drive app traffic. A well-executed referral program not only attracts new users but also encourages existing users to engage more deeply with your app, planting the seeds for long-term retention and growth.

These seven app referral strategies are designed for you to create a unique and undeniably engaging experience for your users.

1. Offer Rewards for Both Referrer and Referred

Creating a win-win scenario within the realm of mobile marketers isn’t exactly easy, so you must pounce on every chance to do so when the opportunity arises. By rewarding both parties in the referral process, you tap into the psychology of reciprocity, where users feel more inclined to refer friends because they know their friends will benefit as well.

This dual incentive structure also helps to reduce the friction that might otherwise prevent users from making referrals. No one likes being treated as your unpaid advertising intern — give them something in return! As a bonus, your referred users — having received a reward — are more likely to engage with and remain active with your app.

To implement this strategy strategically, start by identifying valuable rewards for your user base, such as in-app currency, discounts, or premium features. Ensure that the rewards are compelling enough to motivate users to make referrals and sustainable for your business. For maximum engagement, communicate the referral program clearly across multiple channels, including in-app notifications, email campaigns, and social media.

Take a look at how the sports betting app, Betmate, uses OneSignal Journeys to create a cross-channel referral flow featuring push notifications and emails, rewarding both the referrer and the new user.

Read Betmate’s full case study to learn how they managed to achieve a 600% increase in monthly active users (MAU) using OneSignal.

2. Create a Tiered Reward System

Momentum is the backbone of long-term app retention and implementing a multi-level reward structure that increases incentives as users refer more people is a perfect way to foster this.

By offering escalating rewards for achieving higher referral milestones, users are encouraged to continuously participate in your program rather than stopping after a single referral. This creates a sense of progression and achievement, similar to levels in a game, which motivates ongoing referrals. Moreover, tiered rewards can foster a sense of competition among users, driving them to outperform their peers and reach the next reward level.

To create a successful tiered reward system, start by defining clear and attainable milestones that users can work towards. Each tier should offer increasingly valuable rewards, ensuring that the effort required to reach higher levels is balanced by the attractiveness of the incentives. For example, a music streaming app might offer a free month of premium service for the first referral, an exclusive playlist for the third referral, and a concert ticket for the fifth referral.

Go the extra mile with these tips for promoting a tiered reward system:

• Referral Progress Bars: Display visible progress bars within your app to remind users how close they are to achieving the next tier reward.
• Email Campaigns: Regularly update users on their referral progress and upcoming rewards through personalized email campaigns.
• Social Media Engagement: Share user success stories and testimonials on social media platforms to create buzz and encourage participation.
• In-App Notifications: Use in-app messages and pop-ups to inform users of their current tier and the benefits of reaching the next level.
• Seasonal Campaigns: Align tiered reward promotions with holidays or special events to capitalize on increased user activity and interest during these times.

3. Leverage In-App Gamification

We touched on elements of this briefly in the above strategy, but it goes deeper. Leveraging in-app gamification is an effective strategy because it taps into users' intrinsic motivations for achievement, competition, and fun. By incorporating game-like elements to your app, regardless of your industry, you can transform the process of referring friends into a perpetually rewarding experience. Additionally, gamification fosters a sense of community and social interaction among users, further enhancing their connection to your app.

To strategically implement gamification, start by identifying game mechanics that align with your app's user experience and goals. Introduce elements such as points for each referral, badges for reaching specific referral milestones, and leaderboards to showcase top referrers. Design challenges or missions that encourage users to refer a certain number of friends within a specified timeframe. For example, a language learning app could offer points for each friend referred, with badges awarded for every five referrals and a leaderboard displaying the top referrers each month.

Ensure these elements are prominently featured within your app and complementary messaging channels to keep users informed and motivated.

• Push notifications provide timely and direct reminders about referral opportunities and achievements, prompting users to take immediate action.
• In-app messages offer contextual and interactive prompts within your app, keeping users engaged by highlighting their progress, upcoming challenges, and available rewards.
• Email campaigns can deliver more detailed information, celebrate milestones, and offer personalized encouragement, ensuring that users stay informed and motivated even when they are not actively using your app.

By combining these channels, you can maintain a consistent and engaging communication flow that keeps users excited about the gamified referral program and continuously motivated to participate.

Did you know that using more than one messaging channel to engage users increases average engagement by 35.8%?

4. Collaborate with Influencers and Brand Ambassadors

Building trust with users is a key engagement driver, but one that often takes time. A great way to expedite this process is through influencer partnerships. Collaborating with brand ambassadors leverages the existing trust, reach, and influence these individuals have with their followers, providing your referral program with a credible and far-reaching endorsement.

Influencers can authentically promote your app and referral program to their engaged audiences, which often results in higher conversion rates compared to traditional advertising. Start by identifying influencers and brand ambassadors whose values and audience align with your app. Engage them with personalized invitations to join your referral program, offering them exclusive benefits or rewards in return for their promotion. Provide them with unique referral links, creative assets, and clear guidelines to ensure their promotions are consistent and compelling.

To maintain the relationship with your ambassadors, it’s a good idea to  collaborate on content creation such as videos, social media posts, and blog articles that highlight the benefits of your app and the referral program. Don’t forget to track the performance of these collaborations to refine your approach and maximize their impact!

5. Implement Time-Limited Referral Campaigns

This strategy hinges on creating a sense of urgency, motivating users to act quickly to take advantage of a limited-time referral offer. This urgency can significantly boost referral activity as users are driven by the fear of missing out. To implement these campaigns, define clear and attractive incentives that are available only for a short period, such as:

• Exclusive Discounts: Offer a significant discount, such as 50% off a premium subscription, available only to users who refer a friend within the next week.
• Limited-Edition Rewards: Provide access to exclusive in-app items or features, like a unique avatar or special game levels, that are only available to users who participate in the referral campaign during a specific timeframe.
• Double Referral Bonuses: Temporarily double the rewards for each successful referral, such as offering $10 instead of the usual $5 for each new user referred during the campaign period.
• Entry into a Sweepstakes: Give users who make referrals a chance to win a high-value prize, such as a smartphone or a gift card, with entries only valid for referrals made within the campaign window.
• Early Access to New Features: Offer early access to upcoming app features or beta programs exclusively to users who refer friends during the campaign period, incentivizing early participation and fostering a sense of exclusivity.

Communicate your campaign details through push notifications and SMS to ensure maximum reach and visibility. Push notifications are ideal for instant alerts, prompting immediate action.

SMS is an excellent channel for communicating time-limited referral campaigns due to its immediacy and high open rates. Text messages are typically read within minutes of being received, making it an effective way to quickly reach users with urgent information. Additionally, SMS provides a direct and personal touch, which can increase the likelihood of users taking immediate action. By leveraging these channels, you can create a coordinated and compelling call to action that drives rapid participation in your referral program.

Bonus tip: Use in-app or in-email countdown timers and progress trackers to remind users of the campaign's duration and their referral goals.

6. Provide Personalized Referral Links

One of the best ways to encourage app engagement is by removing friction wherever possible. Providing personalized referral links allows users to easily share your app with their network in a way that is trackable and user-specific, enhancing both the referrer's and the referred user's experience.

You should be generating unique referral links for each user, making them accessible through your app, email, and social media. Ensure that the process for sharing these links is seamless, and consider adding personalized messages or social sharing buttons to further facilitate distribution.

Notifications that use personalized content have a 344% higher engagement rate than notifications that don't.

7. Offer Exclusive In-App Content for Referrals

Exclusivity breeds loyalty, and by offering exclusive in-app content for referrals, you provide a unique reward that can only be accessed through your referral program. This kind of content not only serves as a powerful incentive but also enhances the user experience, increasing engagement and retention.

Bike resale app, Sprocket, offers a free sale listing as a reward for their simple but effective referral program, using push notifications to alert recipients of the good news.

To implement this strategically, identify content or features that would be highly valuable to your users and make them accessible only to those who refer new users. Promote these exclusive offerings through in-app notifications, email, and social media to ensure users are aware of the benefits.

Here are some exclusive content ideas, broken down by app category, to help you get inspired:

Mobile Games

• Special Access Levels or Missions: Unlock challenging game levels or special missions only available through referrals.
• Exclusive Characters or Skins: Provide unique avatars, characters, or skins that can only be obtained by referring friends.
• Bonus In-Game Currency: Offer special in-game currency or limited items that enhance gameplay for users who participate in the referral program.

Fintech

• Reduced Fees or Higher Interest Rates: Provide lower transaction fees or higher interest rates on savings for users who refer new customers.
• Exclusive Financial Tools: Offer access to premium financial planning tools or investment insights not available to regular users.
• Personalized Financial Advice: Give access to one-on-one financial advice sessions or personalized financial reports for referring users.

Travel

• Exclusive Discounts on Bookings: Offer special discounts on flights, hotels, or vacation packages available only to those who refer friends.
• VIP Lounge Access: Provide access to airport lounges or exclusive travel lounges for users who participate in the referral program.
• Priority Booking: Allow referring users to book popular destinations or tours before they are available to the general public.

Entertainment

• Early Access to New Releases: Give access to new movies, shows, or music releases before they are available to others.
• Exclusive Content: Offer special behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, or bonus content accessible only through referrals.
• VIP Event Invitations: Provide invitations to exclusive events, such as movie premieres or private concerts, for users who refer new members.

Food Service

• Special Menu Items: Offer unique or limited-time menu items only available to users who refer friends.
• Discounts or Freebies: Provide discounts or free items (like appetizers or desserts) for successful referrals.
• Exclusive Cooking Classes: Give access to virtual or in-person cooking classes with renowned chefs, only available through referrals.

Health & Wellness

• Premium Content Access: Offer access to premium workout plans, meditation sessions, or wellness courses for referring users.
• Personalized Coaching Sessions: Provide one-on-one coaching or personal training sessions exclusively for users who refer new members.
• Exclusive Wellness Products: Offer unique wellness products, such as supplements or fitness gear, that are only available to referral program participants.

OneSignal — Making Every Message Unique

OneSignal was built by app developers who knew there had to be a better way to reach their users than with generic, one-off alerts. Ever since, we’ve been bringing innovative, omnichannel engagement methods to a growing family of brands — currently, OneSignal powers messaging for one in every five apps.

Read our full story or create a free account to experience our hyper-personalized approach to mobile messaging for yourself!

As the world of mobile messaging evolves with all the certainty of quicksand, SMS marketing continues to emerge as a reliable tool for engaging customers directly and personally. Unlike other channels, SMS boasts exceptionally high open rates, often exceeding 90%, making it a highly effective way to capture attention. When integrated with other mobile channels, such as email and in-app messages, SMS can create a more rewarding experience for users and marketers alike.

Subscribers who opt-in for SMS updates are more likely to stay informed about promotions, updates, and personalized offers, ultimately leading to increased loyalty and sustained app usage. These five SMS strategies are designed to help you drive immediate engagement while fostering long-term app retention.

1. Simplify the Subscription Process

A user-friendly SMS sign-up process is crucial for maximizing subscriber acquisition and offering a smooth user experience. The key here is to make your SMS sign-up steps as minimal and straightforward as possible, avoiding any unnecessary barriers that might deter potential subscribers.

Lengthy sign-up forms requiring a full name, email, and other demographics will most likely overwhelm or irritate users, deterring them from subscribing. Keep things simple — only ask for essential information, typically just a phone number, followed by a brief opt-in confirmation.

Additionally, transparency about what subscribers can expect to receive and how often will build trust and make users more likely to join. If users are unsure about what they are signing up for, such as the type of messages they will receive or the frequency of messages, they may hesitate to opt in. Clearly outline the benefits of subscribing and what they can expect in terms of content and frequency.

It’s the difference between:

Join our SMS list for updates. Text "JOIN" to 12345.

And

Stay updated with our latest news, exclusive offers, and special discounts! Text "JOIN" to 12345 to receive 2-3 messages per week. By subscribing, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. Reply STOP to unsubscribe anytime.

One is vague, offers no context, and frankly reads like an automated request to send spam (at least that’s what many readers will assume). The other offers opt-in value, specifies frequency, and leaves little up to assumption.

Keep the following tips in mind when creating your SMS opt-in process:

• Use Pre-Filled Forms: If possible, use pre-filled forms with information you already have (e.g., from previous interactions).
• Single-Click Subscription: Implement a one-click opt-in process where feasible, especially on mobile devices.
• Mobile Optimization: Ensure sign-up forms and CTAs are mobile-friendly and easily accessible on any device.
• Visible and Prominent CTAs: Place sign-up CTAs in high-traffic areas like your homepage, product pages, and checkout pages.
• Instant Confirmation: Provide immediate feedback that the sign-up was successful, such as a confirmation message or email.
• Simple Keywords: Use simple and easy-to-remember keywords for SMS opt-in (e.g., “JOIN” or “SIGNUP”).
• Incentives: Offer a small incentive, such as a discount code or exclusive content, to encourage sign-ups.
• Use QR Codes: Utilize QR codes in physical locations, such as stores or events, to make the opt-in process quick and seamless.

2. Leverage Website and App Interactions for Sign-Ups

The key to sustained mobile engagement with any channel, not just SMS, is to provide numerous opportunities for engagement throughout the user journey in places that make the most sense.

On websites, strategically placed SMS sign-up forms on high-traffic pages, such as the homepage, product pages, and during the checkout process, can effectively capture visitors' attention when they are most engaged.

Similarly, mobile apps offer unique advantages through in-app notifications, banners, and pop-ups that prompt users to subscribe to SMS updates. Multiple touchpoints not only make the subscription process convenient and accessible but also allow for personalized messaging based on user behavior, thereby enhancing the likelihood of conversion and fostering a more integrated and cohesive customer experience.

Consider the following strategies for both web and mobile SMS sign-up integration:

Web — Exit-Intent Pop-Ups

Implement exit-intent pop-ups that trigger when a user is about to leave your website. These pop-ups can offer a last-minute incentive, such as a discount or free shipping, in exchange for subscribing to SMS updates. This captures the attention of users who might otherwise leave without engaging further.

Web — Sticky Sign-Up Bars

For even greater visibility, consider using sticky sign-up bars that remain fixed at the top or bottom of the webpage as users scroll. These bars should have a clear call-to-action, such as "Get Exclusive Offers via SMS – Subscribe Now!" This ensures that the opt-in option is always prominent and accessible without interrupting the user’s browsing experience.

In-App — Notification Banners

Use in-app notification banners that appear at the top or bottom of the screen, prompting users to subscribe to SMS updates. These banners should be unobtrusive but noticeable, and they can be timed to appear during key moments, such as after a purchase or when a user achieves a milestone within the app. Capatlize on moments of success to sustain the positive reinforcement loop for your users — let them know every time they receive a reward, there’s more where that came from

In-App — Onboarding Process Integration

Integrate an SMS sign-up prompt into your app’s onboarding process. When new users first download and open your app, include an in-app carousel that highlights the benefits of subscribing to SMS updates. This is a perfect place to offer an incentive, such as a welcome discount, and provide an easy opt-in button within the onboarding flow!

3. Craft Compelling and Personalized SMS Alerts

The right SMS content (concise, relevant, and personalized) can significantly enhance the user experience by delivering value through timely updates, exclusive offers, and custom recommendations. Remember, SMS messaging is a direct line to your users, a space typically reserved for personal conversations.

When people subscribe to your alerts, they are putting an immense amount of trust in your brand, a trust that teeters on a knife’s edge until you prove your value.

Bloated or unclear SMS content can lead to confusion, frustration, and instant opt-out rates. Messages that are too long, irrelevant, or poorly structured have been known to overwhelm recipients, making them less likely to read or act upon future messages.

Review these SMS Do’s and Don’ts when the time comes to craft your next SMS campaign:

• Do Personalize Messages — Use subscribers’ names and tailor messages based on their preferences or past behavior.
• Do Keep it Concise — Stick to the point and ensure your message is short, clear, and easy to understand (aim for between 100 to 160 characters).
• Do Include a Clear CTA — Provide a specific and compelling call-to-action, such as "Unlock Rewards," "Get Your Discount," or "Save Your Spot!"
• Do Offer Value — Ensure each message provides real value, such as exclusive offers, discounts, or important updates.
• Do Time Messages Appropriately — Send messages at times when they are most likely to be read and acted upon, avoiding late nights or early mornings.
• Do Make Unsubscribing Easy — Always include simple instructions for opting out, like "Reply STOP to unsubscribe."
• Do Test and Optimize — Continuously A/B test different messages, send times, and formats to find what works best for your audience.

• Don't Overwhelm Subscribers — Avoid sending too many messages, which can lead to annoyance and higher opt-out rates. Aim for one to two messages per week, which keeps your brand top-of-mind without bombarding subscribers.
• DON’T USE ALL CAPS — It’s a bit much, right? Avoid using all caps as it can come across as shouting and may irritate recipients.
• Don't Send Irrelevant Content — Ensure the content of your messages is relevant to the recipient's interests and preferences.
• Don't Forget Compliance — Always comply with regulations such as GDPR or TCPA, including obtaining explicit consent before sending messages.
• Don't Use Long URLs — Use shortened URLs to keep messages neat and reduce character count.
• Don't Ignore Feedback — Pay attention to feedback and opt-out reasons to improve future campaigns.
• Don't Neglect Segmentation — Avoid sending the same message to your entire list; segment your audience to ensure more targeted and relevant messaging.

4. Offer Incentives and Exclusive Content

This one is easy. Make your users feel special and they’ll treat your app accordingly. Aside from boosting conversion rates and revenue, providing incentives for subscribers through SMS messages can significantly enhance engagement and long-term loyalty. The goal here is to create a sense of both value and appreciation, encouraging subscribers to remain active and responsive.

A “product restock alert” is a great example of how well SMS leverages immediacy and incentivized offers. The message may look something like:

🎉 Good news, [First Name]! Your favorite [Product Name] is back in stock! Shop now before it sells out again. Click here to buy: [Shortened URL] 🛒 Use code RESTOCK10 for 10% off! [Brand Name]

Make sure to include rich media such as an image of the product or even a short GIF to bring the message to life. Your alert should also have a shortened URL that leads directly to the product or destination page for easy access. It’s worth noting here, that “product restock alert” SMS messages are good for more than just eComm products. These kinds of SMS campaigns are also a great fit for:

• Event apps: To alert users when additional tickets for a sold-out event are released.
• Fitness or wellness apps: To inform users when spots for a popular class or session become available again.
• Education apps: To notify students when enrollment for a high-demand course reopens.
• Travel apps: To alert travelers when rooms or travel packages for popular destinations are back in stock or available again.
• Mobile games: To notify players when exclusive or high-demand in-game items are restocked or available for purchase.

Regardless of your app category, use an enthusiastic tone to convey the excitement of the product's return and create a sense of urgency for the user to act quickly.

Lastly, always segment your audience for maximum engagement. Consider targeting this message only to users who have previously shown interest in or purchased similar products, ensuring the message is relevant and enticing. You could also target subscribers who have added a specific product or service to their wishlist — these users have already demonstrated high intent to purchase in the past, and more often than not all they need is a nudge to close the deal.

5. Utilize Email Marketing to Promote SMS

The synergy between SMS and email is often overlooked because marketers tend to view them as separate channels rather than complementary ones. The relationship between these two channels is incredibly valuable because combining the immediacy and high open rates of SMS with the detailed and rich content capabilities of email creates a truly symbiotic communication strategy.

Let’s take a look at a couple ways in which SMS and email work together towards boosting user engagement.

Lifecycle Drip Campaigns

• Email: Use an email drip campaign to onboard new users or nurture leads, sending a series of informative and engaging emails over a period of time. Include tips, tutorials, and product benefits.
  
• SMS: Complement the email campaign with SMS messages at key milestones. For example, after a welcome email, send an SMS with a quick tip or a special discount code: "Welcome! Use code WELCOME10 for 10% off your first purchase. Check your email for more tips."

Event and Webinar Promotions

• Email: Send detailed invitations and follow-up emails for upcoming events, webinars, or live sessions. These emails should include all relevant information such as the agenda, speakers, registration links, and what attendees can expect to learn or gain.
  
• SMS: Use SMS to send timely reminders as the event date approaches. For instance, send an SMS reminder 24 hours before and another one an hour before the event starts. Example: "Reminder: Our webinar on 'Effective SMS Marketing Strategies' starts tomorrow at 3 PM. Don’t miss it! Check your email for details."

Rather than thinking of your different mobile marketing channels as isolated paths to engagement, it’s helpful to treat them as a single tree with certain branches better suited to certain campaigns or audiences. This holistic approach ensures consistent messaging, leverages the strengths of each channel, and builds lasting retention by meeting customers where they are with the right message at the right time.

Every Message, Every Channel, One Dashboard

OneSignal offers bulk SMS capabilities, easy-to-use automation, and MMS support to bring your text-based marketing in line with the rest of your campaigns. We encourage you to reach out to our sales team if you want to learn more about how OneSignal’s SMS support fits into your current marketing strategy.

If you prefer to jump right into OneSignal, our free account is the way to go!