When it comes to mobile apps, user experience is the ultimate deciding factor whether it will win the hearts or end up in deletion. In other words, the higher the user experience, the greater the user engagement and optimum the results are.
While some may think about apps that are used only once in a while, like an app for planning trips may not need to have a high user engagement. However, even the most popular app in the world won’t survive if its users stop engaging with it – so how can you ensure your app keeps users coming back again and again?
Every brand new mobile app user walks a similar path: You see an ad for an excellent new mobile app, so you decide to check it out. Maybe it’s a game or a social media platform, but either way, you download it and start poking around.
If they’re good, you fall in love with the product and become power users who share their enthusiasm with friends. If they’re not interesting to you, you uninstall them before logging in less than five minutes with the app.
As per GeckoBoard, mobile apps, on average, have 30 days retention rate of 42%. User engagement plays a pivotal role in enhancing the retention rate of the mobile app.
So, do you know what user engagement is?
For apps targeted at businesses, like an employee handbook or work schedule app, user engagement refers to how often someone logs in to check their schedule. For consumer apps, like gaming and shopping apps, user engagement usually refers to how often someone opens your app during a given period (for example, once per day).
Think about all of your favorite mobile apps. You probably open them several times each day—even if you don’t need them for long periods. That’s called high user engagement! It means that you find your app so helpful or fun that you come back frequently throughout each day to check-in.
The goal with most mobile apps is to increase usage over time by making improvements to content, design, features, etc., but even minor tweaks can have a significant impact on usage rates.
Whether you want to create a killer mobile gaming experience or build an engaging app that’ll keep people coming back week after week, remember that every mobile app is different and requires special attention from its developers.
Here are vital things you can do to encourage higher levels of engagement among users
1) Come Up with a Trendy Name
When naming your app, it’s essential to choose a name that’s short and memorable. Names that are just one or two words long tend to stick with people better than longer names.
Make sure your chosen name is not too similar to an existing brand because you don’t want your app getting lost in a slew of competitors’ apps. For example, if you’re trying to sell music on an app called John’s Music Shop, you’re likely to get lost in all of Google Play’s other music apps like Spotify and Pandora.
Choose something more unique that also reflects your style and persona.
2) Launch Your App at Peak Hours
Try to launch your app at times when you know most of your users will be using it. For example, if your app is for young professionals, try to launch around lunchtime on a weekday. You’ll make sure you get more downloads and maximize visibility within app stores by launching during peak hours.
If possible, time your launch with an event (e.g., advertisements or push notifications about discounted deals or new available features). Also, note that being featured by Apple or Google can have a significant impact on app usage.
Take advantage of any opportunities to do so! Finally, don’t forget about marketing channels outside of mobile—if they’re part of your target market, they’ll likely help drive downloads too. Facebook ads increase engagement in some industries, while social media posts can go mobile download in others.
3) Onboard Your Users Like a PRO
One of the best things to increase mobile app user engagement is to make onboarding as easy and streamlined as possible. There are few aspects of creating a new mobile app that is more frustrating for users than having to provide input/information or take actions they don’t feel are necessary.
Source: Statista
It’s no surprise that poorly done onboarding is one of the top reasons apps get deleted by users. It doesn’t mean that your app should require zero interaction from your user, but it does mean that you need to find a balance between acquiring enough information during signup or setup while not asking too much too soon.
4) Create customized invitations
If your app offers services or goods, you can incentivize users to make repeat purchases by providing special offers only available on mobile. The best proposals will be short-term and exclusive, such as a 30% discount on a single purchase.
However, it’s vital that you limit your offer and don’t give too much away, or users will become frustrated when they discover how many things you offer.
Be sure to check your reviews and pay attention to user feedback regularly. At the same time, most people won’t complain about receiving freebies; others might get annoyed if they feel like you’re spoiling them with too many free items.
5) Enhance the Speed Performance of Your App
We’ve all used apps that take forever to load and feel like they’re chugging along as we wait. Whether you’re building a mobile app or website, making speed one of your top priorities is an easy way to improve user engagement. The real question: how do you make your app fast?
When it comes to mobile, here are a few quick tips:
• Shrink images.
• Keep your text concise.
• Load content in parallel.
• Use local rather than remote storage.
• Don’t show ads until after you sign up (you want people on board first).
• Experiment with white space–don’t crowd everything with buttons and links!
• Ask yourself whether an action is frictionless, especially if it involves more than one step.
If something doesn’t directly impact a user’s experience or journey through your app, then perhaps remove it altogether–especially anything that interrupts any flow. Take help from app developers in India to effectively enhance the speed performance of your app.
6) Give Exclusive Offers
It is a terrific way to reward users. Give them special coupons, discounts, or promotions that only they can access. You could also design your app with extra features only available to users who reach a certain level.
Build one if your app doesn’t already have a social media element (like some rewards program). If it does, add more features and incentives. With Facebook and Twitter integration coming out in most apps these days, it shouldn’t be too hard to create exclusive offers and content.
7) Optimize Your Landing Page Design
In a 2018 study by the University of Pennsylvania Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger and Stanford University School of Business researcher, Katherine Milkman conducted research. They found that a website’s landing page—that is, what people first see when they click on a link from Facebook or Google Search—has a significant influence on whether someone makes a purchase.
Why? Because if users land on an ugly, disorganized page that confuses them or presents several potential next steps with no clear indication of where to go, they’re more likely to give up and leave.
A well-designed landing page instead gives immediate value in as few steps as possible. It can be through the information that helps solve a user’s problem immediately (like phone numbers) or something visually appealing, like a gift card.
Once you know which type of product works best on your landing page–the one that gives immediate value or something visual–you can start tweaking design elements until you’re getting results!
Try adding an image to feature your gift card program at eye level, or include a signup form at the bottom of your web page featuring videos/images with call now, email, message, etc. icons, near it.
8) Use a CTA Button on the Welcome Page
Getting people to sign up is only a minor part of what makes an app successful; you also need to get them to take actions that drive engagement, like commenting on content or sharing their data with other users.
At some point, someone will end up on your app’s main page. While many apps think of using their main page as an opportunity to pitch users on signing up for more content, you can also turn it into a top-of-the-funnel lead generation tool by providing CTAs that prompt them to comment or share in the future.
Doing so helps you convert free visitors into new subscribers and increases user engagement down the line.
9) Announce New and Valuable Features in the Right Way
New features, as you might imagine, excite your app users. However, those same users can lose interest quickly when you fail to introduce them appropriately.
Take a lesson from Facebook: To build user excitement and adoption of its new Timeline feature, Facebook gave its 1 billion users a heads up by notifying them directly with a pop-up message that read Facebook is changing.
You could dismiss the pop-up easily if it weren’t something you wanted to deal with at that moment. Still, if it caught your attention and was something you were interested in learning more about, then it took you right to an announcement page that explained what Timeline was all about.
10) Give Users the Option to Skip Tutorials
Users are quick to grow impatient with mobile apps that force them to go through annoying onboarding experiences. Instead, skip lengthy tutorials and allow users to jump right into your app. Or, if you really must have a tutorial, give users an option at launch that lets them turn it off.
Though some might not agree with me on this trip, I believe one of Facebook’s most prominent user engagement problems is its forced onboarding process—the signup process requires information most people don’t want or need. The solution? Let users skip it.
11) Use Messages to improve Customer Engagement
As per Failory, 70% of users will stop using an app if they don’t value it after one use. It is because there are so many other apps out there competing for your user’s attention, and you need to find ways to keep their attention.
An easy way to do that is by reaching out to them via messages tailored to their interests, location, or even time of day. The best part? You can often set these messages up in under 30 minutes!
Increase mobile app user engagement by segmenting your users into groups (based on factors like location, interests, or purchase history) and personalizing messages based on what you know about them.
12) Send New Users a Welcome Email
Have you ever signed up for a fresh app or service, only to immediately forget about it? It’s okay—it happens to all of us. That’s why it can be helpful to include a welcome email sent right after someone signs up.
This email should explain what your product does, how it works, and why they should keep using it. By establishing user engagement right away, you increase your chances of earning an ongoing relationship with your customer.
13) Utilize Push Notifications
An often-overlooked but highly effective way to keep users engaged with your app is by using push notifications. Apps like Slack and Facebook Messenger utilize push notifications to send users relevant & timely information about an event or new content.
Research shows that sending a push notification keeps users engaged nearly three times longer than other mobile marketing techniques, such as displaying a full-screen interstitial ad.
The trick with push notifications is keeping them exciting and relevant: if you give users too many, they’ll begin to feel overwhelmed and tuned out, but if you provide too few, they’ll forget you exist entirely.
Experiment with frequency and timing to find what works best for your business.
14) Give Users a Preview of the App’s UI
Users are most likely to engage with your app if they can preview it before downloading. Let them navigate through your app’s interface without entering personal information or purchasing content. Allow them to get a feel for how it works and decide whether or not they want to download it.
Ask users to provide their email address when they download your app to receive updates on new content, versions, etc. Send out an email after release with details about what new features will be available in each update so users can look forward to future changes.
15) Be Creative on Social Media Platforms
Not everyone using your app or website is going to use every feature you give them. Rather than forcing users to interact with your social media components, be creative in your approach to encouraging engagement.
For example, instead of asking users if they would like to write a review after they’ve used an app, don’t forget that Apple offers you a chance to ask each user directly.
Source: Statista
You can create an in-app notification for users, asking them if they enjoyed their experience and encouraging them to share it with others on social media platforms. Don’t limit yourself to just Apple’s native function either; polls are also available via Facebook Messenger and Twitter DMs, so consider using these options too!
16) Provide Online Support (tickets & chat service)
Online support is one of your most essential features. Some users will take to social media if they don’t find what they need in their app, hurting your app’s reputation. Users want to get answers quickly, and you must ensure that all of your users are satisfied with their experience.
Providing online support is essential to customer engagement. Whether your customers need help with installation or require assistance in managing their billing options, you can provide them with direct access to your team using Zendesk, Anydesk, and other similar software.
When providing online support, ensure you provide good customer service by listening to each user’s concerns and promptly answering questions about mobile apps.
Providing customers with instant access to your company’s support staff via email will go a long way toward increasing customer retention and improving their overall experience.
The bottom line is that if you want to keep existing customers, you have to be there when they need help – whether that means 24/7 or around-the-clock response time.
17) Promote Your App Offline Too
It is straightforward to forget that mobile apps are, first and foremost, pieces of software. When you develop an app, advertise it on your website, on your business cards, and in any other offline materials or channels you have available. That way, even if a user misses seeing your app in an app store or if they delete it from their phone later on down the line, they’ll still be aware of its existence.
Offline advertising can help bring brand awareness to new users who may not have otherwise heard about your app! Promoting offline is also more cost-effective than online marketing strategies like social media ad campaigns.
Hosting events where you can talk about your app, invite influencers and users, and meet potential new users face-to-face is a great way to draw attention to your mobile app.
You can also run competitions or engage in partnerships with local businesses (for example, you could partner with a bookstore to give out free books in exchange for downloading your reading app).
These ideas might seem obvious, but most entrepreneurs don’t implement them when they really should be. Making an effort at offline promotion is also one of our favorite ways to stand out from other apps in crowded markets!
Wrapping Up
A stunning app requires a lot of work to create, and most people would rather spend their time doing something else. If you are developing an app, you need to make sure it is engaging and fun.
Your app will not be a failure if nobody downloads it or uses it after downloading. To keep users coming back, continue updating your app regularly with exciting new features and content.
Connect with a mobile app development company in India for affordable app development & updates.
