In the past weeks, we've been advocating for in-app messages and revealed several use cases like; Retaining Lapsing Users, Please Update Your App and Effortless Pre-Permission Prompts. Now it's time for a prevalent best practice for in-app messages; highlighting What's New in your app after an update.
Recap the difference between push notifications and in-app messages
In-app messages are an essential tool in any mobile marketer's arsenal. They allow you to deliver a message at the right time and in a way that fits naturally with how people use your app, unlike push notifications, which are sent outside your app and are used to drive users toward your app.
The best part of in-app messaging is that you don't need to build anything yourself. Notificare's SDK will automatically send in-app messages at the right time to the right audience without any work from your developers. You can use Notificare's dashboard to create your own templates and use with rich media or text-only messages.
Highlight and promote specific features
Adding new features to an app usually comes with a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. You have spent numerous sprints developing the functionality, and after thorough testing, it is then added to your app.
All this is intended to better serve your customers, but users often don't experience this. Instead, they see a new feature in their app and don't know what it does or why they should use it. This is where in-app messages come into play, and you can use them to tell users why this feature is paramount and how it will benefit them.
And if you have a feature that needs more time to explain, then let them know about it with a call-to-action button that directs users to a page where you can elaborate more about it.
Let users know when you have introduced a new feature or capability is important. This is especially true if they are accustomed to a previous app version. Not only will it help them navigate your app, but it can also encourage them to try out new features that you have added in order to improve their experience.
How to create a "What's New" welcome message
Because in-app messaging allows you to send different content to different groups of users, you can use them to show new features only when they're relevant.
Typical use cases are:
- Reveal tips and tricks for new features
- Point out changes to the design or user experience
- Bring existing users up to speed on what is new in the app
By choosing the Full-Screen type, you have plenty of space to craft a compelling message with one single Call-to-Action.
As you design your in-app message, keep these tips in mind:
- Keep your message short, clear, and concise.
- Include a call-to-action with a deep link that encourages users to explore the highlighted feature
- Use a great image to help explain what is being announced or promoted.
- And if needed, compose a landing page to get more information about the feature or change you are highlighting.
Make it smart
What is novel or unknown to one person may be familiar or well-known to another. Therefore, take a close look at whether or not your target audience is using the new feature after the introduction. If they did, you could assume that they are aware of it and all is clear.
However, if they didn't use the new feature, your in-app message should tell them why to use it. To accomplish that, you could log a custom event when they use the new feature — and automatically segment the early adaptors. Then, when targeting an audience in your "What's New" message, you can safely exclude this group.
Additionally, not all your users will be using the latest version of your app. So it's best to target messages only at people who have the most recent version. And you might want to delay this message with, for example, a week to give your users time for self-exploration.
Still New?
In-app messages can play a critical role in keeping users engaged with your app and informed about new features. They also provide essential information when you want to highlight specific capabilities or changes.
By using them for "What's New" messages, you can keep your users up-to-date and ensure that they continue to get value from your app and remain engaged. And that means they'll be more likely to continue to use it, which is great news for you!
If you would like to see all this in action, don't hesitate and create a demo app today. As always, we are available via our Support Channel for any questions you might have.