{"id":23916,"date":"2022-06-29T10:04:18","date_gmt":"2022-06-29T09:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/?p=23916"},"modified":"2024-10-22T17:48:03","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T16:48:03","slug":"in-app-messaging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/in-app-messaging\/","title":{"rendered":"How to use in-app messaging to retain your best customers"},"content":{"rendered":"

In-app messaging is a key component of a strong customer engagement strategy \u2013 one that reaches users in the right place, at the right time, and is consistent across platforms.<\/p>\n

With features such as in-app messages<\/a>, Product Tours<\/a>, Surveys<\/a>, and Mobile Carousels<\/a>, you can build a personalized rapport with customers. Engage with them in the moment, while using your app, in a way that\u2019s tailored to their preferences \u2013 thereby, nourishing the customer experience and driving action. And these kinds of features can even be used side-by-side with your existing tech stack to give your offering that extra edge for engaging and retaining your customers.<\/p>\n

What is in-app messaging?<\/h2>\n

In-app messages are hyper-targeted notifications that are sent to users while they\u2019re using your mobile or desktop application, website, or product. You can drive business growth by delivering personal support, at any scale, in the place your customers need and want it most. By engaging users at just the right time and in the right place, you can effectively facilitate onboarding, share product updates, offer support, or promote relevant offers. We describe this as contextual messaging, as you are essentially conversing with the customer in the context of where they are and what they are doing.<\/p>\n

“In-app messages are hyper-targeted notifications that are sent to users while they\u2019re using a mobile or desktop application”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Because in-app messages trigger when a user is active within an app, they\u2019re an especially productive way to boost traction with your most engaged users. Their ability to be leveraged for both web and mobile applications make them a key component of a cohesive onboarding, support, and marketing strategy. There are several different types of in-app messages<\/a> you can send:<\/p>\n

Types of in-app messages<\/h3>\n

Chats and Posts:<\/strong> In Intercom, you can send outbound Chats and Posts<\/a> in both mobile and desktop apps. Chats and Posts have many different use cases such as asking customers if they need help, announcing product updates, welcoming visitors, or onboarding new users.<\/p>\n

\"In-app<\/p>\n

Use a Chat to start a conversation with a user. It would look something like this:<\/p>\n

\"Use<\/p>\n

Targeted messages<\/strong>: Target people based on who they are and what they do on your website or product. Create personalized content and promotions and reach out in a way that drives action and results.<\/p>\n

Mobile Carousels:<\/strong> Mobile Carousels<\/a> allow you to onboard users, highlight new features, share marketing promotions or product announcements, and proactively support customers with useful tips all within your native app. They are full-screen experiences that match the look and feel of the app, unlike Chats and Posts, which don\u2019t take up the full screen.<\/p>\n

Product Tours:<\/strong> Product Tours are a desktop-only solution that walk a user through the product UI, highlighting the features they\u2019ll need to be successful.<\/p>\n

Surveys<\/strong>: Send Surveys<\/a> at the most opportune time (while they are active in your app or website) and collect high quality feedback that you can use to improve the customer experience and your product or service. This will help you retain more loyal customers.<\/p>\n

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When and where to use in-app messaging<\/h2>\n

In-app messaging campaigns are so effective because of their ability to hyper-target messages based on audience behaviors, attributes, and their place in the customer journey<\/a>. Let\u2019s chat through a few ways to use them strategically:<\/p>\n

1. Retain users<\/h3>\n

Keeping long-term users is difficult no matter what industry you\u2019re in. And the issue is particularly pronounced for mobile retention \u2013 some 68% of users<\/a> launch a mobile app less than 10 times after downloading it from the app store.<\/p>\n

In-app messaging is a great tool to provide valuable tips and remind users why they should continue using your app or opt-in to certain features. This could be as simple as highlighting their accomplishments or milestones, for example: \u201cYou\u2019ve sent 100 messages this month! That\u2019s 25% more than last month \ud83e\udd73.\u201d<\/p>\n

Proactive messaging<\/a> can resolve common customer questions, as you\u2019ll use automated messages to pre-empt questions from your users before they even come up. By addressing simple questions, like \u201cWhere can I see my account details?\u201d customers enjoy simple and speedy resolution and maintain a positive experience.<\/p>\n

2. Convert users from a free trial<\/h3>\n

In-app messaging can also play a crucial role in your expansion strategy for trial users and current customers. The best way to do this is to show the limitations of their current subscription while enticing them with more advanced features.<\/p>\n

For example, Vend<\/a> needed a seamless way to communicate with users when they were coming to the end of their trial. By integrating Salesforce<\/a> with Intercom they have been able to segment and personalize in-app communication to users at optimal points throughout their journey \u2013 and this migration from email to targeted, in-app messaging resulted in a 30% increase in trial-to-paid conversions.<\/p>\n

3. Onboard new users<\/h3>\n

To get users confident and ready to use your app, you can use in-app messaging to create a thorough walkthrough of important features that they need to know to be successful. The best way to do this is to create fun, easy-to-follow, guided experiences that orient the user and keep them focused on completing tasks that lead to adoption.<\/p>\n

Use features like Series<\/a> \u2013 the only visual campaign builder that lets you send cohesive messages across channels \u2013 to create effective onboarding experiences. Welcome new users with in-app messages, show them around with a Product Tour<\/a>, then ask them to enable app notifications with Mobile Carousels<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On desktop, you can use Product Tours to actively walk a new user through the different parts of the workspace that they\u2019ll need to understand new functionality or complete a task.<\/p>\n

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4. Promote stand-out features<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re running a promotion on your website, use an in-app message to surface that same promotion on both desktop and mobile to maintain a consistent cross-platform experience.
\nWhen promoting a new product feature, an in-app message can show users how to activate that feature or get started using it. Yelp<\/a> does this with their \u201cYelp Collections\u201d feature within their mobile app.<\/p>\n

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You can also use a custom Mobile Carousel to highlight those new features and invite customers to \u201ctry it now!\u201d.<\/p>\n

5. Get user feedback<\/h3>\n

In-app messages are also a great way to get customer feedback on how they are using the app. In Intercom, you can even set parameters for this. For example, if a user has opened your app every day for a week, you can push a message that asks them for feedback.<\/p>\n

You can do this with Intercom Surveys, by sending surveys seamlessly across desktop and mobile. Because the surveys are in the context of what customers are currently doing (i.e. using your product), you\u2019ll not only get a higher response rate, but also better quality responses, as customers are already engaged.<\/p>\n

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Differences between push notifications and in-app messaging<\/h2>\n

Push notifications<\/a> and in-app messages are both types of direct messaging channels, but they differ mainly in how they\u2019re used. For the most part, push notifications bring people back to the product whereas in-app messages encourage deeper usage and education while the user is in the app.<\/p>\n

Push notifications: Sent even if a user isn\u2019t actively in an app<\/strong>
\nPush notifications are sent straight to a user\u2019s mobile home screen, and often try to win them back to make a purchase, complete a goal or stay up to date on app activity.<\/p>\n

In-app: Must be on the app<\/strong>
\nIn-app messages are only viewable on the app while you\u2019re using it. Read: they won\u2019t show up on a phone\u2019s home screen, and only will surface when a user is actively using the app.<\/p>\n

Push: Meant to re-engage users<\/strong>
\nPush notifications are meant to get users back onto the app. They also might be used to send real time updates on order status, safety alerts, etc.<\/p>\n

In-app: Target your most active users<\/strong>
\nIn-app notifications are meant to show active users features, promotional material, updates, and other information related to the app.<\/p>\n

7 best practices for in-app messaging<\/h2>\n

To optimize your in-app messaging strategy, there\u2019s a few key things you need to do to ensure its success:<\/p>\n

1. Provide an easy exit<\/h3>\n

Give users a way to exit out of the in-app message. If customers can\u2019t find an exit route, chances are they\u2019ll just end up closing the app instead.<\/p>\n

2. Make it visually appealing<\/h3>\n

Nobody wants to see a black and white box with a message in it. Design the message so that it reflects your app\u2019s color scheme and fonts.<\/p>\n

3. Pay attention to metrics<\/h3>\n

See how many users are receiving the in-app message and how many actually act upon it.<\/p>\n

4. Use rules to target messages<\/h3>\n

Target your in-app messages to the right crowd. Set up rules to target different audiences, like users who haven\u2019t opened the app or visited the website in over a month, or users who have engaged every day.<\/p>\n

5. Test, test, and test some more<\/h3>\n

As a rule of thumb, you should always test in-app messages<\/a> to see which ones are delivered with the most success<\/a>. In Intercom, it\u2019s easy to iterate messages based on performance. A few A\/B tests for in-app messages you can run include:<\/p>\n