Push notifications are an underrated marketing and communication channel that is here to stay in 2021. The number of apps we have installed on mobile devices is set to continue rising with research showing that there are 80+ apps installed on the average smartphone.

If you’re looking to boost web traffic, web notifications are a great tool for meeting your goals. So, what are the best practices for push notifications in 2021?

Get creative and stand out from the crowd

Digital is a highly competitive space when it comes to vying for the attention of humans. Our mobiles receive notifications from multiple apps throughout the day and the internet is full of attention-grabbing content and ads.

Use your creativity to stand out from the crowd by adopting humour, personalisation or irresistible offers. The best way to find out what works for your audience is to understand them through any data you have so that you can build a persona of what your typical customer looks like.

You can then test out different content strategies that seem suited to the demographic of your target audience.

Be aware of what’s going on in the world

People are wary of app and web notifications for good reason: they often interrupt you and if done incorrectly, can be annoying. What makes them annoying is usually that they’re not relevant and poorly timed.

It’s going to be worthwhile to check what’s happening in the world around you before you send notifications to ensure your message is relevant and won’t feel inappropriate. For example, during a major political upheaval, you may want to double check your content is meaningful before you hit send – or consider whether you should wait for another day.

Use rich push notifications

Rich content makes push notifications more interesting. You can incorporate images, GIFs, videos, icons and call-to-action buttons. This presents a huge opportunity for marketers to use visuals to communicate more effectively.

When users receive a push notification, they may not click into it so by using rich media, you can encourage them to take action with a compelling image/ media type. Push notifications with pictures can increase direct open rates by up to 56%.

Implement deep linking

A push notification can be deeplinked to a specific page within an app or on a website, rather than simply the Home page. This helps the user get right to the content relevant to the notification. One specific use case is that of an abandoned cart.

If you’re an e-commerce business and a user puts an item in their shopping cart but doesn’t purchase it, if they’re opted in, you could send them a notification with a discount code. This is the perfect way to remind them of the item and offer them a great deal.

Don’t be forceful with your audience

Push notifications need to be considered carefully, as previously mentioned, they can interrupt a person’s flow and the last thing you want to do is annoy your users.

Think about whether or not a push notification is the right choice for whatever it is you’re communicating about. If another channel seems much more appropriate, use it. Also, try to limit the number of salesy messages in particular and be particularly mindful of the language you use, so as not to appear too ‘pushy’. No pun intended!

Want to know the best time to send push notifications? Read this blog post.