In case you are mobile app user or regular reader of our blog, you know that push notifications are messages that are delivered to the screen of your mobile device when you are outside of the application. We already mentioned them in our previous post about push notification strategy. In your hotel, they can be used as a tool to:
- Promote special offers
- Inform about disorders in the hotel
- Communicate with individual guests
Note: In RoomAssistant, push notifications can be used as Mass Messages or Chat.
As people are exposed to hundreds of messages daily, you have to make sure that yours will stand out among them. Localytics recently published a SlideShare describing the anatomy of perfect push notification. I would like to discuss some of them and share the insights with you, so you can increase the likelihood of response to your messages.
1. Incorporate clear call-to-action
Your message should contain an element that will make your guest click on the message and visit your application. The easiest way to do it is by providing a call-to-action as a part of your message. What do you want them to do? Read it? Book your offer? Let them know. See image below as an example:
2. Evoke urgency
People can act faster and decide sooner once something is limited. You can limit the time or quantity when creating your offer. See the example below:
See what can time urgency do with people:
3. Segment and personalize
Don’t try to send one-size-fits-all message each time. If you have a smaller hotel, you can take your time to create segments – groups – of guests, who might be interested in the particular offer. This way, you can ensure that your message will be of interest of your guests and will not be considered to be irrelevant. The highest level of personalization is a message crafted to the needs of individual guest. If your hotel has only several rooms, try it! Do your guests love it?
4. Test, test and test
The reality is that you probably won’t find the ideal message immediately. Try different unique selling points, call-to-actions, time and analyze results. Which message was opened the most of the time? Which one drove the highest number of orders? Testing will definitely help you find the most attractive message.
5. Find the right frequency
Frequency is like skating on the thin ice. The boundary between beeing a spammer and not beeing bold is very easy to cross. The frequency of your messages shouldn’t be bothering. If it will be, your guests will uninstall the application and you will loose the opportunity to be in real-time touch with them. On the other hand, you should send enough messages to ensure that your goals will be achieved.
There is no exact number of messages you should send. The best way is to test it and then ask your guests how they felt about it.
With push notifications, you will learn as you will go. However, it is always great to have some guidelines that can help you from the scratch. Don’t forget to share what works for you in the comments below!
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