COMMENTS
Great information and a very timely post as we're just starting to ask ourselves if an app is the way to go and if so, whom do we tailor it to? Current guests or prospects. Likely one for each... Look forward to learning more at HUG2010!
I can't see a whole lot of marketing that relies on push notifications being very effective - it's too easy to become annoyed by these notifications and turn them off. I was doing some work with a smartphone app vendor last summer, and they were trying to get people excited about push notification coupons using geo-location, and selling to small businesses with that value prop. Some do use it, but it just seems so annoying to get interrupted with a ping for a free coke.
Text msg marketing seems very spammy to me, and I advise my clients not to participate.
With email marketing, the consumer is given control over when they collect your information. This can be true to some degree with push notifications, too, but even when I have set those preferences, I still invariably get annoyed by push notifications and turn them off.
That said, I don't like applying my own thinking to the general public, and I am sure there are people out there who will consume both push notification and text based marketing. I'd be curious to see a comparison over time as these mediums grow between a similar free offer given to consumers by email and these mobile mediums.
If you believe in content marketing's overall value, this is something you've got to try and the sooner, the better, since you can work out what works best while this is still in its infancy.
I usually do not accept push notification or turn it off very fast if I first agree to test the service. Push notification can be very intrusive and time consuming.
Please, take the #poll:
When downloading a new app do you accept the push notification? - http://twtpoll.com/4kfs4e
Push notifications are just in their infancy in terms of relevance to the app eco-system. I liken it to the mid-90's when everyone was throwing up email servers to do email marketing. I just need to have a server, right? It turns out its not that easy.
Push notifications give you the opportunity to reach a user direct-to-their-pocket and drive them into a branded experience giving you the ability to convert them to a purchase, rebranding or direct engagement. Beyond even SMS or email marketing, you can now tie back the messaging to some specific action or read-rates like you never could before. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Taking it a step further, I see the ability to learn from how devices are being used to help marketers reach the right customers, at the right time, with the right message all in real-time and right to their pocket. That's powerful stuff and remember, mobile and push are just getting started.
As full disclosure, I run a company called Urban Airship that specializes in powering push notifications doing the things I mention above. Mobile is helping power a brave new world and we'd love to help folks get there faster.
For long-term marketing to be successful--whether it's email, SMS, or push-- it is reliant upon quality information that the customer wants and finds valuable, reaching them at a time and location that makes sense for the message. And one advantage that push has over all of these things is that the user and the marketer can work together to allow this to happen in a way that SMS and email can never match.
When you add the ability for a user to be automatically tagged based on actions, locations, time of day, etc., you can reach them at precisely the correct moment.
Clearly there are people who spam with push, and people who abuse it; and those people will taint the perspective of push. But unlike SMS and email, the user never surrenders control of the inbox. They can always turn off push with a switch.
SMS and email won't go away, but they'll be bedfellows with push.
Just like with social media marketing, companies can't just dive in and start with the latest craze. Having a well thought out plan will be the key to the success of any marketing plan. If a company decides to use push notifications it should be a small part of an overall marketing plan.
As Justin points out the company also has to be careful not to bombard users with messages otherwise they will get annoyed and the efforts will become useless. Occasionally sending important, high value messages should be received well by most users.
Thanks!
Joe
--
University of San Francisco
Mobile Marketing Courses - 100% online