It’s not uncommon for user retention to decrease over time, with many apps reporting a significant drop off in usage among their user base after just the first few weeks following their initial launch. The challenge, of course, is how to re-engage those users who have grown bored or disinterested with your app and its various features. To help you re-connect with your users and keep them coming back again and again, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best examples of reactivation campaigns to inspire you. Let’s take a look at these examples and learn how you can use them to improve your own app’s retention rate.
What is a re-engagement campaign?
A re-engagement campaign is a marketing strategy designed to re-connect with users who have become disinterested with a product and encourage them to get back into the swing of regular usage again. A re-engagement campaign can take many different forms, but is often implemented as a push notification campaign designed to bring users back to the app after a period of inactivity. Other types of re-engagement campaign include in-app messages, email campaigns, or special offers available only to users who have been inactive for a set length of time.
Re-engagement campaigns can also be used to increase user retention rates during any period when usage might be unusually low. This can include seasonal slowdowns, or any time when you’re making major design or functional changes to your app. In these cases, you can use re-engagement campaigns to ensure that users still have a positive experience, even if they’re encountering bugs or slower loading times that are a result of ongoing development.
Why do clients become inactive?
There are plenty of reasons why users might become inactive, and the key is to pinpoint which of these apply to your specific user base. Some of the most common reasons that users may become inactive include:
They don’t know where to start
This is a common issue for new users who just aren’t sure what to do after downloading and installing your app.
They’re facing too much friction
Users who have tried to use your app before but struggled to get past certain functions or with certain features, may have given up.
They’ve had a negative experience
Perhaps your app is buggy, your servers were down and no one could access the functionality, or they had a negative user experience.
They don’t feel they’re getting a good return on investment
This can be especially common when users are part of a rewards program in your app.
Best practices to re-engage your inactive users
As you’ve seen, there are many reasons why users may have grown inactive, and one size definitely doesn’t fit all. In order to re-engage your users, you need to understand where they’re coming from, and what they need in order to get back into your app.
User research
To begin, you need to conduct a thorough user analysis. This includes interviews, surveys, social media monitoring, and more. You can never have too much user data, so look for ways to collect it from the users who are currently using your app.
Admit when you’re wrong
Be honest and open about any issues your users might have had with your app, and address them head on.
Offer options
Users aren’t all the same, so don’t try to force one-size-fits-all solutions. Instead, give users options for how they might re-engage with your app.
Focus on the user experience
Look at re-engagement as a way to improve the user experience within your app, not just as a way to bring in more money.
Types of reengagement campaigns
Brand awareness campaigns
An effective way to re-engage users who may not know what your app does is to create a brand awareness campaign. This can include things like social media campaigns, in-store marketing, and more.
Social media challenge
Another great example is a social media challenge designed to get users sharing your content with friends and family.
Referral program
Rewards programs are another great way to re-engage your users and get them coming back again and again.
Free trial
If you have a free trial option, you can use this to re-engage users by inviting them to try your app again.
A re-engagement campaign is one of the best ways to improve user retention, and there are many different ways to go about it. Remember, however, that you should be honest, open, and authentic. When you get to understand why your users have become inactive, you’ll be able to design and create the best re-engagement campaign possible.
