Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Push Notification Interest and Category Suggestions

Setting up your Interests and Categories is a crucial step in activating the power and flexibility of Enhanced Push Notifications. It is also important to have them setup before your App is published, so that when your users open it for the first time they are greeted with the personalized notification settings they are expecting.

Which do you think looks better?


Quick Tips

  • Interests are topics that an audience member should be able to opt in to as many as they wish.
  • Categories should only have one possible answer that an audience member can give such as their age range or location.
  • We recommend having 10 or fewer Interests and Categories total to avoid overwhelming users.
  • Use short Category labels so that the entire label can be seen.
  • Don't get TOO personal with your Category options, as many people value their privacy online.

If you haven't yet set them, here are some suggestions that might make filling these out a little easier.  Keep in mind that the goal is to not copy over ALL of these, but to pick and choose ones that would be relevant to your performances and to your audience.

Interests

Notifications:
General Information
News and Reviews
Concert Announcements
Music and Video Recordings
Deals and Offers
Behind-the-Scenes
Exclusive Content
Weather Alerts
Live Broadcast
Miscellaneous

Genres:
Classical
Opera
Early Music
New Music
Jazz
Blues
Rock
Pop
Country
Gospel
World
Musical Theatre
Broadway
Ballet
Dance
Theatre
Plays
Drama
Comedy
Family
Film

Formats:
Full Ensemble
A Cappella
Vocal
Instrumental
Chamber Music
Recitals
Fully Staged
Semi Staged
Dress Rehearsal

Series:
Main Season
Weekend Concerts
Matinee
Lunch Time Concerts
Summer Festival
Holiday
Special Events

Participate:
Educational
Online Classes
Workshops
Masterclasses
Lectures
Q&A
Auditions
Volunteer

Categories

Age (option 1)
  65 and over
  55 to 64
  45 to 54
  35 to 44
  25 to 34
  15 to 24
  14 and under

Age (option 2)
  60 and over
  50 to 59
  40 to 49
  30 to 39
  20 to 29
  19 and under

Birth Month
  January
  February
  March
  April
  May
  June
  July
  August
  September
  October
  November
  December

Location (local ensemble/performer)
  Home City
  State/Province (outside City)
  Country (outside State/Province)
  World (outside Country)

Location (touring ensemble/performer)
  North America
  South America
  Europe
  Asia
  Africa
  Australia

Patronage
  Season Ticket Holder
  General
  Senior
  Student
  New Patron

Favorite
  Bach
  Beethoven
  Mozart
  Schubert
  Debussy
  Stravinsky
  Brahms
  Verdi
  Wagner
  Bartok
  Other

Monday, May 18, 2015

A Better Way to Encourage Opt-Ins for App Notifications

In the previous post, we talked about the benefits of using push notifications to communicate with your patrons.

The challenge with push notifications is persuading people to opt-in for them. Many people opt-out of receiving an app's notifications because they think they'll be bombarded with an endless series of sales pitches. But, what if you could alleviate their fears and empower them to choose the types of messages they want to receive?

InstantEncore's new enhancements to our mobile service allow you to do just that. Let's take a look at what's changing and how you can leverage those changes to strengthen your connection with mobile patrons.

What's Changing?


For most apps available on the market today:

  • Android users are automatically subscribed to notifications.
  • Apple users are presented with a notification opt-in screen immediately upon opening the app for the first time. 
For Android users, receiving the first notification can be disruptive. Why am I getting this message? When did I give them permission to send me this?  This disruption can trigger an Android user's fear of spam and prompt them to manually turn off notifications.

For Apple users, receiving the required opt-in screen immediately upon opening the app for the first time is like asking someone for a second date before you've gone on the first one.  Since Apple uses the same default opt-in screen, it comes off as generic and can predispose a user to tap "Don't Allow" out of habit.

So, how can we change this process to be less disruptive, less presumptuous, and more unique to the app experience?

With this month's update, your app's notifications opt-in process will feature three new elements designed to alleviate users' fear of spam, help you get the right message to the right patrons, and increase the likelihood that a user will elect to receive your notifications.

Welcome Screen


When someone opens your app for the first time, they will see your Loading screen followed by a Welcome screen.



The purpose of the Welcome screen is to prompt the user to stay connected with you, communicate the value of your notifications, and reassure them that you will not spam them with irrelevant messages.

We have prepopulated your Welcome screen with default text, but we encourage you to edit the text so that it is more specific to your app and the types of messages you will send to patrons.

Information Categories


When a patron taps on "Next" at the bottom of the Welcome screen, they are taken to an area where they can enter personal information and indicate their messaging interests.



You create the information categories and their possible answers. App users are intuitively prompted to select the answer which best applies to them.

When you create your categories, focus on information that will help you target the most relevant patrons and provide them with content they value.

We recommend limiting yourself to two or three categories, so that you don't overwhelm the user.

In the example above, we created the category Patronage. How might we use this category to send targeted messages?  Here are a few possibilities:

  • Send special messages with behind-the-scenes content as a season subscription benefit.
  • Create a subscription campaign focused on app users who frequently attend events but are not subscribers.
  • Invite occasional attendees to return with targeted ticket specials.

Remember, app users are prompted to select the answer which best applies to them. So generate your list of possible answers with that in mind.

Interests


In addition to providing personal information, app users can also select the interest areas for which they want to receive notifications.

When generating your list of interest areas, focus on the types of messages you will send. Here are some possibilities:

  • Behind-the-scenes
  • Artistic genres or disciplines
  • Specific performance series
  • Educational offerings
  • Ticket specials
  • Volunteering


By default, app users are selected to receive notifications from all interest categories. They can deselect any categories which do not interest them.

Again, consider limiting yourself to a handful of interest areas so as not to overwhelm users.

Then, what?


Once the app user has provided some personal information and indicated their messaging interests, they tap on "Get Started" at the bottom of the screen.

Android users will immediately begin using the app.  By providing them with the opportunity to opt-in and adjust their message preferences, your Android subscribers will no longer find notifications to be disruptive and unsolicited.

Apple users will now be presented with the required opt-in screen. By waiting until this point in the process to present the required screen, Apple users are more invested in staying connected and more likely to opt-in for notifications.

Friday, May 15, 2015

Why Should You Use Push Notifications?

Mobile is personal. It’s a 24/7 connection to your patrons that places your content and messaging within arm’s reach anytime, anywhere.

Correspondingly, downloading your mobile app onto my smartphone is a personal act. I am investing in a relationship with you.

Maybe I went to your website on my phone to buy a ticket, and it prompted me to download your app. Maybe I attended a performance where you had special content available in your app. But once I have bought that ticket or attended that performance, then what?

What will keep us connected and encourage me to use your app again?

Push notifications are text messages linked to content and sent directly to your app subscribers. They're a powerful way to keep your patrons engaged, share timely information, and remind them of the compelling content at their fingertips.



When an app subscriber gives you permission to send them notifications, they expect you to do that. They also expect you to deliver value every time.

Push notifications are similar to broadcast emails and text messages in that the patron chooses to receive them. But how effective are they compared to email or texting?


In comparison to broadcast email:
  • Push notifications have a higher probability of reaching your patrons. Broadcast emails can get caught in spam filters or bounce back from servers and full inboxes. 
  • Because we keep our mobile devices within arm’s reach, we’re likely to receive a push note much faster than an email. 
  • Push notifications also have higher open rates and engagement than broadcast email 
When compared to text messages:
  • Push notifications are clearly associated with you – rather than a series of numbers. 
  • Because of this, mobile users are more likely to click through on a push note. 
Sending broadcast email often requires you to sign up for an account with a service provider like ConstantContact or MailChimp. The costs for those services are often determined by the number of messages you send. And with text messages, you end up paying a fee for each message sent.

Push notifications are already a part of your InstantEncore service. You can send as many messages as you like without incurring further expenses.

While push notifications have a lower opt-out rate than text messages, it’s not quite as strong on average as email.  In our next post, we'll discuss how InstantEncore's new opt-in screens help address this challenge by predisposing your app users to opt-in for notifications rather than opting-out.