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Let’s start out with a true story of app engagement due to some well written emails. Some time ago, I was introduced to a streaming app via an entertainment newsletter I subscribe to. I signed up for a free trial to see if it was everything it was touted to be.
While I enjoyed the content, I didn’t think I’d use it enough to justify the subscription fee so I canceled after the free trial. Two weeks later, I received an email from the app. They offered me a discounted subscription rate if I came back as a subscriber. The reduced rate was certainly enticing—so I took them up on the offer. Since then, I’ve enjoyed the programming as a loyal subscriber and my app engagement has increased due to the relevant messages I keep getting. Some of my friends ended up joining, too!
While I will certainly admit that I fell for their targeted email marketing, the point is that it ended up being beneficial for both myself and the streaming app. Now I enjoy great content at a discounted rate—and they gained a subscriber and free word-of-mouth marketing. Turns out, I’m walking proof that targeted email marketing and personalized incentives still work!
According to our research, email CTRs for streaming apps are close to 20%. That’s a huge potential return of unsubscribed users!
While some people might claim that email is irrelevant as a marketing tool in our fast-paced, mobile-first world*, no one can argue that it’s yet become indispensable in the sales cycle. In fact, 77% of marketers saw an increase in email engagement in 2022*. From confirming passwords and accounts to sending payment receipts, sign-up details, and product information, it really is the best digital tool for direct, long-form communication to individuals. Yes, there are other fast and effective digital avenues—but none of them provide the availability of space that email does.
Not fully convinced yet? Let’s consider six more reasons email marketing is still highly effective in boosting app engagement.
Social media has so much noise, it’s hard to stand out*. Ads are expensive. While conventional marketing campaigns can reach your target audience, you also waste a lot of money on messages appearing in front of the wrong eyes. Email eliminates this problem.
Not only do you know exactly who ends up seeing your message, but you can send specific messages directly to a targeted individual’s inbox. For example, the email I received was specifically addressed to me, following up on my canceled subscription. That’s pretty specific!
One significant benefit of email marketing is that analytics can provide precise results on the performance of your campaigns and marketing strategies. You can track delivery and bounce, click-through, open, and unsubscribe rates. You also gain insights into user behavior and interests—essential for understanding how to improve your marketing and fine-tune your message.
Emails are among the easiest communication channels to pass on to others. Your users can share an email from their mobile phone while on-the-go, or with one click from a desktop. Embedded links make it easy to find and download the app quickly for any device. This contributes to increased app engagement.
Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach your audience. Even if you outsource to an email marketing firm, the cost is still less than other marketing channels. With email, you also know that your budget is wholly spent on the right recipients.
In addition, email offers the opportunity to reach audiences worldwide without limitations. And anyone who downloads an app will need an email address, regardless of where in the world they live. That’s incredible scope for marketing reach.
While you won’t drive app engagement by sending overly long, complicated, and frequent emails, this is the perfect medium for offering value and building connections.
When curated strategically with engaging and interesting content, your users will look forward to receiving your emails. Unlike social media, in-app notifications, and SMS messages with their limited character count and design capability, emails let you fully articulate your message and bring your content to life with colors and images.
Unlike other digital communication channels (like say, social media or push notifications), emails last a bit longer. The user can interact with your marketing email at their own leisure, and it will still be in their inbox — until they choose to delete it. This makes it an ideal channel for official communications from your streaming app including billing statements, receipts, and account reminders.
When executed strategically, email marketing remains one of the most effective ways for streaming apps to reach out to potential users. Let’s take a look at some key email marketing best practices to be aware of.
Emails are a powerful tool for strategic marketing. They let you target disengaged or uninstalled users with ‘We miss you’ campaigns, convert early users in their journey, and prompt feedback to drive app engagement and open rates.
By providing tools that analyze user behavior and preferences, CleverTap’s comprehensive platform helps you show users exactly what they want, when they need it.
CleverTap helps you increase app engagement by empowering you to offer automated, hyper-personalized content at scale and a sophisticated user experience.
Download the Streaming Media App Engagement Benchmark Report 2022 by CleverTap to see how your conversion metrics compare to industry standards.
