How to Instantly Increase User Engagement and Retention in Your App With Messaging Functionality

How to Instantly Increase User Engagement and Retention in Your App With Messaging Functionality

Puneet Yamparala, App Entrepreneurs Association


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Are you an app developer who is struggling with low user engagement and retention?


If you answered yes, (BTW if you answered NO, then you are lying) then this post is for you. In this post we share a

very easy and quick way to increase your user engagement and retention.


Why is User Engagement and Retention So Important?


Based on your app monetization model, user engagement and retention can mean either success or failure for your

app business.


If you get a million downloads, but users just use the app for 1 minute and then leave the app then all your efforts

for getting downloads are basically wasted.


Especially if you use ads or in-app purchases to monetize your app, then engagement and retention are the most

important metrics to manage.


Also if you are doing paid marketing campaigns then it is even more important that you retain the users you spent

money to acquire.


What is the point of all the app marketing if you can’t keep the users who downloaded the app.


Why is Improving User Engagement and Retention So Difficult?


Most people think that by building a good product the engagement and retention metrics will automatically

improve.


This is true to some extent but is not 100% accurate. Even well built apps struggle with user churn (opposite of

retention).


The reason for this is that improving user engagement and retention is more of an art than a science.


You need to come up with different creative solutions to try out and there is no way to guarantee which solution

will really work out.


Based on this background, I think it is important to understand why incorporating messaging can be valuable

for your app.


As you will see when you read below, messaging has really helped some apps get extraordinary results.


Also the number of moving parts when you incorporate messaging are very few so the chances of you not seeing

results are fewer.


Today we want to share some tips on incorporating messaging in your apps to improve user engagement and

retention for your app.


These tips are shared by Steve Chung, CEO of Frankly, whose company creates an easy to use SDK to

incorporate messaging and chat functionality in your app.

http://franklyinc.com/


Trends in Messaging


Puneet: A lot of top experts have called Messaging a top trend to watch out for in 2015. Can you tell us what your

thoughts are on this?


Steve: In just a few short years, we have seen the emergence of more than a handful of 10+ billion dollar

pure-play messaging companies—an unprecedented growth for any industry.


Even Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently said, “We believe that messaging is one of the few things that people actually do more than social networking.”

https://gigaom.com/2014/11/06/the-three-most-compelling-questions-and-answers-in-zuckerbergs-ama/


Messaging can be the #1 way people around the world—and brands—communicate and connect in 2015, and we

are incredibly excited to be at the forefront of that revolution.


How Messaging Helps App Entrepreneurs


Puneet: How does this trend impact the regular app entrepreneurs? Should everybody start building

messaging apps?


Or is there a better way to take advantage of this trend?Steve: We believe messaging can improve engagement,

community, and usage on almost any app— …


… more so than almost any other tool available to app entrepreneurs. We also know that building a messaging

platform is extremely difficult and time-consuming.


We are experts in this field and have built a successful consumer chat app as a proofpoint. Instead of taking time, energy, and resources to build their own chat …


… technology from scratch, app entrepreneurs can take advantage of pre-packaged technology to get started right away and get messaging functionality into their

apps.


App Success Stories – Incorporating Messaging for Quick Wins


Puneet: I know that you guys actually provide one such option to integrate messaging in apps. We will get to that

in a bit.


Can you tell us about a few under-the-radar success stories of apps or app entrepreneurs who were able to improve their metrics by incorporating chat into their

apps?


Steve: We have had the privilege of working with incredible companies in a variety of verticals. Victoria’s

Secret launched a chat feature inside their PINK Nation App …


… Mid-November to drive dialogue and community around the holiday season, to great success. Working

with Frankly, iHeartRadio and 102.7 KIIS FM …


… coordinated chats with top social media stars that exploded to as many as 60,000 messages in 15 minutes.

American Eagle placed chat in their app …


…to communicate directly with users about product feedback, and their conversion rates increased

significantly.


These are just a few of the various examples of innovative brands and app developers that are leveraging chat to

bolster their core business metrics.


Is Messaging Right for All Kinds of Apps?


Puneet: Does including messaging functionality into the app make sense for all apps or do you think there are

certain types of apps which benefit the most.


Steve: Digital marketing needs to be an integral part of any marketing or advertising strategy in 2015. We think

that any app or company that has users …


… who love their brand or experience can benefit from a messaging feature built into the app. Messaging builds

community, allows for ease of communication, and improves retention and engagement.


Getting Started with Messaging


Puneet: If an app entrepreneur with an existing app wanted to incorporate messaging into his app, what is the

easiest way to do that?


Steve: We are making the power of mobile messaging accessible to all brands and app developers. Anyone is

welcome to visit our website, …


… http://Franklyinc.com, to learn more about our SDK and apply to be a beta partner.

Puneet: Can you tell us a bit about Frankly’s Chat SDK and how it helps app developers?

http://franklyinc.com/


Steve: Frankly’s Chat SDK builds chat directly into a developer’s app. This gives them a way to directly engage with fans and lets the app’s users geek out in group chats.


Sticky features make the app a fun habit and allow the developer to reward and inspire their fanbase.


Puneet: If our readers wanted to work with your SDK, can you provide any special discounts or assistance to help

them get started?


Steve: We are currently in closed beta, but are very interested in talking with new potential partners.


Email us at [email protected], mention you read about us in this article, and let’s get the conversation

started!

mailto:[email protected]


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How to Instantly Increase User Engagement and Retention in Your App With Messaging Functionality