Did you know that push notifications increase engagement by 278%?!  

In this article, we delve into the what, the why and the how of push notifications.

 What Are Push Notifications? 

Push notifications are messages that pop up on a mobile device, much like texts or Facebook notifications. Twitter claim that push notifications boost app engagement by 88% and 65% of users return to an app when push is enabled. 

Why Use Push Notifications for Internal Communication? 

• Keeping Staff in Real-Time – Employees want to be kept in the loop. For example If there's an upcoming training opportunity, they don't want to be hearing about it second-hand two days down the line, they want to hear it ASAP. Receiving updates within seconds of announcement will keep the staff constantly engaged and in touch with all the latest developments. 
• Widely Used by Existing Apps -  As mentioned above, push notifications are already riding the social media wave. Facebook and Twitter make prominent use of them, encouraging a fast-paced culture. Push notifications can bring that same pace to your business. 

• An Email Substitute - You could send out an email to your employees, but then you run the risk of it lying dormant in their inbox, gathering digital dust. Research by e-goi has proven that push notifications have a 50% higher opening rate than email and a click rate seven times that of an email.  
• Big Up Your Brand – If employees are going to be carrying out a company's public goals, they will need to be closely aligned with their company brand. Through push notifications, you can ensure that your staff are in touch with what the company is and does. 

How to Use Push Notifications Effectively 

• Post Relevant Content – Of course, your mileage may vary on what you consider relevant,....... middle of a busy working day, then they need more motivation than an update on the occasional slice of trivia. 
• Tailor Content to Specific Groups – Some employees are going to be more responsive to some content than others. For example, a piece on social media may be popular among the marketing department, not so much among the finance team. Your notification will be a bigger hit if it's shared among the right people. As a little bit of extra food-for-thought, a Push Media Index Survey revealed that highly targeted messages increase response rates by 293%. 

• Use Clear Wording – If employees only have so much time to read and digest a message, they're not going to appreciate a stream of paragraphs that leaves people wondering if they need to swallow an Oxford dictionary to make sense of it all. When sending a push notification, be clear, concise and to the point. 

Push notifications are one of the great features of an employee app. Our mobile intranet technology allows businesses leaders and management to communicate information with their employees instantly. Want to see how an employee app could help you remove communication and engagement barriers? 

Request a guided tour of the employee app here.