The Problem
Email originated in 1971 and took the world by storm in the 90s as the go-to online communication method. Yet despite all the advances we’ve made in online communication over the past 30 years, many CRM teams are still email-first – or even email-only. In 2021, this makes no sense.
Email as a tool can be very useful: no character limits, accessible across devices, and used by more than half the world’s population. But just because someone has an email address doesn’t mean they’re actual reading your emails. Average email open rates linger around 10%, with actual click-through conversions even lower. That means up to 90% of the emails you’re sending out go straight into someone’s bin, never thought about again.
Even the lack of character limit can be more of a hindrance than a help, letting some marketers feel free to ramble on about their product endlessly. The reality is that many customers will skim only the first line of an email before deciding its fate. And if you’re spending all your time optimising that first line, you might as well skip email altogether and jump straight to its successor: notifications.
The Solution: Notifications
Notifications are a family of outbound messaging that come in three flavours. Push notifications are notifications that are sent to an app on mobile or an iPad. Web push notifications are the go-to way of displaying a notification on a web browser, typically on your laptop or desktop. Finally web push notifications for Android reach you on Android mobile, but without the need for an app.
Push notifications do have character limits, but these ensure that you’re only sending out the best characters you have. Working within strict limits forces you to make your content the best it can be. If customers are only going to read around 100 characters anyway, send them in the format optimised for that.
Push notifications also bring the other benefits of email: available across mobile and desktop, with minimal opt-in from the end user. Nearly 90% of UK adults own a mobile phone or a home computer, so you’re able to reach virtually every customer, wherever they are. Push notifications have a lot more benefits than email too. An average 15% click-through rate means they’re not just read by customers but actually engaged with. They also measurably increase conversions in key metrics such as registrations and deposits.
The OtherLevels Difference
OtherLevels’ push notifications include detailed personalisation, combining custom in-app events and user behaviour to create messages that encourage genuine interaction. OtherLevels brings your customers the most engaging information based on event feeds, live odds, and historic betting data. Messages are configured to launch autonomously – our systems decide the best delivery channel for every customer to achieve the best engagement. Delivered using smart segmentation based on sport, event, betting cadence, and stake value, notifications also boost key conversions. With additional features like emojis, images and deep-linking, push notifications are the natural evolution of marketing for the digital age.
Beyond notifications and email, OtherLevels can help you boost your marketing reach with other owned media channels. SMS, inbox, and interstitials allow you to reach every customer wherever they are. In 2021, it’s never been more important to be multi-channel.
Push notifications aren’t just coming, they’ve already arrived. If they’re not yet the focus of your CRM team’s marketing, let OtherLevels help you change that.
