The Opportunity of Mobile App Users
Did you know that about 70% of emails are opened on mobile? And according to Branch’s Mobile Growth survey, 80% of the mobile growth leaders surveyed use email to engage app users. The outsized reach, coupled with the effective tactics, amounts to a huge opportunity to turn already highly-qualified email subscribers into extremely valuable app users. Our survey also found that for every dollar a non-app user spends, their app users spend an average of $3.30 — more than three times as much.
While email is clearly a great way to acquire app users, there is often a disconnect between email and mobile apps that impacts the user experience and the ability to track clicks. Many email links are broken or don’t send a user directly to the mobile content the email promised, and users end up in a vacuum. While it might appear like you’re acquiring users from email, you may actually be losing out on a significant number of new users and contributing to higher abandonment rates.
To counter this, email campaigns with high conversion rates use deep links throughout their emails — in the copy, images, and CTAs. If a user doesn't have your app yet, a deferred deep link will take the user from an email to the app store to install the app and then automatically to the intended content in the app. If the user does have the app, the deferred deep link will take them seamlessly from the email to the content within the app. Deferred deep links are particularly helpful because you want to direct your users to your app quickly without losing their interest in the content, the offer, or the intent to purchase.
Read the case study: Reddit grew installs by 6.5x with the help of deferred deep linking in email.
Another acquisition tactic is to introduce an intermediary mobile web landing page after an email click that prompts potential users with a smart banner and personalized CTA to download the app. Deep links are also important for the customer journey in this scenario, as the user intent can be followed from email, to mobile website, to app download, all the way through to the in-app experience.
Email is a great way to not only acquire new app users, but also to reach lapsed users and bring them back to an app because they already have a connection with your brand.
Covering everything from newsletters and product announcements to discount offers and content recommendations — email can highlight new, unique value propositions that remind users of, and entice users back to, your app. Make sure your winback and re-engagement emails deep link users into the app for a seamless experience; you don’t want users to churn again because of a broken link and fragmented experience that was entirely preventable.
With deep links, marketers can also get accurate attribution data to understand the true value and ROI of email campaigns.
Email to App Quick Tips
Now that you know why deep links are so important to the customer experience, check out a few best practices to include in all your email campaigns.
Use Deferred Deep Links
Prompt users to download your app via email using banners, footers, dedicated welcome emails, etc. Then, route them to related content in the app via a deferred deep link.
Personalize the Experience
Personalizing the mobile app experience is key. Tailor calls to action in emails based on whether the user already has your app. For acquisition campaigns, show users who don’t have the app a CTA like “Get the app” or deep link new users directly to an in-app onboarding experience that explains the value of the app. To engage existing users, show them a CTA like “Explore the app” or ask them to try a new feature to re-engage them.
Brand Your Links
Use branded links to improve click-through rates, build trust, and increase confidence in your brand.
Try In-App Only Offers
Promote in-app only offers, discounts, or loyalty rewards in emails to entice new users to download the app or bring existing users back into the app
Leverage Smart Banners
Show a user that doesn’t have your app yet a smart banner with an intent-based, personalized CTA after they click on a link from an email. They can be convinced to download the app without missing the content they first wanted or getting lost in a totally different user journey. If they do end up downloading the app, you can guide them with deep links to the intended content within the app and create an even better experience.
Branch and Movable Ink in Action
Now for the not-so-secret sauce: Using Movable Ink with Branch is one of the best ways to convert and engage app users via email. Easily adapt your Movable Ink dynamic links into deep links that take users directly to content in the app on mobile devices, while ensuring the same web experience for desktop and mobile users without the app. Branch handles deployment so that your Movable Ink links work across every channel.
With Movable Ink and Branch, you can increase adoption and engagement by automatically driving customers into your mobile app as well as create seamless user experiences that drive more app adoption, conversions, and loyalty. It’s a win for you and your customers.
Learn more about how you can use Branch and Movable Ink to drive more app installs and better engagement with your customers.