Players in the mobile gaming industry often come and go, switching between games or dropping one for another. While losing a player here and there may not seem like a big deal, it is crucial for titles to retain a loyal portion of their player base for long-term success. This can be achieved without just offering rewards or new content.
In a guest post, OneSignal’s Chief Revenue Officer, Josh Wetzel, shares insights on how using multiple personalized messaging strategies can engage users and foster loyalty. By understanding how to get players to opt-in for messaging and utilizing different channels effectively, games can maintain a strong player base.
Maintaining player retention in the mobile gaming industry is a significant challenge, with over 95% of game downloads churning within 30 days and more than 90% churning in the first ten days. To improve retention rates, several key player retention strategies can be employed:
- Optimize player onboarding: Provide essential information to orient players quickly without lengthy tutorials.
- Incentivize and reward player engagement: Encourage progress and gratification through achievements, in-game rewards, and visualizing player growth.
- Use multiple channels to engage users: Different messaging channels have unique benefits, empowering personalized communication tailored to user expectations.
- Consistently produce new content: Regularly refresh game features and updates to keep players engaged and excited.
“Gaining permission for push notifications, email, and SMS is a golden opportunity to deliver impact and indicate immediate interest in your game.”
Josh Wetzel
Encouraging players to opt-in to messaging:
One of the most crucial steps in fostering loyalty is obtaining permission from users to message them across various channels. By gaining permission for push notifications, email, and SMS, games can deliver impactful messages and demonstrate immediate interest in player engagement.
- Create a “pre-permission” prompt: Provide players with essential context before asking for their permission to receive push notifications.
- Optimize opt-in requests: Choose optimal timing and wording for permission requests to maximize conversions.
- Expand to other communication channels: Once push permission is granted, encourage users to provide email addresses for further engagement.
- Segment your audience & automate notifications based on player behavior: Personalize notifications based on user attributes and behavior to avoid generic messages.
Omnichannel engagement as the new standard:
Today, users expect games to engage them across multiple channels to cater to their device preferences and offer a seamless experience. While push notifications have been essential, email, SMS, and in-app messaging have become standard practices for successful game companies.
The importance of email in mobile apps:
Email and push notifications complement each other, capturing opt-ins from users who may have declined push notifications. Email also plays a critical role in building user profiles and driving engagement with cost-effective strategies.
“Creating a direct line of communication with engaged players is a powerful way to onboard new players.”
Josh Wetzel
Utilizing SMS for a competitive edge:
In markets where SMS is widely used and games have a high lifetime value, SMS can significantly boost engagement and drive in-app purchases and re-engagement.
The versatility of in-app messages:
Unlike other channels, in-app messages do not require permission, offering a direct line of communication with engaged players. Utilize in-app messages for various purposes like fostering competition, onboarding users, and showcasing rewards.
Developing persistent messaging journeys:
Once permission is obtained, create meticulous onboarding sequences to guide new users through important game milestones. Tailor messaging to align with key events in the user journey to drive engagement and enhance the gaming experience.
“Utilize FOMO in push notifications to remind them of what they’re missing and what game milestones they’re approaching.”
Josh Wetzel
Don’t overlook re-engagement campaigns:
Implement re-engagement sequences to bring back lapsed players by utilizing FOMO in push notifications and offering rewards or promotions. By reactivating dormant players, games can significantly impact retention rates and results.
Personalization best practices:
Frequency is key in messaging users, balancing in-game events, news, live operations, and promotions. Ensure messaging sequences are tailored to each stage of the player journey, focusing on providing value and maintaining engagement without overwhelming users.
“Ensure you’re leveraging multiple channels and focus your time on building persistent messaging journeys.”
Josh Wetzel
By leveraging multiple channels and creating personalized messaging strategies, games can enhance the player experience and drive long-term loyalty. Visual elements like images and emojis can further enhance engagement rates, signaling the importance of optimizing messaging efforts for maximum impact.
Edited by Paige Cook
