Push notifications is a tool for communicating with clients and site audience. This new marketing channel has features that are not found in other promotion methods, which is why push notifications are considered a useful innovation.
How to connect push notifications to the site
Push notifications distribute content on the Internet. These are short link messages that pop up in the corner of the user's screen. Subscribers see these messages even if they turn off the browser. The main thing is to allow the site to send desktop notifications .
Push notifications work like mobile notifications that fall into the "notifications" section, only "push notifications" are sent by the site and displayed on any devices: computers, tablets, laptops, phones. The only difference between push notifications sent by the site and those sent by mobile applications is the presence of user consent. In the first case, the clear consent of the user is required to send notifications. In the second case, the user automatically gives an agreement to send messages at the stage of installing the application.
By 2019, 75% of browsers support the PUSH API. This feature is used on Android, Windows and iOS.
You can create the functionality of push notifications for sites and connect them yourself. To do this, first study the set of technologies and the available documentation on this topic. Then develop a tool or use specialized services that configure, install and send push notifications.
This tool is simple, but not in terms of creation and customization, but in terms of use by subscribers. The client can easily figure out how to allow the site to show notifications by clicking on "Allow" or "Block".
Dedicated online push notification services
If you don't know how to send push notifications to a mobile phone or other devices of subscribers , then use the services of specialized services.
Websites that develop, configure and implement web push api are currently working. They all differ in tariffs, additional functionality and algorithms for how to set up push notifications .
Our Push4site.com service generates push notifications for the site . Customers can choose from 2 tariffs-free and premium, which differ in a set of options.
To start sending push messages , you need to:
- Choose an online service for generating notifications
- Register there;
- Create web push api through your personal account
- Integrate (combine) technologies.
It seems like figuring out how to enable browser notifications will be tricky. In fact, these steps are easy to perform, because the services provide customers with detailed instructions for setting up. By the way, it is better to use Russian-language services, since understanding the instructions and all the nuances of using the technology on an English-language site will certainly be difficult.
Push4site.com
Let's take a closer look at what opportunities online push notification services provide to users using our Push4site.com service as an example. With its help, even owners of Internet resources who do not have programming knowledge will be able to understand how to make and independently launch a push notification on the site . The user will be able to:
- View statistics of subscribers and push notifications;
- Monitor audience activity by time;
- Track the number of sent and delivered notifications;
- Monitor clicks
If you do not know how to send push notifications to a mobile phone or other devices of subscribers, use specialized services. There you can quickly and easily create push subscriptions . It takes up to 30 minutes to compose a message. There will be no difficulties with sending a push message in the future either. Mailing is carried out in manual or automatic mode and is carried out through:
- Account on the service website;
- Own Internet resource.
We develop functionality by our own specialists
If turnkey services do not suit you and do not want to deal with the intricacies and peculiarities of creating push notifications , set up the work with your own programmers. First, you have to study the technical documentation for the development of functionality on the Google website. Then, based on the documentation, create push notifications on the site , which you just have to implement by adding the project to an available message server.
It seems that everything is easy, but it should be borne in mind that this is a new technology, so not every programmer knows how to make browser notifications from the site , and he has to study the issue from scratch.
Comparison of two methods
To understand how best to enable push notifications : on your own or using a turnkey service, evaluate them by 4 parameters:
- Development cost;
- Installation time;
- Informative;
- Security.
It is difficult to estimate the cost parameter, since everything depends on the price of a particular programmer for the work. Suppose you need 2 programmers to implement a project. You have found programmers who are ready to work for 70,000 rubles/month, and it took 6 months to develop the project. We go to the cost of the project for launching notifications in the browser , which includes additional options: statistics of activity, views, clicks. If at the initial stage you have to pay 840,000 rubles, then get ready for the fact that in the future you will have to make changes in the operation of the technology, and these are new costs.
When working with online services, you will not have to face such difficulties. The functionality of the push notification system has been developed, tested, and is already being used by websites. Updates are available to customers as part of a service package, and for the comfort of users, a support service works that promptly solves problems. In terms of cost, the method of cooperation with specialized turnkey online services clearly wins.
Online services also benefit from the time spent. Even an untrained user will complete the work in 15-30 minutes, while it will take a year to develop a project from scratch, test it, prepare software components and fix bugs.
It is possible to introduce advanced functionality into your own technology, tailored to the requirements of the company, but this will require additional financial and time costs. Thanks to online services, users do not think how to enable push notifications and add additional options to them. Useful functions have already been implemented and are provided to customers within the selected tariff, and with the development of technology, the list of available options is constantly expanding.
Push-notification services ensure the security of users' personal data, so you can safely cooperate with them, however, there are companies that have increased security requirements (banks). These institutions develop their own technology.
It turns out that, in at least three parameters, the use of online services to create push notifications technology outperforms the method of developing functionality by our own specialists.
Use web push notifications in conjunction with other marketing channels
Now that you know how to enable website notifications , figure out which channels to combine them with. Combine push notification technology with email and SMS messaging.
Example:
The company is preparing a webinar:
- To attract customers, a month before the event, we launch an e-mail newsletter with a description of the webinar, conditions of participation, information about the cost of the event and the timing.
- The day before the webinar, we conduct an SMS mailing to remind the registered participants of the event and give a chance to sign up to those who have not done so yet;
- An hour before the webinar, we launch a push notification with a call to view.
Summing it up
Push notifications are a modern, effective and inexpensive way to promote content, but only when using online services and ready-made technologies, and not when developing functionality on your own.
This tool does not irritate customers, as they either allow sites to show notifications or not. Subscribers can unsubscribe at any time.
Online services help the client to analyze the company in detail, provide detailed statistics on conversion, number of clicks, total and active subscribers. This helps you develop effective email marketing strategies tailored to your business and target audience.
