When it comes to apps, there’s lots of competition.

In fact, as of July 2015, there were over three million apps to choose from Google Play and the Apple app store. This means you have millions of competitors.

Plus, with over 80% of apps eventually being deleted from devices, and with 84% of user time spent in just five apps, keeping users engaged with your already-installed app is challenging.

Fortunately, an effective tool for increasing app engagement exists in push messaging.

Push Messaging is effective and simple, but must be done well

Push messaging allows you to send messages to a device user’s home screen while he or she isn’t using the app. While this is an effective way to get users attention, it can also intrude on the user’s “personal space” and get your app quickly deleted. This makes sending effective push messages critical, and two new blog posts highlight strategies for improving this.

The first post from Localytics provides excellent examples on improving push messages, such as by using calls-to-action. The second post from Kahuna.com explains best practices for push messaging, including personalizing the content, as well as strategies for in-app messaging.

We suggest reading these posts on this powerful tool for improving your app engagement.