Push: wake up your users

There are a couple of possibilities to send messages to phones, and xamoom supports them all:

• iBeacon messages:
  iBeacons are Bluetooth transmitters that constantly broadcast three IDs. If these numbers match the app and the user is in the proximity of the device (3 to 70 m), a message is displayed on the user's phone. The page's title and excerpt automatically generate the message.
• Push to all:
  You can send a message to all your app users.
• Geo push:
  Users can be geographically targeted. For example, you can send a message to all users within a circle on the map. Example: Invite all guests of a village to an event tonight.
• Reverse geo push:
  A message can be sent to all users outside a circle on the map. Example: Send a message to all users outside the tourism region to bring them back one day.

Note: Geo push and reverse geo push require the user's permission to have access to her/his location.

How it looks like

Both iOS and Android show push notifications.

And of course, they are also shown on both Apple and Android Watches.

Creating messages

Messages that are triggered by iBeacons automatically consist of title and excerpt. iBeacons are covered in an extra chapter in the xamoom help.

Such messages are created on the page you want to promote with the push notification. On the right side, you see the button to compose a notification.

For every language, you can fill out a special notification.

Be aware that you can use only the title and very few words for the actual message for most Android devices. The iPhone, on the other hand (see examples above), can display more text.

The well-planned use of emojis help being brief and catch the user's attention.

To geographically target the message, click to enable “Geo-Push”.

You can search for a city or region and then drag and resize the circle. App users within this circle will get the message.

If you hit the “Reverse” switch, all users outside this circle will get the message.

Confirm with “Send”, and a minute later, your message will appear on your users' phones.

One last thought on push messages: Keep your users informed about new and hot stuff but do not over-estimate your importance ... meaning: You are not always the central focus of your users. They do not want to be bombarded by messages.

So, finding out the right amount can be tricky. In doubt: One less is better than one too much.