Acquiring a user costs 5-25x more than retaining one. App engagement campaigns focus on keeping existing users active and bringing back dormant ones—often delivering the highest ROI of any marketing spend.
The Engagement Imperative
Consider typical mobile app statistics:
- 77% of users never return after day 3
- Average app loses 95% of users within 90 days
- A 5% increase in retention can boost profits 25-95%
💰 Engagement ROI
Re-engagement campaigns typically cost 50-70% less per action than acquisition campaigns, with users who re-engage showing 30% higher lifetime value than continuously active users.
Types of Engagement Campaigns
Retargeting (Active Users)
Target users who are active but haven't completed key actions:
- Browsed but didn't purchase
- Added to cart but abandoned
- Started registration but didn't finish
- Free users who could convert to paid
Re-engagement (Lapsed Users)
Bring back users who have stopped using the app:
- Recent lapsed: Inactive 7-14 days
- Medium lapsed: Inactive 15-30 days
- Long lapsed: Inactive 30-90 days
- Dormant: Inactive 90+ days
Win-back (Uninstalled)
Target users who have uninstalled the app:
- Highlight improvements since they left
- Offer incentives to return
- Show what they're missing
Channel Mix for Engagement
Push Notifications
Direct, immediate, and free (for opted-in users):
- Best for time-sensitive messages
- Personalize based on behavior
- Optimal timing: User's active hours
- Frequency: 3-5 per week maximum
Longer-form content and detailed offers:
- Weekly digests and updates
- Re-engagement sequences for lapsed users
- Transactional emails with cross-sell
In-App Messages
Context-aware messages for active users:
- Onboarding guidance
- Feature announcements
- Upsell at key moments
- Feedback and review requests
Paid Re-engagement
Paid ads to bring back lapsed users:
- Facebook/Instagram retargeting
- Google App campaigns for engagement
- Programmatic retargeting
- SMS campaigns
"The best engagement strategy uses owned channels (push, email, in-app) as the primary drivers and paid retargeting to fill gaps and reach opted-out users."
Segmentation Strategies
Behavioral Segments
- Power users: Daily active, high engagement
- Regular users: Weekly active, moderate engagement
- Casual users: Monthly active, light engagement
- At-risk: Declining engagement pattern
- Churned: No recent activity
Value-Based Segments
- Whales: Top 1% by spend/engagement
- Dolphins: Top 20% by spend/engagement
- Minnows: Bottom 80%, potential upside
- Free riders: Never monetized
Campaign Best Practices
Personalization
- Use user's name and preferences
- Reference their history (last purchase, level reached)
- Recommend based on behavior
- Customize offers by segment
Timing
- Send during user's active hours
- React quickly to triggers (abandonment, inactivity)
- Consider time zones
- Avoid notification fatigue
Incentives
- Test different offer types (discount, free item, bonus)
- Time-limit offers for urgency
- Escalate incentives for dormant users
- Measure ROI of incentive spend
Launch Engagement Campaigns
ClicksFlyer helps you re-engage and retain valuable users with targeted campaigns across channels.
Get StartedMeasuring Engagement Success
- Reactivation rate: % of lapsed users who return
- Session frequency: Sessions per user per week
- Session duration: Average time in app
- Feature adoption: Usage of key features
- Conversion lift: Impact on purchases/subscriptions
- Incremental LTV: Additional value from re-engaged users
Engagement is the foundation of sustainable app growth. Build systematic programs across channels and segments, and you'll maximize the value of every user you acquire.