Whether on mobile or web, driving user engagement is key to successful product growth. It’s always important in the quest to gain new users to retarget and reengage current users as well. Retargeting users isn’t new, but the methods used to do so can vary drastically across organizations. Listed below are the critical components that can drive improvements in engagement:

• Data – Demographic data is a great start but you have to dig deeper to effectively engage users. User behavior should be a major component of the data utilized to define engagement strategy. A first-time user and a dedicated user (as well as a disappointed user) have different needs and require different communication and incentives to stay engaged. 

• Communication – Communication is a two-way street. On one side of the street, you communicate to your users through notifications. The timing and relevance of the notifications can make or break the app, too many and the user will find them annoying and uninstall. Too little, and you might be missing out on delivering value to your users. On the other side of the street, it’s important to prompt your users to communicate with you. Sending out surveys for user input can result in real-time feedback that can lead to direct improvements to the in-app experience. 

• Network – Users don’t want to feel isolated in their app experience. Taking advantage of a user’s network can multiply current app engagement. There are a variety of methods to accomplish this, but overall it’s important to find one that aligns with the mission of the app. The key is finding a natural way to incentivize user referrals that benefits the user and drives growth. 

These three components form the foundation for driving user engagement. As your relationship with your users evolve, it's important to continue to deliver valuable updates to keep up and change with them. By testing and checking in regularly, user engagement will come naturally and you’ll be able to create a flow of feedback and improvements that keep current users engaged and scale to reach new ones.