User Engagement means the frequency and the duration that a user interacts or uses a website, app, or other product.
The degree of the engagement/interaction of the user is measured by the use of analytics and metrics i.e., the amount of time and energy spent by the user on the specific product/service (website or App) it is derived from interactions, such as click-throughs, downloads, screen time, comments on a blog post, social media likes or retweets, and so on.
Ultimately it depicts the level of interest of the user as the more time the user interacts with the website or app the more he/she is interested in it. Increase interest of the users leads to high opportunity of monetary gain and also helps in brand promotions and increase in brand value.
For example, a website tracks its user management by analysing the number of views and the average time spent on those pages. This metric can then be used as a performance indicator and a benchmark for user engagement.
The bottom line usually depends on the amount of time users spend engaged with a product or service.
Engagement of a user has its own perks basing on the core function of a product or service, i.e.,
Engagement promotes familiarity and loyalty of the user . users who are regularly interacting with the service feel like a more integrated part of the brand community, which means a greater sense of familiarity and loyalty, that could drive purchasing decisions in the future.
Engagement enhances visibility of all types of materials in case of a blogging or news website the continuous engagement of an user increases the visibility of your article. It means the article reaching to a large number of people, or the article is developing a kind of aura around it based on the existing discussions.
It’s a sign of content effectiveness. more engagement means that the content has been more effective—it has generated interest, which means it’s probably going to excel in other areas. Monitoring engagement gives you insight into how your content is performing.
The measurement and improvement of user engagement depends on the nature the service/product.
E-commerce website, should always focus on the shopping experience of the user. Users browsing more frequently, find what they’re looking for, and make more purchases are considered more engaged. Tracking engagement on an ecommerce site revolves around website usability, shopping cart abandonment rates, success or failure of recommendation systems, and so forth.
Ex., Ecommerce provides with dedicated product search, offers and suggestions to increase the user engagement
News or Blog sites, earn revenue from ads or affiliate products. The more time users spend reading articles, the more opportunity there is for monetization.While e commerce sites may place more weight on sales, content-based sites should focus more heavily on time.
Apps measure the engagement of a user by the number of app launches, time spent and the number of interactions completed in the app based on its core function.Ex., enhances user experience and interest by real time suggestions.
Social media app, involves checking statuses or posting quick updates which results in ideal browsing hence to increase user engagement the social media apps use various techniques.
Ex., Facebook provides memories of post and statuses along with the birthday reminders, friendship anniversaries. It also shows the no of likes and comments on a post just to increase the interest of a user.
Normally websites use Search engine management, dedicated results, attractive offers to increase traffic hence aiding the more engagement of the user.Google is the best example which shows how to effectively engage a user for a long time using its apps, websites and other services. It gathers feedback from users to improve its services. Also it studies the behavioral pattern of a user and offers suggestions that are of the user’s interest.
User engagement is defined differently based on the type of product or service in question and it is measured by the output of the app based on its core function. In case of social media apps the length of engagement time could be relatively short. News apps or music apps, on the other hand, should be longer. Shopping apps could be long or short, depending on the nature of the product – but, as mentioned, completed sales would weigh into the equation more heavily.
To increase the user engagement the interaction of the user should increase and today the websites and apps
- User comments. It is optional and present at the end of the page or the article. Mostly intended for reviews and feedbacks.
- Discussion threads. Occurs mostly over an issue on a forum setting or simply over social media.
- Active participation. Quizzes, surveys and other competitions are organised
- Social shares. The post, videos , photos are shared in facebook , instagram, snapchat etc.
- Positive ratings.along with the positive reviews the number of likes and subscribes in Youtube and Facebook shows the effectiveness of the post and the interest of the user .
There are many ways to drive higher engagement:
Understand the User to increase the interest of the user you must give what they want. Every user has a different taste and to understand the user means a better interaction and
Ask readers’ opinions.the best way to engage a reader is by asking questions. This is a common tactic often done at the end of an article; for example, a post about different strategies in headline writing might end with a question like, “what strategies have you found to be effective?” Doing this naturally prompts people to respond, but it’s even more effective when combined with the controversy around the topic—strive to ask questions that are debatable, or questions that the users will be passionate about.
Get your readers involved. It is mainly done by interacting with the users, it can be through feedback forms, quizzes etc.
Google Maps uses the feedback and rating techniques to engage the users .Stir up controversy. Controversy is could be the main reason to increase interaction.One just have to ask a debatable question by taking stance for only one side, this will irk up the users to interact and voice their opinion.
Surprise people. Always think of surprising the users engage them in interesting contents and also by attractive offers and gifts. Surprising the user means getting them interested in your product. And also it tends to increase future engagement and dealings.
Various Apps use innovative techniques to ensure user engagement by providing real time health statistics and other interesting analysis,
Ex., Hike Messenger- Hike Run, Hike News, Just for Laughs UC Browser- UC News, UC Cricket, UC contest
Enlist more content mediums. It is not necessary that the large number medium will increase the engagement. The medium should be interesting to every type of user.
For example, some users engage more readily with video content, while others are more likely to react to in-depth written features.
Reward your users for engaging. This is an extremely important piece of the puzzle; as it makes the user feel important. Also rewards are given for referrals, content shares and social media likes etc.
For example, if you are using an app for purchasing or bill payments, you get cashbacks and discounts to keep you interested and ensure your faith to the particular app. (Paytm, amazon)
Similarly if you are reviewing an article or providing remarks or feedback on a certain service or place you get points which can be later redeemed for gifts and prizes
Lucky draw are a fascinating contest among the websites and apps as it attracts a large number of users and increase the traffic.
The benefits can clearly be seen in the case of Office Adventure, an app that brings together various offices to embrace a fit lifestyle. They used sweepstakes to not only increase brand recognition but also improve website user engagement.
Get the user in a Engagement Loop these are the things users do over and over again when they’re properly engaging with the app. They connect with the emotion of the user and also loop with motivation, action, feedback. In games, engagement usually follows a progression of increasing difficulty called cognitive flow.
The following are examples of engagement loops:
- Facebook’s newsfeed: bored (motivation), check newsfeed (action), read a post, comment, like, or share, visually confirm action done (feedback), and feel socially active (emotion).
- Farmville: want to progress in game, buy a seed, plant the seed, water the seed, wait, harvest the plant, get money, and feel accomplishment.
- Clash Of Clans: want to progress , find a clan Attack or Defend if Attacked, strengthen the defences and feel powerful/intelligent
- Google: seek information, search, go to search results, and feel satiated.
Regardless of the product or service, whether it’s a website, an app, or a video game, the user engagement must be improved to sustain in the marketplace. In order to increase user engagement user’s experience must be optimized so that the use feels welcome and shows interest towards the product or service.
