Creating and sending a simple push notification

Before you begin

Before you create a simple push notification, review the list in the article, How does a marketer create and send a mobile app message?:

When these steps are completed, you're ready to create and send a simple notification.

Procedure

Complete the following steps to send a simple push notification:

1. Create a new mobile app message. Go to Mobile > Message drafts, and then click New Draft.
2. Set up your message by entering message details. Message details include the app group, contact source, and optionally A/B testing configuration.
   • The App Group is a group of iOS and/or Android apps that are registered with the mobile app service and then pre-configured in the system by your mobile app developer. If you select an app group that contains both iOS and Android services, you will see both content areas in Enter Message Content.
   • In Contact Summary, view the contact source that contains the contacts that you want to send your message. By default, the contact source is initialized with the database that is enabled for Mobile App Messages. Because only one database per organization is allowed for mobile apps, the mobile app message draft automatically detects the mobile app-enabled database and loads it.
   • (Optional) In A/B Testing, toggle On if you want to test multiple mobile app messages with a small group of contacts to see which message is most effective. Important: If you're enabling A/B Testing, go to Creating an A/B Test for Mobile App Messages for complete details.
3. For the type of message that you want to send, select Simple and complete the delivery details. You can add the delivery information to the mobile app template, name the mobile app message, choose where you want to save the message, and then name the mobile app campaign.
   • In the Delivery Name field, give the mobile app message a unique name. This is a mandatory field with a maximum number of 255 characters in length. No special characters are allowed.
   • In the Location field, select the location where you would like to save your message. Only you can access content in your private folder. Users in your organization can access the content in the organization's shared folder. If you want to publish the message to Programs or use it in an API call, save your message in a shared folder.
   • In the Campaign Name field, give a meaningful campaign to uniquely identify the mobile app marketing campaign that includes this mobile app message and all associated email and SMS emails.

   Now enter device content. The content shown on the device is different for each message type. Scroll down to the Device content section below for complete steps for each message type. 

   Complete the optional Delivery Option settings fields in the mobile app message draft. This setting is located on the Add Settings page.

   • Tagging: Select a tag from the list. The list includes all tags available to an organization. Add tags to your mobile app message deliveries to help categorize and locate messages. You can also run reports by tag name.
   • Note for this message: Describe the mobile app message delivery. Contacts cannot see these notes, only users in your organization who have access to this draft can see them.
   • Throttling: Enter the maximum number of messages, rounded to the nearest thousandth, that you would like to send per hour. This setting allows you to control the maximum number of messages sent to contacts per hour. After you confirm and send your draft, throttling will commence.

   Here are a few things to consider when using throttling:

   • Throttling does not work with the Use Recipient Timezone setting.
   • The minimum throttling rate is 1,000.
   • The throttling rate is in multiples of 1,000. The system will round the entered number to the nearest thousand. For example, if you enter 1,112 this will be replaced with 1,000; if you enter 1,850 this will be replaced with 2,000. The send is divided into buckets of 1,000 and these buckets are evenly distributed over the course of an hour based on the throttling rate.
   • If you enter a throttling rate greater than the number of contacts, throttling will be overridden and the mobile app message will be sent immediately. For example, if the contact list contains 5,000 contacts and you enter a throttling rate to 10,000, the message will be sent immediately.
   • The 'one hour' send period begins when you click Send Now or, for Scheduled mobile app messages, at the scheduled send time. For example, if the throttling rate is 10,000 and you click Send at 3:15 pm, the message will be sent out to 10,000 contacts over the course of the hour (3:15 pm to 4:15 pm).
4. Finalize your message. You'll need to resolve any warnings and errors before you schedule or send the message. You can schedule the message to send immediately or at a later date or publish the message to make the message available for programs and API calls. You'll also confirm the details of your message before you send it.
   1. Sending the message immediately

      You can send the message now and if available, configure Set Inbox Message Expiration Date to determine when the message will expire.

   2. Scheduling mobile messages

      Schedule a notification or message when you want to send the message in the future and if available, determine when the message expires. After you complete this task, confirm the settings in the message and then send it on the scheduled date and time.

      You can determine when you want to process the contact source and schedule the message to send using a different time zone. If you schedule the message using a different time zone and the scheduled time passed in the alternate or recipient time zone, the message is immediately sent to the recipients.

      • Use alternate time zone: Schedule the send time using a time zone different from the time that is configured in your user profile settings.
      • Use recipient time zone: Schedule the send time using each recipient's local time zone. When you select this option, click Calculate to see a count of recipients and time zones that are included in your contact source and app group. You can also View Details to see the location of your recipients in their respective time zones on an interactive map.

        Do you have large volumes of messages that you want to send at the scheduled time?

        You can pre-process your messages up to one day before the scheduled send. Choose when you want the system to process your contact source: Immediately, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, or 1 day before the send.

        Do you want to determine when the mobile message expires and will no longer be available in the app?

        On the Schedule this Message page, choose Set Message Expiration Date. The setting will show if the mobile app developer added it to the template. Choose when you want the message to expire:

        • Default expiration: expires 30 days after the message is sent.
        • Fixed period from send time: expires after a specified number of days or hours that you select.
        • Fixed date: expires on a specified date that you select. The maximum setting is 1 year.
   3. Publishing mobile messages

      Click Publish to use your mobile message in a Program or to use it for APIs. If available, select when you want the message to expire. After the message is published, you can click Go to Programs or Create a New Message.

      Only messages that have been published appear in the Push Step selector for a Push Notification step in a program.

      Notes for publishing on the Confirm and send page:

      • The Contact Source of the Program or API call is used.
      • The Shared/Private Location is ignored since Programs must be a shared resource.
      • The Schedule type defaults to Publish.
   4. Confirm and send

      The Confirm and send page is the last page in the process and is the final step before the message is sent (or is scheduled to send). It shows you a summary of all mobile message settings including message details, delivery options, device actions, and scheduling information.

      Review all of your settings. If you need to make any changes, click Cancel to return to the mobile message draft. Otherwise, click Send Now for immediate sends, Send as Scheduled for scheduled sends, or Publish to make the message available in Programs and the API.

      After the message is sent or scheduled successfully, you can click the Scheduled Message link below the confirmation to see any scheduled and sent messages on the Mobile Messages and Templates page.

Device content

Message configuration for Android devices

Earlier, you selected an app group that is configured for an Android device.  You can enter the notification content that you want your app users to see on their Android devices. On the Enter Android Content page, you'll enter the message, configure the message characteristics, add and configure actions, and add extension messages for extended devices.

• Title: The title shows as the first line in the push notification. You can use personalization.
• Notification Message: Type the message to your contacts. You can use personalization.
• Message Characteristics: Enable the High Priority and Sensitive options if the options are available in the draft.
  • High Priority: Send the notification as 'high priority' so it appears on the user's notification screen.
  • Sensitive: Available for Android's Marshmallow and Lollipop operating systems. Classify the message as 'sensitive' so the content does not show on the user's notification screen.
• Large Icon URL: Add a large icon that shows an image of your choice, such as your business logo, to your message. This image must be hosted on an external site.
• Add Action: Select one to four actions that mobile users can perform in the message. Actions can include opening the app, dialing a number, opening a website, or custom actions configured by the mobile app developer. For simple notifications, add only one action and choose the No Expansion option below.

  You can edit each action name and its value, change the action, or delete the action. You can also reorder the two or more actions by using the up and down arrows. If an action is a string type, such as a URL, you can add personalization to that field. For example, if you want to add the value in the First Name field in your database, the personalization icon adds %%First Name%%. 

  • Open App: Opens the application. Only one open app action is allowed.
  • Open URL: Opens a URL that you provide.
  • Call: Dials a phone number that you provide.
  • Custom Actions: Allows the mobile app developer to edit a JSON sample and create a custom action that can be used by creation users.
• Expansion options: If you add additional text or image, you do not have to add another action.
  • No Expansion: Select this option to send a basic notification that includes only one action.
  • Additional Text: Select this option to add more information to the notification. Contacts can expand the notification to see additional information.
  • Additional Image: Select this option to attach an image to the notification. Enter the URL for the image. Contacts can expand the notification to see the image.
• Add Extensions: Add an extension that is pre-configured by your mobile app developer that updates or shows data on an extended device, such as an activity tracker or watch.
  • You can create an unlimited number of extensions that you can add in the draft if the payload limit is not exceeded.
  • If the maximum payload limit is exceeded (4 KB for Android content), an error message shows on the Confirm and Send page and the message is not sent.

Message configuration for IOS content

To enter the content that is shown in iOS devices, enter the message, configure message characteristics, set the badge number, add and configure actions, and add extension messages for extended devices.

Note: The values in the iOS Content are defined by the iOS payload that is supported in the Apple Notification Server (ANS).

Enter iOS Content

• Title: The title shows as the first line in the push notification. You can use personalization.
• Subtitle: This is the second line in the message. You can also add personalization.
• Notification Message: Enter the message that your mobile app users will see. You can use personalization.

Enable the following options if they are available in the draft:

• Use Default Sound: Send the simple push notification message with sound or without sound. The default sound is in the iOS device. If you choose no and want to add your own sound file, enter the sound file name that is included in the bundle in your app.
• Set Badge: By default, this value is turned off. Select 'Yes' to indicate to your contacts the number of new push notifications that are available. If you select 'Yes', you can enter a new number to overwrite the value set in the iOS app. To remove the badge, set the value to '0'. Note: See Inbox Message Badge Management for information on sending unread inbox mobile app message counts to the mobile app's badge. Here, you'll be able to see how these two features interact with one another.
• Media URL: Add a valid URL from a hosted site and preview an image, audio, or video. Media URL uses 3D touch technology that allows mobile app users to preview an image, audio, or video. For a list of media content associated with a notification, see Apple's UNNotificationAttachment API reference.
• Add Action: Select one to four actions that mobile users can perform in the message.

  Actions can include opening the app, dialing a number, opening a website, or custom actions configured by the mobile app developer. Contact your mobile app developer if you do not see any actions.

  To configure the action, you can edit each action name and its value, change the action, or delete the action. You can also reorder the two or more actions by using the up and down arrows. If an action is a string type, such as a URL, you can add personalization to that field. For example, if you want to add the value in the First Name field in your database, the personalization icon adds %%First Name%%. Click the personalization icon and then select a database field.

  • Open App: Opens the application. Only one Open App action is allowed.
  • Open URL: Opens a URL that you provide. More than one Open URL action is allowed.
  • Call: Dials a phone number that you provide. More than one Call action is allowed.
  • Custom Actions: Allows the Mobile App Developer to edit a JSON sample to create a custom action that can be used by creation users. More than one Open URL action is allowed.
• Action Categories (iOS8 only): Click Add Category to add a grouped set of actions for iOS8, defined by the Mobile App Developer. Only one action category is allowed. When you add an action category, you can also add a single action that is used if the contact's device is not iOS8. This single action is not a required field.
• Add Extensions: Adds an extension template, preconfigured by your mobile app developer, that updates or displays data on an extended device, such as an Apple watch.
  • You can create an unlimited number of extensions that you can add in the draft if the payload limit is not exceeded.
  • If the maximum payload limit is exceeded (4 KB for iOS content), an error message shows on the Confirm and Send page and the message is not sent.