5 Ways to Engage the Target Audience Beyond Mobile Apps

Mobile apps have long been the centrepiece of customer engagement strategies. From onboarding to support, brands have leaned heavily on apps to guide the user journey. And while they’re undeniably effective, they’re no longer enough.

Despite high download numbers, 1 in 4 Americans abandons an app after a single use. Push notifications, once seen as a direct line to users, now witness open rates below 3% for many industries in the US. So even after someone installs your app, your ability to reach them can quickly dwindle.

Meanwhile, other channels are gaining traction. SMS open rates average over 90%, and messaging tools like web chat and email continue to register strong engagement. This shift in behaviour is why digital-first brands are moving beyond app-centric thinking. 

They’re embracing multi-channel strategies that meet customers where they already are, and on the channels they trust and actually use.

Smart Way to Engage Your Target Audience: Go Multi-Channel

Customers today don’t operate in silos, and your communication strategy shouldn’t either. Multi-channel engagement allows you to reach people wherever they’re most active, be it through SMS, web chat, or via social media.

Here’s how to use multi-channel communication for maximum effects:

1. Meet customers where they are

Only a fraction of users regularly open branded apps, but nearly everyone checks their texts, email, or social feeds daily. If your message only lives in one place, you’re missing touchpoints that matter.

2. Deliver personalized experiences

Different channels enable different styles of interaction. You might use email for long-form onboarding, web chat for instant support, and SMS for quick reminders. The ability to tailor your tone and timing makes personalization more effective.

3. Maintain brand consistency across touchpoints

Whether someone engages on your website, replies to a text, or interacts on Instagram, your voice, tone, and values should feel consistent. Multi-channel tools help synchronize messaging across teams and channels.

4. Offer a seamless experience

Customers shouldn’t have to repeat themselves across channels. When your tools are integrated, someone can start a conversation via web chat and pick it up later via SMS or email, without losing context.

5. Support follow-ups, reminders, and onboarding

Multi-channel flows are ideal for drip campaigns, payment reminders, and welcome journeys. By using multiple channels in tandem, you reduce drop-offs and connect with the audience at just the right time.

How It Helps: Insights + Optimization

With every additional channel, you collect more data: how customers respond, when they’re active, what they ignore, and which actions they take next. These insights help you refine not only your messaging, but also your timing and channel selection.

This level of visibility is nearly impossible with a mobile app alone. While apps give you in-app analytics, they don’t show what happens when a user drops off or ignores a push notification. But when you’re engaging across SMS, email, and chat, you gain a comprehensive overview of the customer journey.

Here’s how that data-driven multi-channel communication strategy plays out:

• Behavioral insights: Understand channel-specific behavior, and figure out who prefers email over SMS, or who clicks but doesn’t convert.
• Time-zone aware delivery: Schedule outreach based on when individuals are most likely to engage.
• Funnel optimization: Spot where users drop off, and plug gaps with alternate channel nudges.
• Content relevance: Refine what you say based on what worked across different touchpoints.
• Performance benchmarking: Compare engagement across channels to double down on what’s working.

In short, a multi-channel approach not only improves the chances of reaching your target audience, but it also gives you the feedback loops to do it smarter every time.

Key Channels to Engage the Target Audience

No single channel holds all the answers. The key is to understand the strengths of each channel and how they complement one another. Here are five essential channels that help you engage your target audience beyond mobile apps, backed by real examples from well-known brands.

1. Web Chat

Instant, contextual, and always-on web chat helps you engage visitors in real time. When powered by Conversational AI, it becomes even more powerful: answering queries, capturing leads, and qualifying prospects without human intervention.

Amtrak, the U.S. rail service, implemented a virtual assistant named “Julie” using conversational AI. Julie handled over 5 million customer requests annually, helping reduce support costs and response times dramatically.

Similarly, you can also use Web Chat for:

• Lead capture
• Instant Q&A
• Self-service workflows
• Escalations to live agents

2. Social Media

Social channels are a natural place for real-time, informal engagement. When combined with automation and CRM integration, they become powerful relationship tools.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines famously used Facebook Messenger, Twitter, and WhatsApp to deliver booking confirmations, boarding passes, and customer service. The campaign resulted in over 15,000 interactions per week, with an average response time of 30 minutes. 

Similarly, you can use social media for:-

• Brand updates and announcements
• Event promotions
• One-on-one conversations
• Community engagement

3. SMS

SMS has near-instant reach and the highest open rates among all digital channels. Its simplicity and immediacy make it ideal for alerts, reminders, and transactional updates.

Chipotle used SMS in its 2020 “Free Delivery” campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic. By sending time-sensitive promo codes via text, they saw a 25% increase in redemptions compared to email-only offers.

Similarly, you can use SMS for:

• Reminders and alerts
• Application status updates
• Short links for action
• Follow-ups after missed calls

4. Email

Email is essential for content-rich updates, detailed workflows, and B2B communication. When layered with automation and personalization, it delivers strong ROI.

Netflix sends personalized recommendation emails based on a user’s watch history and behavior. This campaign has helped boost retention and engagement across multiple markets by driving viewers back to the platform. 

Similarly, you can use email for:

• Onboarding and nurturing flows
• Transactional communication
• Promotions and updates
• Long-form content

5. Direct Mail

Direct mail stands out in a saturated digital world. It’s tactile, targeted, and trust-building, especially when used for high-value customer segments.

Google sent personalized direct mailers to SMBs inviting them to use Google Ads, often including vouchers and QR codes. This strategy played a major role in onboarding new advertisers, especially those not yet fully digital. 

Similarly, you can use direct email for:

• High-value customer outreach
• Contract or document delivery
• Brand reinforcement
• Event invitations or follow-ups

Conclusion

The problem isn’t that mobile apps are ineffective; it’s that they’ve become predictable. Most brands now follow the same pattern: push a notification, wait for engagement, and hope the user comes back. But that model no longer matches how people behave. 

In the US, less than 20% of users allow push notifications for long-term, and most app sessions last under 3 minutes. 

The signal is clear: you can’t build real relationships on a single channel.

Multi-channel engagement gives you options, and more importantly, it gives your audience choices. Someone might ignore your app, but reply to an SMS. They might miss an email, but respond instantly to web chat. By meeting people where they’re already active, you reduce friction and increase the odds of meaningful interaction.

But channel expansion alone isn’t the answer. What separates good strategy from noise is orchestration. That means syncing conversations, tracking context, and making every message feel like part of a unified experience, not five disconnected nudges. With Conversational AI, brands can now manage this complexity with far less effort, stitching together interactions across channels without losing personalization or compliance.