Look around you, chances are high that your co-worker, spouse, son, daughter, mother and father has a smartphone. And chances are they are using their smartphone as the primary way to access the internet. Over 60% of all internet traffic comes from mobile devices, so it’s no wonder that schools and organizations alike are scrambling to create a mobile presence.
Because of the pervasiveness of smartphones and apps today, you can’t ignore that there is an enormous opportunity to connect and reach your schools’ parents and greater community in a very effective and meaningful way. One of the best ways is to communicate through Push Notifications. A Push Notification is simply a way to send a message to a smartphone. These messages can be weather notifications, event reminders or emergency messages. In addition to push notifications, a school app can combine and integrate the most important pieces of information a school needs to communicate. App modules like, Calendars, News, Athletics, Staff Directories, Supply lists, Bell and Bus Schedules are easily integrated. Imagine, all this information right in your pocket!
Isn’t a website enough?
True, most schools have websites, but the number of mobile users is skyrocketing – and those same mobile users are using their smartphones as primary devices to access the Internet now. Have you checked to see if your school website is mobile ready? If not, Google will penalize you for not have a mobile ready website. But is a mobile website enough? The short answer is no. The reason why is with a mobile website, you do not have the ability to create and communicate effectively with your parents through Push Notifications. While a mobile website is helpful, a native app for iOS or Android phones, allows you to send Push Notifications.
Why are Push Notifications so important and are they effective?
One of our clients, Banning Lewis Ranch Academy (BLR), for example, uses push notifications to deliver timely messages to parents. Alerting parents of impending school closures or important communications is something that BLR takes advantage of.
Let BlueTreeApps help you usher in the next step in effective parent communication. Visit: www.bluetreeapps.com to learn more or call 303-800-9459 to get started.