The conversation featured Akhilesh Anakapally, Head of Digital Customer Experience at Wendy’s, and Zac Smith, Product Owner, Loyalty and Engagement at Wendy’s, with Branch’s VP of Customer Experience, Stephanie Herndon-Rasse, joining to spotlight how the partnership comes together.

What follows is a guided tour of the top lessons and “tasty takeaways” from that session.

Balancing technology and human connection

Wendy’s is famous for its authentic, witty, and playful tone online. But as Anakapally explained, it is not just about creating bold digital experiences. It is about bringing that same energy into every customer touchpoint, from push notifications to loyalty rewards, while staying mindful of context.

That balance becomes especially important with some of the automation they have integrated. Take drive-through automation. While many brands are rushing to experiment with AI, Wendy’s was one of the first to put it into practice. The goal was not to replace people, but rather to give crew members more time to focus on what they do best: making great food with care and accuracy.

Automation tees it up, while humans step in wherever nuance is needed. That same philosophy carries through to Wendy’s digital experience. From the first app download to becoming a Rewards member, smart acquisition offers spark the initial transaction, and clear onboarding with personalized education keeps customers engaged long after.

Personalization that feels effortless

Wendy’s uses Branch and Braze to reduce friction and create seamless experiences across marketing channels. For example, customers who have not redeemed rewards in a while can be segmented in Braze and reached through email, with Branch deep links guiding them straight into the reward store to complete an order and increase conversions. That same approach applies from QR codes on bags and receipts to in-app messages and contact cards, always taking customers directly to what they want without extra clicks or confusion.

Wendy’s brings personalization to life by combining zero-, first-, and third-party data, including real-time signals and historical models, to make every customer interaction intentional and relevant. By tapping into location affinity, such as a favorite restaurant, and product or daypart affinity, like a breakfast loyalist versus a midnight snacker, Wendy’s can tailor in-app messages, contact cards, and campaigns that meet customers where they are. This approach helps re-engage lapsed guests with the right offer, reward high-value customers to deepen loyalty, and ultimately recreate the same trust, reliability, and speed customers expect from a great in-person experience.

As Smith put it, great personalization is only as strong as the metrics behind it: “If we are not measuring it, we cannot make it better.” A campaign with a 100 percent click rate might look impressive, but if it does not lead to an order, is it really a success? Wendy’s teams use Branch and Braze dashboards to track outcomes that reflect real business impact.

Bridging digital and in-store experiences

Braze’s personalization is not just about nudging customers toward new offers. It is also about meeting them where they are in their lifecycle. For new users, that might mean relying on historical data from their chosen location or using in-app messages to simply ask what brought them in, mirroring the kind of welcome and guidance a crew member would give in person. But digital is only half the journey.

As Anakapally noted, the customer experience is not complete until the first bite of food. That makes the crew the “last mile team,” carrying the digital promise through to the counter or drive-thru. To make that possible, Wendy’s digital team works closely with Wendy’s operations, ensuring any new rollout includes clear training and communication, reinforcing the mantra: “It’s not real until it’s real in the restaurant.”

Feedback loops also play a role, from QR codes on receipts to post-order surveys that focus less on app usability and more on the quality, accuracy, and temperature of the food. One key learning is that encouraging employees to become app users themselves helps bridge the digital and physical, keeping the experience consistent end to end.

When it comes to AI and new technology, Wendy’s stressed the importance of starting small, educating both customers and crew, and making clear that the intent is to help rather than replace. They shared the example of kiosks. While there was some fear when they were first introduced, kiosks became second nature with better education over time and framing around benefits like speed, convenience, and customization.

The secret sauce to success

Wendy’s approach proves that any company, not just QSR brands, can harness Braze and Branch to deliver seamless, personalized experiences without losing the warmth customers crave. This Braze Forge session left the room buzzing with practical ideas and, yes, craving their new “Wendy’s Tendys” and a Frosty.

Want to learn more about how Branch can help you connect better with your customers? Reach out today.

Want a tasty meal? Download the Wendy’s app.

The post Braze Forge Recap: How Wendy’s Mixes Automation with a Human Touch appeared first on Branch.

Whether you’re launching a campaign on social, SMS, or in-store, getting a reliable, branded link or QR code shouldn’t be a source of friction. Too many teams are still juggling multiple tools for different campaigns, worrying about messy inconsistent links, or struggling to track performance across analytics silos. Branded short links are one of the easiest ways to strengthen your campaigns, and Branch makes creating them just as simple.

We’re excited to introduce Branch’s new product offering — Activation. It makes it easy to create branded short links and custom QR codes that shorten your character count, increase click through rates (CTRs), and connect users to content instantly and reliably.

Whether you’re sending a text, updating a social bio, or launching an in-store promotion, Activation gives you:

• Effortless link creation that works for web or app destinations.
• Branded domains and QR codes that build trust and boost clicks.
• Built-in deep linking and dynamic routing so users land exactly where they should.
• Real-time analytics to track every click and scan from a single dashboard.
• One platform to manage it all—no juggling linking tools.

Who it’s for and why it’s impactful

If you’re managing high-velocity campaigns across social, SMS, CRM, or loyalty programs, Activation can help.

• Social marketers can easily create links that drive action using branded short links in posts and bios that are easy to trust, click, and track.
• SMS and CRM marketers can stop relying on long, clunky links that get flagged or ignored, and start using clean, branded URLs that reliably take users to the right place — whether that’s the app or the web.
• And for loyalty and growth marketers, Activation unlocks a better way to run sharing and QR-based campaigns. Centralized link creation and management, means campaigns move faster and workflows get simpler.

Read Why Short Links Should Be a Part of Every Marketer’s Strategy to learn more.

How it works

Activation is powered by Branch’s industry-leading linking infrastructure for reliable link routing and edge-case handling, so you can launch campaigns with the confidence that each link will take users where they need to go — regardless of their platform or device.

Activation streamlines the link creation process into a single, intuitive workflow with unlimited user seats so anyone in your organization can create high-quality links. Link templates and role-based permissions help you scale link creation without sacrificing link governance or consistency. From the Dashboard, you can create deep links, web links, or QR codes from the and leverage our bulk creation tools, or developers can help automate campaigns via API.

Set up your custom domain to elevate branding or get started with the Branch-provided domain. With SDK integration, links can automatically deep link to the app for users with it already installed, creating smoother mobile user experiences. You can also add analytics tags, redirects, and link data as needed, and view analytics in LinkHub for real-time insights into your clicks, scans, and interaction.

Plus, when you pair it with Branch Engagement or Branch Performance, you get full-funnel visibility into campaign performance, from click to conversion to LTV.

Why Branch

Branch isn’t just another link shortener, we’re the only linking tool you’ll ever need.  Our growth platform makes it effortless to deliver high-performing, on-brand links at scale with solutions for every linking use case under one roof.

Branch Activation brings together deep linking and link shortening in one powerful enterprise platform. All of this runs on Branch’s privacy-first infrastructure, with the security, compliance, and support trusted by leading global brands.

How to get started

Whether you’re just getting started or scaling fast, you can accelerate time to value with easy onboarding and the most expansive set of linking use cases.

Already using Branch?

You can easily add Activation to your contract to bring all your links under one roof. No more juggling multiple vendors, inconsistent workflows, or siloed analytics. With Activation, you can power every linking use case all from a single, scalable platform. Create short branded links that don’t force you to choose between deep linking functionality and high CTRs, and collaborate across teams and channels with one cohesive solution.

New to Branch?

Our link shortener is the easiest way to experience Branch. You can start using it without any SDK integration — just create your first branded link and see the power of our links. As your needs grow, you’ll already be on a platform built to support everything from basic campaigns to advanced omnichannel strategies.

Have questions or want to learn more? Connect with us.

The post Activate Your Links: Branded URLs, QR Codes, and Deep Links in One appeared first on Branch.

Branded short links are more than just aesthetically pleasing. They’re a strategic tool that can boost click-through rates (CTRs), improve engagement, and make it easier to track performance across channels.

What makes short links so powerful?

• Increased CTRs: Short links look cleaner and are easier to read, share, and trust. Plus, they take up less space.
• Stronger brand presence: With branded domains, every link reinforces your brand, whether it’s shared by your team, your users, or your influencers.
• Actionable insights: You can track and analyze short links, giving you visibility into which campaigns and channels are driving results.
• Improved user experience: When you use a short link solution with deep linking, your links intelligently direct users to the right place — whether it’s in your app or on the web.

Key use cases for short links

There are powerful, low-lift ways to bring short links into your marketing strategy. Let’s take a look at some of the channels where they can be most impactful.

SMS marketing

SMS offers unmatched access to users, with open rates averaging over 90%. But when every character counts (literally), there’s no room for long, clunky links. Short, branded links not only save space and reduce cost — they also improve CTRs.

Branch tip: With Branch, you can create branded short links that support deep linking and track performance from SMS. And because we support every customer relationship management (CRM) channel through Engagement, you can centralize and optimize all your messaging without hopping between tools.

Organic sharing

Peer-to-peer sharing is one of the most trusted and effective channels for app discovery. From influencer campaigns to everyday shares between friends, organic growth thrives when user-generated links are easy to create and distribute.

Branch tip: Branch supports native share sheets in your app or site, allowing users to create short, branded links in a tap — while giving you full visibility into how content spreads and tying downstream actions back to the original referrer.

Social media

Your social channels are often the front door to your brand, but linking on social media isn’t always straightforward. Character limits, mobile behaviors, and platform motives can make it tricky to get users to the right place. A short, branded URL not only looks better and saves space; it also builds trust, improves CTRs, and can provide insights into how links and posts are performing.

Branch tip: Top apps trust Branch for social links that handle every edge case and break out of walled gardens. Whether you’re deep linking into the app or just sharing content on the web, Branch lets you create short, branded links with social previews and rich analytics all in one platform.

QR codes

While branded short links are essential, the next step to elevate your strategy is integrating branded QR (quick response) codes connected to those links. QR codes are everywhere — on packaging, mailers, signage, and even TV screens — but branded, dynamic QR codes offer superior performance and flexibility. Tied to short links, they allow you to update destinations after printing, track scan activity in real time, and fully customize logos and colors to align with your brand.

Branch tip: Branch powers custom QR codes with the same reliable links you use across all channels, ensuring your QR codes always direct users to the right destination.

Linking to app, web, and beyond

Branch links can redirect users to a specified web page or dynamically route them to an in-app destination based on whether they already have the app installed. You can even specify custom routing behavior like going to different web pages depending on the user’s device type.

Branch tip: You can configure Branch short links and personalized QR codes to take your user to a custom Play or App Store listing, dial a phone number, or send a preconfigured text message like “SUBSCRIBE.”

Why Branch?

There are plenty of link shorteners out there, but Branch is more than that. We’re a robust growth platform with solutions for every linking use case and a focus on efficiency, scale, and performance.

Here’s what makes Branch different:

• All-in-one platform: Streamline your stack and simplify your workflows with a growth platform that covers all your linking needs for every use case.
• Link performance: Branch links work across edge cases and fallback scenarios. With software development kit (SDK) integration, every short link can also deep link directly into your app.
• Enterprise grade: Our link management tools improve efficiency and maintain consistency at scale. From link management tools and secure links to privacy compliance, Branch is built for scale, consistency, and protection.
• Unified analytics: Track short link and QR code performance across every channel in one place. Plus, when used alongside Engagement or Performance, you unlock full-funnel attribution for all of your short links too.

If you’re still using generic shorteners or still adding long, clunky URLs to your campaigns, it’s time to level up. Short links are one of the simplest, most effective ways to improve campaign performance across the board. Look no further than the leader in linking to centralize linking across all of your use cases.

The post Why Short Links Should Be Part of Every Marketer’s Strategy appeared first on Branch.

As digital marketing becomes more data-driven, the challenge grows: How can healthcare companies measure performance and optimize campaigns while adhering to patient privacy standards?

That’s where Branch Advanced Compliance comes in. We are the only mobile measurement partner (MMP) with a HIPAA-eligible solution, giving healthcare organizations the confidence to engage users, track performance, and optimize marketing efforts — without jeopardizing compliance. 

Why compliance teams choose Branch

We’ve built a dedicated data architecture to shield protected health information (PHI) and stand ready to enter a business associate agreement (BAA) to process data on behalf of covered entity customers. Our HIPAA-eligible solution extends across organic and paid, making Branch the only option for healthcare organizations looking to scale their mobile strategies while meeting compliance goals.

Here’s how we do it:

Peace of mind with a BAA

With our Advanced Compliance solution, Branch offers our BAA that sets forth Branch’s HIPAA compliance obligations as a business associate, providing transparency in how we support our customers’ compliance needs. This agreement provides legal assurance that Branch adheres to HIPAA requirements while helping them maintain regulatory compliance.

Enterprise-grade encryption and security

We’ve built our Advanced Compliance architecture for security and privacy. It processes data within an isolated network with custom traffic routing, strong authentication controls, and multiple layers of encryption (both in transit and at rest), helping safeguard user data.

Seamless integrations with existing tech stacks

Branch operates under a shared responsibility model and offers a secure and configurable service, while the customer is responsible for configuring the service to meet its own security requirements. Our advanced encryption and decryption framework allows data teams to transfer Branch engagement and attribution data into third-party marketing tools through webhooks and integrations. Once a customer enables a third-party integration and directs Branch to share that data with the third party, we will transfer customer data to such third party. The customer is responsible for data that it transfers from its Advanced Compliance instance to a third party outside of our platform, so we recommend using trusted partners.

Marketing enablement without compliance bottlenecks

Branch enables performance and growth marketers to measure campaign success in a privacy-centric way. By addressing legal and regulatory hurdles, we help marketing teams execute effective, data-driven campaigns while maintaining security and patient trust.

When evaluating tools for their digital growth efforts, healthcare organizations should choose an attribution partner that has built a dedicated infrastructure to protect PHI. 

If compliance concerns have been a blocker for your marketing programs, now is the time to explore Branch’s solutions that enable privacy-focused, data-driven marketing.

The post The Only HIPAA-Eligible MMP: Compliance Without Compromise appeared first on Branch.

Desktop Banners, a new feature within Branch Journeys, enable you to transform desktop web traffic into a powerful acquisition channel. By strategically targeting users with customized interstitials, you can seamlessly transition them to more valuable mobile platforms, enhancing engagement and revenue.

Drive value from desktop

Branch Desktop Banners are designed to drive growth, enhance customer engagement, and deliver measurable results. Here’s how you can leverage Desktop Banners to achieve your marketing goals:

• Attract new app users: Use targeted Desktop Banners with personalized QR (quick response) codes to encourage mobile app installations.
• Boost customer activation: Guide users from desktop to your mobile app for seamless registration and activation.
• Promote in-app features: Highlight high-value app-only features for desktop users to drive feature adoption.
• Increase conversions: Implement banners with custom calls to action (CTAs) and QR codes to present in-app promotions and offers, facilitating actions like order tracking or event ticket access.
• Enhance customer engagement: Extend user journeys by offering desktop users opportunities to continue their activities within the mobile app.

Meet Branch Desktop Banners: Customizable banners for cross-platform growth

Like Branch’s web-to-app Journeys banners, Desktop Banners are configurable based on specific targeting criteria, scheduling, and more. And they use the tools you’re already familiar with. 

How to use Desktop Banners

Within the Journeys UI, select Desktop as your audience, define targeting based on existing or referring URL and geography, and explore a variety of customizable banner templates. Whether you opt for pop-ups, overlays, or sidebars, you’ll find options that fit your needs and integrate seamlessly into the desktop experience without disrupting the user flow.

Customize your banners

You can also tailor each banner with a WYSIWYG or Advanced UI Editor to align with your brand guidelines and include compelling CTAs that drive the desired user behavior. Plus, every desktop banner includes a customizable QR code, easily personalized with your logo, images, and colors to build trust and boost conversions. When users scan the embedded QR code, they’re directed to the relevant content in your app — even if they need to install it first. To streamline the conversion process and further improve the user journey, you can pass through any link data, such as promotion codes or sign-in information.  

Drive growth from desktop

You need to be able to manage and measure campaigns at scale to drive growth from desktop. Branch’s intuitive platform enables you to create, deploy, A/B test, and monitor banners in a single interface. Comprehensive analytics provide insights into key performance metrics like impressions and conversions, helping you refine strategies and optimize banner creative. You can better understand and improve user journeys and maximize conversions by attributing mobile events back to specific desktop campaigns. Plus, Branch’s advanced dismissal settings empower users to interact with banners on their terms while capturing critical dismissal analytics to fine-tune your approach.

To explore how Desktop Banners can help you bring smart targeting and personalization to desktop and create exceptional cross-platform experiences, visit our documentation and work with your account team to get started. 

The post Drive Mobile Growth and Conversions From Desktop appeared first on Branch.

Customization fosters trust and conversions

Customized QR codes are up to 80% more effective than generic black-and-white ones because they improve brand recognition and assure users that they are engaging with trustworthy content. With Branch’s QR code builder, you can fully customize every aspect of your QR codes to reflect your brand’s look and feel — including colors, shapes, images, and logos — right from a user-friendly dashboard. Adding visual branding to your QR codes is a strategic step that boosts brand recognition and creates a more engaging brand journey for your users.

A QR code is only as powerful as the link behind it. Most QR codes aren’t optimized for mobile, which means users might end up on a generic homepage, an expired page, or irrelevant content, causing frustration and drop-offs. Every Branch QR code functions as a powerful deep link, taking users to specific mobile content, even through the app install process. With unparalleled flexibility to customize link data parameters, redirects, and analytics tags, Branch gives you complete control over the post-scan routing experience. For example, you can add a location-based offer into the link data or customize the link to initiate a specific action in your app, like prefilling a form or automatically applying a discount code. 

Branch’s solution not only allows you to build trust and increase scans with thoughtfully branded QR codes but also drives users to action and conversion, boosting the impact of each scan. 

Usability drives efficiency and longevity

Looks aren’t all that matters when it comes to QR codes; effortless integration into your marketing campaigns is crucial for success. Branch’s custom QR code solution enables you to independently execute QR code campaigns without tapping developer resources for support. Once designed, you can test and download your custom QR code as a PNG or JPEG file right from the Branch Dashboard, giving you the power to create, customize, and launch QR codes on your own schedule. 

You can also easily update the routing destinations or designs of your QR codes even after creation. Branch’s new ’Manager’ tab simplifies this process, keeping your campaigns fresh and relevant long after they’re deployed. Whether you’re promoting a seasonal offer or redirecting traffic to a new in-app destination, you have the flexibility to make adjustments on the fly, maximizing the lifetime value (LTV) of your QR codes. This autonomy not only speeds up the campaign deployment process but also enables efficiency and agility, ensuring your active QR code campaigns drive the best results. 

And of course, you can’t improve what you can’t measure. Branch’s new QR code ’Analytics’ tab provides a comprehensive view of the downstream performance driven by your QR code scans. From acquisition to engagement, you can track key metrics and gain valuable insights, all in one place. 

Custom QR codes enable growth

It’s never been easier to make effective QR codes part of your mobile growth strategy. Whether you’re a travel company streamlining the passenger experience with quick access to digital boarding passes, a healthcare company simplifying patient interactions with instant access to health records, or a retailer enhancing customer engagement with QR codes that link to product information and purchasing options, Branch’s custom QR code solution can help you drive acquisition and engagement across devices and from offline channels.

Get in touch with us today to learn more and start elevating your QR code campaigns.

The post Elevate Your QR Code Strategy With Customization and Campaign Insights appeared first on Branch.

The mobile opportunity

Today, consumers seek instant access to relevant healthcare resources, whether booking appointments, viewing claim information, or managing prescriptions — all from the palm of their hand. To meet consumer expectations, healthcare organizations need to incorporate mobile-first technologies into their growth strategy.

Leading healthcare brands set the bar with Branch by delivering seamless mobile experiences and connecting consumers to the information they need from wherever they are.

Introducing Advanced Compliance

Navigating the complexities of regulatory compliance, especially under HIPAA, can be daunting for healthcare organizations. As the trusted enterprise partner, Branch is committed to supporting the enhanced security, privacy, and compliance needs of healthcare organizations. Our Advanced Compliance solution was built with these principles in mind and is trusted by leading healthcare enterprises.

Advanced Compliance offers an isolated network, protected endpoint, and security gateway with custom traffic routing, strong authentication, and multiple levels of encryption. These features work together to create a robust and secure environment, enabling the secure handling of protected health information (PHI) when performing attribution.

With these enhanced privacy and data measures, Branch uniquely empowers customers in highly regulated industries like healthcare to eliminate user friction and drive engagement without compromising compliance goals.

Unlocking mobile growth

Channels like SEO, social media, offline, web, and email serve as a gateway to deliver value to patients, increase engagement, and reduce operational costs. As the connector between these essential touchpoints and the app, Branch is crucial for any growth-minded marketer or product leader’s toolbox.

With Advanced Compliance, healthcare companies can accelerate mobile app adoption and engagement by deploying robust deep links that seamlessly direct users to expected content across platforms and accurately attribute app activities to the digital channels that prompted them.

From deploying web-to-app banners and QR codes to executing social campaigns and reclaiming SEO app attribution, Branch solutions drive and measure growth from key marketing channels while ensuring safe data handling.

By guiding users to relevant content and providing insight into the clicks, opens, and installs driven organic growth efforts, Branch empowers healthcare organizations to deliver a cohesive and connected healthcare experience for their users.

Advanced Compliance and HIPAA

Security and compliance is a shared responsibility between Branch and our customers. Business associates like IT service providers are responsible for designing their services with adequate security and compliance features. Covered entities like healthcare providers and insurance companies are responsible for configuring those services to meet their specific security and compliance needs.

When covered entities seek assistance from partners to process PHI in compliance with HIPAA regulations, Branch stands ready as a trusted business associate. This partnership enables us to formalize our commitment through a specialized business associate agreement (BAA) tailored specifically for our Advanced Compliance solution.

Whether you’re looking to improve your cost to serve, app adoption, or lifetime value (LTV), Branch can help by seamlessly delivering users to app content and features from owned and earned channels while securely measuring campaign impact.

If your organization wants to optimize mobile experiences and measurement while satisfying your compliance needs, look no further than Branch’s Advanced Compliance solution. We look forward to hearing from you here!

The post Advanced Compliance for Healthcare: Safeguard Your Data With Branch appeared first on Branch.

Driving revenue growth

Apps are pivotal in connecting healthcare platforms and their users, ensuring effortless access to revenue-generating services like appointment scheduling and telehealth consultations. Apps not only enhance user engagement but also drive higher conversion and retention rates, as well as increased usage of ancillary services, thereby boosting users’ overall lifetime value (LTV).

Incorporating deep linking strategies across various digital touchpoints enables healthcare enterprises to guide users directly to specific features within the app. This amplifies the effectiveness of reengagement efforts and drives enhanced monetization opportunities.

With features ranging from virtual consultations to real-time patient monitoring and claims processing, a well-crafted mobile strategy not only enhances user satisfaction but also catalyzes additional revenue generation.

Enhancing user experience

It’s one thing to understand the impact of mobile apps and another to execute and deliver seamless mobile experiences. Apps enable organizations to own real estate on their users’ phones, and deep links maximize the value of apps for healthcare enterprises by taking users directly to in-app features that can simplify their experience or enable self-service.

Branch empowers healthcare enterprises to direct users to specific app content from campaigns like an email or QR code, allowing users to easily book appointments, check in online, and manage their health information with a single tap. By automatically logging in users with saved credentials, match-guaranteed deep links streamline the booking process, making meaningful engagement with the app easy and seamless.

Branch offers the industry’s most reliable and scalable linking as well as solutions to drive in-app actions and engagement from every digital touchpoint. From quick links, email links, and QR codes to Journeys web-to-app banners, Branch plugs into every marketing channel to fix broken mobile experiences and foster user loyalty.

Minimizing cost to serve

One of the most significant advantages of optimized mobile app strategies in healthcare is their ability to minimize cost to serve. By continuously optimizing app feature adoption, healthcare organizations can reduce reliance on traditional communication channels like costly customer service call centers and direct mail. This not only alleviates operational expenses but also enhances efficiency within the organization.

With attribution for all owned, earned, and organic channels, Branch offers holistic data views of acquisition, engagement, and performance to optimize all aspects of marketing and operations. By identifying high-cost service pathways and driving feature adoption through the app, healthcare enterprises can optimize resource allocation and decrease long-term costs.

Navigating compliance challenges

As the preferred partner for enterprise brands, Branch consistently emphasizes security, privacy, compliance, and serving as a trusted advisor for our customers.

Branch safeguards sensitive data like PHI, enabling healthcare companies to benefit from linking and attribution solutions as part of their broader HIPAA compliance strategies.

With elevated data and privacy measures for effective linking and secure attribution, healthcare enterprises can leverage Branch to get data-driven insights for continuous optimization.

If your healthcare organization is looking to harness the value of your mobile app while maintaining compliance obligations, reach out to your Branch account team or contact us.

The post Mobile Apps and Healthcare: Maximizing Revenue and Efficiency appeared first on Branch.

What is WCAG?

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is part of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). 

Branch aims for conformance with industry standards including the WCAG 2.1 AA, a framework outlined by this initiative, to ensure web content is accessible to individuals with a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, cognitive, and motor impairments. Following these guidelines helps Branch design products like Journeys to be more perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. 

Why is accessibility important?

The web is a vital platform for knowledge, content, and commerce that should be accessible to all. Following industry standards such as WCAG is crucial for creating an inclusive digital environment where people with disabilities can fully participate. Ensuring people with impairments can access and interact with your web content helps expand your reach to a broader audience, and the benefits extend even further: Accessible websites often drive better search engine optimization (SEO), wider reach, and improved user satisfaction. 

How does our commitment to accessibility affect Journeys?

The Journeys web-to-app smart banners you know and love are becoming more user-friendly and accessible. With our newly updated templates, your banners and interstitials will be easier for users to navigate and understand. Our team added over 50 visual and cognitive-related improvements to Journeys creatives within the HTML. This includes everything from alt tags and headings to contrasting colors and focus. For more Journeys accessibility information, reach out to your Branch account team to view our 2024 Product Accessibility Template (VPAT). 

Branch Journeys convert your mobile website into a powerful, low-cost app acquisition channel. With customizable mobile banners, smart targeting and rules, A/B testing, and analytics, Journeys enables your team to effect a sophisticated web-to-app strategy without hefty development work. 

Claire Lecherf, senior traffic manager at La Redoute, recently shared: “Our marketing team finally has an efficient way to help our web customers discover or reengage with our app, and the level of customization Journeys offers allows us to constantly test and improve our approach.”

Getting started

To begin surfacing Journeys, update to the latest Web SDK, navigate to Journeys Creatives in your Branch Dashboard, and change your creatives to the newly-updated default templates.

If you aren’t already using Journeys, this is your chance to start increasing engagement, conversions, and LTV with a seamless pathway between your mobile website and app. 

Reach out to your account team to learn more about getting started. 

The post Fostering Accessibility With Journeys appeared first on Branch.

Branch’s HTML Editor and Creatives Optimization are now available to all enterprise Journeys customers. With the creative element customization and testing these advanced features provide, you can significantly improve web-to-app conversions and maximize return on investment (ROI). Here’s how. 

Customize your creatives

While Branch offers many out-of-the-box banner creatives, further customizing your Journeys can lead to even better results. Branch’s comprehensive toolkit of editors — including WYSIWYG, CSS, and HTML — empowers you to tailor the look and feel of your Journeys. 

With the HTML Editor comes an entirely new level of customization to give you more control of the creative elements of a Journey. By tailoring the banners’ visual elements to align with your brand identity and user preferences, you can significantly improve engagement and conversion rates. Whether it’s adjusting images, buttons, banner style, or body, the HTML Editor puts you in the driver’s seat to create a more personalized, visually appealing user experience.

Branch HTML Tab Editor

Test creative variations

A/B testing is a powerful tool for optimizing your web-to-app strategy. By testing various web banners and interstitials, you gain valuable insights into which creatives drive the most conversions. This data-driven approach allows you to fine-tune your strategy and hone in on what works best for your target audience.

Branch’s Creatives Optimization tool offers a powerful A/B testing interface with a user-friendly view, making it easy to compare the lifetime performance of different creatives and understand which variation of Journeys banners drives the highest conversions. With real-time data, you can also make quick adjustments to display your higher-performing creative to larger audiences. This means that web visitors are always presented with the most effective banner or interstitial, increasing the likelihood of conversions. 

Branch Creatives Optimization tab

Putting it all together: Maximize web-to-app ROI with Branch

Partnering with Branch to improve your web-to-app strategy not only adds powerful features to your toolkit but also comes with strategic advice and support to meet your goals. Here’s how we recommend getting started with a successful web-to-app strategy: 

Set clear goals

Define your conversion goals to provide a benchmark for success and guide your A/B testing efforts.

Select your audience

Determine who you are building your Journeys campaigns for and configure targeting rules based on contextual and behavioral attributes. 

Customize your banners

Leverage prebuilt templates to get started, then edit the look and feel to match your brand. Use the WYSIWYG editor for basic edits, CSS for custom fonts, backgrounds, and animations, and the HTML editor to select and modify which elements are present in your Journey. 

A/B test with Creatives Optimization

Use Creatives Optimization to test multiple creatives within a single campaign and prioritize the best-performing creative with a higher percentage of views. 

Monitor and iterate

Iterate on your creatives and customization by monitoring the performance of your web-to-app strategy using the insights provided in the Branch Dashboard. 

Get started

Journeys enterprise customers can access the HTML Tab Editor and Creatives Optimization tool without any additional integration work. Simply navigate to the Journeys section of your Branch Dashboard, then to the Creatives and Creatives Optimization tabs. As always, reach out to your account team with any questions. 

Not using Journeys yet? Request a demo to learn more.

The post Optimize Your Web-to-app Strategy With Advanced Testing and Customization appeared first on Branch.