Apple recently announced that the new iOS 15 update will create changes that directly impact users of the Mail app on any Apple device. Set to be released in fall of 2021, this update aims to provide increased protection to a user’s privacy by preventing email tracking. Specifically, it will prevent senders from utilizing invisible pixels to collect information, knowing when they open an email, as well as masking their IP address so it cannot be traced to other online activity or discover their location. When this change takes effect, indicators like open rate, click rate, email engagement rate, and website activity from email will be affected. Fortunately there are ways to update your strategies to adapt to these new changes.
Act Now
It is important to verify that everything you do through online platforms, such as email and social media, are connected to expand your knowledge of your target audience. Since open and click rates are soon becoming less dependable, here are 4 things you can do to link your email marketing to your other sales and marketing channels.
- Check your software programs and ensure they all integrate on each platform. This way you can follow each user as they interact in different ways with your business. An example of this is checking to see if your payment processor sends information to your email system. As purchases are made, this information is automatically tied to your email subscribers. By doing this, all business functions are streamlined and unnecessary duplicate work is eliminated.
- Do not base your marketing strategy solely on pixel data. Other methods such as surveys, feedback calls, and testimonial requests can strengthen customer relationships and increase personalization. This way customer interaction is not solely transactional. Instead, the focus is shifted to building real relationships with customers and tailoring content to fit their needs. By doing so, email marketing is targeted to each specific customer.
- Take advantage of your website’s analytics software through UTM parameters. Adding UTM Parameters to URL’s included in emails allow you to better follow and gather data on your customers through email links by tracking where the traffic is coming from and the number of clicks it got. This way you are able to gage the effectiveness of your email content.
- Focus on the bigger picture. One way to do this is by analyzing subscribe and unsubscribe trends in relation to online activities to estimate the connection between the emails and sales numbers. The more we understand why a person unsubscribes, the better we can reduce the number and improve email performance. By doing so, you are also able to create a more positive user experience.
Shifting Toward Success
As the release date of the new iOS 15 update approaches, business owners and marketers are reevaluating strategies, analytics, and measurements tied to a successful email marketing campaign. Relying on new techniques may lead to more relevant content resulting in a more personalized user experience which is beneficial to both the business and customer. Now is the time to prepare and make changes to be ready for the update’s release.
