iOS 15 Updates: Impacts on Email Marketing

In September 2021, Apple rolled out new privacy features for iOS 15, the current operating system for all iPhone mobile devices. One of these was Mail Privacy Protection or MPP. This optional feature gives users more control over their email privacy by allowing them to hide their activity from senders.

How does this impact your email marketing efforts?

Companies and email marketers that track email opens may see a dip in performance reports as a direct result of this update. iOS 15 now blocks tracking cookies for Apple users opted into MPP, meaning that email recipients can open marketing emails anonymously. This is achieved by assigning users random IP addresses and concealing their activity. As soon as a user receives an email, MPP triggers a tracking pixel that reports that email as opened even if the user has not engaged with it. 

This action can impact your ability to measure the success of your campaigns. Your engagement data, which will now include false opens, may report inaccurate open rates that are higher than the actual percentage of contacts opening your email. This can also impact email automation tools as triggers may not initiate for MPP users.

In 2021, about 46.9% of cell phone users in the U.S. had iPhones. This means nearly half of your audience might have the option to enable MPP.

Here is how to move forward knowing that some of your email engagement data may be inaccurate.

How to Adjust Your Marketing

Focus on Click-Throughs, Not Opens

Tracking clickthroughs can ensure that you are driving conversions and gathering accurate engagement data. The purpose of your emails is to sell a product, book appointments, or create referrals, and your engagement should reflect that. Link clicks, web page visits, and purchasing/booking activity can serve as better performance indicators than opens.

Add More Channels to Your Marketing

Diversifying your marketing efforts can generate engagement more effectively than using one channel alone. Specifically, SMS and web pushes have become powerful channels for growth. 

SMS messages offer a potential open rate of 98% and a typical response time of 90 seconds, reports Campaign Monitor. SMS marketing launched in 2003 and has experienced rapid growth between 2019 and 2022, due primarily to changes in consumer shopping habits resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Juniper Research, global messaging traffic increased by 10% from 2019 to 2020, reaching 2.7 trillion messages in 2020. Businesses are seeing more opportunities in SMS marketing and increasing their investments in this channel. This is a great time to think about how SMS fits into your marketing strategy.

Create Powerful Content That Drives Action

Creating incredible content that adds value is key to success. High-quality content is still essential, but methods of delivery have evolved. Consumer attention spans are shorter, meaning you have less time for every conversion. Finding creative ways to tell your story will translate to sustained growth. And once you’ve captured your audience’s attention, educate, inform, or entertain them with the intention of setting your brand apart.

Your emails must be compelling enough to encourage both opens and clicks. This requires that you understand what your audience wants to see as well as how and where they want to see it.

The Future of Email Marketing

What does an effective email look like in today’s digital marketing world? 

With the iOS 15 updates, the standards for marketing emails are higher. Companies need to look beyond open rates to click rates and site visits as metrics for success. To achieve optimal rates, marketers will need to become more effective at engaging their audiences in order to capture new interest and earn loyalty. Companies that do not adapt will have difficulty growing their customer base and may risk losing customers.

Machine learning, or automated data analysis by computer algorithms, will be a valuable asset for businesses of all sizes and industries. It will allow you to leverage data to personalize the user experience, strategize what information to share with your list, and time your sends for when contacts want to hear from you. Top-performing companies like Amazon are setting a new standard for customer experiences that emphasizes personalization and convenience. In other words, customers expect their favorite brands to anticipate their needs. 

Finally, Omnichannel marketing is critical in 2022 and beyond. With so many things competing for your consumers’ attention, using multiple channels to reach consumers can give you an advantage over your competitors and allow you to start building relationships from the moment you capture their interest.