Apple, why you gotta be so rude?

iOS 15 is coming. As Apple really likes to mess with your ish, we thought we’d break down exactly what the new update means for your email marketing. So read on and don’t panic – here’s how we’re handling it.

What it do? 

Jury’s still out on how iOS 15 is going to affect email marketing. Theories range anywhere from actually benefiting customer loyalty to completely DOA. With opinions varying that much, WTF are you supposed to do? We’ll get to that. First, let’s cover some of the speculations around what iOS 15 is bringing with it.

First of all, the update is all about privacy. Which we love as consumers, but not so much as sellars and marketers. Gathering info on customers is the #1 way to more effectively sell to them (and make that $$). 

Basically, Apple’s Privacy Protection stops you from gathering information from email pixels. So yes, open rates are now moot, as well as IP address and time stamps. It’s also going to screw with any live content in your emails, like those fancy countdown timers that are so nice for hyping up big sales.

But before you stand on the street corner with a sign that reads “The End is Near”, we do have some tips to help you adapt your email marketing strategies and best practices for iOS 15.

How to prepare your email marketing for iOS 15

Shift from Opens

Obviously if you can no longer track opens, it’s time to focus on something else. And honestly, open rates aren’t the most telling number to the success of your email marketing. We understand this may be a big shift for yor, but sometimes, change can be a good thing.

Other metrics you can start monitoring are clicks and delivered rates. Unsubscribes and spam reports are also good to keep track of, as a sign that maybe your emails aren’t hitting the mark. 

But when it comes to really measuring the value of your email marketing, it’s not just about the stats on one specific email. It’s more telling to keep tabs on deeper metrics like lifetime value, click-to-convert and return visitors from email.

Optimize for Engagement

Try different things in your emails and see what your list engages with. Certain types of content, certain product categories, different promotional offers, the list goes on. Anything your audience engages with can be used for further segmentation and targeting. 

This also comes down to making sure your email content is worth engaging with. Bad copy kills. If it’s interesting, relevant and enticing, they’ll click. If it’s boring and basic, you’ll lose them.

Get Your Lists Squeaky Clean

Now is the time to clean up your lists, before the update hits. It’s way better to have a small list of highly-qualified email prospects, than to have a huge list full of crap. For starters, get rid of those spam accounts and undeliverable emails. 

You’ll also want to start picking out unengaged subscribers. I know it sounds weird to kick people out of your database, but if they haven’t engaged with you in a year, they aren’t doing you any good. If you haven’t tried reaching out to them in a while, you could send a wake-the-dead campaign and see if any take the bait. Then say “see you suckers” to the rest.

Update Profiles and Preferences

Ask your customers to update their profiles and email preferences. It’s an excellent and relatively easy way to get more information on them, including their birthday, product interests and how often they want to hear from you. Then you can send the emails they want, when they want them. 

Ask for ‘Haaaalp!’

Feeling overwhelmed or at a loss with this update? First, take a deep breath. Second, reach out to us. We’ve got a knack for increasing email and SMS revenues for our ecommerce clients, and we’re already helping them prepare for iOS 15. We’d love to help you too!