If you work in email marketing, or manage a company newsletter, one key metric you probably pay the most attention to is open rate. This, of course, is an easy indicator of how well your campaigns are performing with subscribers. 

It can help you determine:

• How effective your subject line is
• Which day/time of the week converts more opens
• Where the majority of your users are from 
• What devices they’re using

However, if the new Apple privacy update, iOS 15, has taught us anything, it’s that you should never rely on a single metric to drive your marketing strategy. Instead, you need to keep track of multiple key performance indicators (KPIs) across various channels and campaigns. This ensures they’re all working together to drive sales and build better brand loyalty.

Before we go further into that topic, let’s first discuss what the new iOS 15 change is. Then, we'll dive into how it may impact your future campaigns. 

iOS 15 Update: What You Need to Know

Back in June 2021, Apple announced a series of new privacy features. These were officially rolled out in September of the same year. One of Apple’s major updates included Mail Privacy Protection (MPP). 

What Is Mail Privacy Protection?

Subscribers who use Apple Mail now have the ability to limit third parties from tracking their personal data. This includes IP addresses, devices used, open rates, and other user-related data that marketers onced relied on to measure user behavior and engagement:

"Mail Privacy Protection stops senders from using invisible pixels to collect information about the user. The new feature helps users prevent senders from knowing when they open an email, and masks their IP address so it can’t be linked to other online activity or used to determine their location."

Apple Newsrooms

This isn’t the only privacy feature included in Apple’s iOS 15 update. It just happens to be the one marketers are paying close attention to. There are two reasons for this:

1. It’s free, which means users have the ability to enable this feature at no additional cost.
2. It will create inaccuracies in reporting. According to experts, it’s likely this feature will inflate open rates, regardless of whether or not users actually open your emails.

A Few Misconceptions

Before we discuss how this will impact your business, let’s first clear up a few misconceptions about this new privacy feature:

• This change will impact all your subscribers - no, this change will only affect subscribers using Apple Mail; however, don’t be surprised if we see similar privacy updates from other Tech Giants in the future. 
• This feature will only impact open rates - sadly, no. Don’t forget that open rate data helps inform other key metrics we use in email marketing. This includes A/B line testing, list segmentations, automated email campaigns, etc.
• Personalization will be lost - not quite. If your emails are designed to include users’ names when it arrives in their inboxes, have no fear! This feature will remain unaffected; however, you won’t be able to personalize campaigns based on users’ open rates anymore. 

How Does iOS 15 Impact Your Business?

A lot of you reading this now might wonder: is now the time to panic? The answer is no. 

Though open rates do help tell a story about your subscribers, and the type of content they like, this is just one of many metrics you should be paying attention to. In fact, it may actually surprise you to learn that many marketers consider open rates a type of “vanity metric”—meaning they look good on a report, but they don’t necessarily generate any leads or real conversions.

Think of it this way. If subscribers aren’t buying your products, visiting your website, or contacting you for services, does it really matter that your open rate is above 25%? 

4 Email Metrics That Tell a Better Story?

The truth is there are many metrics that can track stronger user engagement across multiple channels, not just email. This is essential, as your email campaigns should be working with your website and paid ads to convert users into loyal customers.

Here are a few you’ll need to keep an eye on:

CTRs

Rather than focusing on whether someone opened your email, pay attention to whether they clicked on its content. For example, if you like to include links to blog articles or products, you’ll want to track those clicks. 

This way you can get a better idea on the type of content that subscribers are interested in. You'll also know whether or not your calls to action are generating actual clicks, not just opens.

Promos/Purchases

Another way to see if your email campaigns are performing well is to include special promotions or discount codes. If subscribers decide to purchase a product using a code, that right there tells you whether they opened the email, read the content, and went to your site to make a purchase. 

You can also use different promo codes for segmented audiences: new, returning customers, or referrals.

Website Traffic

Checking to see how users are landing on your website is another effective way to track email performance and other campaigns you may be running (e.g., video, social, paid, etc.). When you review your Google Analytics dashboard, monitor all entrances to your website. 

Noticing that not enough users are entering your site from email? It might be time to reevaluate your content strategy and create more engaging campaigns.

Subscribe/Unsubscribe

Keep an eye on your subscribers’ lists to check for fluctuations. This is another simple indicator of whether or not you’re delivering the right content to the right users and the right time: “a spiked unsubscribe rate could indicate that an aspect of your email strategy (such as the content you sent or the frequency of emails) caused you to lose more audience members than usual,” (HubSpot). 

Need Help Navigating iOS 15 Privacy Changes?

At East Shore Marketing, we can help you reevaluate your email marketing efforts so that they align with your marketing strategy and help strengthen your other campaigns. 

We’ll also help you develop new KPIs and set up flows and customer journey maps to track stronger user activity and behaviors. This intricate process has continued to help our clients generate more leads and increase revenue. 

To learn how we can help, contact us today to schedule a consultation! We’ll make sure you’re not only prepared for Apple’s iOS 15 change but that you’re also ready for privacy updates from Google and Microsoft, too. 

Are Your Emails Pulling Their Weight?

Aside from helping you relaunch your email campaigns, we can also show you how to reach more audiences using alternative channels, such as SMS (short message service) Marketing. 

This mobile strategy is fast, effective, and easy to implement with the right marketing team. We’ll help you build a strategy, as well as create and launch campaigns that land right in your users’ hands via text alert! 

If you’d like to learn more about the effectiveness of SMS Marketing, contact us for details!