Earlier this month Apple kicked off its annual developers conference where it unveiled iOS 15 with lots of new features for post-pandemic life, many of them starting with the letter P.
Let's review.
Mail Privacy Protection: Apple will now hide users' IP addresses and their location, which means email senders won't have a way of knowing when a user opens an email in the Mail app.
The "hide my email" feature will let users input a randomly generated email whenever they sign up for an account on a new website. This will reduce how many companies have access to a user's actual email address.
** Shucks **
Then there's iCloud Private Relay, which basically operates like Apple's own private VPN (virtual private network) and encrypts the traffic leaving a user's device. This makes Apple users untraceable when they browse Safari.
The App Privacy Report lets users see how often the apps they use access things like their photos, location, and microphone, as well as if that data was shared anywhere else.
These updates are said to roll out sometime this fall.
Let's not forget that Apple recently introduced the “Can we track you?” pop-ups on iPhones.
Oh, and Google is killing third-party cookies by 2022.
** Double Shucks **
While email open rates are a standard benchmark, many are starting to look at them as vanity metrics. Pay close attention to your clicks, deliverability, and the actual revenue generated from each email you send out. These are better predictors of how your subscribers are engaging with your content.
Tip #1
Build a segment of your most engaged subscribers that isn't based exclusively on open rates, but rather on how recently they signed up, purchase, on-site behaviour, and engagement (i.e., are they clicking on stuff?).
Tip #2
Diversify! If you've been on the fence about dipping your toes in the SMS pond, dip 'em! SMS relies on clicks and replies for signals of engagement. SMS doesn't have a pixel, so you're not measuring open rates here anyway. Start dialing in your SMS game now.
Tip #3
Focus on your deliverability now. How's your lead quality, list hygiene, and sender reputation? Clean, clean, clean.
Now's the time to get ahead of the game so you're prepared and able to continue delivering the experience your customers have come to expect.
