By now, you may have heard of the new Apple updates to privacy protection in iOS 15, iPadOS15, macOS Monterrey and watchOS 8. According to Apple, “these features represent the latest innovations in Apple’s legacy of privacy leadership, as the company has continually expanded its commitment to privacy.”

 

When thinking about privacy and digital devices, email is one of the tools that will be impacted by these changes in privacy protection.

 

Users of Apple’s Mail App have the option of hiding when they open marketing emails. As explained by Apple, “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.”

 

What does this mean for email marketing?
If and when Apple Mail App users choose to “hide,” email marketers do not have the ability to see if recipients have opened their emails. This new feature will slightly affect marketers’ abilities to accurately measure email analytics.

In the past, every email sent through email marketing services such as MailChimp consisted of an invisible pixel sent with each email, and the pixel got downloaded automatically whenever a recipient opened the email. This allowed marketers to see email data such as if an email was opened, who opened/downloaded the pixel/email and when.

Now, with the new protection feature, the pixel is pre-downloaded before a recipient ever opens the email, so email marketers cannot quantify how many recipients opened an email. However, engagement and click rates within an email will still be accessible.

 

What’s next?
While the new Apple privacy features may alter the way we look at email analytics, and even the use of email for marketing purposes, it does not mean that we can’t rely on email marketing to reach audiences.

Consider the following:

• Outside of open rates, there are different metrics that can be used to determine the success of an email campaign.
• Email campaigns are much more than just open rates, they require strategic planning and support.
• Email continues to be one of the most popular means of communication with current and prospective clients.
• By following best practices of email development, having a clear strategy and focusing on a clear message, you will still be able to develop great email marketing campaigns that will reach your audiences.

 

The ever-changing world of technology sure does keep us all on our toes. When it comes to email marketing and other communications needs, our pack is ready to help. We ensure to pair the right tools with the right strategy to help your organization succeed.

 

Contact us to get started.

 

Sources:

Apple

Mailchimp

Constant Contact