Increased email security options spark new challenges for marketers
Situation:
If you are a marketer who relies heavily on email channels and haven’t yet heard about the new Apple update, then this post is for you! This summer, Apple announced key email privacy protections for iOS 15 updates affecting mail applications across mobile and desktop devices. The update prompts users with an option to increase data protection when they first open the mail app after installing the update.
What does this mean? If users opt into the increased security measures, the new update will “stop senders from using invisible pixels to collect information about the user.” This will also “prevent senders from knowing when they open an email and mask IP address.” What this means for email marketers is that those who send content to Apple mail users will actually lose the ability to track when emails are opened. Marketers will also lose the ability to track the location and type of device of the email recipient.
Insight:
While this privacy protection feature only currently applies to users of Apple’s mail app on iPhone, iPad, and iMac devices, it’s fair to assume that similar changes may be instituted by other email platforms going forward.
While this update certainly makes it more difficult to track campaign effectiveness, it’s not impossible. If you are an email marketer who relies heavily on IP or open-rate tracking, it might just be a matter of re-thinking your strategy.
Solution:
Don’t fear! At Plan B, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of technological changes impacting marketers. Our digital marketing team is already working to develop new ways to measure the effectiveness of the email marketing materials we design and deploy for our clients.
For example, some potential solutions for bypassing this update include leaning further into alternative metrics, such as Click and Conversion Rates, Inbox Placement, Click Throughs, Spam Complaints, ROI, and Sender Reputation.
When technology throws up a roadblock, it’s always smart to have a Plan B.
Have more questions about what this means for your marketing team? Looking for further solutions? Click here to get in touch
