The Dreaded Promotions Folder: What Marketers Need to Know
The recent introduction of the Promotions folder in Apple Mail with iOS 18 has once again sparked discussions among email marketers about how this change will impact email marketing strategies. With Apple Mail as the leader in both US and global email client market share, any changes to how this platform presents or sorts email is relevant to the entire industry.
But this isn’t the first time we have faced this challenge. As far back as 2013, the Gmail promotions tab organized email into categories that included Promotions, assisting users by separating personal and commercial content in a way that would be better for email consumption. While the new Apple Mail changes may seem daunting, there is no need for panic.
Here's what you need to know about the Apple Mail Promotions folder and how it impacts your email marketing strategy.
Apple Mail's new Promotions folder in iOS 18 has sparked concerns among email marketers, similar to Gmail’s Promotions tab in 2013. Given Apple Mail's dominance, this change could impact email visibility.
What Is the Promotions Folder
The new Promotions folder in Apple Mail is similar to Gmail's feature, automatically categorizing marketing emails into a separate tab. This new feature aims to enhance user experience by organizing emails into distinct categories: Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions, or commercial email.
Despite the concerns of most marketers, the Promotions folder is not a black hole for marketing emails.It is not the spam folder, rather it is a segment of the inbox. This feature is designed to allow users to check this tab when they're ready to engage with deals and offers, potentially leading to high-intent interactions.
Impact on Email Metrics
When the Gmail Promotion folder first released, marketers became very concerned with how this feature would affect Open Rates. Initially, this metric was affected, validating the concerns of many and leading to a rise in interest in developing tactics to avoid landing in that tab. More than a decade later, however, we have better information and more evolved systems to deal with this concern.
First, it should be noted that, with Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) already in place, open rates have become less reliable as a metric. Most savvy email marketers look at the open rate only as trend data, it doesn’t hold the same value it did ten years ago. In that case, the introduction of the Promotions folder is unlikely to significantly affect open rates beyond the impact of MPP.
Next, remember that not all users will utilize this feature. The implementation of the Promotions folder for Apple Mail is optional, and users who don’t want this feature will opt out. For those that do, we can look to the history in Gmail for some idea of how this changes behaviors.
In terms of long-term use of the Gmail Promotions tab, the effects were less significant than initially thought. While about 20% of Gmail users never check their Promotions tab, for those that do, the overall result is one of improved conversion rates, with a higher revenue-per-open rate for Gmail vs. other major email services. (This may be one of the reasons Apple Mail decided to implement a similar feature.)
It’s also important to note that Opens are no longer the vital metric marketers care about. Engagement metrics, like Click Through Rates (CTR) and conversion rates are less affected by the use of a Promotions folder. It may be that subscribers are often in a purchasing mindset, leading to more meaningful engagement when in the Promotions tab.
What About B2B or Non-transactional Email?
If you’re a B2B brand, or you have emails that are non-transactional (e.g. newsletters, brand-related messaging, higher funnel communications), should you be concerned about the Promotions folder? The answer is Yes, but not for the reasons you might expect.
Visibility
Commercial email in the Promotions folder may have some reduced visibility for professional audiences, who use their inbox for personal communications. However, like the DTC brands who land in Promotions, the subscriber who looks to the Promotions folder for email is one who is seeking information and engagement, so they are a more motivated or intent-driven audience.
Unsubscribe Rates
One of the biggest concerns for email marketers is sending frequency, and “bothering” the subscriber with emails that will encourage unsubscribes. Catch them at the wrong time or a busy day, and no matter how relevant your product or message, they might just hit unsubscribe so that they feel less overwhelmed. Use of the promotions tab has shown to lower unsubscribe rates, possibly due to the reduction of inbox fatigue.
Delivery, Not Spam
The Gmail Promotions tab has shown a history of high delivery rates, so we can expect the same from Apple Mail. Since the email is sitting in a location where the subscriber expects to receive commercial messages, this helps to reduce spam identification and reporting.
Strategies for Email Marketers
All this said, most marketers will still want to avoid the Promotions folder if possible. So if you’d like to implement some strategies to help mitigate that issue, here are some we advise:
Educate Subscribers: Inform new subscribers about the Promotions folder at the point of sign-up. Instruct them on how to move your emails to their primary inbox or mark them as important, or at least let them know to check the Promotions folder/tab if they can’t see the information they signed up for.
Encourage Interaction: If your emails are in the Inbox now, the best way to keep them there is with ongoing interaction with your subscriber. Build more opportunities for engagement within your emails, such as polls or surveys, to drive engagement.
Optimize Content: Focus on creating valuable, relevant content that addresses your audience's needs. If you’re not currently segmenting your audience to provide more personalized information, this is the time to start. This approach can help build trust and improve engagement rates overall.
Use Authentication: While this won’t keep you out of the Promotions folder/tab, it will make sure your emails are deliverable by most major providers. Implement email authentication methods like DKIM, SPF, and DMARC to improve deliverability and inbox placement.
Leverage Branding: For larger brands, utilize Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) to display your logo in the recipient's inbox, enhancing brand recognition and trust.
Monitor Performance: Any good marketer is already doing this, but make a note in your reporting about the implementation of the Promotions folder, how many subscribers are using Apple Mail, and segment reporting as it is relevant to watch for results. Keep track of how your emails are categorized and adjust your strategies accordingly.
Long-term Perspective
Remember, it’s not a death sentence for your brand or your email marketing program if your marketing emails land in the Promotions folder. Past experience with Gmail's Promotions tab suggests that this change doesn't necessarily lead to a significant negative impact on most newsletters, and in fact, may improve engagement with the subscribers utilizing this feature. And while you may need to make some adjustments to your email marketing strategy,by focusing on creating engaging, valuable content and implementing best practices, you can continue to reach and engage your audience effectively.
Remember, it may take a few months for user behavior to settle, but in the long run, this change is unlikely to have a lasting negative impact on well-crafted email marketing campaigns.
Do you need help adjusting your email strategy to deal with the recent changes in Apple Mail or other systems? We can help. Let us know about your challenges and goals, and set up a discovery call.
