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Apple’s Latest iOS 18.2 Email Update: What Hotel Marketers Need To Know – Image Credit Unsplash+
Get ready for the latest Apple iOS 18.2 update to shake up strategies for hotel marketing with a redesign that affects how users engage with emails. As a digital marketing agency for hotels, we’ll remind you that iPhones make up over 50% of the share of smartphones in the U.S., so we don’t recommend ignoring this software update.
“Standing out in Apple Mail’s new promotional folders will push marketers to develop more creative, fine-tuned email campaigns or risk losing visibility with a large percentage of their audience.” – Pete DiMaio, Chief Operating Officer
Let’s examine the changes hotel marketers need to know about the Apple iOS 18.2 update and how to remain competitive on any email client.
Apple iOS 18.2 Changes
The good news is that the Apple iOS 18.2 email update will affect only email marketing for hotels—you should not need to change your website or social strategies in response to the new functionality. The bad news is that email is one of the most profitable marketing channels for hotels, and this update could affect your ROI, which averages 36x according to Backlinko’s 2024 stats.
Hotel marketing teams should know about these three major changes the iOS 18.2 update triggers for Apple Mail users:
- Inbox Categorization: Sorts mail into Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions
- Digest View: All non-Primary emails are grouped by sender into threads
- Email Summaries: AI email recaps replace preheader text
Categorizing emails into folders isn’t new—Gmail has been slotting messages into Promotions folders for a decade, but now that Apple is also on board, hoteliers who haven’t accounted for this are past due.
Tips From a Digital Marketing Agency for a Hotel’s Future Email Marketing
There’s a good chance that emails for hotels will lose visibility and engagement from the iOS 18.2 update if hoteliers don’t consider making these strategic changes:
Spend Time on Subject Lines
If you’re relying on the same AI bots to draft your subject lines as everyone else, your message may blend into an inbox full of promos. Marketers will need to prioritize subject lines and spend time crafting interesting, click-worthy titles to help people decide which items in the promotion folder deserve their attention.
Prioritize Messaging and Content
The Apple update now triggers email content summaries which will take the place of preheader text. This means that hotel marketers’ body messaging must be on-point, concise, and easily understood by AI bots so the email is recapped correctly. This doesn’t mean you should ignore preheader text—it’s still an important factor for open rates with Gmail users.
Creating valuable email content has always been a priority, and now that iPhone users can manually re-categorize their favorite senders, messaging is more important than ever. If recipients want easier access to your informative emails and hotel deals, they are more likely to route these to the more visible Primary inbox.
According to the iPhone 18.2 update page, when messages in Transactions, Updates, or Promotions include time-sensitive information, they will also be included in the Primary inbox. Hoteliers should update marketing messages with specific coupon dates or deal timeframes to trigger inbox filters so off-season or Black Friday and holiday campaigns aren’t lost amongst the other promotions.
Optimize for Mobile
The new digest view may not correctly display email campaigns designed for desktops. If you haven’t adopted a responsive design for technical reasons, consider asking a digital marketing agency for help. This improvement will go beyond the Apple update and help all your brand’s subscribers enjoy better interactions with your emails from any device.
Personalize Hotel Email Marketing
Earning a spot in an iPhone’s Primary inbox will require tailoring content to potential hotel guests so your emails are more relevant than competitors’ generic blasts. Digital marketing agencies will remind you to dip into guest behavior analytics to create personalized emails with dynamic, targeted content.
“Use your guest history and subscriber database to specifically target mid-funnel travelers. Email can be critical at this stage, and crafting emails that drive clicks is even more important in light of Apple’s iOS update.”
Personalize email send times by subscriber groups so messages in crowded Promotions folders will be near the top when people are most likely scrolling their inboxes.
An Email Mainstay: Testing
If you work with an experienced digital marketing agency for hotels, they’ve probably already fine-tuned your email campaigns with optimal send times, campaign frequency and subject lines. Unfortunately, the Apple iOS 18.2 update will trigger another round of A/B testing for hotel marketing, at least for those who want to get this right.
Subject lines, messaging, and personalization feed the AI summaries and categorization that may affect engagement rates. Keep a close eye on content performance metrics as you tweak and adjust campaigns to create a successful strategy on Apple’s Mail app and any email platform.
Here at TravelBoom, we take algorithm updates and software revisions in stride. If you aren’t sure how to refine your digital marketing strategy for these changes, contact our agency for help. We offer a full suite of marketing solutions to drive engagement worthy of bookings and revenue.
Pete DiMaio is the Chief Operating Officer at TravelBoom at TravelBoom. Connect with Pete on LinkedIn.
About TravelBoom Marketing
TravelBoom specializes in developing and executing customized data-driven marketing solutions that drive direct bookings and growth for its clients. With over 25 years of experience in digital marketing for travel and hotels, TravelBoom leverages advanced data science and analytics to uncover insights and develop strategies that greatly enhance results for our clients and reduce reliance on third-party channels. TravelBoom is also host of the world’s #1 ranked Hotel Marketing Podcast and its quarterly Traveler Sentiment Study both of which can be found at www.travelboommarketing.com.
