Important Zoho Campaign Update - A simplified CRM-Campaigns sync
I'm sure you are all tired of hearing about Zoho Campaigns, but there are just too many updates that I have to tell you about!
Zoho has spent this year improving the usability of their Campaigns platform. I've used Campaigns for years, but I will be the first to admit, it had its limitations. These updates address many of those. If you’re a current Zoho Campaigns user and log in today, you will see the following message:
The introduction of Topics Management enables you to associate one or more topics with each contact rather than a list, and you're no longer required to associate a contact to a list. When your contacts have more control (and a better understanding) over the topics they're subscribed to, and with better contact organization, you can expect; lower unsubscribe and improved open and click rates from sending more targeted emails, building longer-lasting relationships through more personalized emails, and improve deliverability.
Segments are not new to Zoho Campaigns, but they have been managed at the list level until now. With this update, you will be able to access all segments at the organization level. Segments and lists will be used for internal contact management, and Topics will help your contacts manage their preferences.
Another significant limitation and frustration for Zoho Campaigns users was the integration between the CRM and Campaigns. Any ABM (Account-Based Marketing) strategy has to be personalized. Personalization data (first name, company name, etc.) often come from the CRM, so a tightly integrated CRM and email marketing platform is vital for success.
How the integration currently works:
Currently, there are two syncs to import CRM data; immediate sync and periodic sync. Some limitations here include:
The accounts and deals modules can only be synced periodically (not available for immediate sync).
Any fields updates in the CRM are not automatically reflected in Campaigns and will only show after the period sync is complete.
There is a present monthly limit to the total number of syncs for both your organization and each module.
If a contact is removed from the CRM list, they are not removed from the mailing list in Campaigns through the current structure.
What are the changes with this update?
With this update, you will only configure one sync for leads, contacts, and custom modules - all of these will be instantaneous syncs. Account and deal modules will be included in the configuration for the Contacts module.
Something very notable here is that every record associated with that module will instantly sync; meaning, you must sync ALL of your leads and contacts from the CRM to Campaigns. I know of several companies that only sync a small portion of their CRM contact database with Campaigns. If this sounds like you, you will have the option to mark them as "marketing" and "non-marketing," so you're only paying for your marketing contacts.
This update goes hand-in-hand with the Topics update. With this update, when adding contacts to your system, you will directly import them to the "All Contacts" database and with the option to set up the mailing list association(s) later. You'll also have the opportunity to choose the subscriber type for your contacts which include:
A marketing contact: Contact can and will receive communications
A non-marketing contact: Contacts will not receive communications and will not go against your contact count
An unsubscribed contact: Contact will not receive emails, be added to the do-not-mail list, and not go against your subscriber count.
You can map the unsubscribed contacts from Zoho Campaigns to either a custom CRM field or the default "email opt out" field in Zoho CRM, using a seperate field will help to maintain a separate consent record for sales/marketing emails (currently, if the email opt out box is checked, they can’t receive emails in the CRM and the box cannot be unchecked). The option to remove those contacts in Zoho Campaigns who have opted out of communication in Zoho CRM will be available.
Previously the sync between Zoho CRM and Zoho Campaigns was at the user level, posing many problems. Suppose the user who set up the sync is deactivated (before changing the settings to another active user). In that case, that sync is no longer active, resulting in the loss of campaigns resulting in CRM and CRM contacts in Campaigns. The integration settings will be at the organization level with the update, which is positive.
The primary objective here is to integrate Zoho CRM and Zoho Campaigns seamlessly and remove data silos.
Update timeline:
This new option will be available for new and existing users on December 1, 2021. All existing active syncs will be migrated and remain active until September 30, 2022. After this, the existing integration will be stopped, and you will need to move to our new Zoho CRM integration model. Check out some handy FAQs from Zoho.
What to do next?
There is a lot to consider; Topics, Segments, Workflow Enhancements, and now a new CRM-Campaigns integration. All of this will be mandatory after September 30, 2022. Sure, that sounds like a long time, but I do not recommend waiting to make these changes. The sooner you adopt all of these new updates, the sooner you can start benefiting from them. Changing processes is never easy, but sometimes a refresh is needed, and these refreshments are much needed.
I have a strategy for implementing these changes efficiently and effectively; I have worked with Zoho Product experts to ensure the best method. I believe all of this combined is a highly complex process, and you shouldn't tackle this alone. Fill out the form below to contact us today, or CLICK HERE to schedule a meeting.