Marketer’s Space - Automating CRM Actions with Journeys - Part 1

Marketer’s Space - Automating CRM Actions with Journeys - Part 1

​
Marketing and sales go hand in hand, yet teams often struggle with inefficiencies in lead management. Leads may go cold due to delayed follow-ups, and valuable prospects might get lost in the shuffle. This is where integrating Zoho CRM with Zoho Marketing Automation (ZMA) comes into play. By utilizing CRM actions in Journeys, businesses can automate lead nurturing, push only engaged leads to sales, and ensure seamless collaboration between the marketing and sales teams. This integration helps marketers target the right prospects at the right time while allowing sales teams to act on high-intent leads without delays.

In this post, we’ll explore how leads that originate in Zoho CRM are nurtured through ZMA before being handed off back to sales.

Syncing Leads from Zoho CRM, Engaging Them, and Automating Sales Follow-Ups

Many businesses capture leads first in Zoho CRM—through website forms, inbound inquiries, or sales outreach. However, not all leads are immediately ready for sales engagement. That’s where marketing steps in, using Zoho Marketing Automation to nurture these leads until they show clear interest. Here’s how you can set up a CRM-integrated Journey to automate this process from start to finish.

Sync Leads from Zoho CRM to Zoho Marketing Automation

To ensure a smooth transition of records between Zoho CRM and ZMA, you first need to sync your CRM leads into Marketing Automation. This allows marketers to send targeted campaigns to the right audience. Ensure all relevant fields (such as Name, Email, Lead Source, and Lead Stage) are mapped properly. Once synced, these leads will now be available in ZMA for segmentation and targeted campaigns.
Setup syncSync Leads from Zoho CRM to Zoho Marketing Automation

Send a Marketing Campaign to Engage CRM Leads

With the leads synced, you can now target them with an email campaign. Let’s say you’re promoting a product demo or a free consultation. You send an email with a call-to-action (CTA) button, inviting leads to learn more.

Create a Journey to Target Interested Leads

Navigate to the Journeys section in Zoho Marketing Automation and create a new Journey. This Journey will track engagement and ensure that interested leads are identified, categorized, and updated in both ZMA and Zoho CRM.
  • Add the Email Action Trigger . Click on “Specific Email” and choose the email campaign.
  • Then select the email action “Specific link clicked” and choose the CTA that you included in the campaign.
  • Specify the exact URL you want to track (e.g., a demo request page, a pricing page, or a consultation booking link).
Email ActionCreate a Journey to target interested leads

Adding this trigger ensures that your Journey only targets leads who have shown clear intent by clicking on your email’s CTA. This helps you:
  • Identify engaged leads who are actively interested in your offering.
  • Filter out unresponsive leads, allowing marketing and sales teams to focus their efforts on high-potential prospects.
  • Automate lead qualification without manual tracking.
Once a lead clicks on the CTA, they enter the Journey, signaling that they are engaged and should be prioritized for further marketing and sales efforts.

Update the Lead Stage in Zoho Marketing Automation

Now that the lead has clicked on the CTA and entered the Journey, the next step is to update their lead stage to reflect this new level of engagement.
  • Add the Update Lead Stage action component right after the Email Action Trigger.
  • Configure it to move these contacts to the “Marketing Engaged” stage in ZMA.
Update lead stageUpdate the Lead Stage in Zoho Marketing Automation

By moving them to the Marketing Engaged stage, you’re ensuring that these leads are recognized as actively interested, making it easier to track their Journey through your funnel.

Push the Updated Lead Data to Zoho CRM

At this stage, the lead stage has been updated in Zoho Marketing Automation, but we also need to reflect these changes in Zoho CRM. Since both platforms need to have the latest details, we now push the updated lead information back to Zoho CRM.
  • Add the Push Data to CRM action component after the Update Lead Stage action.
  • Configure it to push the lead’s latest details into the Leads module in Zoho CRM.
  • Ensure that all relevant fields are mapped correctly.
CRM push dataPush the Updated Lead Data to Zoho CRM

Keeping Zoho CRM up to date is critical for sales teams, as it ensures they are always working with the latest information.
At this point, your Journey has:
  • Tracked engaged leads through the Email Action Trigger.
  • Updated the lead stage in ZMA to “Marketing Engaged.”
  • Pushed the updated lead data back to Zoho CRM.
With these foundational steps in place, you are now ready to take the next action—automating deal creation and assigning follow-up tasks to the sales team.

Create a Deal for the Interested Lead

At this stage, the lead has shown interest, so we should automatically create a deal in Zoho CRM.
  • Add the Create Deal CRM Action Component and configure the deal name, due date, stage, amount, and deal assignment.
  • You can also map fields at this stage.
CRM Create dealCreate a deal for the interested lead

Create a Task for Follow-Up

The final step is to ensure a salesperson takes action on the newly created deal.
  • Add the Create Task CRM Action Component.
  • Configure the CRM module, subject and description, due date, priority, status, and assign the task to the deal owner in CRM.
CRM Create taskCreate a task for follow-up

After this, you can connect the components to ensure a seamless flow.


This setup ensures that leads are not just nurtured, but also seamlessly handed off to sales when they show interest. The sales team receives up-to-date CRM records, active deals, and clear follow-up tasks, increasing their chances of closing the deal faster.

Why This Matters for Businesses

By using Zoho CRM and ZMA together, marketing and sales teams need not waste time on cold outreach, and can focus on high-intent leads.
For businesses, this means:
  • Higher revenue by focusing only on engaged leads.
  • Stronger collaboration between marketing and sales.
  • Better customer experience with timely follow-ups.
This is just one of the many ways you can use Zoho CRM actions in ZMA Journeys to refine your lead management process and ensure that only high-intent prospects reach your sales team. In the next post, we’ll explore another powerful use case—how to handle leads that originate in ZMA and transition them seamlessly into Zoho CRM for sales follow-up. Stay tuned for part two, and until then, happy marketing!

Regards,
Pearlin Nitika
User education | Zoho Marketing Automation

      • Recent Topics

      • Date & Time Field | Minimum 24 hour notice.

        I'm trying to use Zoho Forms to build a booking request form. I have the date and time field selected as the field users can select their booking time for. My issue is I need a minimum of 24 hour notice for each appointment. I have it sent to only future

      • Restricting Printing

        Hi Is it possible to stop users printing documents?

      • Delete a department or category

        How do I delete a Department? Also, how do I delete a Category? This is pretty basic stuff here and it's impossible to find.

      • Ticket layout based on field or contact

        Hi! I want to support the following use-case: we are delivering custom IT solutions to different accounts we have, thus our ticket layouts, fields and languages (priority, status field values should be Hungarian) will be different. How should I setup

      • Presenting the brand new Zoho Bookings!

        Hello everyone, Greetings from Zoho Bookings! We're happy to announce a new version of our product with enhanced features to simplify scheduling, coupled with a sleek interface and improved privacy across teams. Here's what you can expect from the latest

      • Zoho RPA is now available in your Zoho One bundle!

        Hello All! Of late, it's been quite a stint of new app integrations in Zoho One. This announcement pertains to the addition of another Zoho application, the most sought-after Zoho RPA - Robotic Process Automation, to the bundle. What is Zoho RPA? Zoho

      • Looking for basic script structure course

        Hi, I am not a programmer, but try to learn on my own. I get a lot of good advises in this forum, and thanks, but I tend to ask the same questions since I do not remember comparable answers I already received. Is there a basic course of "scripting structure"

      • Check out in Meetings

        Why there is no check out in Meetings of Zoho CRM, very difficult to track

      • How to let only account-bound products visible to users

        Hello friends, I'm trying to leave only the Products linked to the accounts visible to Zoho Portal users. If the user clicks "All Products," they can open tickets incorrectly for products that do not belong to the account that are registered. Is it possible

      • Canvas Detail View Related List Sorting

        Hello, I am having an issue finding a way to sort a related list within a canvas detail view. I have sorted the related list on the page layout associated with the canvas view, but that does not transfer to the canvas view. What am I missing?

      • Add Lookup Field in Tasks Module

        Hello, I have a need to add a Lookup field in addition to the ones that are already there in the Tasks module. I've seen this thread and so understand that the reason lookup fields may not be part of it is that there are already links to the tables (https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/custom-fields-on-task-module).

      • RTL Support on iPad

        hi I have this issue that when I create notes on my android app [in hebrew] all the text is aligned correctly to the right because I’m typing in Hebrew. But then when I open it up on my iPad, everything is suddenly aligned to the left and there is no

      • Sites Speed and Performance Grades

        I noticed that there are no recent inquiries or complaints about load speed or performance issues with Zoho Sites websites. However, I wanted to understand what Zoho has done to ensure that speed remains optimized, images are compressed and lazy loaded,

      • Possible to reorder Pipelines position?

        I have multiple Pipelines and want to reorder their positions, so that in the Deals module record for the Pipeline field, I have them ordered in a certain way. Is there a way to reorder the position of the Pipelines without deleting existing Pipelines

      • Set up multiple IMAP email addresses

        Hi, I just started using CRM and its great, but I just found out I can only add one imap email address for incoming mail in the included salesinbox ...this is ridiculous. All companies have different email such as sales@domain, info@domain , personal@domain

      • Zoho CRM Outlook integration: no option showing up even after installation

        I followed the instructions on this page to install the add-in: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/crm/integrations/microsoft/ms-outlook-add-in-for-zoho-crm/articles/outlook-add-in-for-zoho-crm#Understanding_the_add-in But I don't see the options in Outlook

      • No sync

        I have amended a note on my PC, startet syncing but on the smart phne sync starts und runs for minutes. The note amendment ist not shown, but when I go to version the new version is shown but not possibility to accepte the new version

      • Validating an order by a superior

        Hi, I have a very specific use case for Backstage. Let me know if this is possible or how I could get around this (or if there are no workaround). One of my client uses Backstage to manage internal (on site) events. Participants from different departments

      • Zoho Books - Feature Request - Provide "Show PDF View" toggle on Invoice records

        I have noticed it is possible to activate or deactivate the PDF preview on some records but not all. This would be very helpful on Invoices when a custom template is being used and the PDF preview does not represent the output file. Not available on:

      • Dark mode

        Because the whole world talks about it and iOS also will get this option. Please make a real dark mode happen. It is very cool to switch the navigational color, but the content always stays in light colors.

      • Backstage Roadmap to Most Requested Features

        Please provide insight as to ETA for the following: 1. Backstage integration with Zoho Showtime, seems like a no-brainer.       1.a. Why does OnAir look eerily like Showtime integration we must 'pay extra for'? 2. Backstage Integration with Zoho Subscriptions

      • Spotlight series #7: Path animation

        Animating objects on your slide helps make your presentations lively and interesting. Animations add movement to an otherwise static deck, which helps grab your audience's attention. While you can animate your objects' entry and exit, or use animation

      • Assign existing general timelog to a task

        Hello, is there a way to assign a General timesheet log to a task? I.e. I have the following General log: General | Log name | 01:30 I'd like to assign it to a task: Task name | Log name | 01:30 Thank you

      • "Error while processing" when I try to send an e-mail

        Several times today when I have tried to send an e-mail it tells me that there is an "error while processing." What's that about?

      • E-Mail auto-complete for deleted contacts

        I am having contacts pop-up in auto-complete when I start to type a letter in the TO address line. These e-mail address have been deleted from my contacts. I also have deleted all e-mails from/to these e-mail address but still there address is showing

      • Zoho Payroll: Product Updates for India - May 2025

        This May, we are glad to unveil new capabilities in Zoho Payroll that simplify your payroll activities. Here's the list: Let Employees Choose Their Tax Deduction Method for One-Time Payments Calculate variable earnings based on percentage of CTC Carry

      • How to validate Rich Text in Zoho Creator! Urgent!

        Hi members, Recently I just started to use Rich Text field. Now I have a requirement where I need to validate to ensure this Rich Text field must contain a value. Meaning must contain something. I use the below script if(input.Rich_Text == null) { alert

      • Public send to group address?

        Am I doing something completely wrong or is it not possible for the public to send to a group email address? For example support@domain.com? I'm able to send from support@domain, but am not receiving emails to that address? Thanks for any help!

      • [Webinar] Zoho Writer for the manufacturing industry

        Creating, sharing, and distributing complex documents are constant challenges in the manufacturing services industry. That's why our next webinar is focused on how to simplify these document workflows. Join us on May 8, 2025, for a Zoho Writer webinar

      • Page HTML to PDF

        Hello everyone, I have a pdf template, but because zoho has limitations in the builder. I made the template in aPages. The question is, how to export the pages as PDF? Thank you very much.

      • What to Add in the Redirect URIs for Zoho Books Integration with Make.com

        I'm currently setting up an integration between Zoho Books and Make to automate my accounting processes. However, I'm stuck on the Authorized Redirect URIs part and could use some help. As part of the OAuth authentication process, I need to configure

      • Allowing workflows to execute as an admin

        Workflows currently seem to execute with the permissions of the logged in user. This is a problem for most of the forms we have where we have hidden fields that perform business logic. If we restrict the permissions of these fields so users can't view

      • This user is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details

        Hello, Just signed up to ZOHO on a friend's recommendation. Got the TXT part (verified my domain), but whenever I try to add ANY user, I get the error: This user is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details I have emailed as well and writing here as well because when I searched, I saw many people faced the same issue and instead of email, they got a faster response here. My domain is: raisingreaderspk . com Hope this can be resolved.  Thank you

      • This domain is not allowed to add. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details

        I am trying to setup the free version of Zoho Mail. When I tried to add my domain, theselfreunion.com I got the error message that is the subject of this Topic. I've read your other community forum topics, and this is NOT a free domain. So what is the

      • Announcing Trident desktop app for Zoho Mail & Zoho Workplace users

        Hello Community, I hope you are doing well and staying safe. As you know, our Mail & workplace teams have been constantly working on adding more value to our offerings to ensure you and your organization continue enjoying your Zoho experience. As part

      • Email policy not working?

        Hi, I created an email policy called "default", under which I created a "default" entry for the access items (the third icon with the key). I've set everything to "ON" (POP, IMAP, ActiveSync, etc.). But then when I create a new user and check it in Mail Admin -> Mail Accounts, it's really under my "default" policy, BUT ActiveSync and IMAP are still disabled by default like they were before. My only goal with creating a custom email policy is to have these enabled automatically because it's annoying

      • In line code commenting in Deluge

        A request to enhance readability: currently you can add 'in line' comments for Deluge code, but after you save and reopen, the comments are moved down to the new line. i.e. info "test response"; //this is a info statement for a test response gets changed

      • Announcing new features in Trident for Windows (v.1.25.8.0)

        Hello Community, Trident for Windows is here with exciting new features to elevate your email communication and enhance productivity. Let’s dive into what’s new! Accessing delegated mailboxes. Mailboxes delegated from the Zoho Mail web app can now be

      • Images in Zoho chat

        When I add an image to my chat, it just doesn't work, for the other participants it shows a blank image, like it's missing.

      • Add Desk Account comments using Flow

        The triggers and actions for Zoho Desk available in Flow are quite extensive, but I don't see anything related to Account-level Comments. There are actions to add comments to Tickets, Contacts, Tasks, and Topics, but nothing for Accounts. Am I missing

      • Next Page