Zoho Marketing Automation Update: Topics, Contacts, and List Management

Zoho Marketing Automation Update: Topics, Contacts, and List Management

At Zoho Marketing Automation, our highest priority is making it easier for you to use our product to accomplish your business goals. With that in mind, we are updating three of our pivotal features: Topic, Contacts, and List Management.
 
These existing features have been tweaked to be more user-friendly and intuitive. They are exclusively designed to give the end-user the power to choose the kind of content they want to receive.
 
Existing users have time till September 30, 2022 to migrate to the new system. We have ensured a seamless migration, not impacting the previous set up. However, you can always reach out to support@zohomarketingautomation.com if you need assistance. 
 
Here are some of the key developments 
 
List and Contact Management
 
  • When adding contacts (called "leads" within the app), you will have to choose a subscription type for each contact: a marketing contact, a non-marketing contact, or an unsubscribed contact.
  • When adding contacts, you can directly import them to the "All leads" database.
  • It is now possible to associate multiple Topics to contacts on the same list. When a user sends an email campaign to a list, only those contacts who are subscribed to the same Topic as the one associated with the email campaign will receive the email. For example, the campaign "Webinar promotion" is assigned to the list "New signups." Now only those contacts associated to the topic "Webinars" from the mailing list "New signups" will receive the email.
 
Topic Management 
 
  • Topics will be maintained at the organization level. This means when someone unsubscribes, the contact is removed from the organization. 
  • However, the "Manage preferences" link will be present in the confirmation page where subscribers will get to choose the Topics they are interested in.
  • Enabling Topics for all their email campaigns is now mandatory. Also, Topics must be assigned to automated emails that are part of journeys.
  • Topics will no longer be associated with a list. Instead, they will be directly associated with contacts.
 
These updates will be made available globally by September 21, 2021. 
 
We will enforce this new topic management setup for all users that sign up after September 21, 2021. 

 
For existing customers
 
  • Existing customers do not have to worry as any manual adjustments will not be required. The migration will be seamless and won't impact any previous setup that they might have had. 
  • An existing organization that doesn't have Topics enabled can enable it at any time until September 30, 2022. When enabled, we will enforce the new Topic Management system by creating a default Topic called "Marketing." Users can manage their organization's products and Topics as desired. 
  • Existing organizations that already use Topics can choose to migrate to the new Topic Management system anytime until September 30, 2022. Once enabled, this change cannot be reverted. We have put in place all the necessary implementations to make sure this transition is frictionless. 
 
A user can choose to opt for the new Topic Management system with just the click of a button. Beyond September 30, 2022, we will automatically enable new Topic Management for all existing users. 


Here is a side by side comparison of the old and the new topic management approach.
Highlights
Topics
Contacts
Marketing Types
Misc


FAQs

When do these updates go live?
You can adopt the new Topic Management approach any time before September 30, 2022. Once you switch, every functionality, from campaign sending to list and contact management, will take effect and you can experience hassle-free email marketing.

I've already set up topics in my Zoho Marketing Automation account. Will switching to the new setup erase all my previous topics? 
No, all your current topics will be seamlessly migrated to the new setup. We will provide any help you need.

I don't have even a single topic created in my account. What happens when I set up topic management? 
We mandate that your organization has at least one topic created. Zoho Marketing Automation adds a topic named Marketing by default when you configure topics for your account.  

What happens to my active journeys after these changes?
The active journeys remain unchanged.
 
 
We highly recommend you go through this page and watch this video to get a detailed breakdown of this update.

**Note: Release Notes Attached as PDF

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