Automate Subscription Management for CRM Contacts Using Workflows in Zoho Campaigns

Automate Subscription Management for CRM Contacts Using Workflows in Zoho Campaigns

Hello, marketers! Welcome back to Marketer’s Space. In this week’s post, we’ll look at how to simplify subscription management using Workflows for contacts synced from Zoho CRM in Zoho Campaigns. There are multiple ways to assign topics to your contacts:
  • Default assignment at sync: When syncing contacts from CRM, you can either keep them unsubscribed (no topics) or subscribe them to all available topics. This gives you a clean starting point, especially if you plan to collect preferences later.
  • Letting contacts choose: You can send an email campaign with a preference center link, allowing contacts to choose the topics they’re interested in. Their selections are automatically reflected in their topic subscriptions.
  • Manual updates via CRM: If your sales team collects customer interests during conversations, they can record them in custom CRM fields such as a field called “Interests.” These fields can hold one or more interest values like sale, product launch, or newsletters. Once these contacts are synced into Zoho Campaigns, you can build a Workflow that reads this data and automatically subscribes each contact to the relevant topics.
In this post, we’ll look at how to use custom CRM fields and Workflows in Zoho Campaigns to automate topic assignment based on customer interests.

Why automate subscription management?   

When both your sales team and your customers update subscription preferences, manual handling can get messy. Automating this process ensures that:
  • Your contact lists stay up-to-date
  • You remain compliant with email regulations
  • You send only relevant emails to the right audience

Sync CRM contacts with a targeted list   

To begin, sync your Zoho CRM contacts to a specific mailing list in Zoho Campaigns. This list will serve as the foundation for your targeting and automation.
Here’s how you can set it up:
  • Go to Settings > Apps > Zoho CRM and connect your account.
  • Then navigate to Contacts > Sync Services > New Sync.
Choose the CRM module you’d like to sync (e.g., Leads, Contacts or custom modules ) and map it to a mailing list in Zoho Campaigns.

Once the sync is set up, you can trigger Workflows using:
  • List Entry – Triggers when a contact is added to the synced list.
  • Field Update – Triggers based on changes to mapped CRM field values.

This setup ensures your Workflows respond dynamically to CRM data and list activity.

Capture interests directly in Zoho CRM   

Your sales team can log customer interests in a custom CRM field (e.g., Interests). This might include values like:
  • Sale
  • New Product Launch
  • Exclusive Content
These values become the key to targeting contacts with relevant content.

Create topics in Zoho Campaigns   

To align campaigns with user interests, create relevant topics inside Zoho Campaigns.
You’ll find this under Contacts > Manage Topics. 



Consider topics like:
  • Newsletters
  • Member-only updates
  • Sale announcements
  • Product launches

Organizing your campaigns under topics helps contacts manage preferences and improves engagement.

Build your automated subscription Workflow      

Trigger the Workflow   

Use the “List Entry” trigger with your CRM-synced list.
Alternately, use the “Field Update” trigger to filter based on interest fields or subscription status.  

Split based on Interests   

Add the Process Condition component and select the Multi-way option.
  • Branch 1: Interest is “Sale”
  • Branch 2: Interest is “New Product Launch”
  • Branch 3: Interest is empty → default to unsubscribe  

Assign subscriptions automatically   

For each branch, add the “Subscription Management” action component:
  • Branch 1 → Subscribe to Sale Announcements
  • Branch 2 → Subscribe to Product Launches
  • Branch 3 → Unsubscribe from all topics to avoid sending irrelevant emails
This ensures each contact only receives what they opted in for or nothing irrelevant.

Assigning Multiple Topics Using Comma-Separated Values   

If your CRM contacts are interested in more than one topic, you can record multiple interests in a single CRM field using comma-separated values. For example: sale, launch, newsletters
When you use the “contains” modifier, you can match this field against several keywords at once and assign multiple topics in a single branch.

Trigger the workflow 

Use the Field Update trigger and select the CRM field where interests are stored (e.g., Interests). This workflow will activate whenever the field is updated in CRM.

Add the Process Condition  

  • Insert a Multi-way process component and set the condition to: Interests contains sale launch newsletters 
  • Make sure the keywords are separated by spaces so that each word can be evaluated individually. If the contact’s field contains any of the specified values (sale, launch, newsletters), the workflow will take this path.

Assign multiple topic subscriptions 

To that branch, add the Subscription Management action component and add all relevant topics. This ensures:
  • A single contact can be subscribed to multiple relevant topics
  • No interest is missed out during automation

Advanced Use Case: 

Use an additional CRM field like Customer Type (e.g., Member, Non-member). Create a separate Workflow that:
  • Filters contacts with “Member” status
  • Subscribes them to exclusive member-only topics
This lets you send gated content without mixing up audiences.  

Use Segments as an alternative trigger   

Instead of using a list-based trigger, you can create a Segment using criteria like CRM fields or engagement behavior. Then:
  • Trigger a Workflow when a contact is added to a segment using the “Enter a Segment” trigger component
  • Automate topic subscriptions or unsubscribes from there
This is ideal when you prefer dynamic criteria over static list membership.

With Workflows in Zoho Campaigns, subscription management becomes hands-free, precise, and personalized. Whether you’re handling thousands of CRM contacts or running niche campaigns for select groups, this setup keeps your audience segmentation sharp and relevant.

See you soon with more ways to supercharge the Zoho CRM + Campaigns integration. Until then, happy marketing!

Regards,
Pearlin Nitika
User Education | Zoho Campaigns

    Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


      • Recent Topics

      • Detail View in Mobile without Labels

        Zoho creator 6. I have been trying to acheieve this but not able to. I have a quick view of my articles using custom layout for mobile. When i tap on an article it opens in detail view on my mobile which has two cols. Left displays label and right the

      • Updating task using excel file

        Hi, Is there a way to update existing tasks using excel file import?  Thanks

      • Cross module filtering is now supported in CRM

        Editions: All DCs: All Release plan: This enhancement is being released in phases. It is now available in AU, JP, and CN DCs. Help resource: Advanced filters The Cross-module filtering enhancement is now available to all CRM accounts in the following

      • Before Going To The Qc stage , site ready ness file upload mandtoty how to achive this in the blue print transition

        Before Going To The Qc stage , site ready ness file upload mandtoty how to achive this in the blue print transition On click of the Predelivery transition can we show site ready ness file upload mandtoty or on click of the QC show the alert message site

      • Note cards are duplicating

        Hi, I've been using this app for some time and love it. Recently I've noticed that upon closing a note card, it creates a duplicate. If I exit the notebook it's in and go back, everything is back to normal. Not a major issue but still a little annoying.

      • Where is the (Bulk) Notes Export function from Notebook ???????

        I have seen various threads over the last two years on this and basically no action from ZOHO at all ! BTW having to go to an individual note and export to PDF (which now doesn't even work ) or some sort of zoho format is by no means the answer ! I still can't see any sort of bulk (or even individual) export function across notes. This is really poor for a notes product that is nearly 4 years old from a "major vendor".  I now have a large number of notes (some with images) that I want to export and

      • Again about the backlighting of the search query when searching in a client for Linux

        Some time passed, I installed a client for Linux version 3.4.0, but I still did not receive the promised search with the backlighting of the search query how it was implemented in the client for android. In the previous topic, you told me that this function

      • Enhancements to finance suite integrations

        Update: Based on your feedback, we’ve updated the capabilities for integration users. In addition to the Estimates module, they can now create, view, and edit records in all the finance modules including Sales Order, Invoices, Purchase Order. We're also

      • Important! ZipRecruiter Sponsored Posting Plan Changes in Zoho Recruit

        Greetings, We’re reaching out to inform you about an important upcoming change to the ZipRecruiter Sponsored job board integration within Zoho Recruit. What’s Changing? Starting June 1, 2025, Zoho Recruit will be updated with ZipRecruiter's latest pricing

      • In the Blue Print Transition requirement received it will show 8 check field in pop up if they any one of this field then only move to next stage Ist quote

        In the Blue Print Transition requirement received it will show 8 check field in pop up if they any one of this field then only move to next stage Ist quote Pls help how i fix this

      • Linking Multi-UOM Barcodes to Products in Zoho Books

        Greetings, I'm using Zoho Books for retail shop and I'm running into a bit of a challenge with products that have multiple Units of Measurement (UOMs) and corresponding barcodes. For example, I sell cigarettes both as individual packets and in cartons

      • Convert Item to composite item

        When using Zoho CRM integrated with Zoho Inventory/Books, the item creation process is a little messy. After a few years of trial and error, we have settled on creating items in CRM, which are sync'ed to Zoho Inventory using Zoho's own internal integration.

      • Mapping “Account Name” from CRM to Campaigns

        I’m syncing our Contacts list to Campaigns and want to select “Account Name” as an available field. Account Name does not appear in the drop down menu for CRM field even though Account Name is a field in our standard layout. How can I make it availa

      • Zoho Campaigns to Zoho Analytics Sync Fails – Field Mapping Shows But Not Applied

        I’m facing a persistent issue with the Zoho Campaigns integration to Zoho Analytics in my workspace. Here’s a detailed description of the problem: Under Edit Setup, I see a field mapping summary that shows: DataField Mapping: Most Recent Login However,

      • Partially receive PO without partial Bill?

        Most of our inventory is pre-paid. Let's say we purchase 30 pieces of 3 different items for a total of 90 pieces. It is common for our supplier to send us the items as they are ready. So we will receive 30 pieces at a time. How can I partially receive

      • Host in US Data Centre

        I humble apply to be registered on US Data centre

      • Multiple images, one record

        I have a form that is used to capture the following info: -Facility Name -Origin -Shipment # -Picture of Damaged Pallet (Image field) I want to be able to capture multiple pictures without having to create a new record, as there might be multiple damaged pallets on the shipment. Obviously, one never knows how many damaged pallets might be on a shipment so I'd prefer not to create 20 image fields and have most of them unused.  I'd prefer that they have an option to add another image only if they need

      • how to dynamically upload multiple images for single record?

        Is the use of dynamic multiple images in a single record supported? I've searched but have not found the answer. If it is supported, how is it done? I saw 1 suggestion to add a sub-form but that doesn't seem to be the answer. I don't want to add a set number of image fields. Each record would have a different number of images. I want the addition of images to be dynamic. thanks

      • Multi-upload field

        Hi I need to include a file upload field that allows the user to select multiple files and upload all at once. I hope I can do this with HTML, I'm new to merging HTML and deluge... Can I trigger a hidden file upload window to appear On User Input of a field in an embedded form? Thanks! Levi

      • is it possible to add multiple attachments to a record?

        Hello, I'm trying to add functionality so that a record can have several associated attachments. I obviously added a File Upload field to my form, but that appears to only allow one total. Is there a way around this? Thanks, - Kevin

      • multiple upload files in zoho form

        Hi,  I need upload multiple files  in a single upload field thkns

      • Keeping Track of Email Threads

        Hi, Z CRM is great for tracking all the activities one would want to track whilst qualifying leads, converting to customers, closing deals etc etc, however.... ....although I can use Z CRM to send an email to a lead/contact and have that recorded as an activity for other team members to see, there is no way of capturing an inbound email from that lead. Assume my lead replies to my email sent from ZCRM, in my case, the response arrives in my ZMail account. However I can't get it back into ZCRM to

      • Zoho Creator invokeUrl to retreive PDF

        I'm trying to retreive a record PDF to send to Print Node. Tried with and without the zoho_creator_connection. pdf_content = invokeurl [ url :"https://creatorapp.zoho.com.au/<org_namespace>/<app_link_name>/record-pdf/<report_link_name>/" + input.ID type

      • Bulk upload image option in Zoho Commerce

        I dont know if I am not looking into it properly but is there no option to bulk upload images along with the products? Like after you upload the products, I will have to upload images one by one again? Can someone help me out here? And what should I enter

      • How to Automate Monthly PDF Reports with Filters in Zoho Creator

        Hi everyone, I’m trying to build an automated monthly reporting process in Zoho Creator and would appreciate suggestions or best practices from anyone who has done something similar. What I’m trying to do: I have a form called New_Customer with fields

      • Zoho App Builder

        I’m looking for a Zoho Creator developer to build a simple app for tracking site expenses for a construction company. Key features: mobile form, dropdowns for projects and expense types, photo attachment for invoices, auto-calculated totals, and Excel

      • Captcha can't be enabled conditionally

        Hi Problem: captcha on a form can't be enabled conditionally. Why is this a problem: Because I use the same form on our website (public) in the portal and mobile app. In the portal it works but in the mobile app it doesn't. So there should be a way to

      • ACH Returns Don’t Trigger Dunning or Reverse Payment in Zoho Subscriptions

        Zoho Billing marked an ACH payment as successful and kept the subscription active — even though the payment was later returned by the bank (NSF). There was no update to the invoice or subscription status, and I had to manually clean it all up. For credit

      • Zoho Sheet - Split cell diagonally fill half color

        is it possible to split a cell diagonally, fill different text in each half and ideally color them differently as well?

      • Calling Token API in Postman returning "error: invalid_client"

        Hello, I've been working on setting up an API to get data from zoho crm into a third-party application. I'm currently testing the setup in Postman, but I'm getting an error from the API to retrieve the access token. It keeps returning "error: invalid_client".

      • How to handle this process need using a Blueprint?

        See one minute screen recording: https://workdrive.zohoexternal.com/external/eb743d2f4cde414c715224fc557aaefeb84f12268f7f3859a7de821bcc4fbe15

      • bulk scheduling youtube shorts and facebook reels

        how do i flag the video as facebook reel rather than normal video, it's vertical, 20 seconds, yet still being posted as video on facebook for youtube, it's being rejected out right both videos are to standard, can be posted normally with normal scheduler

      • Invitation-Based User Access in Zoho Analytics

        Hello everyone, We’re rolling out an important update on how users are added to your Zoho Analytics Organization and Workspaces. Previously, when admins added users, they were automatically added to the organization. Moving forward, to improve security

      • Filtert products by multi select custom field

        Hello, this is seems like a must addition, why it can not be done now?

      • Multiple images

        Hi Is there a way to insert multiple images in one image record or any way that instead of one image, I could upload 5 to 10 images together. Looking forward for a solution. Regards

      • Zoho Projects - Custom Objects

        Hello, is there the ability now, or in the near future, to add custom objects to Zoho Projects? The requirement here would be to have the ability to track change requests to a project's budget. The idea here is to have the ability to create a custom Object

      • Access CRM Variables from Formula field

        Is it possible to use a CRM variable (defined in Developer Space -> CRM Variables) in a formula field for calculations ?

      • Announcing Bigin India Meetups Across 8 Cities: July 29 - Aug 07

        Hello Biginners, We've got some exciting news to share! We're hosting our first round of Customer Meetups for 2025 in India, from 29th July - 9th August. Whether you're a Bigin newbie or a seasoned pro, this is your chance to meet customers from your

      • Why isn't there an Expense description field / column?

        Hello! I'm new to Zoho Books and accounting. I'm surprised there isn't a proper expense description field (and column in the overview "all expenses" page)? I thought this was a given in accounting, as visualizing expenses facilitates tracking them down?

      • New in Zoho PDF Editor: Watermarks, password protection, signature collection, and more.

        Hi Zoho Sign users! We are delighted to introduce the latest enhancements to Zoho PDF Editor, designed based on user feedback and feature requests. This update enables you to reorder, extract, and rotate PDF pages, add watermarks, and collect signatures.

      • Next Page