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

      • Zoho Flows

        Basically I can't build a connection that works between Excel on OneDrive and Zoho. I wanted to have 1 flow checking on a row added to an excel file and then intiate an import of that row. I'm doing that manually now and thought that this could be automated.

      • Zoho time tracking with automated screenshots

        Time tracking option with automated screen shots would be an exeptuonally good feature, any plans to develop something like that?

      • Sharing my portal URL with clients outside the project

        Hi I need help making my project public for anyone to check on my task. I'm a freelance artist and I use trello to keep track on my client's projects however I wanted to do an upgrade. Went on here and so far I'm loving it. However, I'm having an issue sharing my url to those to see progress. They said they needed an account to access my project. How do I fix this? Without them needing an account.

      • Zoho Campaigns Forms not Responsive on Website

        I have a mobile responsive Zoho Sites website and when I add a Zoho Campaigns form, it is not responsive. I have used the website code and ensured that the 'responsive' checkbox is selected. But, the form is not responsive to mobile. I have attached a

      • Oldest mail on top?

        I am old, and probably missing something simple, but how do I flip my zoho mail so oldest mail is on top?  Thanks in advance, and a HUGE thank you to the entire ZOHO team.  You just keep getting better!

      • Desk API to add or change commenterId to a comment

        Please let me know how to add comments on tickets for different agents using the API. When adding a comment it will take commenterId but then ignores that and used the API agentId. Did not see in API docs which values are readonly. I pleased to see commentedTime worked for past times. Regards, Glenn

      • How send a ticket attachment using the Sendreply API in Zoho Desk

        API document references : you make use of the Upload file API and gather the attachment ID. This ID is be passed with the Send email Reply API to deliver responses with the attachment intact. Code template is as below: // ORGID ORGID = "XXXXXXX"; // Masked

      • First Insight - Find your Fields

        The Wheels of Ticketing - Desk Stories Find your Fields What are fields? Fields are crucial in ticketing modules that capture information about Tickets, Customers, Organizations, Products, and more. Depending on the kind of data being stored, users can

      • Automation#30: Auto-Update Time Entry to the Nearest 5 Minutes

        Hello Everyone, Time tracking is a feature in Zoho Desk to help businesses stay organized and efficient. For Zylker Techfix, this feature has helped to track the duration of gadget services to generate accurate bills. However, Zylker Techfix faced a unique

      • Email adding to existing ticket

        hello Is there some syntax i can add e.g. to the subject line / body of my email that when it reaches the Zoho portal will add the request to an existing ticket. e.g {123} Currently if i have an open ticket and a customer emails me direct, i then forward

      • How to define different shift timings for each weekday in Zoho People?

        Hi everyone, We’re using Zoho People for attendance tracking and need to configure a standard 39-hour workweek that is structured like this: Monday to Thursday: 8 hours per day Friday: 7 hours Currently, our service provider has set up the workweek as

      • add two date range

        Hi, How can I add two date range selections to compare two different column values in a single pivot view? I have attached a snap for your reference.

      • Announcing new features in Trident for Windows (v.1.26.5.0)

        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! Open .eml files in Trident. You can now open .eml files directly using Trident. This makes

      • Adjust The max character in Specification Field

        Is there another way to adjust the maximum character limit for the Specifications field in Zoho Commerce? I need to accept responses with fewer than 200 characters.

      • Customize the Sign In And Sign Up in Zoho Commerce

        Is there another way to customize the Sign In and Sign Up in website Zoho Commerce like this i want to customize to edit it like change the "Sign In" word into "Login Zoho Commerce" it is possible or other way to do that?

      • Territories : Deluge and APIs

        I am trying to work out how to filter a deluge query by territory eg "SELECT Total_Amount, Stage, Closing_Date, Created_Time, Deal_Name FROM Deals WHERE Stage in (" + varBaseCriteria + ") AND Territory = 'Territory1'" The problem being that Territory

      • Tidying up messes file system on Site

        I'm been given access to a new site that's been managed by several different people over the years, each with different ways of managing images and files. If I move an image from one folder to another, it shows a missing image icon on the site's page.

      • Move Archive Button in Zoho Mail to Main Toolbar?

        Is there a way to add the Archive Button to this tool bar so I don't have to click the three dots every time?

      • Introducing Bigin 360: Our new pricing edition with increased feature limits and pre-installed toppings

        Dear Biginners Club, Today, we're pleased to launch a brand-new pricing edition called Bigin 360, our highest pricing edition that will sit on top of Express and Premier editions. It's been over four years since our launch, and we're receiving some great

      • URL field display value

        Is it possible to give a URL stored in a project a display value, rather than showing the whole url? I have a lot of projects connected to issues filed on a separate site, each with a distinct URL. For example: https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=40000

      • need payment link excl. TDS Amount.

        Dear Team Zoho, Kindly generate a payment link excluding TDS amount. So that TDS can be submitted through portal. Thanks & Regards, Arijit S.

      • CRM is very slow now

        CRM is very slow now. Plz check ASAP

      • Access error when running invokeurl

        Hi, I'm running the following code: string standalone.test_api() { LoroToken=zoho.crm.getOrgVariable("LoroToken"); info "LoroToken:"+ LoroToken; headersMap = Map(); headersMap.put("Authorization", "Bearer "+LoroToken ); headersMap.put("Content-Type",

      • Disable Column Freeze in PWA View but Keep It on Desktop — Zoho Creator Reports

        Zoho Creator offers a useful feature to freeze up to two columns in a report view, which works well on desktops. However, our users access the app on both laptops and mobile devices, and freezing columns makes reports nearly unusable on smaller screens.

      • How do I add more space to a note in ‘draw’?

        I’m taking handwritten notes using the draw note, but I don’t seem to be able to scroll down to get more room on the page. How do I make more room to take notes?

      • Overtime per week vs. per day

        In the United States 90% of the states calculate overtime as working more than 40 hours per week. It appears that Zoho People can only calculate overtime per day.  How do we fix this? Here is an example: Mon      8 hours Tues      7 hours Wed      9 hours Thur      8 hours Fri            8 hours -----       Total      40 hours (no overtime) However, Zoho people says 1 hours of overtime because the employee worked 9 hours on Wednesday. Maybe I have something setup wrong in Zoho People?  

      • Add Hebrew Language Support in SalesIQ Idle Chat Handling and Reminders

        Dear Zoho SalesIQ Team, Greetings. We would like to request the addition of Hebrew language support in the Idle Chat Handling and Reminders functionality within Zoho SalesIQ. 🗣️ Background & Use Case Currently, we have successfully configured our Zobot

      • notebook synchronization - problem

        Good afternoon, Since yesterday when trying to create a new notebook, it does not let me and when creating the notes they are not synchronized with the cloud, I think the error may be with the encryption of images because in the pages appears the image

      • Notebook 3.5.0 -- Sort order Name A-Z not working

        Just updated to Notebook 3.5.0 on Windows 10. Sort order by Name, A to Z is backwards, like Z to A. Selecting Z to A still works as expected.

      • Stay organized with chat-to-ticket timers

        Hi there! Ever lost track of a customer’s message? Or found yourself scrolling through long chat threads trying to figure out what’s what? Setting up a chat-to-ticket timer can help. It decides when a reply should stay in the old ticket or create a new

      • New notecards not syncing across devices

        Hi, I'm having the same problem where my notes are not syncing from my Android to my laptop. Please help

      • Please add custom sort in Windows ver. of Notebook!

        Dear Zoho, I love the custom sort (drag and order notes) in the Android version of Notebook, but when I sync onto the Notebook on Windows, the note orders all get messed up because it doesn't support custom sorting yet. This makes it impossible to do

      • Formula to return string "WK 26 - 6.2.25 - 6.8.25

        Here's what I've got but syntatic failure: if(not(isnull(${Deals.GS_Due})), "Week " + Tostring(ceil(dayofyear(${Deals.GS_Due}) / 7)) + " - " + Tostring(month(${Deals.GS_Due})) + "." + Tostring(day(${Deals.GS_Due})) + "." + Tostring(year(${Deals.GS_Due}))

      • Introducing LeadChain in Bigin to sync leads from Social Ads easily

        We're excited to introduce a new topping in Bigin called LeadChain by Zoho Social. LeadChain instantly syncs lead information from social media lead ads to Bigin, making it easier to turn them into customers. It also helps you send conversion data back

      • Templates Access

        There should be an option to grant users access to templates but not allow them to edit/delete templates. In setup there is only one tick option for templates. This will give any user access to view as well as delete/edit. This doesnt make sense as they

      • Generate a Zoho Sign link

        From time to time I get a response "I never received your you e-document for electronic signature" is there a way to generate a Zoho Sign link to share.

      • Power of Automation :: Autocomplete the Project upon Task closure.

        Hello Everyone, A Custom function is a user-written set of code to achieve a specific requirement. Set the required conditions needed as when to trigger using the Workflow rules (be it Tasks / Project) and associate the custom function to it. Requirement:

      • Unable to send email through Gmail

        So I had a custom domain email from Zoho and I was able to send emails from this account through my gmail. 2 days ago I added another user. This user is not able to receive any emails, that's the first issue, moreover, even though I haven't changed anything else other than adding this user, now I am unable to send email through my gmail account with the first user either! I have opened a case with priority "I am stuck, need assistance", haven't got a single reply in about 36 hours. I am unable to

      • "Invalid Credentials(Failure)" when configuring IMAP (Outlook)

        Getting the below response when attempting to configure Zoho mail in Outlook 2016: Notes (what I've done so far): Zoho mail on web client is working with no issues. Though I was certain the username & PW were correct (was using same credentials on web client as I was attempting to utilize in Outlook 2016), just in case, I went ahead and changed my password on the web client and re-attempted Outlook configuration; same error response. IMAP for my email account was enabled on the web client (and POP

      • Custom service report or Zoho forms integration

        Hello, So far the experience with Zoho FSM and the integration with Books has been good, however there are limitations with service reports. As with my business, many organisations send technicians to different types of jobs that call for a different

      • Next Page