Marketer's Space: Streamline marketing and sales by integrating ZMA's Planner with Zoho CRM

Marketer's Space: Streamline marketing and sales by integrating ZMA's Planner with Zoho CRM


In a competitive market, clear goal-setting and seamless campaign execution are crucial for marketing and sales alignment. When integrated with Zoho CRM, Zoho Marketing Automation's Planner enables marketers to create, manage, and measure campaigns effectively with comprehensive reporting and goal tracking.
This post covers how to use ZMA's Planner to manage campaigns, track budgets, and view activities by stages via the Kanban board. You'll also learn to track ROI with reports, set goals, and view contacts segmented by CRM insights in the Contacts tab.

Adding activities to ZMA's Planner online and offline

ZMA's Planner bridges the gap between digital and traditional marketing campaigns by enabling you to add and manage activities across multiple channels.

Digital activities

You can associate existing email campaigns or create new ones within the Planner. For instance, a marketer can configure an email campaign promoting a new product and track its engagement metrics. Similarly, they can add, configure, and directly monitor SMS campaigns.

Offline activities

Add activities like trade shows, events, or print ads to give marketers the flexibility to manage all campaigns in one place, including generating shareable short URLs and downloadable QR codes for use in physical stores.

Let's look at an example to see how adding activities to Planner works.

Let's say you're a marketer planning a product launch campaign targeting sales qualified leads (SQLs). Using ZMA's Planner, you create an email campaign and configure it directly, as well as track link clicks and email engagement metrics to gauge interest levels. One of your sales executives uses the Planner's contact filters to identify SQLs who have interacted with your campaign and then personalizes follow-ups to close deals faster.

Tracking progress with the Kanban board

The Planner's Kanban board visualizes campaign progress under stages like the following:
  • Ideating
  • Yet to start
  • In progress
  • Scheduled
  • Completed

You can also add custom stages to suit your campaign needs.


Why is this valuable to marketing and sales teams?

This segmentation ensures that campaigns are on schedule, providing clarity for both marketing and sales teams. For example, if a campaign is “In Progress,” the sales team knows when to prepare for lead engagement.

The Budget tab: Monitoring campaign finances

The Budget tab is vital for tracking the following:
  • Total budget
  • Total expense
  • Acquired leads
  • Cost per acquisition

It also provides insights through views that cover budget split, expense split, budget versus expenses, and detailed breakdowns of how budgets and expenses are distributed.

Setting goals with CRM data

ZMA's Planner enables you to define goals using metrics like the following:
  • MQL to SQL conversion rat
  • Count of SQLs, MQLs, and raw leads generated
  • Lead count by stage
  • Average lead score and location
  • Count of leads that have moved up a stage
  • Email engagement and leads engaged via Planner
  • Website visits by source, referral URL, location, and type (new or returning)
  • Organic and social website visit count
  • Website engagement metrics, including page views and visit types
It also includes CRM-related goal metrics like the following:
  • Leads closed (won or lost)
  • SQL to Closed Won conversion rate
You can also drill down into categories and set numerical targets for granular tracking. These insights provide a comprehensive view of marketing performance and help align efforts with sales goals.

Let's say you've set a goal to achieve 100 closed-won deals in Q4. Using the Planner, you track your count of closed-won leads and align your marketing activities to support this target. With CRM data integrated, you can ensure your campaigns focus on high-quality leads and help both marketing and sales teams stay aligned and meet their shared goals effectively.

The Reports tab: Actionable insights for ROI

The Reports tab consolidates key metrics, such as the following:
  • Existing leads reached and leads engaged (also shows how many contacts have achieved your plan's primary goal.)
  • Revenue and deals stats: Revenue generated and deals closed won
  • Expense and ROI stats: Campaign expense, ROI, and Channel-Wise ROI.
  • Website and location stats: Consolidated views of website visits by region.
For example, let's say you review reports to evaluate the success of your campaigns. For example, the Channel-Wise ROI report helps you identify which marketing channels delivered the highest returns and therefore serves as a guide for your future budget allocations.

Contact engagement with ZMA's Planner

The Contacts tab shows engagement at every level:
  • Leads reached
  • Leads engaged
  • Contacts closed with won deals
You can also create a contact segment within the Planner by selecting the "Segment Filter" icon.

Let's say your sales executive uses the Contacts tab to filter for “leads engaged” and focuses on SQLs who've interacted with the campaigns. This enables them to prioritize warm leads and boost conversion rates.

The integration with Zoho CRM enhances the Planner by providing valuable insights that enable marketers to set precise goals and track performance effectively. It bridges the gap between marketing and sales, ensuring both teams are aligned and focused on shared objectives. With access to detailed metrics, marketers can craft more impactful campaigns while the sales team benefits from higher-quality leads and actionable insights that help close deals efficiently.

Stay tuned for more posts on ZMA's Zoho CRM integration. Until then, happy marketing!

Regards,
Pearlin Nitika
User Education | Zoho Marketing Automation

    • Recent Topics

    • Is there a way to make the new tab button open a new cloud document?

      I'm coming from Google Docs. Plus, is there any way to have a set a default font? I'm using the desktop app and I prefer the options I can get through the cloud documents. I want the convenience of just opening a new cloud document rather than doc that's

    • Tip 26: How to hide the "Submit" button from a form

      Hi everyone, Hope you're staying safe and working from home. We are, too. By now, we at Zoho are all very much accustomed to the new normal—working remotely. Today, we're back with yet another simple but interesting tip--how to hide the Submit button from your forms. In certain scenarios, you may want to hide the submit button from a form until all the fields are filled in.  Use case In this tip, we'll show you how to hide the Submit button while the user is entering data into the form, and then

    • Trying to export a report to Excel via a deluge script

      I have this code from other posts but it gives me an error of improper statement, due to missing ; at end of line or incomplete expression. Tried lots of variations to no avail. openUrl(https://creatorapp.zoho.com/<username>/<app name>/XLSX/#Report:<reportname>,"same

    • Bigin_Email Notification not being sent when a new lead is created

      I have a workflow in BIGIN set to send an email notification when a new lead is created via a webform (integrated with ZohoForm) The trigger is whenever a contact is "Create or Edit". Conditioning was applied for contacts which source is "Website" If

    • ZOHO CRM API Python SDK Convert Quote to Sales Order

      I can see footprints that this may be possible through Inventory Conversion. But I am unable to locate any specific details or samples on how to do this. I am using the most current Python SDK. Any support or even sample code would be much appreciated

    • Displaying Notes/Description Columns in "All Expense" showing Tabs

      It's surprising to see there is no option to view description columns in tab showing all expenses. There are provisions for Reference# and Status, but why not the description/notes. Please Add. Thank You.

    • Zoho Books - uploading company logo squashed

      I am trying to upload my company logo with the following dimensions - 240 x 240 pixels and a file size of 106Kb. When I look at the logo in my invoices, it is squashed and not the right size. Any idea what is going on? I've tried uploading jpeg and png

    • Petty cash discrepancy

      How do I record a petty cash discrepancy? We had money go missing and need to document that in the books, but I'm not sure how to put that in. It's not an expense, just a loss of cash.

    • Zoho Workdrive file versions

      Hello. I have Workdrive setup to sync files offline to an external hard drive. The off line sync folder currently shows at 1.42 TB. I have a 5 TB storage limit in Workdrive. The cloud version of Workdrive says that I have used all 5 TB! I have 27, 285

    • Visual Sync Status Indicator

      I think I've see in documentation that WorkDrive had the industry standard of indicating a sync status for individual files and folders. I'm just starting with WD and synced my first test folder, but there was no way to tell what's happening by just looking

    • Integration with Zoho CRM?

      Will it be possible to integrate WorkDrive with CRM similar do Zoho Docs?

    • How to control the # of version of files to keep?

      Currently most of the WorkDrive Storage comprise of the many versions of files saved. How do I save some space and reduce the number of version of date or files saved in WorkDrive? Thanks

    • Should I Use Zoho Mail Calendar, or Zoho CRM Calendar, or Zoho Calendar?

      After a couple of dozens Zoho solopreneur products that I transitioned to after becoming a Zoho One enthusiast 5 years ago, I am finally preparing to conquer the remaining two bastions: Mail and WorkDrive (using Google Workspace at the moment). A NYC

    • Add comments to a form

      Hello, I'm trying to add comments to a form using a subform with one field named comment, but I don't want prior comments to be editable or deleteable by anyone (except the admin).  Is there a way to only display prior comments (with a datetime, user and comment field preferably) but still be able to add new ones when editing the main form?  I'm not tied to subforms if there is an easier was to do this?

    • Zoho Books | Product updates | March 2025

      Hello users, We have rolled out new updates in Zoho Books to enhance your accounting experience. These include the ability to create workflow rules for manual journals and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for customer and vendor portals. Explore these

    • Work Drive Tray Icon Missing

      How can I get the tray icon back? The app froze, had to restart PC and then it's been gone since...  I've re-installed the windows program and restarted my machine twice now.

    • cant receive emails

      I have checked the Dns and everything seems to be fine pls check the print screens attached below help me cause i need to solve this fast

    • Retainer invoice in Zoho Finance modlue

      Hello, Is there a way of creating retainer invoices in the Zoho Finance module? If not can I request this is considered for future updates please.

    • iOS Widget Not Working

      It appears that the iOS widget is not working, displaying a blank white screen instead of a selected note. I’m using app version 6.5.12 and iOS 18.3.1.

    • Two Problems With Data Imported to Notes

      Occasionally I want to create a note by copying and pasting a few paragraphs from an article on line. When I create a new note and paste in the section the newly created note winds up with each paragraph in white text on a dark background rather than

    • Workdrive on Android - Gallery Photo Backups

      Hello, Is there any way of backing up the photos on my android phone directly to a specific folder on Workdrive? Assuming i have the workdrive app installed on the phone in question. Emma

    • Generate a link for Zoho Sign we can copy and use in a separate email

      Please consider adding functionality that would all a user to copy a reminder link so that we can include it in a personalized email instead of sending a Zoho reminder. Or, allow us to customize the reminder email. Use Case: We have clients we need to

    • How to associate a document sent in Zoho Sign with an deal in the CRM?

      Hi, often documents are loaded in Zoho sign and sent for signature. These sometimes are linked to a deal in the Zoho CRM and would be nice to see the status of the document within the CRM. I am aware of the integration, but that assumes that the document

    • Preventing auto-redirect to Parent Record on Save...

      Our users often create records from the related list on th left side of the screen. They click the blue "plus" button to create the record. This is handy, but for some modules, or situations, they would like to remain on the record AFTER clicking "Save",

    • CRM Portal Help

      Hello, I am trying to set up a portal to connect with our referring doctors to keep patient cases organized. I set up the accounts module as office, the contacts as doctors, the leads as patients, and the deals as treatments. Everything seems to work

    • Zoho Books (UK) needs to be able to submit a CT600 CTSA return

      As well as a VAT Return, most (if not all) small businesses have to submit a CT600 Corporation Tax Self-Assessment. There are many providers who do this (like Xero) bujt not Zoho. Can you add this to the request list please? Many thanks Steve

    • No image image comes out in the recipient when I sent an email

      Hello to the entire forum, when I send an email from Zoho, my profile picture does not come out. On the other hand, if you do, using Gmail accounts. How is it configured to leave ??? Thank you Greetings !!

    • Zoho Desk & Tasks

      Hi, I'd like to be able to create a set of tasks each time a customer request comes in, as I understand it, currently each would need to be create manually. Project is too much of an overhead for what we want to use. Effectively in various use cases we

    • zet pack not working

      We are using the zet pack command to package our Zoho extension. However, after running the command, the extension gets packed, but the resulting package is empty. We've attached a screenshot for reference. Could you please assist us with resolving this

    • While retrieving the Balance Sheet Report, there is always this "COST OF GOODS SOLD", This is not editable.

      Hi Zoho & Readers, While retrieving the Balance Sheet Report, there is always this "COST OF GOODS SOLD", which is reduced from the Sales to arrive at the gross profit. The issue I face here is that Service Oriented Companies don't incur any COGS, hence

    • Changing salesorder_number via zoho flow

      For some reason updating salesorder_number via zoho flow does not stick. Flow is triggered by new sales order filtered by sales channel update sales order: PO#: CX${trigger.reference_number} Salesorder_number: CX${trigger.reference_number} PO# successfully

    • Working with Products that are non-tangible

      How does one create a 'service' in products? Is there a way to disable inventory functions for things like Sofware as a service? The services module doesn't look to be much help either. Not sure how to do this in CRM

    • Loop in Blueprint but it works. Why? How should this be set?

      see picture

    • Zoho Error: This Operation has been restricted. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details

      Hello There, l tried to verify my domain (florindagoreti.com.br) and its shows this error: This Operation has been restricted. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details. Screenshot Given Below -  please check what went wrong. Thanks

    • Bulk Delete Images

      How do I bulk Delete Images from Zoho Campaigns. We have been using the Zoho since 2019 and can still only see the option to delete images one by one and we have a lot of old Campaign imagery we don't need anymore. Thanks!

    • Tip #5: Setting access rights at the subfolder level

      Hello everyone, We hope you're finding our WorkDrive Tips and Tricks series useful. For today's tip, we'll teach you how to assign higher subfolder permissions to Team Folder members. Team Folders helps you avoid the drawbacks of traditional file sharing.

    • I want to update the photo from the mobile app to the product tab product.

      I want to update the photo from the mobile app to the product tab product. Because I want to use the CRM product tab for inventory management Contact registration can save photos from the mobile app. Attached screenshot.

    • Setting default From address when replying to request

      At the moment, if I want to reply to a request, the From field has three options, company@zohosupport.com, support@company.zohosupport.com, and support@company.com.  The first two are really internal address that should never be seen by the customer and

    • Enable Image and Hyperlink Sync in Zoho Desk - Jira Integration

      Hi, We are using the Zoho Desk - Jira integration, which allows comments to sync automatically between a Zoho Desk ticket and its linked Jira issue. However, we have noticed a limitation: When adding a hyperlink or image in a Zoho Desk comment, it is

    • Deluge Function to Update Custom Field

      I'm trying to get a Deluge function (which will run as part of a Schedule in Desk) that retrieves all tickets with the status "Recurring" and updates the custom field checkbox "cf_recurring" to "true". Here's what I have, which doesn't work: searchValue

    • Next Page