There is a big change in Zoho Campaigns (basically a new version!) and even though the migration to the new version is fairly straightforward, there is a significant difference in its functionality.
Introducing Topic Management
Topic Management is mandatory for all organisations using Zoho Campaigns, and support for the existing system will stop September 20, 2022, so best crack on with it, and here are a few important points and links to help you along.
What is Topic Management?
Thus far, Zoho Campaigns have been displaying your mailing lists to Subscribers, which to be honest, has limited their joining preferences. The ability to create ‘Topics’ will enable your Subscribers to select subjects and areas of interest (Topics) that are relevant to them. This in turn should reduce your Opt-outs, as Subscribers have greater control on what they receive and will not quite feel the need to unsubscribe completely.
How does it work?
There are two hierarchy types to choose from, depending on your business model:
BRAND-TOPIC -> If you offer one main product/service and want to send out newsletters, promotions and updates to represent your Brand, then this is one to select.
BRAND-PRODUCT-TOPIC -> If you have multiple products/services and want to send out campaigns specific to each, then select this option to manage your Topics.
Both options work with all three forms of email marketing; permission-based, consent-based or GDPR compliant.
Each and every Contact needs to be associated with a Topic(s), so read the link below and get assigning!
Associating a Contact
What about my existing Lists?
It is important to understand the differences between your existing Lists and the new Topics, which I have highlighted below.
| Lists | Topics | |
| Usage | Lists are for internal use and can be set up as per your requirements | Topics are for your Subscribers so they can sign up for subjects that are relevant to them |
| Adding Contacts | Contacts are added to Lists, based on your requirements | Contacts can subscribe to Topics, based on their preferences |
| Visibility | Lists can be seen by you and your team, based on their access privileges | Topics can be see by all the Contacts |
| Removing Contacts | You can remove Contacts from your mailing Lists, according to your requirements | Contacts can unsubscribe from Topics based on their preferences |
Here is a useful link for you to get to grips with Topic Management, and please contact me if you need help setting this up, integrating with Zoho CRM, or indeed, outsourcing it completely.
