Topics Management with Zoho Campaigns allows you to categorize and segment your contacts based on their interests, ensuring that your emails reach the right audience with tailored content. Join us as we explore the ins and outs of this dynamic tool, equipping you with the knowledge to optimize your email marketing strategies and achieve outstanding engagement results.

 

Email marketing no longer consists of one type of email. You are likely sending various communications to your contacts, such as

• Sales and Promotions
• Feature Updates and Changes
• Newsletters
• Industry-related and Educational Content

Your subscribers or contacts may only be interested in some topics, but not all. Topics Management with Zoho Campaigns gives your subscribers more control over the content they're interested in receiving. It allows you to organize your contacts under these various topics to ensure you send the correct email to the right contact (or segment of contacts) at the right time.

 

With Zoho Campaigns, you can let your contacts know the various email campaigns you're sending out on behalf of your Brand. These contacts can look through the listed topics, select what topics they want to subscribe to, and opt out of those they don't. Your Brand may not need multiple Topics; if that is the case for you, you can focus on one general Topic. The default Topic is labeled "Marketing" - you can rename this to something else. For example, if you only plan to send Newsletters a few times a month, you can have a general "Newsletter" Topic.

While having one Topic is an acceptable way to start, I recommend having more specific Topics for your contacts to choose from while keeping this simple and targeted. Some common examples of Topics include:

• Product Updates
• Latest News
• Promotions
• Newsletters
• Urgent notifications
• Conferences and Events
• Webinars
• Podcasts
  

Topic Hierarchy

Before setting up topics, you must choose between the two types of topic hierarchy.

• Brand > Products > Topic
• Brand > Topic

Brand > Topic Scenario

The Brand to Topic Scenario is a widespread setup. If your company offers a single product or service relevant to that product, you can choose the default Brand > Topic hierarchy.

In this example, Sara currently writes a home design blog. She sends out various types of communications to her list of subscribers, such as product updates for designers, promotions on the hottest designs, and a monthly newsletter recapping everything.

Brand > Products > Topic Scenario

If your company offers multiple products or services and aims to send emails specific to each product, you should choose the Brand-Product-Topic hierarchy.

Sara's Beauty Company (Brand) offers skincare, hair care, and makeup (Products). Her email campaigns are based on product updates, promotional offers, and an informational newsletter (Topics) for each category of products.

Topic Preferences 

When sending emails in Zoho Campaigns, it is mandatory to include an unsubscribe link in the email, including a manage preferences link should also be included. Since Topics helps you organize your contacts according to their preferences, this can reduce unsubscribes and complaints for your email campaigns. If there are multiple topics, contacts can unsubscribe from specific topics rather than ALL emails. When subscribers click on the Manage Preferences link, they will be taken to a screen that shows all available Topics and their descriptions. 

 

Topic Best Practices

When creating Topics, they should be relevant to your products or services. This will provide better clarity to your contacts while subscribing. The Topic's name should be straightforward; these should not be misleading, and you can be creative. Adding a short description helps your subscribers understand what is covered.

 

It's easy to get Topics and Lists confused. Topics are outward facing so your subscribers will see them; lists and segments are internal, so they will not see them. You should avoid creating Topics for internal purposes to prevent confusing your subscribers. Try to keep the number of Topics at a minimum; this will help your subscribers better manage their preferences, though having only one Topic has its considerations. If your subscriber opts out of your only Topic, they risk not receiving future emails.

Topics vs. Lists

 

Associating Contacts with Topics

You can associate a Topics to Contacts a few different ways

1. Associate Topic to Existing Contacts: You can assign topics to contacts already added to Zoho Campaigns. From the Navigation toolbar, Click Contacts, then click All Contacts. Select the necessary contacts, under More Actions, select Assign Topics, choose the Topics to Assign, and click Save. 
2. Associate Topics to Contacts in an Existing List: From the Navigation toolbar, click Contacts and select Manage Lists. Click the More icon under the desired list, then click Assign Topics, choose the Topics to Assign, and click Save.
3. Associate Topics to Contacts in an Existing Segment: From the Navigation toolbar, click Contacts and select Segments. Click the More icon under the desired list, then click Assign Topics, choose the Topics to Assign, and click Save.
4. Manually Adding, Importing, and Syncing new Contacts: When adding new contacts, you can associate Contacts with Topics at that time. This works well when you have a small number of Topics. 
5. Associate in Workflows: You can assign topics to contacts in a workflow using the Subscription Management component. This method helps ensure the right segment of contacts is given to the correct Topics or groups of Topics.

You can disassociate contacts from the Navigation toolbar, choose Contacts and select All Contacts. Choose the desired contact and then View Details. Under the Topic Association history section, delete the Topic you want to disassociate.

 

In this article, we explored the power of Topics Management in Zoho Campaigns and how it can revolutionize your email communication. By organizing your email campaigns into distinct Topics, you can deliver targeted and personalized content to your audience, enhancing engagement and driving better results for your email marketing efforts. Remember to leverage the Hierarchy and Topic Preferences to create a seamless user experience for your subscribers. As you continue to explore the potential of Topics, you'll find that they are a valuable asset in optimizing your email strategy and building stronger connections with your audience.

 

In the following article, we'll dive into the exciting world of Zoho CRM and Campaigns Integration. Discover how these powerful platforms work seamlessly together, allowing you to supercharge your sales and marketing efforts. Learn how to sync data, track customer interactions, and automate email campaigns based on CRM data. Get ready to unlock the full potential of Zoho CRM and Campaigns integration and take your customer engagement to new heights!