Understanding Topics - New Version

Understanding Topics - New Version

Topics is a feature in Zoho Campaigns you can use to let your contacts choose the types of email campaigns they are interested in receiving. This feature helps you organize your contacts according to their preferences, which may result in reduced unsubscribes and complaints for your email campaigns.
 
In this document, we 'll cover all the important points and tips you need to know about the new version of topic management. This will help you understand the feature better, therefore use it more effectively.
 
There are a couple of important points to note in the new version of Topics:
  1. All topics configured will be displayed to your contacts.
  2. It is mandatory to select a topic to send an email campaign. Emails will be sent to contacts associated with the selected topics. 
Note: In the new version of topics, contacts are directly associated with topics. However, in the old version lists were associated with topics.

  Topic Preferences

Once your contacts receive email campaigns from you, they can manage their preferences by clicking the Manage Preference option. They will be able to see all your topics and products.
 
You can customize the Topics Landing Page that contacts can see when they click Manage Preference,
  1. From the Navigation toolbar, click Settings.
  2. Under the Customization section, click Signup Pages and Emails.
  3. Select Topics Landing Page.
    Topics Landing Page
  4. Click the Edit button.
  5. Click the Edit icon beside the component you want to edit.
    edit button
  6. Make necessary changes and click Save.
    customize view

 Best practices for topic creation 

  1. Classify topics under relevant products or brands. This will provide better clarity to your contacts while subscribing.
  2. The topic name should be crisp and clear. You can come up with interesting ways to name them but it should not be misleading.
  3. Add a brief description for all of your topics. This helps your contacts understand exactly what the topic covers.
  4. You can create lists for internal use and classification of contacts. Avoid creating topics for such purposes.
  5. Maintain a minimum number of topics under each brand. It helps your contacts to manage their preferences easily. 
Note:
It is better not to have the same name for topics and mailing lists because:
  1. Lists are for internal use, whereas topics will be viewed by your contacts. The name of the topic should explain the purpose and context of emails that you will send.
  2. The same name for topic and a mailing list might confuse you.

 Difference between topics and lists 

 
Lists
Topics
Adding
Contacts
Contacts are added to lists by you according to your requirements.
Contacts can subscribe to topics based on their preferences.
Visibility
Lists can be seen by you and members of your organization based on their privileges.
Topics can be seen by all the contacts.
Removing Contacts
You can remove contacts from mailing lists according to your requirement
Contacts can unsubscribe from topics based on their preferences.
Usage
Lists are for internal use. You can manage lists as per your requirement
Topics are useful for your contacts to subscribe to their preferred topics.

 Use cases

Let us see some use cases to understand when to create lists and when to create topics.

 Case 1

Rogers runs an online consultation site called Rogers' Business Ideas. He sends weekly emails to all his subscribed users. For free subscription users, he sends a generic business ideas newsletter, and for paid users he sends specific business advice for their firm. In this case:

Topic
  1.  Rogers' Business Ideas 
 Lists:
  1. Paid subscribers
  2. Free subscribers

   Case 2

Jones Coffee has two types of customer base, purchasers and bulk purchasers. Purchasers shop for their household and bulk purchasers shop for their office, restaurant, or diner. Each customer base gets the monthly item price list and combo offers via emails respectively. The coffee store quote different prices and combos based on the type of customer base. In this case:

Topics
  1. Monthly item price
  2. Combo offers 
Lists
  1. Purchasers
  2. Bulk Purchasers

Case 3  

Jerold is the owner of the online store "www.jeroldstores.com". He sells Electronics, Mobiles Devices, and Computers in his store. His email campaigns are based on latest market trends, hot sellers, and monthly offers for each category of products he sells in his store. In this case:

Product - Electronics
Topics
  1. Latest market trends
  2. Hot sellers
  3. Monthly offers
Product - Mobile devices
Topics
  1. Latest market trends
  2. Hot sellers
  3. Monthly offers 
Product - Computers
Topics
  1. Latest market trends
  2. Hot sellers
  3. Monthly offers
 Lists
  1. Electronics
  2. Mobile Devices
  3. Computers

 Case 4

Suave Fashions is an online clothing store. Initially users get sales offers emails according to the data provided by them during signup. 

The topics are:
  1. Men
  2. Women
  3. Kids
  4. Teen
 
Now, if a user subscribed to the Women Topic wants to get sales offers emails for Kids too, she can subscribe to Kids Topic using the Manage Preference option in their email.

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