Overview of Zoho Marketing Automation 2.0

Zoho Marketing Automation 2.0 introduces significant enhancements, addressing challenges faced in the previous version and bringing new features to the table. Let's explore some of the key enhancements:

Enhanced Contact Management:

• 360-degree view of contact: Gain a comprehensive understanding of each contact's interactions and engagement across multiple channels including their lists, segments, subscribed channels, and preferences.

• Contact timeline: Track the journey of each contact from an anonymous visitor to an engaged lead, capturing every interaction along the way.

• Contacts dashboard: Access a comprehensive summary of contacts, stages, and sources in one centralized location.

• Expanded computed fields: With 264 action fields capturing customer engagement across various channels, filtering records based on multiple criteria is now more effective than ever.

• Seamless contact data integration: We've optimized existing integrations for seamless data flow between ZMA and Zoho and third-party applications. Moreover, users can effortlessly move contact data across applications using our APIs and webhooks functionality.

Improved Topic Management:

We've revamped topic management in ZMA 2.0 to address previous limitations. Previously, contact preferences were tied to lists, causing confusion and inconsistency. For example, unsubscribing from one list didn't apply universally across all lists. With our refined approach, contacts are now managed at the organizational level, ensuring that preference changes apply universally across all communications. This streamlines preference management, enhances communication consistency for both marketers and contacts, and improves email deliverability. 

Lead Qualification:

Lead stages: Manage leads effortlessly through distinct stages and automatically progress them using criteria in Journeys.

Custom scoring: Classify contacts as cold, warm, or hot based on their level of engagement. Assign scores according to website and email interactions. Deduct points for inactive behavior. Additionally, customize scoring within Journeys to prioritize leads with higher conversion potential.

Improved Segmentation:

• Enhanced organizational-level management: Contacts are now managed at the organizational level, simplifying segmentation.

• Diverse segmentation options: Users can categorize contacts with static lists, dynamic segments, or tags.

• Targeted audience engagement: New segmentation options enable accurate targeting across email, SMS, WhatsApp, or Journeys.

• Increased criteria: Users can now create up to 10 criteria per segment and even form multiple groups using these criteria, offering greater flexibility in audience segmentation.

Enhanced Lead Generation:

We've amplified our lead generation capabilities by integrating powerful features from our existing marketing applications directly into ZMA 2.0. This ensures a seamless customer experience across all Zoho applications.

• Introducing Landing Pages in ZMA 2.0: Users can now create engaging landing pages with built-in sign-up forms to capture leads. OnSpot forms have been deprecated. Instead, landing pages within ZMA 2.0 support lead generation from events, tradeshows, or other scenarios effortlessly. Additionally, users can also use this functionality to create Landing Pages on their own custom domain, ensuring brand alignment and configure SEO directly within ZMA. Plus, these details seamlessly sync with CRM for optimal integration.

• Sign-up forms: Users can choose between ZMA's forms or integrate with Zoho Forms for flexibility. They can embed these forms on their website and landing pages to efficiently gather lead information.

• Pop-Ups: With advanced targeting options powered by Pagesense, ZMA 2.0 offers enhanced engagement pop-ups. Customers can utilize these on high-traffic pages to capture lead information effectively. Either choose from pre-designed templates or customize their own. Users can also choose the target audience from the options available or create custom audiences using advanced criteria. Additionally, they can configure custom triggers based on lead interactions with the website. These versatile pop-ups can drive various actions such as newsletter subscriptions, event registrations, quick sign-ups, and more. Moreover, users have the flexibility to decide the frequency and execute multiple pop-ups to amplify customer interactions and maximize engagement opportunities.

Enhanced Engagement Tools:

In the previous version, the engagement interface was cluttered and only supported Email, SMS, and Social channels. With ZMA 2.0, we've introduced two additional channels such as WhatsApp and Engagement pop-ups for websites.

• Email campaigns: Enjoy a cleaner UI for easier campaign creation and management. Advanced targeting options allow you to refine your audience by list, segments, tags, or custom criteria. A/B testing is now more versatile, allowing you to create test variations using combinations of subject, and sender address. Plus, we've simplified 'contact exclusion' criteria where users can now create exclusion criteria using multiple parameters, ensuring precise audience targeting.

• Social media campaigns: Social campaigns are now powered by Zoho Social in ZMA 2.0, offering enhanced social media marketing capabilities. Run targeted campaigns on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

• SMS campaign: The SMS Campaign in ZMA 2.0 has been revamped for hassle-free campaign management, ensuring smoother execution.

• WhatsApp campaign: WhatsApp Marketing was one of the most requested features in Marketing Automation and we're happy to inform you that we've finally launched WhatsApp for users to run WhatsApp campaigns to their target audience improving customer reach. As a WhatsApp BSP, we offer native integration with WhatsApp, allowing businesses to connect their WhatsApp Business account with Zoho Marketing Automation effortlessly. Currently, we support marketing conversations like offers and promos, with plans to expand to utility categories later. To learn more about WhatsApp marketing please click here.

• [Upcoming] Push notifications: We will be releasing Web & App push notifications very soon, further enhancing customer reachability. So stay tuned for more information on that.

• Improved reporting: We've also revamped engagement reporting in ZMA 2.0 to offer better data representation and added data points within the product for improved performance tracking.

Revamped Marketing Planner:

Our marketing planner has undergone a significant transformation in ZMA 2.0, offering more than just basic planning and spend monitoring.

• Multi-plan creation: Users can now create multiple marketing plans tailored to different campaigns and events, both online and offline.

• Enhanced collaboration: The platform facilitates seamless collaboration among team members, allowing them to work together on marketing initiatives.

• Progress tracking: Users can track the progress of their marketing plans, set goals, and monitor ROI across various channels.

• Intuitive interface: The UI has been redesigned with a Kanban view, enabling easy organization and management of marketing plans through a drag-and-drop interface.

Simplified Journeys:

Journeys in ZMA 2.0 have been streamlined for a more user-friendly experience.

• Simplified UI: The user interface has been redesigned for easier navigation and configuration with added components.

• Live editing: Users now have the flexibility of live editing, enabling them to make changes to journeys without disrupting the contact experience.

• Contact re-enrollment: A highly requested feature, 'contact re-enrollment,' has been introduced, allowing contacts to re-enter the same journey multiple times.

• Xray feature: The new 'Xray' feature highlights the most engaged or least engaged paths in journeys, providing valuable insights for optimization.

• Actionable reporting: Enhancements in reporting allow users to set journeys based on specific goals achieved, enabling more targeted and effective marketing strategies.

Website Analytics:

• Simplified integration: Embedding tracking code has been made easier for seamless website analytics setup. In ZMA 2.0, we've leveraged Pagesense's robust web analytics for rich and personalized user experiences.

• Advanced tracking: Users can track their customer acquisition based on attributes like source, channel, and medium.

• Goal tracking: Users can create goals based on website interaction such as element clicks, link clicks, time spent on web pages, and custom event metrics. Similarly, journeys can now be triggered based on visitor interactions, such as downloads or specific web page visits and more.

Enhanced Integrations:

Integration flows have been significantly improved for seamless data synchronization, offering instant sync and more control for administrators. Integrations with GoToWebinar, Zoho Webinar, Zoho Backstage, and Eventbrite are now smoother, making it easier to segment and target leads based on their registration and attendance. Additionally, our CRM sync has been enhanced for better data synchronization and workflow alignment.

Advanced User Management:

With this enhancement, users can customize user roles and permissions to fit their team’s needs. With new default roles and better privilege settings, you can make sure everyone has the right access level, improving collaboration and productivity.

• Workspace admin: Manages all workspace operations, including campaigns, integrations, and user invitations, and can define custom role rights.

• Manager role: Handles tasks like adding contacts, designing campaigns, and accessing reports.

• Editor role: Has limited access to view reports and manage campaigns and templates.

• Viewer role: Can only view reports, making it perfect for stakeholders not involved in other processes.