CRM List Syncing and Segmentation

List Syncing Between Mailchimp and SugarCRM

For some marketers, reading the words “list syncing” triggers PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). However, with SugarChimp the past headaches of cleaning data and manually moving lists of subscribers between your CRM and Marketing system and vice versa have been replaced with an automated tool that does this hard, laborious work on your behalf.

When it comes to syncing Mailchimp with SugarCRM, SugarChimp is the automated tool for doing a set-it-up-and-forget-about-it bi-directional list sync.

In this Solutions Showcase we walk through setting up a list sync with custom field mapping using the easy-to-use, yet advanced, tools available through SugarChimp.

Setting Up Mailchimp

Like many organizations, your data likely lives and breathes inside of SugarCRM. If you are just starting out with Mailchimp then the first step you will need to do is to create an Audience List in Mailchimp. If your data already lives in Mailchimp, some of these initial steps won’t be needed.

Start by going to the Audience view in Mailchimp and clicking on the Create Audience button.

Beyond the Audience name, each list can have a different set of defaults including who to send from and a note about why someone may be on the list. These defaults can then be overridden on a campaign-by-campaign basis.

Mailchimp also allows different form settings for each audience. For example, you can enable GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) fields or turn on double opt-in signups which is a great way to ensure a subscriber really wants to receive your content, thus lowering your risk for being marked as spam and hurting your deliverability.

Finish creating the Audience by saving.

Mailchimp List Preparation

If there are fields in your CRM that you want in Mailchimp in order to segment or personalize contact with then the next step is to create those fields in Mailchimp. (We will get to how to map those fields later.) 

Most custom fields can be created from the Audience fields page, found under the Audience -> Settings menu.

Each Audience will have a default set of fields. You can add as many additional fields as you need from the various field types available. You may notice that there isn’t a dropdown or multi-select option. We will get to that shortly.

Once a field is chosen, you will be able to enter a field name. A default merge tag will be assigned to the new custom field so that this data can be dynamically inserted into content, such as email. Mailchimp allows for you to change the name of the tag as desired.

For dropdown or multi-select fields that you may want to bring over from Sugar, we recommend using Groups. You can manage your Groups by selecting the Groups option from the Manage contacts menu of the Audience. 

When your lists get synced, SugarChimp will automatically create any missing options in both your Mailchimp Groups and your SugarCRM drop-downs. So you can certainly create the options now and if you decide not to, the options will be created automatically later on.

Now that the Mailchimp Audience has been created, along with the custom fields, it is time to move on to the Sugar side of the list sync configuration.

Setting Up SugarCRM

The SugarChimp wizard walks you through a four step process to set up which Sugar Target List to sync along with how it should do so.

On Step 1, choose the Target List in Sugar to sync.

Once found and selected you will be brought to Step 2 where you will pick the Mailchimp list to sync with.

Moving on to Step 3, this is where you will configure who exactly will get synced over to Mailchimp by defining specifically how Contacts, Targets, and Leads will be loaded into the Target List in Sugar. 

SugarChimp allows a range of configuration options from manual Target List management all the way to custom SQL Queries to be very selective on which records will go over, all depending on the plan that you are on.

A great reason to be selective is to keep the Audience list size down in Mailchimp, thus saving on campaign costs.

One popular option is to use the Filter option. For example, in our Sugar Marketing Series we wanted to sync only Targets who have a Marketplace value of SugarOutfitters. Note: SugarChimp does allow additional filters with And/Or conditions to get an even more targeted list.

Once configured, you will move to Step 4 where you will define what kind of record should be created in Sugar whenever a new subscriber from Mailchimp comes over. For example, whenever someone signs up on a lead form from a landing page. 

Immediately after saving, you will be redirected to SugarChimp’s Health Status page. The Health Status page is a great way to see what is queued up and whether everything is operational. This page comes in handy from time to time whenever you need to see whether there are any pending sync items and is always available from the Admin->SugarChimp menu.

Now that the list is all set to sync, the last step will be to map those fields in Sugar to where they should go in Mailchimp (or vice versa).

SugarCRM and Mailchimp Field Mapping

SugarChimp maps Email address, first name, and last name by default. Using the Field Mapping tool, you can send more effective campaigns by sending highly segmented audiences with personalized emails.

Going back to the custom fields created in Mailchimp, map these to the corresponding fields in Sugar by selecting them from the dropdowns and finish up the mapping process.

With the configuration now done, the sync process from here on is fully automated. Any new landing page sign ups go from Mailchimp right over to SugarCRM. Any new records created in Sugar go right on over to Mailchimp. It’s a true bi-directional approach that scales well and is founded on sound algorithms built on almost two decades of experience doing integrations. 

SugarChimp does the hard work so that you can do more exciting, impactful work. With automated tools like SugarChimp, the days of shivering at the mention of list syncing are history.

Want to Learn More?

Schedule an informational call to learn more about how Mailchimp and SugarCRM could work for you and your specific needs.