Why Scrubbing Your Emails Before Using Zoho Campaigns Or Marketing Automation Is Crucial

Whether you are new to Zoho or a veteran, as a Zoho partner, we see this mistake made too often. Just like getting a new toy (which, let’s face it, even as adults we are still like kids when we get something new), we rush to use it before reading the instructions. Zoho’s email marketing tools have plenty of instructions, but best practices are often overlooked. One such best practice is scrubbing your email list before sending out your first blast.

With the recent crackdown by Google and Yahoo, the last thing you want is to get blacklisted. It’s more than just a headache—it’s a nightmare. While there are steps you can take to reverse this, it’s best to prevent it from happening in the first place. One of the easiest ways to get blacklisted is by having a high bounce rate on an email campaign. But don’t worry; this is easily avoidable.

Here is one of the best practices we share from our Zoho Marketing Team Training program on scrubbing your emails using Clearout.io.

Why Email Verification Matters

Email verification is essential for maintaining the health of your email list. Invalid emails can harm your sender’s reputation and reduce the effectiveness of your campaigns. The tutorial below will guide you through exporting your contact list from Zoho CRM, verifying it using Clearout.io, and re-importing the cleaned list back into Zoho CRM. Finally, we’ll set up segments in Zoho Campaigns to ensure your emails reach verified addresses.

Step 1: Export Contacts from Zoho CRM

Let’s start by exporting your contacts. Even though this example focuses on contacts, the process is the same for leads.

Step 2: Verify Emails with Clearout.io

Next, we’ll use Clearout.io to verify the emails.

1. Upload the List to Clearout.io: Go to the Email Verifier section on Clearout.io and upload the exported file.
2. Run the Verification: Start the verification process. Clearout.io will categorize emails as valid, invalid, catch-all, or unknown.
3. Download the Results: Once verification is complete, download the results file.

Step 3: Clean Up the Data

Before importing the data back into Zoho CRM, it’s a good idea to clean up the spreadsheet.

1. Open the Verification Results: Review the file to ensure it contains all necessary columns, such as email and verification status.
2. Remove Unnecessary Columns: Delete any columns that aren’t needed for re-importing, like last name, if not required.

Step 4: Add Custom Fields in Zoho CRM

To store the verification results, you need to add custom fields in Zoho CRM.

Step 5: Import the Verified List into Zoho CRM

Now, import the cleaned and verified list back into Zoho CRM.

1. Import Contacts: Go to the Contacts module and select ‘Import Contacts’.
2. Upload the Cleaned File: Upload the file and map the fields correctly.
3. Update Existing Contacts: Choose to update existing contacts based on the contact ID to prevent duplicates.

Step 6: Sync and Segment in Zoho Campaigns

Finally, sync your CRM data with Zoho Campaigns and set up segments.

1. Sync Contacts: In Zoho Campaigns, navigate to ‘Sync Services’ and map the custom fields.
2. Create Segments: Create segments based on the verification status to ensure only valid emails are included in your campaigns. For example, exclude emails marked as invalid to maintain a clean list.

If you want to understand any of these products better during any of these steps, we highly recommend you visit our resource library or training courses!

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