Integrating an Email Marketing Application with SolarNexus

Email marketing to your existing contact database can be an inexpensive way to drive additional referral business and maintain your relationship with existing customers. Email campaigns should be targeted at specific segments of your customer contacts. For example:

• send a quarterly company update Email to all contacts, regardless of status
• send a referral reminder Email to only customers who have purchased a system (sold, or sold and completed)
• Send a special offer Email to lost leads encouraging them to reconsider or share with their friends

To effectively send these campaigns to the right set of contacts, your contacts list must include an up to date indication of the contact's current status with your company.

This article explains how to use SolarNexus with an Email marketing application. This article explains specifically integrating with MailChimp.com. Contents include:

• Using Marketing Lists with SolarNexus
• Setup a Master List in MailChimp
• Export Current Contacts from SolarNexus
• Import Current Contacts into MailChimp
• Recommendations for Handling Existing Lists
• Connect SolarNexus to MailChimp for Automatic Updates

 

Using Marketing Lists with SolarNexus

The simplest and most straightforward way to get your customer contacts into an Email marketing program is to run a SolarNexus report that outputs the desired contact segment and download it via CSV file. Then you import that CSV file into your Email marketing program. This works well and is pretty easy to do.

However, because the status of customer records in SolarNexus changes over time (leads are archived, some are sold, some are cancelled, some are completed), a list imported from CSV into an Email marketing application may not totally reflect accurate status (unless they are completed project customers). To update a list, you have to periodically run a report and re-import the list into your marketing program. This works well as long as your marketing program allows you to import changes to data for existing contacts (MailChimp does this well). However, it is extra effort to maintain an up to date mailing list, and there remains a chance of sending out an email campaign to some of the wrong target contacts whose status may have changed during the period between imports.

You can connect your SolarNexus account directly to your email marketing program so that all new leads are automatically added right away and so that the current sales status of a customer contact is also automatically updated in your Email marketing list. For example:

1. When new lead is created in SolarNexus, it is also added to your MailChimp list, with Last Milestone = Lead
2. When lead is archived in SolarNexus, the subscriber's status in MailChimp list is updated. Last Milestone = Archived
3. When project is sold in SolarNexus (sold milestone), the subscriber's status in MailChimp list is updated. Last Milestone = Sold
4. If sold project is cancelled in SolarNexus, the subscriber's status in MailChimp list is updated. Last Milestone = Project Canceled
5. When sold project is completed in SolarNexus (proejct complete milestone), the subscriber's status in MailChimp list is updated. Last Milestone = Project Completed

You can create dynamically updated segments in your list based on the subscriber's current value in the Last Milestone field, and send campaigns to the desired segment.

Current limitations:

• Only the primary contact for the customer is added to the mail list.
• No other data from SolarNexus is passed to the mail list

 

Set up a Master List in MailChimp

Go to Lists. Click Settings menu, select the "List fields and *|MERGE|* tags" menu item.

NOTE:See below for recommendations if you already have a list (or lists) in MailChimp.

Add new fields as shown in the screenshot below:

Set all the new fields to "Text" type. You can decide whether to make required or not, but its not critical either way for this integration (that's primarily if you are using a MailChimp user subscribe form). You may add additional fields to your list, but these are what's required at a minimum for the SolarNexus integration.

Export Current Contacts from SolarNexus

This is a one-time operation to bulk export your existing customer contacts for import to MailChimp.

Go to Operations > Reports and create a Project Detail Report. Give report a name (e.g. "MailChimp Subscriber List") and description (e.g. "Export all customer names, emails, and current status for import to MailChimp").

In the Project Criteria section, be sure to include projects with any status (check all the boxes). Then select "Lead Created" from the Available Criteria section. That is the only criteria you'll need, as you'll end up exporting all customer records.

In Output Columns, select the following:

• Customer Contact Email
• Customer First Name
• Customer Last Name
• Lead Created At
• Archived (Opportunity Lost) At
• Sold At
• Project Canceled At
• Project Completed At

Save your report.

Run report - any period for Lead Created. Export to CSV. Save file.

Open CSV, save as new file (e.g. "2017-01-25 MailChimp import"). Add a new column called "Last Milestone". Now you need to use the set of milestone completion fields exported from SolarNexus to populate the "Last Milestone" column. Possible Last Milestone values (must be the same):

• Lead
• Archived
• Sold
• Project Canceled
• Project Completed

Select all records, sort on the Project Canceled column. For all records where Project Canceled has a date, input "Project Canceled" into the Last Milestone column.

Again select all records, sort on the "Project Completed" column. For all records where Project Completed has a date, input "Project Completed" into the Last Milestone. Save the file!

Again select all records, sort on the "Archived" column. For all records where Archived has a date, input "Archived" into the Last Milestone column. Save the file!

Again select all records, sort on the "Last Milestone" column, and secondarily on the "Sold" column. This will group all the records that already have a Last Milestone, and then all the records that are sold, but not complete or cancelled. For all records where Sold has a date and Last Milestone is blank, input "Sold" into the Last Milestone column. Save the file!

At this point, you should be left with only records that are currently active opportunities (only the Lead Created column contains a date). Input "Lead" into the Last Milestone column for the remaining records. Save the file!

Once all your records have their Last Milestone populated, you can delete the milestone columns. Your CSV file should only have these columns remaining:

• Customer Contact Email
• Customer First Name
• Customer Last Name
• Last Milestone

Import SolarNexus customer data into MailChimp

This is a one-time operation to import your current SolarNexus customer records into MailChimp.

Now return to MailChimp. Open your list. On Add Subscribers, click Import Subscribers. Select CSV or tab-delimited file. Select your CSV file with the updated status values and upload. Use the tool to verify the field mappings and complete the import.

Now you have a Master List of customers. Create dynamic segments of your list based on the value of the Last Milestone field. In your master list view, click on Manage Subscribers > Segments. Click "Create Segment", and specify the condition that defines your segment. In our case, you want to select "Last Milestone" as the field, and then input "project_create" as the field value. Click the preview segment. This will show you just the list of customers where Last Milestone = project_create. Click the "Save Segment" button in the list header. Name your segment, such as "Current Active Opportunities". Make sure Auto-Update is selected, and click save. Repeat this process for the following segments:

1. Last Milestone = Lead, segment name "Current Active Opportunities"
2. Last Milestone = Archived, segment name "Unqualified and Lost Opportunities"
3. Last Milestone = Sold, segment name "Currently Sold and in Process"
4. Last Milestone = Project Canceled, segment name "Sold but Cancelled"
5. Last Milestone = Project Completed, segment name "Project Installed and Complete"

Now you can do Email marketing campaigns to each of these segments.

 

Recommendations for Handling Existing Lists

If you already have an Email marketing application setup with list(s), we strongly recommend consolidating your existing contacts into a master list with segments as described above.

Consider using an existing list as your master list - you can add any new columns (such as Last Milestone).

If you use MailChimp, and your contacts/subscribers are in separate lists, you can do the following:

1. Export your lists.
2. Using spreadsheet program (i.e. Excel), consolidate the lists into a single list.
3. Remove duplicate records
4. Insert / update current status value for Last Milestone (Lead Created, Sold, Archived, Project Canceled, Project Completed)
5. Remove extraneous columns
6. Import list into the Master List in MailChimp

IMPORTANT: If you are importing back into an existing list, you want the import to update existing records. In MailChimp, be sure to check the "Auto-update my existing list" box prior to import.

 

Automated List Maintenance - Connect SolarNexus to MailChimp via Zapier

This is a one-time setup operation so that the list you've created in MailChimp is maintained automatically.

SolarNexus can dynamically add new customers to your MailChimp list, and update the Last Milestone value for existing subscribers in MailChimp as their milestones are completed in SolarNexus. This allows you to maintain your Email marketing lists by simply maintaining the project milestones in SolarNexus.

Create a Zapier account. In most cases the Basic plan is sufficient. However, if your company does very low volume (fewer than 100 cumulative new leads and milestone updates), then the free plan will work for you.

NOTE: SolarNexus' Zapier application is not yet published on the Zapier App Directory. To use it, you must use this invitation link.

To maintain your Master Subscriber list, you'll need to create the following Zaps in your Zapier account:

1. Add a new SolarNexus lead to a MailChimp list
2. Update Last Milestone completed in SolarNexus on a MailChimp subscriber (lead is archived, project sold, project cancelled, project completed)
3. Update Mailchimp contact when contact is updated in SolarNexus (phone, email, name changes)

 

Create a Zap

You will go through this process twice. First to create a zap to populate a new subscriber into your master list when a new lead is created in SolarNexus, and second, to update an existing subscriber when a specific milestone is completed on that subscriber's project in SolarNexus.

1. In your Zapier account, click "Make a Zap"
2. On left side at top, Name your Zap:
   • Call your first Zap "Add new SolarNexus lead to a MailChimp list"
   • Call your second Zap "Update Last Milestone completed in SolarNexus on a MailChimp subscriber"
3. Choose trigger app (SolarNexus)
4. Select Trigger (Project Created or Updated)
5. Save and Continue
6. Connect an account.
   • For your first Zap, select "Connect a new Account" (if none are yet available). For a new account, you'll need to input the SolarNexus API key for the desired user (To get API key: Go to Admin > Users, click Profile of desired user account, copy API key or generate if not already present).
   • For your second Zap, select your existing account to connect
7. Test connection.
8. Save and Continue.
9. Set up SolarNexus Project
10. For each Zap, setup trigger as follows:

    ZAP	Event	Source App	Completed Milestone
    1) Add new SolarNexus lead to a MailChimp list	Lead Created	LEAVE BLANK!! This is used as a filter. Use only if you want to trigger on leads from a specific lead source.	N/A
    2) Update Last Milestone completed in SolarNexus on a MailChimp subscriber	Milestone Completed	LEAVE BLANK!! This is used as a filter. Use only if you want to trigger on leads from a specific lead source.	N/A
    3) Update Mailchimp contact when contact updated in SolarNexus	Participant Updated	LEAVE BLANK	N/A

11. Setup Webhook in SolarNexus. For each Zap, setup a webhook:
    1. Copy webhook URL provided by Zapier
    2. Go to Admin > Project Settings > Webhooks
    3. Add webhook, input URL provided by Zapier, input a description, and select event (See below for example)

       

    4. Provide a description
    5. Select event (for first Zap, select "Lead Created", for second Zap, select "Milestone Completed", etc)
12. Return to Zapier, click the "OK, I did this" button
13. Test this step.
14. If you are setting up the first Zap, skip ahead to step 18. Zap, click the Plus Icon and add filter.
15. Select the "Only Continue If..." and click Continue
16. Specify the four Milestone Names that you want the Zap to proceed with (filtering out the others). Use the "OR" condition and setup as follows, using the EXACT MILESTONE NAMES: 

    

17. Test Step.
18. Go to Action, choose an Action App (MailChimp)
19. Select MailChimp Action "Add/Update Subscriber"
20. Select Account, or Connect New Account (for the first Zap you need to connect to your MailChimp account, supply username and password for MailChimp at the prompt)
21. Set up Template
    • For your first zap (lead created), type "New Lead" into the Last Milestone field.
    • For the second Zap (update), select the milestone name field.
    1. Select your Master List
    2. Select field for Subscriber Email (see below)

       

    3. Complete the other field mappings (First Name, Last Name, Company Name).
    4. Complete the field mapping for the Last Milestone:
22. Test step
23. Repeat process to setup both Zaps.

Once the zaps are tested, you can set them live. Your Master list in MailChimp will be dynamically updated. You can verify this the next time you update add a lead to SolarNexus, or complete a milestone that changes the status (Archive, Sold, Project Canceled, Project Completed).