Zoho Campaigns (the dedicated email marketing tool that integrates with Zoho CRM) is the primary way to build and send campaigns — here's how to get one created and running from scratch.
Why this matters
Marketing teams that rely on Zoho CRM for contact management often need to reach those contacts with targeted email campaigns. Zoho Campaigns connects directly to Zoho CRM, bridging the gap between your sales pipeline and your marketing outreach. [5] Understanding the creation flow up front helps you avoid common setup errors that can block a campaign from sending. [5]
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Step-by-step
Step 1. Log in and navigate to the Welcome page.
Open your Zoho Campaigns account. After signing in you will land on the Welcome page, which serves as the central hub for your account activity and gives you a quick overview of campaign performance, contact growth, and mailing lists. [1]
Step 2. Click "Create Campaign."
On the Welcome page, locate and click the Create Campaign button to begin the campaign creation flow. [2]
Step 3. Enter a recognisable campaign name.
Give your campaign a clear, descriptive name — one that you and your contacts can easily identify at a glance. For example, naming it after a product launch or a seasonal promotion makes it easier to track later. [2]
Step 4. Build or choose your email template.
The template editor is where you design how your campaign looks. Zoho Campaigns provides a visual editor so you can craft professional-looking emails without writing code. If you have previously saved themes, you can select an existing one during this step rather than building from scratch — note that after a recent platform update, editing or deleting themes under Settings is no longer available, so choose your theme carefully at this stage. [1]
Step 5. Add your recipients / mailing list.
Before sending, you need contacts in your account. Zoho Campaigns supports multiple methods for adding contacts, including manual entry and syncing from Zoho CRM. [2] If you are pulling contacts from Zoho CRM, the integration between Zoho Campaigns and Zoho CRM is specifically designed to connect your marketing and sales data — a smooth handoff between the two platforms is essential for effective outreach. [5]
> Note on CRM-native campaigns: The Campaigns module inside Zoho CRM itself allows you to target Contacts and Leads as recipients. If you need to add Accounts as recipients, be aware that the CRM module's recipient picker is currently limited to Contacts and Leads only. [3] For broader audience targeting, using Zoho Campaigns (the standalone product) with a CRM sync is the recommended path.
Step 6. Authenticate your sender domain.
Before your first send, make sure your sender domain is authenticated. Zoho Campaigns strongly recommends setting up both SPF and DKIM TXT records for your domain to ensure deliverability and protect your sender reputation. [1]
Step 7. Review and send (or schedule).
Once your template is designed, your recipient list is set, and your sender domain is verified, review all campaign details and either send immediately or schedule delivery for the right time. [1]
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Common pitfalls
- CRM owner address disabled: During the campaign creation flow, you may encounter an error related to the CRM owner address being disabled. This is a known issue documented in the campaign creation troubleshooting guide — check your sender address settings if this appears. [5]
- Theme editing no longer available in Settings: Post a recent Zoho Campaigns update, you can no longer edit or delete campaign themes from the Settings area. Always select your preferred theme *during* campaign creation rather than trying to manage it afterwards. [1]
- Single store limitation for ecommerce integrations: If your campaigns are tied to an ecommerce store, only one store can be integrated per organisation. Multiple stores require separate Zoho Campaigns organisations. [5]
- Recipient scope in CRM module: The built-in Campaigns module within Zoho CRM only supports Contacts and Leads as recipients — Accounts cannot be added directly. [3] Plan your data structure accordingly.
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What to check
- Domain authentication: Confirm that your SPF and DKIM records are correctly published in your DNS before sending any campaign, to avoid deliverability issues. [1]
- Contact list accuracy: Verify that your mailing list or CRM sync has pulled in the correct contacts and that no duplicates or unsubscribed addresses are included. [2]
- Subscription plan features: Some advanced features (such as contact scoring) are only available on higher-tier plans — review your current plan under Settings → Subscription to ensure the features you need are unlocked. [1]
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