The Goal: Combine an automatically synced member list with a manually managed opt-in list into a single destination list, using either Marketing Automation or a Contacts List/Committee Report.
Before You Begin:
- Understand the scenario: you want a destination list to include members pulled from a report and non-members or other individuals who opt in. As an association, you want to be able to add individuals in your database to a list as seamlessly as possible. Maybe your destination list needs to include both members from a certain membership type, status, or category, but you also want to allow non-members or individuals that aren’t included in that member group to add themselves or be added.
- Adding the member group to a list is easy — you set up and save the report according to your criteria, add the individuals from that report to a list, and sync the list to the saved report so new members are added, and dropped members are removed, automatically. See the Smart List article for more details.
- Know the limitation: you can’t edit the synced list directly — GrowthZone will overwrite any changes when the report syncs to the list. That is why a separate opt-in list (and a third destination list) is needed for those non-members and members not covered in the report who wish to opt in to the group.
- Be ready to set up three GrowthZone lists (defined below).
The Three Lists You’ll Create
- Member List: This list WILL be synced with a report and will automatically add individuals with your criteria of choice to the list. This list will NOT be visible in the Info Hub, and should not be manually changed by staff, as the nightly sync will overwrite any changes.
- Opt-in List: This list will NOT be synced with a report, and can be visible in the Info Hub (and even published to your website!) if desired to allow non-members and/or members that are not covered under the member criteria/report to join. It can be manually managed in the back office by staff, and members can be added/deactivated/removed as needed.
- Destination List: This is the list that both the above lists will be added to; this list MAY be synced with a report (depending on the option selected) and will NOT be visible in the Info Hub.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Choose one of the two options below to combine your lists.
Option 1: Marketing Automation
When our lists are configured and populated (or ready to be populated), we go to the Marketing Automation module.
- Create a Marketing Automation workflow and name it for the Destination List.
- Add both the Member list and the Opt-In list as source lists.
- Add one step — “Add to List” — and point to the Destination list.
- Activate the workflow!
Timing details:
- Marketing Automation steps update once an hour.
- The Members list will update every night via the report.
- The Opt-In list will update as people join/are added.
- The list combination step will run once an hour if changes are detected to the Opt-In list.
Option 2: Contacts List/Committee Report
When our lists are configured and populated (or ready to be populated), we go to the Reports module and find the Contacts List/Committee Report.
- In the report’s List/Committee dropdown, select the Member List and the Opt-In List.
- Run the Report. Some contacts may be on both lists; this is fine, as GrowthZone will de-dupe emails to the list during the sending process.
- Save the Report with the name of the Destination List.
- Use the “Add to List” option to save the report contacts to the Destination List, and be sure to Sync Nightly with the saved report!
Timing details:
- The Members list will update every night via the report.
- The Opt-In list will update as people join/are added.
- The Destination List will update every night via the report. NOTE: there may be a delay in contacts being added to the Destination List from the Member List, depending on the order in which the reports are run during the overnight process; unfortunately we have no control over the order in which the overnight report syncs are run.
Regardless of which option you choose (or have access to), you now have two disparate lists being joined together under a single list. Go forth and communicate!
Common Pitfalls
- Editing the synced Member List directly: Never manually change the report-synced list — the nightly sync overwrites any edits. Manage opt-ins on the separate Opt-in List instead.
- Expecting instant combination: Combining is not real-time. Marketing Automation runs hourly, and report-based syncs run overnight, so allow time for the Destination List to reflect all members.