Mailchimp for Dynamics 365 Setup with Features Explained

Trying to put all the pieces together to integrate Mailchimp and Dynamics 365, online or on-premise?

We’re here to help! We’ve crafted this article for you to help you understand how SyncApps works with integrating Mailchimp for Dynamics 365.

Before starting, take a look at our basic integration setup, as explained here:

Setting up your SyncApps Account

Check out some essential documentation for Mailchimp for Dynamics 365 integration:

Be sure to bookmark this page so you can check out our features flow table below for a better understanding of how it works:

Dynamics 365	SyncApps	Mailchimp
*Action/record in Dynamics 365*	*Default* *If the function in SyncApps is enabled*	*The first result (default)* *Second result (If the feature is enabled*
Step 1	Step 1	Step 1
Entity Type: Contacts Leads Accounts	If Contacts as the Entity type is selected then only Contact type records with email address ( standard email address field) will be synced to Mailchimp	All Dynamics 365 Contacts will be synced to the specified Main Audience (Step 2 of the Set up)
Dynamics 365 record is Opted-in	Default SyncApps uses an email address for records identification, creation, or updates	Record is created in Mailchimp Main Audience used. If the record already exists then, SyncApps will marry that record.
Dynamics 365 record is Opted- out	SyncApps will ignore the record to be synced	Record not created/updated.
	Enabled -Unsubscribe opted-out Contacts or Leads in Dynamics 365 from Mailchimp	Records not synced to Mailchimp if those records aren't initially synced as opted in initially.
Record unsubscribed	Default	The record is still subscribed. It Will not be updated in the sync
Record unsubscribed	Enabled - Unsubscribe opted-out Contacts or Leads in Dynamics 365 from Mailchimp	Record is unsubscribed in the Main Audience.
Record is deleted	Default	The record still exist but will not be updated
Record is deleted	Enabled Full Sync Add-On Feature On a Full Sync remove any Contacts from the Mailchimp Audience when they no longer meet any segmentation criteria in Step 1 or Step 5	Record is deleted from the Mailchimp Audience. It can be Archived or permanently deleted base on the Deletion method selected in Step 2 of the Set Up.
Record is marked as Inactive in Dynamics 365	Default	If the records are initially synced as Active, then later on marked as Inactive, SyncApps will no longer update these records on every sync.
Record is marked as Inactive	Enabled: Allow syncing of inactive CRM records	This will inactivate the record in Mailchimp.
The record is marked as Inactive.	Enabled: Remove inactive Contacts, Leads, or Accounts from Mailchimp	Inactive records in Dynamics 365 will remove the records in your Mailchimp Audience
CRM Contacts, Leads, Accounts	Default	Records are now synced to a specified Main Audience depending on the Object Type selected. If Contact, then all Contact Type records from Dynamics 365 will be created if it does not exist.
New/existing CRM records do not have a First or Last name.	Default	Mailchimp will reject the records to be created in Dynamics 365 if the required Last Name is missing as this is a required field
New/existing CRM records do not have First or Last name	Enabled: On Contact or Lead creation, use "Unknown" as the last name if the last name is blank	Records will be created from Mailchimp into Dynamics 365, but the empty First/Last name field values are filled in as "unknown" as long as they have an email address.
Marketing List Sync	Selected specific Marketing List(s).	Each CRM Marketing List(s) will be created as Group(s) under the "My Groups" Group Category by default. If you have used the Group Category to use in Step 2, then SyncApps will sync these Marketing List(s) as Group(s) under the specified Group Category to use.
If the record already exists, then it will marry that record. If the record does not exist, SyncApps will create a new one, place it in the Contacts, or it will depend based on the Entity Type you've selected on that specific Set Up.	Set Up's Entity type selected; an example is Contact.	New record lands in the Main Audience or the Group(s)/Tag(s) created by SyncApps from CRM Marketing List(s).
Record not created. (Rejected because it is a required field in Dynamics 365 - First Name or Last Name)		New record lands in the Main Audience or the Group(s)/Tag(s) created by SyncApps from CRM Marketing List(s). *No last name or First Name
Record created. But the field value placed in the First Name/Last Name is "Unknown."	Enabled: On Contact or Lead creation, use "Unknown" as the last name if the last name is blank	New record lands in the Main Audience or the Group(s)/Tag(s) created by SyncApps from CRM Marketing List(s). *No last name or First Name
Dynamics 365 Campaign created with the Campaign Members and Marketing Metrics such as opens, clicks, bounces. The Campaign name will be the same as the name of that Mailchimp Campaign. For more information, please check out our Help Center article here.	Enabled - Sync Campaign Responses	Opens, clicks, bounces, and URLs clicked from Mailchimp Campaign(s)
Step 2	Step 2	Step 2
Contacts/Leads/Account	Specified Main Audience	Records created and synced to this specified Main Audience.
The email opt-out field (Do Not Allow Email" or "Do Not Allow Bulk Email) is checked.	Default	Record from the Main Audience opts out
Dynamics 365 record is still opted-in.	Enabled - Do not sync unsubscribed emails status to Dynamics 365	Record from the Main Audience opts out
Dynamics 365 Marketing List(s)	Segmentation Method: Create a Group Create a Tag	Each CRM Marketing List(s) will be created as Group(s) under the Group Category "My Groups" together with the List Members. If Use Tag(s) Segmentation Method is selected, then SyncApps will Tag the records.
Dynamics 365 Marketing List(s)	Group Category to use: (Undefined; blank)	Each CRM Marketing List(s) will be created as Group(s) under the Group Category "My Groups" together with the List Members.
Dynamics 365 Marketing List(s)	Group Category to use: (Specified a Group Category)	Each CRM Marketing List(s) will be created as Group(s) under the specified Group Category together with the List Members.
Removed a record from the specific CRM Marketing List(s)	On a Full Sync, remove any Contacts from the Mailchimp Audience when they no longer meet any segmentation criteria in Step 1 or Step 5.	The record is removed from the matching list and will also be removed from the Mailchimp Main Audience. The record will be Archived or Permanently be deleted based on the deletion method selected in Step 2 of theSet Up.
Record in Dynamics 365 is automatically updated via Webhook, even without the need for sync in SyncApps. Updates from Dynamics 365 to Mailchimp will need to run the sync.	Update Dynamics 365 if subscribers update their profiles in Mailchimp (Webhook; real-time record update from Mailchimp to Dynamics 365) Note: For the Webhooks to take effect, the best practice is to sync the records first from Dynamics 365 to Mailchimp via SyncApps.	Subscriber updates his account information through the update profile form.
Records from the selected Group Category will be created as new records in Dynamics 365 Contacts/Leads database if it does not exist at the time of sync.	Display button to manually sync Mailchimp Groups to Dynamics 365	Mailchimp Groups under specified Audience - Group Category
Selected specific Marketing List(s) in Step 1 of the Set Up.	Allow Multiple Group Categories in Step 2.	CRM Marketing List(s) are now created to their designated Group Categories, not just in the "My Groups" Group Category.
Step 4: Field Mapping	Step 4: Field Mapping	Step 4: Field Mapping
	Additional field mapping is optional. By default, SyncApps will only sync built-in available Mailchimp fields for the email address, first name, and last name. All other data fields, including address, phone number, title, or lead source will first need to be created as list fields (Merge tags) in Mailchimp for the "Main Audience" specified in the previous SyncApps configuration screen.
Step 5: Filtering and Segmentation	Step 5: Filtering and Segmentation	Step 5: Filtering and Segmentation
Contacts/Leads	Filtering Only (Segmentation not enabled)	Specific records are synced to the specified Main Audience.
Dynamics 365 Marketing List(s)	Filtering Only (Segmentation not enabled) Selected specific CRM Marketing List(s) in Step 1 of the Set Up	Specific records are synced to the specified Main Audience.
Contacts/Leads	Filtering + Segmentation enabled	Each Segment Name will be created as Group(s)/Tag(s) together with the specific records that match the criteria per Segment.
Dynamics 365 Marketing List(s)	Filtering + Segmentation enabled. Selected specific CRM Marketing List(s) in Step 1 of the Set Up	Each Segment Name will be created as Group(s)/Tag(s) together with the specific records that match the criteria per Segment.

Before setting up the integration, here are some vital integration points:

Make sure that your Microsoft Dynamics CRM/Dynamics 365 Web Services URL works. See how to check it here.
If on a Free Trial, create a test CRM List or Marketing List with test records in it so that not all records from your CRM will be synced to Mailchimp.
Create test Main List/Audience in Mailchimp (This test Audience will be specified in Step 2 of the Set Up where you want your Dynamics 365 records to be synced.)
Scheduling of a Set Up is available on Free Trials and Paid plans. (Step 6)

Let’s Get Started!

Setting up your Integration

Setting up your "Set up" (integration) is super simple!

See the video below on how to set up Mailchimp for Dynamics 365 Setup.

Setting up your Set Up (integration) is easy! Looking for a Quick Setup Guided Tour?

You are now setting up the integration, so we are giving you an EXTRA 2 Weeks Free on us!

Enjoy 4 Full Weeks to test out all your use cases using all our features and integration capabilities.

Sync 1 - 1,000,000+ Contacts, Leads, and Accounts between Dynamics 365 and Mailchimp
Sync 1 - 1,000,000+ Opt-Outs from Mailchimp which is automatically managed by SyncApps back to Dynamics 365 records
Sync 1 - 1,000,000+ Campaigns/Marketing List sync for Mailchimp email list segmentation
Sync 1 - 1,000,000+ Campaign metrics sync such as opens, clicks, bounces, links clicked from Mailchimp back to Dynamics 365
Sync on Demand included for easy testing of your integration scenarios
Scheduling of a Set Up is available on Free Trial and Paid plans (Step 6)

Pre-Steps

Logging in to your SyncApps account will land you the SyncApps Dashboard. Head to Set Ups and Once you've selected the Set Ups tab, tap the "Create Set Up" button.

Enter any designated name for your new Set Up as your identifier. Then in Sync Type, select Dynamics 365 to Mailchimp.

Step 1: Dynamics 365

Dynamics 365 Configuration

Enter your Dynamics 365 credentials and select the Authentication Type and Web Services URL. See the guides below for more information:

Entity Type to Sync (Essentially what type of record in Dynamics 365 like Leads, Contacts, and Accounts)

Select your preferred Entity Type (Object type) to sync. If wanting to sync different Entity types, create separate Set Ups for each as we only sync 1 Entity type per Set Up.

Marketing List Sync

An Audience will be created for each Dynamics 365 Marketing List. If the Marketing List(s) feature is selected, only the records in your Marketing List(s) will be integrated into your Marketing Automation solution.
An Audience will be created for each Dynamics 365 Marketing List. If the Marketing List(s) feature is selected, only the records in each Marketing List(s) will get synced.
If you need to automatically remove records from your Mailchimp, particularly when they are no longer a part of any synced Dynamics 365 Marketing List, then please also subscribe to our "Full Sync" Add-On Subscription which is the only way in the integration to remove a CRM member from a synced external list. See here How Full Sync works!

Use CRM checkbox field(s) for Mailchimp Group segmentation

You can create each of your Groups (checkboxes on your Mailchimp Update Profile form) as also checkboxes on the Lead or Contact record in Dynamics 365 then set up in your Set Up to match them in Step 1.
Each Checkbox field must be named verbatim and spelled correctly to match existing Groups in Mailchimp.
Please also note that if this option is selected then please disable the Mailchimp Tag Option. This will create conflict if both Checkbox Sync and Mailchimp Tags are enabled during syncing. Please choose Mailchimp Groups instead.
Please see the following article for more details.

Want to integrate Marketing Metrics from your Mailchimp Campaigns such as Opens, Clicks, and Bounces back to Dynamics 365? Select this feature

A Dynamics 365 Campaign will be created for each Mailchimp Email Campaign with the same name.
For more information on Marketing Metrics and URLs clicked setup, see this article here.
An email template will be attached as an HTML file to the Campaign created in Dynamics 365. The email template is attached as a Campaign Note.

Check out this video How Campaign Response works!

Want to Unsubscribe Contacts, Leads, or Accounts from your Mailchimp Main Audience if a record unsubscribes/opts-out in Dynamics 365? Select this feature

If this option is enabled SyncApps will remove Contacts or Leads from Mailchimp Main Audience that flagged as opted-out in Dynamics 365.
If this option is not checked then opted-out Contacts or Leads are simply ignored (not synced to Mailchimp).
A Contact or Lead is considered to be opted-out in Dynamics 365 if the "Do Not Allow Email" or "Do Not Allow Bulk Email" attribute on Contact or Lead is selected.

Need to remove the Contact, Lead, or Account record(s) from your Mailchimp Audience if the record(s) is inactive in Dynamics 365? Select this feature

If a Contact, Lead, or Account is made inactive, SyncApps will remove the email address from Mailchimp.

Want to map the CRM Standard Fields with Mailchimp? Select this feature

This will open up the ability in Step 4 to map these field types.

On Contact or Lead creation, use "Unknown" as the last name if the last name is blank

If syncing new Contacts / Leads from Mailchimp and the First name is blank, Dynamics 365 will automatically reject the record to be created if you require the First Name field is a required field.
By default, the last name is a required field in Dynamics 365. If this field is blank, then the record will not be synced and also throw an error. To avoid this, just enable either of these options that match your Dynamics 365 record creation rules.

If done with selecting all the features you want to try in Step 1 of the Set Up, hit next so that the configuration will be saved.

Step 2: Mailchimp

Mailchimp Configuration

To obtain a Mailchimp API key, please log into Mailchimp, press the Top Menu: Account > Extras > Your API Keys. Create a new API Key or copy an existing API Key into SyncApps.

To use SyncApps, you must be in a Mailchimp Admin role and above. Please use your username and password.

Mailchimp Audience

A Mailchimp Audience can be selected by using an existing Audience from the dropdown list.

Note: We require to define the Main Audience because Mailchimp needs it in creating, updating, and removing records using its API.

If you would like to sync to a different List in Mailchimp, you'll need to set up another Set Up for that use case.

Campaign Response Sync Selection

You can select "All Mailchimp Campaigns" or just "Select Specific Campaigns" to sync back to a Dynamics CRM Campaign that is automatically created via the API.
By default, SyncApps will only retrieve Campaign Responses until 30 days after the Campaign is sent. Need to retrieve Campaign Responses past the 30 day limit for Campaign Responses retrieval? Just get in touch with our 24/7 Support.

Allow Multiple Group Categories Group

Need to use Multiple Group Categories on a Mailchimp Audience? Check it here
A CRM List or Campaign must be selected in Step 1 under "Sync Campaign or List Members to Mailchimp Group" in order to be used in this setting.
To change which Group Category a Dynamics 365 Marketing List or Campaign should map to, please check the checkbox after the Mailchimp Group Category name.
Next, enter the Mailchimp Group Category you want to use to sync from the Dynamics 365 Marketing List or Campaign.

Don't want to Sync new Mailchimp Subscribers to Microsoft Dynamics CRM? Select this feature

If using multiple Set Ups, which use the same “Main Audience” then out of those Set Ups, set all but 1 Set Up as One-Way Sync so that it will minimize API Calls.
This also means SyncApps will only sync unsubscribe data thru one Set Up for efficiency since all the integrations are utilizing one Main Audience. See here.

Segmentation Method

Automatically creates Mailchimp Groups or Tags into your Mailchimp Audience from Dynamics 365 Marketing Lists or Campaigns.

Use Mailchimp Groups

If this option is checked then SyncApps will automatically create and segment your Dynamics 365 Marketing Lists or Campaigns to Mailchimp Groups under the specified Main Audience.

Wanting to sync to multiple Mailchimp Group Categories? Shoot a note to our support folks today! Contact Us

Use Tags

Please see our guide for the Mailchimp Tag option for more information. See it now

Use GDPR

This feature allows the possibility to map any checkbox field on your 365 records to GDPR fields (by default, each checkbox name will need to match the GDPR field 100% or it will not sync over to Mailchimp GDPR fields).
Marketing Lists will also work to map the name of a Marketing List to the GDPR Fields in Mailchimp.

Don't want to sync unsubscribed status to Microsoft Dynamics CRM when they unsubscribe in Mailchimp? Select this feature

By default, SyncApps will set opted-out status in Dynamics 365 for unsubscribed emails. Please check this checkbox if you do not want unsubscribed emails to be synced.

Need to update Microsoft Dynamics CRM when subscribers update their Profiles in Mailchimp? Select this feature

This will use mapping configuration to update data. Please make sure you configure the mapping correctly.
A webhook will be set up in the specified Mailchimp Audience by SyncApps if this option is enabled.

Resubscribe archived records

By default, when a Contact or Lead that was synced by SyncApps is then Archived in Mailchimp, on the next sync, that record will no longer be updated in Mailchimp. If you want them to be resubscribed and unarchive them in Mailchimp automatically so that they will be updated on the next sync, please enable this feature.

Note: This will only work for records that are synced(cached) by SyncApps. Meaning, if they are marked as archive prior to the sync and SyncApps hasn’t initially synced(cached) the records to Mailchimp, those will not be updated.

If done in Step 2 of the Set Up, hit next so that the configurations will be saved.

Step 3: Add-Ons

Sync Add-Ons are optional. Available Add-Ons in Step 3 of the Set Up may depend on which Plan and integration you select.

Check out this video on How Add-Ons work:

Want to know which Sync Add-On fits your requirement? Give us a shout-out today!

Step 4: Field Mapping

Field Mapping is optional.

Basic fields such as Email address, Name, Title, Address, Company name, and Phone are already pre-mapped even if you haven't enabled this Step. Otherwise, if you have more additional fields to map, then you'll have to set these fields up here.

Generic Field Mapping Guide

Check out this video on How Field Mapping Works:

Step 5: Filtering and Segmentation

This Step is one of our most powerful features used by most of our subscribers. Like for example, you have 1000's of records in your CRM; then you only want to pull out the records with specific criteria, only these records will be synced to your Mailchimp Main Audience.

See here for more information on how it works.

Filtering and Segmentation Guide

Check out this video on How Filtering and Segmentation Works:

Step 6: Sync Scheduling

Finally, the very last Step. Just select the time when you would like to sync your data automatically.

Sync Scheduling Guide

Check out this video on How Scheduling Works:

Tap the Finish button and then Sync Now. More questions or hit any snags? You can always reach out to our 24/7 Support team.

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