The ViralMarketingWP – MailChimp Integration addon allows you to automatically sync leads collected through your viral marketing campaigns directly to your MailChimp lists. This integration ensures that all leads captured by your campaigns are immediately available in your MailChimp account for follow-up email marketing.
Features
- Connect your ViralMarketingWP campaigns with MailChimp lists
- Map lead information fields to MailChimp merge fields
- Automatically subscribe leads to specified MailChimp lists
- Test MailChimp connection status from the admin panel
Requirements
- WordPress 5.0 or higher
- ViralMarketingWP plugin (core) installed and activated
- Active MailChimp account with API access
- PHP 7.0 or higher
Installation
- Download the ViralMarketingWP – MailChimp Integration addon from your account at viralmarketingwp.com
- Go to WordPress Admin > Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
- Choose the downloaded zip file and click Install Now
- After installation is complete, click Activate Plugin
Configuration
Connecting to MailChimp
Before you can use the integration, you need to connect ViralMarketingWP to your MailChimp account:
- Go to ViralMarketingWP > Settings in your WordPress admin
- Click on the Integrations tab
- In the MailChimp Integration section, enter your MailChimp API Key
- Click Save API Key
Your connection status will be displayed immediately after saving. If connected successfully, you’ll see a green “Connected” status.
Finding Your MailChimp API Key
If you don’t have your MailChimp API key:
- Log in to your MailChimp account
- Click on your profile name to open the dropdown menu
- Select Account & Billing
- Click on API Keys under the Extras menu
- Either use an existing API key or click Create A Key
- Copy the generated API key and paste it into the ViralMarketingWP settings
Setting Up Campaign Integration
After connecting your MailChimp account, you can integrate individual campaigns with specific MailChimp lists:
- Edit an existing campaign or create a new one by going to ViralMarketingWP > Campaigns
- In the campaign editor, find the MailChimp Integration meta box in the right sidebar
- Select the MailChimp list where you want to add leads from this campaign
- Configure the field mapping to match your lead fields to MailChimp merge fields
- Save your campaign
Field Mapping Explained
Field mapping allows you to specify how lead information from your campaign should be mapped to fields in your MailChimp list:
- Email: Always mapped to the email address field in MailChimp (required)
- First Name: Map to the appropriate merge field in MailChimp (typically FNAME)
- Last Name: Map to the appropriate merge field in MailChimp (typically LNAME)
- Phone: Map to a custom merge field in MailChimp if you have one for phone numbers
If the fields you need don’t exist in your MailChimp list, you may need to create them in your MailChimp account first:
- Log in to your MailChimp account
- Go to Audience > [Your List] > Settings > Audience fields and |MERGE| tags
- Click Add A Field and create any necessary custom fields
- Return to your ViralMarketingWP campaign and refresh the page to see the new fields
How Lead Synchronization Works
When a lead is captured through your viral marketing campaign:
- The lead’s information is saved in your WordPress database
- If MailChimp integration is enabled for the campaign, the plugin checks the configured list and field mapping
- The lead is automatically subscribed to the specified MailChimp list with their information mapped to the appropriate merge fields
- The lead immediately appears in your MailChimp audience, ready for your email marketing workflows
Troubleshooting
Connection Issues
If you see “Not Connected” in the settings:
- Double-check that the API key is correct and has not expired
- Ensure your MailChimp account is in good standing
- Check if your server can make outbound connections to the MailChimp API
- Verify that your WordPress site is not behind a firewall blocking API connections
Leads Not Appearing in MailChimp
If leads are being captured but not appearing in your MailChimp list:
- Check that you’ve selected a MailChimp list for the specific campaign
- Verify the field mapping is correctly set up
- Make sure the lead has a valid email address (MailChimp requires this)
- Check the WordPress error log for any API errors
- Ensure your MailChimp API key has not expired or been revoked
Field Mapping Issues
If lead data is not showing up in the correct fields:
- Verify that the merge fields exist in your MailChimp list
- Make sure the merge field tags in MailChimp match what you’ve selected in the field mapping
- Remember that MailChimp merge field tags are case-sensitive (e.g., FNAME vs fname)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I add leads to multiple MailChimp lists?
A: Each campaign can only be connected to one list. If you need to add leads to multiple lists, you would need to use MailChimp’s own segment or automation features to copy subscribers between lists.
Q: Is double opt-in supported?
A: No, leads are added directly as subscribed members. If you require double opt-in, you’ll need to configure this in MailChimp’s list settings.
Q: Can I send different leads to different MailChimp lists based on criteria?
A: The plugin only supports sending all leads from a campaign to a single list. For more advanced routing, consider using MailChimp’s segmentation features after the leads have been added to your list.
Q: Will existing leads be synced when I enable MailChimp integration?
A: No, only new leads captured after enabling the integration will be synced to MailChimp.
Q: Can I customize the subscription status of leads in MailChimp?
A: Currently, all leads are added with the ‘subscribed’ status. Future versions may include options for different subscription statuses.
Updates
This plugin receives regular updates to ensure compatibility with the latest versions of WordPress, ViralMarketingWP, and the MailChimp API. Keep your plugin updated to ensure optimal functionality and security.
To update:
- Go to WordPress Admin > Plugins
- Look for available updates for ViralMarketingWP – MailChimp Integration
- Click Update Now
Alternatively, you can download the latest version from your account at viralmarketingwp.com and manually update.