Higher Logic Thrive Marketing Integration Guide

The Higher Logic Thrive Marketing Integration allows you to use Rhythm’s vast query engine to build targeted lists for email marketing campaigns. 

What information is needed before setup?

From Rhythm

Prior to setting up the integration, a Rhythm staff member will need to enable it in your instance. Please reach out to your Customer Success Manager or Project Manager for assistance. 

From Higher Logic

Prior to setting up the integration, you will need to set up an account with Higher Logic. If you need any assistance setting that up, please reference this article from Higher Logic. When you set up the integration in Rhythm you will need the following:

• Brand Name
• Brand ID
• Encryption Key
• Username

For the integration to work, you will need to enable encryption on your Higher Logic account. If this is not enabled, please reach out to your Higher Logic representative. 

 

What needs to be configured?

Basic Set Up in Rhythm

Security and Settings

1. Click Integrations
2. Click Informz, under Marketing Automation
3. Click Create Account
4. Enter in a Connection Name
   1. This will be what is seen when you choose where to send integrated queries
5. Enter the email address you want to receive sync notifications from
6. Enter in the Brand Name, Brand ID, Encryption Key, and Username
7. Click Save Changes

Helpful hint: The username is the same as when you log into the Higher Logic platform.

IMPORTANT: The following IP addresses need to be white-listed for the integration to work properly. Starting IP 3.232.5.78 Ending IP 3.232.5.78; Starting IP 44.208.186.1 Ending IP 44.208.186.1; Starting IP 52.6.113.37 Ending IP 52.6.113.37

List Setup in Rhythm

To send contact lists to Higher Logic, you can create new Rhythm queries or integrate existing ones that have contact information. These queries must first be saved under My Organization’s queries.

Defining Query Criteria
Rhythm recommends using the following fields as query criteria:

• Email Opt Out = No
• Contact status does not equal inactive or deceased.  
  • Note: Rhythm contact status options are active, inactive, suspended and deceased.   This field indicates whether contacts can interact with the Rhythm portal and is distinct from membership status.

Creating a new Query

To create a new query to be sent as a contact list, follow these steps:

1. Click Queries
2. Click New Query
3. Select Contacts > Contacts
4. Add the Higher Logic recommended fields
5. Add any additional fields needed
6. Set the criteria to pull specific contacts
   1. Within Rhythm we offer configurable communication types that would be best suited for this
7. Click Run 
8. Spot-check a few records to ensure they do meet the criteria you specified
9. Click Options
10. Click Save Query

Tip: Use a descriptive name for the query as the query name will be pushed to Higher Logic

Integrating an existing Query

To send an existing query as a contact list, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Contacts + Organizations application
2. Click Queries
3. Click My Organizations Queries
4. Find the query you want to send to Higher Logic
5. Click the chevron on the right-hand side 
6. Click Integrate
7. Select the Higher Logic integration option
8. Click Save Changes
9. Once integrated, Rhythm will send updated query results to Higher Logic every hour

Finding Integrated queries

1. Navigate to the Contacts + Organizations application
2. Click Queries
3. Click Integrated Queries
4. Here you will see a list of all queries that are integrated

If you want to remove a query from being integrated:

1. Navigate to the CRM application
2. Click Queries
3. Click My Integrated Queries
4. Click the red trash can on the right hand side

Creating a Suppression List

A suppression list includes contacts that should not be sent to Higher Logic Thrive Marketing These contacts elected not to receive marketing emails. To build a suppression list

Suppression lists are lists of people who you do not want to send to Campaign Monitor. These can be labeled with the following steps

1. Navigate to the CRM app
2. Click Queries
3. Click My Organizations Queries
4. Click the Chevron on the right side for your desired query
5. Click Suppression List
6. Select your Higher Logic Thrive Marketing account
7. Click Save Changes

When creating your suppression list we recommend that you use the following criteria:

• Email opt out = Yes

Basic Set Up in Higher Logic Thrive

1. Click Setting on the left hand side
2. Click System Settings
3. Click Higher Logic API Configuration
4. Whitelist the following IP ranges

• Starting IP: 3.232.5.78
• Ending IP: 3.232.5.78

 

• Starting IP: 44.208.186.1
• Ending IP: 44.208.186.1

 

• Starting IP: 52.6.113.37
• Ending IP: 52.6.113.37

 

How do we test the integration?

In Rhythm 

To test this integration in Rhythm, you need to ensure that your desired list is integrated with Higher Logic. Once that has been done and the top of the hour has passed, it is time to check your Higher Logic instance.

In Higher Logic 

Once the sync has happened, all lists will appear in the Custom User List page. To verify the integration please click the chevron on the right hand side of the list and then select view list to ensure those you expect to be there are present. 

Suppression Lists 

Suppression lists are for contacts that have opted out of receiving marketing emails. The field to add as criteria for suppression lists is the “Opt Out” field or any custom field you may be using for that purpose. The suppression list is meant to exclude anyone from emails so you will not need to add the Opt Out field to other queries. These lists will appear in Higher Logic Thrive Marketing in the Custom User List page. 

To test, confirm that no contacts in the Suppression List in Rhythm appear in other Higher Logic Thrive Marketing lists.

Write Backs in Rhythm

When a contact receives an email as part of a marketing campaign, that email will appear on their Contact record under the Activities tab. Here you will see delivered, opened, or clicked for each email they received. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q: If I am an existing Informz user, will our current mailings and campaigns be available once the integration with Rhythm is activated?

A: Yes. The integration with Rhythm will add new subscribers with their related interests, which can be used in new campaigns. It will not remove any existing campaigns or templates.

Q: How do I define a list to send to Higher Logic Informz?

A: To create a list, start by defining a new query that includes contact information. This might be the “Chapter Roster/Memberships” query, the “Event Registrations” query, the “Organizations and Contacts by Role” query, or just a simple “Contacts” query.

Next, add the selected fields with information that you want to appear on the subscriber record in Higher Logic Informz. These are the fields you can use as merge fields (also called personalization tokens) when you create your e-mailing.

If you want to filter the list, you can define criteria to include/exclude some of the contacts.

Finally save the query. On the save dialog, select the public “My Organization’s Queries” folder, then enable the option to integrate this query with Higher Logic Informz.

Q: Can I integrate a private query with Higher Logic Informz?

A: No. For a query to be used in any integration, it must be a public query in the “My Organization’s Queries” folder.

Q: How can I tell if a query has been integrated with Higher Logic Informz?

A: When you are viewing all saved queries, there is a “Used In” column where you can see if a query is used in any integration.

Q: Can every query be used to define a list?

A: No. A query must include contact information to be eligible to be used as a list in Higher Logic Informz. For instance, a query that only returns chapters and related fields is not eligible since it does not contain any contact information.

Q: Can I choose which fields are sent to Higher Logic Informz as personalization tokens in my emails?

A: Yes. All of the selected fields you specify in your query will be sent to Higher Logic Informz as personalization tokens that you can use when composing an email. 

The Rhythm query engine allows you to select fields from several different kinds of objects, such as contacts and memberships, in a single query. When these fields are sent to Higher Logic Informz, all fields will be defined as demographics on the subscriber record.

Q: Are all email addresses on a contact subscribed to the list (will one contact receive multiple emails on different addresses)?

A: No. Only the primary “Email Address” field is used for bulk communications. 

Q: What happens when a contact appears on more than one list?

A: Any contact that appears on any list will be sent to Higher Logic Informz as a single subscriber record that includes all the selected fields from every query where they appear. Each list that includes the contact will be sent as an “Interest” which can be used in Higher Logic Informz as a target group for mailings and subscriptions.

Q: Can I see which lists a contact appears on from their contact record?

A: Yes. The first time any list is pushed to Higher Logic Informz, a new communication type is created in Rhythm matching the name of the list. For each contact on the list, this new communication type is added to their communication preferences along with the date and time.

When viewing the contact record, you can see all the communication preferences for that contact including the communication types created during this process. 

Q: Can I define a global suppression list?

A: Yes. When you save a query that will be synchronized with Higher Logic Informz, you can optionally indicate that this will be a suppression list. Any contact that appears on any suppression list will not be sent to Higher Logic Informz, even if they appear on other lists.

Q: How can a message recipient unsubscribe from a mailing list?

A: In Higher Logic Informz you can create Preferences Forms that allow a message recipient to manage their subscription status. This information is set in Higher Logic Informz first, and then automatically updated in Rhythm on a regular basis.

Q: Can a message recipient manage their subscription status in the Rhythm portal?

A: No. Message recipients should manage their subscription preferences in Higher Logic Informz using the Preferences Forms.

Q: Can I administratively unsubscribe a contact in the Rhythm console?

A: You can either enable the global email opt-out on a contact, or define a new query that includes the contact and save it as a suppression list. Either method will ensure the contact is no longer sent as a subscriber to Higher Logic Informz.

Q: What happens if a message recipient unsubscribes from a list in Higher Logic Informz?

A: When a user unsubscribes from a particular list in Higher Logic Informz, their contact record in Rhythm is updated to disable the corresponding communication type in their communication preferences. The date and time of the change is also recorded.

When the lists are next synchronized, this list will no longer be included in the Interests for the subscriber.

Q: What happens if a message recipient unsubscribes from all communications in Higher Logic Informz?

A: When a user unsubscribes from all communications in Higher Logic Informz, their contact record in Rhythm is updated to enable the global “Email Opt Out” field. 

When the lists are next synchronized, this contact will not be included at all.

Q: If a contact has unsubscribed from everything, do they still receive transactional emails (order confirmations, event registration, payment receipts, password reset emails, etc)?

A: Yes. Transactional emails are exempted from the global opt-out.

Q: If a contact has unsubscribed from everything, do they still receive 1-to-1 emails initiated from Rhythm?

A: Yes. Direct emails are exempted from the global opt-out.

Q: How quickly are unsubscribe actions processed?

A: An unsubscribe in Higher Logic Informz will be reflected on the contact record in Rhythm the following day.

Q: Are changes to communication preferences, such as unsubscribes, tracked in Audit Logs?

A: Yes. All changes to the contact, including Communication Preferences, are tracked in Audit Logs. Also, the last change to the Communication Preference for every list is tracked directly on the contact.

Q: Can I see Higher Logic Informz mailing activity on a contact record in Rhythm?

A: Yes. Under the activity tab on the contact, you can see the mailing subject as well as fields to indicate if the mailing was delivered, opened, or clicked. You can also filter the activities to see only marketing activities.

Q: How quickly do Higher Logic Informz activities appear on the contact record in Rhythm?

A: Activities from Higher Logic Informz will be reflected on the contact record in Rhythm the following day.

Q: Do transactional or direct emails appear the same as marketing emails on the Rhythm contact?

A: No. Transactional and direct emails appear under the emails tab on the contact in Rhythm. Marketing emails are listed only under the activities tab.

Q: Can a query that has been integrated with Higher Logic Informz be edited?

A: Yes. Anyone with permissions may edit an integrated query, however before a user saves the query, they will be prompted to confirm that they are changing an integrated query, which may change the behavior of the integration.

Q: How can I delete a query that has been integrated with Higher Logic Informz?

A: To delete an integrated query, first edit the query and select the save option. In the save dialog, disable the option to integrate the query with Higher Logic Informz. 

Once you have saved the query, it should no longer show a value in the “Used In” column and can therefore be deleted as normal.

Q: If I delete a query that was integrated with Higher Logic Informz are the related activities and communication preferences deleted from contacts?

A: No. Deleting a query that was integrated with Higher Logic Informz does not delete any data except the query itself. This means that all activities, communication preferences, and communication types will remain the same.

Q: What happens to contact records that are deleted in Informz, but the query is still active? Will the data resync to populate Informz again? 

A: Yes. However, you can exclude a contact from being sent to Higher Logic Informz by either enabling the global email opt-out field on the contact in Rhythm, or creating a query that includes the contact and saving it as a suppression list.

Q: Can integrated query be toggled on/off or enabled/disabled to pause or temporarily withhold the sync from within the Rhythm console?

A: Yes. An integrated query can be disabled, which will stop the related interest from being attached to subscribers in Higher Logic Informz.

Q: Will removing an integrated query from syncing with Informz also remove the contact records from Informz? If not, will there be a note or warning instructing staff to perform the removal directly in Informz?

A: If an integrated query is removed or disabled, the contacts from that query will no longer be sent with the corresponding interest. However, they will still be sent to Higher Logic Informz unless they do not appear on any other integrated query, the global email opt-out flag is set on the contact, or they appear in a suppression list.

Contacts that are no longer being sent from any integrated query can be deleted from Higher Logic Informz without being recreated during the next sync. This information will be included in a Knowledge Base article that will be referenced when an integrated query is disabled or deleted.