Marketing lists allow subscribers to specify what type of messages they wish to receive. When a user creates an account and opts-in to marketing communications, they will automatically be subscribed to all lists not excluded from registration. They can amend these preferences within their account, or by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of a marketing email.
Example of a sign-up form where a user has opted in to receiving marketing emails
When a user registers for an account, they will need to select the checkbox agreeing to receive marketing communications - they can amend these preferences at a later date. If a user does not select this checkbox, they should only be sent transactional emails.
What are the default / recommended marketing lists?
For Customer.io onboarding, theaters should choose either "Showtimes" or "Newsletter" as their primary marketing list. If new to INDY and prefer a simple approach, it's recommended to stick with one list for ease of use.
For those ready to explore multiple lists, reach out to our team via the Portal and select CustomerIO for assistance. INDY suggests various marketing lists if interested in offering multiple options, including:
Showtimes - this list contains users who want to receive emails about showtimes and premieres
Last Chance - this list contains users who want to receive emails about movies that are ending soon
Promotions - this list contains users who want to receive emails about promotional offers as well as behavior-based campaigns
Newsletter - this list is for theaters who want to send users a monthly or weekly newsletter which has a broader focus than showings
For information about how many users are in each list, or to export these lists, log into the INDY Admin Tool and go to Operations > Exports > Marketing Lists. This tab can also be accessed by searching for "Marketing Lists" in the search box.
Please note that marketing lists are specific to individual cinemas and have their own ID even if a name is shared*
Can theaters add / edit / delete marketing lists?
Theaters can access their lists in INDY Admin. This can be found under Settings > Website And Marketing > Marketing Subscriptions. Or searching for “Marketing Subscriptions” in the search box.
Theaters cannot delete marketing lists, but they can archive unused lists (by clicking the three dots next to the list). Please note that when a list is archived, new subscribers will no longer be added to this list and theaters should check that they are not being used in any live communications.
Excluding Marketing Lists from Registration
If "excluded from registration" is enabled, users won't auto-subscribe to this list upon opting into marketing emails. This is advised for cinemas creating lists for screenings tailored to specific audience needs, such as Parent and Baby or accessibility screenings.
If there are multiple lists configured, especially those excluded, prompt users to review their marketing preferences, mentioning it in a welcome email for new subscribers. Contact INDY for assistance with creating a welcome email.
Below is an example of the Marketing Subscriptions tab in the INDY Admin Tool.
*Marketing lists are specific to individual cinemas
Theater companies which operate from multiple sites should be aware that marketing lists are site-specific. This means that the Showtimes list at one cinema, is considered a separate list from the Showtimes list at another cinema. This is indicated by the Marketing Subscription ID.
To illustrate this, below is an image of Metro 4’s marketing subscriptions. It belongs to the same circuit as Yosemite Cinema. The Showtimes list ID is 21, whereas the Showtimes list ID for Yosemite is 5.
Can theaters check marketing subscriptions in Customer.io?
Yes, theaters can create segments in Customer.io which compile a group of all users opted into a list. This is important for setting up segments which are compliant for marketing emails. We will cover this in more detail in the next section: Setting up segments for marketing subscribers.
If you are updating a user's marketing permissions for them, do not do this within Customer.io. We will explain how to do this in the INDY Admin Tool below.
Can theaters add new contacts to all or specific marketing lists?
No, theaters cannot manually add contacts into INDY Admin and should refrain from doing this in Customer.io. If you have contacts from a previous marketing list, please create a support ticket as an Engineer is required to import new contacts. If these contacts need to be included in a specific list and / or a specific cinema, please specify this in the ticket.
Please note that when a new list is created, contacts which were opted into all previous marketing lists will also be added to the new one.
Can theaters amend the marketing permissions of a specific user?
While users can amend their own marketing permissions, a user may ask a theater to do this on their behalf. Marketing permissions should only be amended from the INDY Admin Tool, and only with the user's expressed permission. When updated in the Admin Tool, this will also update in Customer.io.
To access the marketing permissions of a specific user, log into the INDY Admin Tool and go to Operations > Customers > Users. This tab can also be accessed by searching for "Users" in the search box.
In the tab's search box on the right-hand side, you can search for a user by name or email. We recommend searching by emails as it is a unique value. Once you have found the user, select them.
This will bring up a new menu which displays the Details tab. Select the Messages tab and deselect the relevant subscriptions. If the user has not specified which list, we recommend removing them from all marketing lists. Remember to save these changes before exiting the Edit User menu.
Example of the Edit User Menu
To confirm that this has also been updated in Customer.io, click the "VIEW ALL MESSAGES" button. As well as an overview of messages the user has been sent, this will display attribute changes. An unsubscribed contact should display in Recent Activity an Attribute Change where the subscription attribute has been set from "true" to "false".
Example of a user who has been unsubscribed from the Showtimes list
Can theaters amend the marketing permissions of a specific user AND a specific site?
Users and theaters can now edit Marketing Subscriptions for users who have them for more than one site. Previously only the subscriptions for their current site were editable. The current site is the first site they placed an order at or the last site they logged into.
Can users sign up as marketing subscribers without becoming a registered member?
Yes, theaters can add a sign-up form which only collects marketing contacts. A new section needs to be added to the website, which adds Marketing Signup. Theaters can adjust the settings of this block to change its appearance and titles. If you would prefer INDY's assistance with setting up this block, please create a support ticket.
When a user signs up as a marketing subscriber, they will be added as a nonmember (see INDY Admin Tool in Settings > Promotions > Membership Types).
Setting up segments for marketing subscribers
When setting up a segment for a marketing email, it must check whether a user is opted in to receive marketing emails. This segment should be set up to go out to one list only (i.e. showtimes OR newsletter OR promotions list). It is the theater’s own responsibility to ensure they are only sending marketing emails to subscribers.
While each segment should only be set up to target one marketing list, please be aware that you can send a single email to multiple segments as long as all segments are for the same marketing list (and the same site, if a multisite cinema).
Checking for marketing permission in a segment
If a user has signed up to a marketing list, they will be given an attribute for this list and assigned a true value. If a user is not subscribed, they will have a false value next to their name.
Marketing attributes are laid out like this:
subscribed to + [ LIST NAME ] + email + [ CINEMA NAME ] + [LIST ID]
Yosemite Cinema, for example, is:
subscribed_to_promotions_email_yosemite_cinema_8
When setting up a new segment, you will need to check whether the value is equal to true.
Below is an example of a segment checking for users signed up to Yosemite Cinema's promotions list. Here, (optional) checks confirming that a user's email exists and is valid can be added.
Adding additional criteria to a marketing segment
Theaters may need to be more specific than a marketing list, and want to focus on specific criteria (e.g. clicked or opened an email in the last 30 days). Further criteria can be set up within a segment, as long as they have included a condition that checks if users have subscribed to a marketing list.
In the example below, we are setting up a segment which only targets active contacts of the cinema to send them a special offer. This segment searches for users who have opened or clicked an email within the last 30 days. We are also checking whether users are subscribed to the promotions marketing list.
Example of a segment which checks whether contacts are opted in to receive marketing emails
After setting up a segment, theaters should add a tag to show which marketing list the segment is associated with. If a theater has multiple sites, they should also add a tag to show the site (see above section labeled: marketing lists are specific to individual cinemas).
If you need assistance with setting up a segment, please create a support ticket.