Most Feathr customers use more than one app or platform to work with their contact data and other marketing data. It can be difficult to maintain continuity of that data across multiple platforms. To simplify cross-platform data continuity, Feathr offers an integration with Zapier (rhymes with happier), an app designed to automate data changes across otherwise unconnected platforms.
A properly configured Zapier integration can update Feathr people records when you make changes to corresponding records in Salesforce, HubSpot, or other CRMs and data-handling platforms.
For example, if Brenda Byrd's email address changes and you update her contact record in Salesforce (or whichever CRM your organization uses as a "source of truth"), your Feathr Zapier integration will automate that change in Feathr as well, without any extra effort on your part.
The article you are reading covers setting up the initial integration.
Read this article for specific instructions on how to build Zaps for Feathr. Watch the video below for a real-time walkthrough of integrating a Feathr account and building a first Zap:
Quick-start Steps (detailed instructions below)
- Verify that the app or CRM you'd like to connect to Feathr has an existing Zapier integration by checking the Zapier directory.
- Decide which data fields you'd like to connect to Feathr from that app or CRM—for example, email address.
- If those fields don't exist in Feathr, create them. That way the data coming from your other source has a home in Feathr.
- Sign up for a free Zapier account.
- Generate an API key from your Feathr account to paste into Zapier (directions below).
- Locate Feathr in the Zapier directory and add it to "My Apps" in your Zapier account, following the Zapier prompts.
- Add your other app or CRM to "My Apps" as well.
- Build your Zaps.
The following articles comprise the full help documentation for setting up and using Feathr integrations with Zapier.
Preparing to Integrate
To prepare for your Zapier integration, choose the fields from your CRM or other non-Feathr software that you'd like to be automatically updated in Feathr when they are updated in their original source. Name, email, organization, job title, etc. all could be good candidates for such automation.
If the data point you want to automate is not a default field in Feathr person records already (for example: "donation amount"), you must create a home for that data in Feathr using custom data fields before you connect via Zapier.
Creating Custom Data Fields
(For a general guide to custom data fields in Feathr, read this article. Continue here for Zapier-specific instruction about custom fields.)
In order for a Zap to work correctly, the data from your CRM or other platform must have somewhere to "live" in Feathr. If the data you wish to connect is not a default field in Feathr already (such as "name" or "email"), you will need to create a custom field for it.
For example, if you have a field in a separate platform labeled "membership status" that you want to appear in your Feathr people data as well, you will need to create a custom attribute field in Feathr called "membership status," because that is not a default field.
To create a custom field in Feathr, log in to Feathr and navigate to the Data menu. Once you're in the data view, you will see a sub menu option on the left labeled Custom Fields. Navigate there, then locate the blue button in the top right labeled "+ Create Custom Field." Click that and you will be taken to a brief form.
If the data you wish to sync using Zapier is person data, choose Person under the Collection dropdown. If it is related to web activity, choose Activity.
Note: "person" data is commonly called "contact" data in other platforms and CRMs.
Name the new custom field using the same name as it appears in the app you wish to connect via Zapier. This is essential to successful syncing with Zapier. Choose the appropriate data type in the next dropdown:
Text refers to imported data that needs to be interpreted as text. Most custom fields will fall into this category. Examples would be job title, city, sponsorship level, etc.
Date refers to data that is strictly numerical dates. Feathr uses a date parser to attempt to interpret any data of this type accurately as a date, but for best results, we recommend formatting it as YYYY-MM-DD.
True/False is for data that contains a binary choice. When importing data of this type, use T or F as the input. Examples would be is a member, is a donor, is a sponsor, has submitted form x, has subscribed to list x, etc.
Number is for data that is strictly numerical. Examples would be age, dollars donated, sponsorship value, etc.
List refers to a comma separate values list. The correct format for input for a list data type is item 1, item 2, item 3, item 4, etc.
The description field is optional but may help you and your colleagues understand or remember this field in the future.
Choose Next, and if everything is correct on the next page, choose Submit. This generates your custom field, which will be available to populate with data in every person record.
Note: when creating your Zap in the Zapier platform, if you do not see the custom field you created, refresh the Zapier page. The custom field should display after a refresh.
Generate an API Key in Feathr
An API key is one of two pieces of information required to enter into Zapier to verify the integration. The other is your Feathr login credential. When you connect your Feathr account to Zapier, Zapier will ask you to log in to Feathr and to provide an API key. This enables the two apps to communicate, kind of like a phone number.
To generate your API key, log in to Feathr, navigate to Profile & Settings, then to Integrations. Under the Integrations tab click API keys. You will see an empty table.
Next, click generate new key and select Zapier as the vendor.
Use the options button in the table to copy the API key to your clipboard. When you navigate away from Feathr to Zapier, you will be prompted there to paste it.
Next, you'll be navigating over to Zapier.
Create the Integration in Zapier
Note: we will try our best to support usage of Zapier here within the Feathr help desk, but because Zapier is subject to change without our knowledge, your best source of information is Zapier's own help documentation.
If you don't have a Zapier account, begin by signing up for free. Once you are able to access Zapier:
- Log in to your Zapier account.
- Navigate to "My Apps" from the top menu bar.
- Choose "Connect a new account..." and search for Feathr.
- Follow Zapier's prompts to authorize connection with Feathr. This will include entering your Feathr credentials, as well as pasting the API key you previously copied. Keep following Zapier's prompts until the authorization is successful.
If for some reason the authorization does not work, return to your Feathr account and select revoke on the API key you generated, then generate a new one and repeat the steps above.
Once you have completed the steps above, your integration is done, and you can begin building your Zaps.
What is a Zap?
A Zap is an individual automated workflow in Zapier. Each Zap consists of a trigger and one or more actions. When you turn your Zap on, it will run the action steps every time the trigger event occurs.
A trigger is an event that starts a Zap, and an action is an event a Zap performs after it is triggered. For example, if you create a Zap to update a person record in Feathr any time the record is edited in Salesforce, the edit you make in Salesforce is the trigger and the resulting automated update in Feathr is the action.
For guidance on building Zaps, visit this article in the Zapier help documentation.
For specific information about how to build Zaps for Feathr, refer to this article.
Special Notes & Support/Troubleshooting
Zapier cannot manage bulk data uploads in Feathr. That can be done natively in your Feathr account via email imports, partner imports, or opt-out imports. Zapier is intended to work in the background to reconcile data in Feathr when updates to that data are made in other apps.
Zapier support can be reached at contact@zapier.com. Please also feel free to contact support@feathr.co or use Feathr's support chat at the bottom right of your account. If your question is more appropriate for Zapier's support team, we reserve the right to direct you to Zapier.