Allow members - who previously did not qualify for an engagement program email - to qualify again in the future

[Dan_Stevens_]

Many of us use nested/child programs in our Engagement Programs since it gives us enhanced, more granular reporting/attribution capabilities and additional flexibility to block specific members from receiving certain emails.  Here's a look at one of our EP structures (where additional smart list logic is contained in the “send eDM” smart campaign - and it’s this campaign that’s placed into the EP stream):

For example, if we know someone has already downloaded/engaged with a piece of content that's being promoted in an EP email, we include the appropriate filter to prevent them from receiving the email as part of a cast (unfortunately though, they will not move on to the the next email until the next cast (1 week, 2 weeks, etc.) and will receive nothing - but that's another issue: ).

Let's say we include some additional smart list filtering that may prevent an email going out to an EP member due to their email preference settings.  When that happens, Marketo marks them with some sort of "hidden" program status to ensure they can never run through this program again.  For those of you that don't used nested/child programs in EPs, Marketo will exclude any member of that program from receiving the email (similar to how they exclude any member who's already received the exact email of a simple email-based EP).

But because of this "hidden" program membership - even though they're not really a member with one of the actual program statuses of the program - this person will NEVER qualify for this program/email.  And that's the basis for this idea:  If someone, for example, changes their email preferences - or takes any other action that now would now qualify them for an email within a nested program - let them re-qualify so that they can/will receive this email as part of a future cast.  Or alternatively, allow us to change this "hidden" program status to "not member of program".  This will ensure that anyone that's a member of an EP will receive the content for which they qualify - whether now or in the future.

[Grant_Booth]

We have the same issue. It would be awesome if we could add filters to each piece of content (rather than having to use programs in the stream at all), and people who don't qualify just jump to the next piece of content. I assume that - when deciding whether someone has already been sent a given piece of content - Marketo is just using some back-end smart list anyways?

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi Dan

This is what I had covered here:

-Greg

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Plus a this other ideas enabling us to better control EP membership:

[Dan_Stevens_]

Thanks Greg - upvoted both of these.  The important thing here is this "hidden" program status that gets associated to any EP member that runs through a nested program smart campaign.  We can't see it, we can't modify it, we can't filter on it - nothing.  It's not even documented anywhere that this takes place.  It's one of those behind-the-scenes processes that just happens. 

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi again Dan,

Agreed. This is what I meant when writing

The decision to send an email to a person is based on the Program membership and Program ID.

Program ID, in my words, is what you call "hidden" program status.

Question: have you tried to get rid of that "hidden" program status by running a "change program status -> not in program" on the lead ?

-Greg

[Dan_Stevens_]

have you tried to get rid of that "hidden" program status by running a "change program status -> not in program" on the lead ?

Yes I did.  With no results.  Since the the lead didn't have any "visible" program statuses, the flow step to change program status to "not in program" had no effect.  Nothing written to the lead's activity log either.

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi again Dan,

Too bad. Was worth a try.

My understanding is that is more the sub-program ID that is logged by the EP (similarly to the mail ID for emails in the streams) and which is used to prevent the program to be called twice.

-Greg