Make it possible to rename program "channels"

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Most of us do not use channels as communication channel (such as linked, email or google ads). Instead, we use them as sub types or offer types (webinar, gated content, ...).

The difficulty that many new users face is that the word "channel" is widely used in Marketing community for communication channels.``

So it should be possible to change that word in Marketo (Unless Marketo decides some day to juts change this to "sub type").

And of course, the change would reflect everywhere (in the program creation dialog box, in the revenu explorer, in the program analyzer, ...)

This would greatly reduce the confusion for new Marketo users.

-Greg

[Dan_Stevens_]

What you described in your first sentence is actually reversed, no?  The way most of us use Channels is to define the primary channel (social, PPC, website content, events, etc.).  A sub-type, for example, would be LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook (as sub-types of social).  I wouldn't recommend the latter, as it would introduce a bunch more unnecessary channels within the environment.  So I see no issue in how this is defined today in Marketo.  Am I not understanding your idea correctly?

[Geoff_Krajeski1]

I agree with Dan Stevens​.  The best use for Channel is the main category, Paid Social as in your example Greg.  The subtype, or another tracking parameter can be utilized to define the specific source.

This is at least how my instance is implemented.

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi Dan,

No, in fact, most of the users I know do use program channels to identify the content types:

Meaning that these are not used to track communication channels.

My proposal is that, by default, the terminology may remain "Channel" but that it should be possible for the admin to change the term into something else.

-Greg

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi Guys,

Sorry, but this kind of negates the way the channels are really defined in Marketo (admin -> tag -> channel). Ex: webinars is not a communication channel, and yet it is a program channel.

-Greg

[Dan_Stevens_]

Greg, those are indeed channels - not content types (IMO).  Here are our channels - which accurately reflect the channels that we use to go to market:

[SanfordWhiteman]

Ex: webinars is not a communication channel, and yet it is a program channel.

How is webinars not a comms channel tho?

I can see the appeal of official subchannels and (maybe) of the idea that in specific cases you want to surface only subchannels, so you want to call them by a third name. And you do hear people refer to subchannels as channels and channels as "groups" or suchlike. But gotta agree with the other guys that most of your "channels" are actually communications channels.

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi Sanford,

A webinar does not promote itself. It is just a content. Creating a webinar in let's say webex will not drive any registration. You need to promote it through various comm channels such as email, linkedin, twitter, SEA, website/SEO, ...

Maybe we all just use different definition of the same words here

-Greg

[SanfordWhiteman]

I think there are differing, perhaps warring, definitions, yes.

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi again Sanford,

The way we look at it is that webinars, seminars, ... are offers that all use online forms to capture lead data and are in the end ways to 1/ capture leads and 2/ deliver a content to these leads. On the other end, communication channels are the ways by which we make sure leads (known or not) can become aware of the availability of these offers.

But in Marketo, we usually use program "channels" to define the "offer type". And when we want to track the communication channels, we use a more or less sophisticated offer/channel model, where the (communication) channel is managed with leads fields (meaning we only keep first and last) or with SFDC campaigns. This may change in the future if and when this other idea is implemented.

My vision on this is also sustained by the fact that the "Channel" statuses (invited, registered, attended, ) and success are very relevant in conjunction with Offer types.

Which is why I would love to be able to rename Marketo program "channel" into "Offer type". But I also understand that other may have a different view on how to use program channels, hence the fact that I think that the renaming should not be done by Marketo but left to admins.

-Greg