Inheriting a Marketo Measure (fka Bizible) Instance? Here’s What to Audit First.

cagaver · ‎07-24-2025

Introduction

Taking over a Marketo Measure (fka Bizible) instance can feel overwhelming. Whether a result of joining a new organization, internal turnover, or a recent reorganization, the core challenge remains the same: how do you quickly get up to speed on your new instance?

Instance Audit

The top recommended best practice for customers who inherit a Marketo Measure instance is conducting an instance audit. Instance audits allow you to assess the platform's effectiveness, performance and confirm objectives. In this blog, we'll highlight three key areas to start with as part of your initial audit:

Instance Setup & Configuration
Channel Configuration / Channel Mapping
Diagnostic Reporting

Key Area 1: Instance Setup & Configuration

Understanding and documenting setup and configuration details is a critical step in auditing and managing your new instance. Two of the most critical configuration areas – Domains and Ad Platforms – are essential for accurate Touchpoint tracking in every Marketo Measure instance. These settings should be reviewed and audited regularly to ensure ongoing data integrity.

1 - Domains

❓Where do I find this setting? Go to My Account ➡️ Settings ➡️ Domains

As part of the initial implementation, Marketo Measure JavaScript should have been added to all web properties. Once completed, all Domains must then be properly claimed and activated for Touchpoints to be created and pushed to your account.

When auditing this area, you should be looking to see if all owned domains are properly set up and activated. If they aren’t, this is something you’ll want to resolve right away.

2 - Ad Platforms

❓Where do I find this setting? Go to My Account ➡️ Settings ➡️ Connections

For complete data capture, Ad Platforms should be connected. The native platforms that Marketo Measure integrates with include Google Ads, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Bing.

When auditing this area, you should be confirming that all platforms are connected and that auto-tagging has been properly enabled. For more information on auto-tagging, be sure to read this article: Why Marketo Measure's Auto-tagging is important.

Key Area 2: Channel Configuration / Channel Mapping

In Marketo Measure, channel mapping is the process of determining how marketing touchpoints – such as events, landing page visits, and social media interactions – are classified and assigned to specific marketing channels and subchannels. When reviewing your instance, you’ll want to determine if you have the proper configuration for all the channels and subchannels you want to track and that your touchpoints are being properly bucketed. You’ll also want to ensure your mapping rules do not overlap or conflict with one another.

Here are three settings I recommend reviewing to get you started:

1 - Channel Bank

❓Where do I find this setting? Go to My Account ➡️ Settings ➡️ Create Channels

The “Create Channels” section of your instance – often referred to as a Channel Bank – is where you can view all your potential channel and subchannels.

For those newer to Marketo Measure, it’s important to understand there are TWO different types of Channels in Marketo Measure:

Online Channels are responsible for tracking touchpoints that are generated by the JavaScript. This is commonly going to include things that drive action to your web properties, like Display Ads, Email, Organic and Paid Search, and Organic and Paid Social.
Offline Channels are responsible for tracking touchpoints that cannot be generated by the JavaScript. This is commonly going to include interactions that happen in person – such as Conferences and Trade Shows – but can also include digital interactions that cannot be tracked by the JavaScript (such as third-party webinars).

When reviewing your Channel Bank, you’ll want to ensure all channels and subchannels are properly represented. Note: You can have up to 40 channels and 200 subchannels.

2 - Online Rule Sheet

❓Where do I find this setting? Go to My Account ➡️ Settings ➡️ Online Channels

When it comes to your online (or digital) touchpoints, Marketo Measure uses an Online Rule Sheet that is uploaded to your instance. This is a .csv file containing multiple rows – each representing a rule that defines how digital touchpoints are categorized into specific Online Channels and Subchannels.

For more information, review the recommended Best Practices for Online Channels.

3 - CRM Campaign Sync

❓Where do I find this setting? Go to My Account ➡️ Settings ➡️ Campaigns

While there are multiple ways to track offline (non-digital) touchpoints, utilizing CRM Campaign Sync Rules is the most common, so I always recommend customers start here. This feature allows you to create a rule using Campaign and Campaign Member fields from your CRM.

At a minimum, your CRM Campaign Sync rule structure should include the following:

Campaign Type – This represents the specific type of CRM campaign you are creating the rule for.
Campaign Member Status – This is important to ensure we are only granting a touchpoint for specific valuable engagements.
Date Parameter – Consider how far back you want to go and/or how far back you trust your data.
Touchpoint Date – Make sure the date that is being referenced is the most accurate/real-time data.

For more information, review the recommended Best Practices for Offline Channels.

Key Area 3: Diagnostic Reporting

Arguably the most exciting part of auditing your new instance, diagnostic reporting is a great way to validate your channel setup. It helps you identify touchpoint gaps and/or improperly bucketed touchpoints AND it enables you to really see the full set of touchpoint data so you can determine whether you are happy and confident with how things are configured.

Here are some quick steps to get you started with diagnostic reporting:

Start with the Bizible 101 stock report called Leads by Channel.
Make sure you “Save As” so you don’t overwrite the stock report.
Use the Touchpoint Type field to filter by digital vs. non-digital touchpoints.
Group your report by row using these fields:
- Marketing Channel - Path
- Medium
- Touchpoint Source
Before you run your report, select Hide Details – this will show you a summary of all the touchpoints which is easier to read than the granular details of each touchpoint.

Unsure how to build a diagnostic report? Feel free to let me know in the comments so I can outline the steps for you in more detail in another blog article!

Other Focus Areas

Channel configuration is the most crucial aspect to audit, as it has the greatest influence on your reporting. However, it's important to also review other areas of your Marketo Measure instance. Some additional areas to audit that impact reporting accuracy and data confidence include:

Attribution Mapping – Your Attribution Mapping Methodology determines which Contact records are eligible for Attribution credit for a given Opportunity.
Touchpoint Settings – The Touchpoint Settings section of your instance lets you define rules to suppress or remove touchpoints from your data and any connected systems.
Marketing Spend – Ensuring proper configuration and ingestion of spend data is key to successful ROI reporting.

Conclusion

Auditing your instance is a crucial first step toward understanding how it’s currently configured and identifying any adjustments needed to align with your business objectives, use cases, and reporting requirements. It’s also worth emphasizing that audits – and any diagnostic reporting – should be ongoing processes rather than one-time efforts. Whether you’ve just inherited a new instance or have been managing the same one for years, regular audits will help maintain the accuracy and effectiveness of your Marketo Measure data.

The areas outlined above offer a strong starting point, but to maximize the value of your audit, aim to be as thorough as possible.

Let me know in the comments what other areas of Marketo Measure you plan to audit or share your own tips for inheriting an instance!