Thank you for sharing this!
In my experience as a Marketo Admin or Solution Architect, it is very important to understand the role of APIs in the overall process.
In the instance I manage, we are utilizing REST APIs to allow upstream services to send and retrieve data to and from Marketo, to access or update custom activites / custom objects.
Here are some key points about how Marketo interacts with other APIs:
Webhooks: Marketo can use webhooks to send data to external systems. This allows real-time data transfer based on triggers within Marketo.
https://developers.marketo.com/webhooks/
They can be used to push lead information, campaign results, or any other data from Marketo to another system.
How Webhooks Work
Setup: You configure webhooks in Marketo by specifying a URL endpoint to which the data should be sent.
Trigger: Webhooks are triggered by specific events or actions in Marketo, such as form submissions, lead updates, or campaign actions.
Data Transfer: When triggered, Marketo sends an HTTP POST request to the specified URL with the data payload.
Example Use Cases
CRM Integration: Send lead data to a CRM system whenever a lead is created or updated in Marketo.
Notification Systems: Notify an external system or service (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams) when certain events occur in Marketo.
Custom Processing: Trigger custom workflows or data processing in external applications.
SelfService Flow Step - a framework and set of features for authoring, publishing, and integrating web services into Adobe Marketo Engage Smart Campaigns. - https://nation.marketo.com/t5/employee-blogs/things-to-know-about-self-service-flow-step-ssfs/ba-p/3...
REST API: Marketo's REST API allows external systems to interact with Marketo. This includes creating and updating leads, managing campaigns, and retrieving analytics data.
https://developers.marketo.com/rest-api/
End Points: Marketo's REST API has endpoints for various operations such as lead management, campaign management, and activity tracking.
Usage: External systems can call these endpoints to create, update, delete, or retrieve data in Marketo.
SOAP API: Marketo also offers a SOAP API, which can be used for similar purposes as the REST API but is particularly useful for legacy systems that require SOAP-based integration. The SOAP API is no longer under active development, however the calls still function, but the development is focused on REST going forward.
https://developers.marketo.com/soap-api/
End Points: Similar to the REST API, but uses SOAP protocol.
Usage: Useful for legacy systems or environments where SOAP is preferred.
Third-Party Integrations: Many third-party services and platforms offer pre-built integrations with Marketo, which typically rely on API interactions to synchronize data and automate workflows.
Custom Integrations: Organizations can develop custom integrations using Marketo's APIs to meet specific business requirements, such as integrating with custom CRM systems, e-commerce platforms, or other marketing tools.
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