Merge multiple engagement programs with the same content

[Anneliese_Schmi]

Is there a way to merge multiple engagement programs with the same content? We currently have three nurtures that have overlapping content and a very similar audience base. We want to combine them into one engagement program for existing and new leads, but we also don’t want existing leads to be sent an email they’ve received before. We’ve been using emails (not default programs) in the nurture streams that have been cloned. Same text and images but different asset IDs .

If we build the new engagement program with default programs and smart campaigns (i.e., add to Program A if they’ve already received Email A), how do we ensure that a lead will be sent an email at each weekly cast? I’m worried that if they’re already received the emails in the first five programs in Stream 1, they won’t get an email for five weeks.

[Chris_Wilcox]

The way to accomplish this is to use nested programs within your NEW nurture program. 

Essentially, you'll create "Default" programs that will live inside your engagement program. Inside that default program, you'll have the email asset associated with that cast, as well as a Smart Campaign that will be able to define who can qualify for the message. Here, you'd essentially pre-run these smart campaigns to add people who have already received these messages to your nested campaign. Once those people are members of your nested campaign in your new engagement program, they will SKIP that campaign when it goes to cast (just like it works if it were the same engagement program), and will move on to the first program they DO qualify for. 

In all honesty, nested programs can be tricky. They behave (in my opinion) a little odd until you get your head around the concept of how the nest program qualification stuff works. I'd encourage you to do some digging in community and youtube to learn about nesting default programs in engagement programs, as I'm confident you can find a solution with that method!

[Kalena_Cavanagh]

Hi Chris - we were told by support this week that members of nested programs don't move to the next program that they qualify for in that cast. They skip that week's cast and move to the next program for the next cast, so there's a possibility that they won't get an email for weeks if they are members of programs (i.e., have already received those emails) at the top of the stream.

Is this not the case? Are you saying that using nested default programs would ensure they would get an email every cast, outside of exhausted content? I've seen this discussed in the Community multiple times, but I didn't know if the older posts are still accurate/applicable. 

[Chris_Wilcox]

What you want to do, is almost pre-load the people who have already received that message as a member of your nested default program. 

So think about it like this. You have your "Send" Smart Campaign sitting in your nurture, waiting for people to get to that cast in the progression. You want to create a SECOND Smart Campaign inside that nested program, that adds people as members of your nested program BEFORE they get to that cast. 

Marketo will progress to the first nested program of which a lead is not currently a member. It will then reference whatever your Send campaign is, confirm they meet your qualification, and be sent the email. If you're pre-loading members to the nested program with a status (I recommended creating another lead status for default programs of "skipped" or something like that to assign for these cases), since that person is technically already a member of that nested program, they will bypass that when the next cast comes. 

I hope that makes any sense. Frankly, I have a little bit of a hard time sometimes with nested programs since we don't use them all that often so let me know if that makes 

[Kalena_Cavanagh]

Thanks for clarifying, Chris. That's exactly how we were planning to set up - using an "Exclusion" status for the default program members.

[Chris_Wilcox]

So long as those additions of "Excluded" to the nested program are happening prior to the cast date/time, it should accomplish what you're trying to do!