Nurture Automation Best Practices

[Anonymous]

Hello,

Our Marketo will be integrated with our Salesforce database. What would be the best way to create an automation that triggered after, say, a sales rep changes someone's lead score? After their lead score changes, we'd want to send a piece of downloadable content or provide further information. Then, perhaps after a delay of a few days, they would receive a second email. Would I host my emails as local assets under an Engagement program? Is it preferable to push leads through a smart campaign? It looks like I may be able to use them together, i.e. set up an engagement program with my emails, and then set up a triggered smart campaign to add leads to the engagement program when their score is changed.

What would you recommend as the most effective way to get leads through this type of automation?

Thank you.

[Grégoire_Miche2 · Accepted solution]

Hi Cheri,

Once the connection is enabled, any change made on data in SFDC will be reflected within 5 minutes in Marketo. You will be able to detect this with "Data Value Changes" trigger and add a "source is sfdc" constraint. You can also use a "data value changed" constraint.

e.g.:

or

With either these filters or triggers, you will be able to run a flow that does exactly what you want to do. You can also use these to add the leads to an engagement program.

Engagement programs are easier to setup and to evolve (for instance if you want to add or remove contents), but have the drawback to have a very fixed interval between email casts. Smart campaigns will be more flexible, but not as well adapted to evolve on the longer term.

-Greg

[Anonymous]

Hi Greg, thanks so much for the reply. I have a few more questions--thank you for your expertise on this.

(1) If I was to use smart campaigns to send automated emails, would I need to host that smart campaign underneath an engagement program in order to have emails stored there as local assets?--even though I wouldn't be using the engagement program itself to move people through the cadence? It doesn't look like I can host emails as local assets under a smart campaign.

(2) If we have designers that code emails from scratch each time, what is the best way to import those emails? I would think creating folders in the Design Studio per email and have unique file names for those images, then use a blank template to edit each email send. Or would I add each new email as a template?

(3) If I wanted to set up a smart campaign to send someone a second email if they have not opened the first email after 2 days, would this set up work (I want this to run after the email is sent, not at a specific time during the week, thus I'm operating under the assumption I need a trigger, eg the first email being delivered, to set things in motion. Using a "not opened email filter", date of activity does not matter if I'm going to stipulate on the next page to wait 2 days, correct?)

Smart list page:

Flow page:

Thank you again Gregoire Michel​!

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi Cheri,

1. No, if you choose the smart campaign approach, you do not need to use an engagement program. A Standard program would be perfectly suitable. It's either one of the other, but I suggest to do not try to make a mix of the 2? you would soon get lost in the logic.
2. No, do not create a new template for each new design if these designs are to be used only one. Create an email with a blank template, edit it, then hit the "email actions -> html tools -> replace html" menu, and paste your code. Pay attention to the unsubscribe and view as web page links, if you do not use Marketo default
3. This would be worth a separate question No, the setup would not work. The "not opened email" filter would only be evaluated once, at the moment the email is sent. You just need the trigger, and in the flow step #2, click add choice as is:
   

-Greg

[Anonymous]

Thanks Greg,

Per question 1, how are you defining "Standard program?" Which program type and appropriate channel would I select to host my smart campaign?

Per question 2, is it possible to edit the text version of the email without those same edits applying to the HTML version?

I'll move question 3 to a new thread for more clarification.

Thanks!

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi Cheri,

Use default, sorry, not standard

You also will need a channel. If you do not have one that fits here, youn will need to create one in admin-tags.

-Greg

[Grégoire_Miche2]

And keep it here now, that's OK.

I just wanted to explain a best practice re. the community which is not to post too many questions in one, this in fact discourages other members to even read it, when we see it's too long and seems complex

We are all answering questions here on top of our regular work activities, so the shorter, the better...

-Greg

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the insights Greg; I'm also on this account.

To send a second email after 2 days if the first email is not opened: would this be a correct way to set up the automation? Note that on the Flow page for Choice 1 I've selected "NOT Opened Email"

Thanks!

[Grégoire_Miche2]

HI Cheri,

almost. Your second flow step needs to show a "do nothing" if the lead has not opened the 1st one, so just empty the "email" box in the default choice.

-Greg

[Anonymous]

Great! Thanks Greg. (Meant to post as Jordan last time, I am also on the account). That clarification helps a lot.

Per the text version of an email: is there a way to edit the text version without the HTML version updating? Say I wanted to simplify my text version. Right now when I edit the text version, it looks like it's applying the same edits to the HTML version.