Retargeting emails from webpage visit

[angelavt]

Hello,

We’re planning to implement email retargeting based on webpage visits, and I need some clarification on how it works with Marketo.

I understand that by adding the Marketo munchkin code, we can track page visits (including those from anonymous ISPs). However, I’m not sure how we would know the email address of a visitor to trigger an email. Specifically, does the trigger only apply to leads already in our CRM, where we have their contact information associated with their IP address (e.g., "This person with this IP is a known lead and their email is X")?

I apologize if this is a basic question—I'm not very technical!

Thanks in advance for your help!

[SanfordWhiteman · Accepted solution]

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Specifically, does the trigger only apply to leads already in our CRM, where we have their contact information associated with their IP address (e.g., "This person with this IP is a known lead and their email is X")?

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We wouldn’t say “CRM” but “MAP”. (Marketo Engage is a Marketing Automation Platform, not a CRM.) People need not exist in your CRM to exist in Marketo.

In any case, triggers never fire for people who aren’t in your database. They fire in the context of a known person record only, and in the case of Visits Web Page and Clicks Link on Web Page, they only trigger if the person has allowed the Munchkin cookie to be set and the cookie is associated with their record in the database. Cookies become associated either by clicking a tracked link in a Marketo email or filling out a form (or by using the API, but you aren’t doing that if you’re not technical).

[michellechopin · Accepted solution]

Hi @angelavt,

In addition to @SanfordWhiteman's detailed answer, here's more information about Known records/people in Marketo:

Known Person

Any person data in the Marketo database is considered known person data. There are a variety of ways for someone to enter your database, including: CRM sync, filling out a form, list import/manual entry, programmatic (rest API/partner integrations), and more. Web visitors are initially cookied (and are anonymous) via Marketo's Munchkin web-tracking and are then subsequently mapped to the corresponding known person record when identifiable action occurs (e.g., clicked a tracked link in a Marketo email, filled out a form with their email address, or are mapped manually through the Marketo associate lead APIs in both Munchkin and Rest API.

Definition from Marketo Engage Glossary.

It's important to remember that a person isn't "known" to Marketo simply by virtue of their email being in your Marketo database - they have to actively do something for the Munchkin code and cookie to start tracking them.

Hope that helps clarify 😀

Michelle

[SanfordWhiteman]

Thanks, Michelle. Since I’m feeling persnickety, there are some errors in the docs. 😛

For example, the Munchkin API method of associating sessions no longer exists. And with the REST API, you aren’t limited to only the Associate Lead endpoint, since the Submit Form endpoint can also associate (and isn’t the same as filling out a form in the browser).

There are also conflicting concepts of “known-ness” when it comes to known people or known visitors.

A known person is in the billed — to put it bluntly! — and permanent part of your Marketo database. An anonymous person is in the unbilled and temporary part of the db and identified by a Munchkin cookie.

A known visitor is the known person, if any, that becomes associated with a Munchkin cookie.

Anyway, despite the occasional inconsistencies in terminology, the thrust is that anonymous people will never trigger campaigns while they’re still anonymous... though some activities that occurred when a cookie was still anonymous will trigger campaigns later, when the cookie becomes associated with a known visitor.

[michellechopin]

I appreciate those specific details, @SanfordWhiteman - your expertise is always admirable 🙌

I think those are important definitions, ones that I will also now use when explaining to folks how Known People are comprised in/by Marketo - we tend to run into the issue with people not understanding why someone isn't considered "known" simply by virtue of us having their email address/being in our database, so we focus on the need for a form fill or click on a Marketo email link.

I will definitely be including your description/explanation - "A known visitor is the known person, if any, that becomes associated with a Munchkin cookie - as a way to explain HOW the two pieces come together and HOW Marketo marries the activity taken by the lead while they are anonymous with the information gathered as the person becomes known to us (e.g. through a form fill).

I always learn something new from you 😀