Using Program Types Engagement and Email vs. using Default and using a Smart Campaign

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Brand new Marketo user here and I am trying to understand the lay of the land. Before implementing actual Campaigns, we are planning things out. I am trying to envision how I might apply our plans to Programs in Marketo.

I am not clear on the benefits of using a Program of Type=Engagement and Channel=Nurture vs just using a regular Program and having a Smart Campaign in there that does the email sends over a given period of time. Is it very similar? Is the Engagement/Nurture option just a simplified why of using a normal Smart Campaign?

Similar question on using a Program of Type=Email and Channel=Email Send. Is this just a simplified, purposeful UI for doing an email send rather than needing to build a Default style Program.

Sorry if these are basic questions, but I am just trying to compartmentalize the Marketo features in my brain.

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hi Scott!

Ask as many questions as you have because the better you understand the distinctions the better decisions you will make in the future with your marketing campaigns.

Engagement vs. Regular Programs
Yes, you absolutely could use a regular program and then put the emails in there. We call these simple drip nurtures. when you want to start more advanced nurtures however based on behavior, excluding people who have previously received a certain nurture, adding in new content or even adding in webinars then the Engagement engine will have features that will come in incredibly handy.

The main advantages are:

1. Using transition rules you can easily have people move among different nurture streams without any complicated workflows
2. New content is incredibly easy to add and if a person hasn't received this content before even though they are almost through the nurture, if you put the new piece of content at the top they will then receive the newest piece of content. The Engagement engine is smart enough to know what a person has or hasn't received before.
3. Multi-channel. With the engagement engine you can include webinars and event programs or sms
4. Control. With the engagement engine you can pause people if your sales team is working on a specific group
5. Data: You can get the Engagement Score and other metrics using the Engagement Program because it comes with it's own dashboard

Email Programs
Email programs are really for the quick and dirty. It allows you to set up email sends without additional campaigns to mark success within Marketo etc. It also allows you to easily do a/b testing and it also comes with it's own dashboard for metrics.

Hope that helps!

[Josh_Hill13]

Phillip has a good overview.

Another thing to look at is my recent presentation on Engagements vs. Drip Nurture:
http://www.slideshare.net/jdavidhill/marketo-engagements-and-drip-nurturing-boston-user-group-dec-10-2013

The big thing to ask is how involved do you need this to be?

From simple to complex:

• Smart Campaign with Send Email
• Smart Campaign with multiple emails and waits (Drip)
• Program Email with smart campaign (useful for tracking success)
• Program Email (new) with AB testing

Generally it is good to use a Program these days, but not totally required.

[Anonymous]

Thank you very much for getting back to me with such thorough answers. Learning Marketo is really fun so far. Marketing is not my background, but I am learning a lot already. This is fun stuff.