Setting up marketing cloud connect in salesforce solution junkies

Automating your data import from Salesforce to Marketing Cloud brings substantial benefits. Connecting your CRM data with your marketing data can significantly enhance performance by reducing errors and improving data accuracy. It eliminates the time-consuming and error-prone process of manually uploading CSV files.

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Connect offers automated data synchronisation, allowing for near real-time updates with a default API call of 15-minute intervals or scheduled updates, which allows for highly personalised marketing campaigns using your Salesforce data.

By streamlining your workflow, you’ll free up valuable time for strategic initiatives, ultimately boosting your marketing efficiency. It also allows you to track changes back from Marketing Cloud into Salesforce and modify records based on customer interaction - a seamless two-way stream.

How Salesforce Marketing Cloud Connect Works with Event Data

Imagine Salesforce Marketing Cloud Connect as a digital bridge between your Salesforce and Marketing Cloud systems. To build this bridge, you first install a special package within Salesforce called the Marketing Cloud Connect managed package. This package contains all the tools needed for the two systems to talk to each other.

The bridge works by using special digital messengers called APIs. These APIs allow Salesforce and Marketing Cloud to exchange information securely. Before they start sending messages, they make sure they trust each other through a process called authentication. This ensures that only authorised users can access and share data.

Once the connection is secure, the real work begins. A data synchronisation engine takes care of moving information between Salesforce and Marketing Cloud. You decide which pieces of information, like customer details, you want to move, and the engine handles the rest. You can set a schedule for how often this information is updated, either every 15 minutes for near real-time updates or at specific times you choose.

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Connect can also trigger actions based on what happens in Salesforce. For example, if a customer’s case is closed in Salesforce, it can automatically send them a thank-you email from Marketing Cloud. Additionally, information can flow both ways. If a customer opens an email sent from Marketing Cloud, that information can be sent back to Salesforce, giving your sales and service teams a complete view of the customer.

In simple terms, Salesforce Marketing Cloud Connect automates the flow of information between Salesforce and Marketing Cloud, eliminating the need for manual data transfers and keeping your data up-to-date.

How to Setup Marketing Cloud Connect

Getting Ready (Prerequisites):
1. Administrative Access:
  1. Salesforce: Log in to your Salesforce org with a user profile that has "System Administrator" permissions. You'll need to be able to install packages and modify settings.
  2. Marketing Cloud: Log in to your Marketing Cloud account with a user role that has "Administrator" permissions. This will allow you to configure API access and manage connections.
    
    Compatibility Check:
  3. Refer to the official Salesforce and Marketing Cloud documentation for the current compatibility matrix. This will detail the supported versions of Salesforce editions and Marketing Cloud stacks.
  4. Ensure your Salesforce org and Marketing Cloud business unit meet the requirements
    
    Install Marketing Cloud Connect:
  5. Install the managed package whilst being logged into the Salesforce org you wish to connect to your Marketing Cloud instance.
  6. Use this link to install the production version of the connector: https://sfdc.co/MCC
  7. Select install for admins only
  8. Click install and grant access to these third-party websites
    Click Continue
  9. Wait for the package to successfully install.
  10. Make sure the user you want to be the Marketing Cloud connect admin has “Marketing Cloud Engagement for AppExchange Admin” and “Marketing Cloud Engagement for AppExchange User” enabled on the user record.
Create API use in CRM:
1. Create a new user in CRM with System admin access to allow Marketing Cloud and CRM to talk to each other (this must be a totally new and separate user), this will require a separate Salesforce license
2. Make sure they are enabled as a “marketing user”
3. Make sure they also have “Marketing Cloud Engagement for AppExchange Admin” and “Marketing Cloud Engagement for AppExchange User” ticked on the user
4. Generate a password and set up the user with a new password
Create API use in Marketing Cloud:
1. We now need to do the same in Marketing cloud so the two systems can communicate with each other. Create a new dedicated user in Marketing Cloud. Make sure this is named to make it easily identifiable as the Marketing Cloud API user
2. Select the API user tickbox
3. Create a password and setup the user
4. Ensure the user has admin and Marketing Cloud admin roles
5. Now login in as the Marketing Cloud API user you just created
6. We are now going to connect to Salesforce from Marketing Cloud, Go to setup in Marketing Cloud and type “Salesforce Integration”
7. Click edit and make sure scope by user is deselected
8. Click the connect account button and enter the details for the CRM API user you created. Click allow to grant access
CRM Configuration
1. Go back into Salesforce using your own admin user
2. Go into setup and connected apps, click “Marketing Cloud Engagement”
3. Click edit policies
4. Under permitted users, Select “Admin Approved users are pre authorized”
5. Under IP Relaxation, select Relax IP Restrictions and under refresh token policy, select immediately expire refresh token
6. Click Save
7. Now go to “Process automation” in setup and click process automation settings
8. If the default workflow user is empty, lookup and choose a user within Admin access and click save. If it is then continue to the next step
9. The last thing is around session settings which populates the IP allow list automatically. Type session settings in the setup, click session settings and scroll to the bottom and click save (No other action needs to be performed here)
Connecting the Systems:
1. Navigate to Marketing Cloud Connect:
  1. Go back into Salesforce using your own admin user , go to "Setup."
  2. In the Quick Find box, type "Marketing Cloud Connect" and select it.
2. Configure Connection:
  1. Click " Marketing Cloud engagement." and verify remote site on the pop-up
  2. Click start wizard and follow the on-screen instructions to enter your Marketing Cloud API user credentials (username and password).
  3. Select the appropriate Marketing Cloud endpoint (e.g., "SOAP API Endpoint").
  4. Click connect.
  5. Log out of CRM and now go into Marketing cloud using your own admin account
  6. Go into users and select the API user you created
  7. Click integrate within the user profile by the salesforce.com status
  8. Enter the username of the CRM API user you created in CRM and save
  9. The status should then update to integrated
3. Business Unit Connection:
  1. Remember, you can only connect one Salesforce org to one Marketing Cloud business unit. If you have multiple business units, you'll need separate Salesforce orgs or consider using a multi-org connector.
Setting Up Data Movement (Data Synchronisation):
Synchronised Data Sources:
1. In Marketing Cloud, navigate to "Contact Builder."
2. Go to "Synchronized Data Sources."
  Select the Salesforce objects you want to synchronise (e.g., "Contacts," "Leads", “Accounts”).
3. You will find that some objects have a prerequisite object that needs to be .mapped first. E.g. You need to map the Contact object before you can map a transaction object - the UI will guide you through these options
  
  Field Selection:
4. For each object, select the specific fields you want to synchronise.
5. Start with essential fields and add more as needed.
6. Standard fields like IDs are automatically preselected for you.
7. Uncheck any fields you don't need. If you are unsure of which Salesforce field you are looking at or want, you can always check them, let them sync and review as to whether you need them. Using the search tool in Salesforce can also help you to identify which field contains specific data.
  Data Exclusion:
8. You can filter which data flows into Marketing Cloud within the synchronised data source
9. Go to the object you want to filter and configure the synchronisation
10. Here you can select a date field or boolean field to filter the incoming data by
  Synchronisation Schedule:
11. In Marketing Cloud, within the Synchronised Data Sources settings, you can view the synchronisation schedule.
12. The default is every 15 minutes.

What is Cloud Connect used for? Examples Of Using Data in Salesforce Marketing Cloud Journeys, Emails and Analytics

Example 1: Using Data in Marketing Journeys (Journey Builder Integration)

Why do this? Integrating Salesforce data into Marketing Cloud journeys allows you to create highly personalised and automated customer experiences. By using Salesforce data as entry sources, you can trigger journeys based on real-time sales activities and customer behaviours. Incorporating Salesforce data into journey decisions enables you to tailor the journey path based on specific customer attributes, ensuring relevant and engaging communication. Furthermore, updating Salesforce records within a journey maintains data consistency and provides sales and service teams with valuable insights, creating a unified customer view and improving overall customer engagement.

Salesforce Data Entry Source:
1. In Journey Builder, create a new journey.
2. Select "Salesforce Data" as the entry source.
3. Choose the Salesforce object and criteria that will trigger the journey.
4. This means that whenever this object is created or updated as you define, the related contact will enter the journey. This is particularly useful for receipt-based journeys when you want to automate a communication based on a purchase for example.
Journey Decisions:
1. Use "Decision Splits" within your journey - using any data related to the subscriber to determine which communication they receive or whether they need to exit that journey and join another based on their behaviour recorder in Salesforce. Configure the decision split to use Salesforce data fields to determine the path.
Salesforce Updates:
1. Use the "Salesforce Activity" within Journey Builder to update Salesforce records. This can also be used to add them to a campaign in your CRM.

Example 2: Sending Emails Based on Salesforce Actions (Salesforce Triggered Sends)

Triggered Send Setup:

Why do this? This allows you to automatically send personalised emails based on specific actions taken within Salesforce. For example, when a new lead is created, you can trigger a welcome email. Or when a customer case is closed, you can automatically send a satisfaction survey. This automates communication based on real-time Salesforce data, improving customer engagement and efficiency.

In Salesforce, use flows or Apex triggers to initiate Marketing Cloud triggered sends.
Use the Marketing Cloud API to initiate the send.

Automation Studio:

Why do this? Automation Studio in Marketing Cloud allows you to build the backend of the triggered send. You will define the email that is sent, and any other associated automation tasks. This provides flexibility and control over what happens when a Salesforce trigger occurs.

In Marketing Cloud, create an automation in Automation Studio that will handle the triggered send.
Use a triggered automation.

Sending Email Results Back to Salesforce (Individual Email Results):

Why do this? Enabling Individual Email Results lets you push valuable email engagement data (like opens, clicks, and unsubscribes) from Marketing Cloud back into Salesforce. This provides sales and service teams with a comprehensive view of customer interactions. They can see how customers are engaging with marketing emails, allowing for more informed and personalised follow-ups. This strengthens the relationship between sales, service, and marketing, and creates a 360-degree view of the customer.

Enable Individual Email Results:

In Salesforce, go to "Setup" and find "Marketing Cloud Connect."
Enable "Individual Email Results."
Configure the objects that the data will be sent to.

Top Tips for Success with Marketing Cloud Connect: Options to Consider

To get the most out of Marketing Cloud Connect, begin with a focused approach: start by synchronising only the most critical data points.

As you become more comfortable and your needs evolve, you can gradually expand the scope of your integration.
Establishing clear data governance policies from the outset is essential, as this will ensure data accuracy and consistency, which in turn leads to more reliable marketing outcomes.
To maintain data integrity, make regular audits a standard practice.
Further enhance your marketing efforts by leveraging the rich data within Salesforce to create highly targeted segments in Marketing Cloud.
Additionally, invest in comprehensive training for your team; this will empower them to effectively use the integration and maximise its benefits.
Remember, less is often more: focus on synchronising only actively used data fields and diligently exclude contacts who will never receive communications.
Finally, consider the sheer volume of data being synchronised, as this can impact performance.

GDPR Compliance Considerations: Details to Keep in Mind

When automating data imports, especially those involving sensitive customer information, prioritising GDPR compliance is not just a recommendation, it's a necessity. To this end, implement data minimisation by strictly synchronising only the data required for your marketing purposes. Ensure that you have robust consent management processes in place for data sharing and communication. This includes obtaining explicit consent and providing clear opt-out mechanisms. Furthermore, implement strong security measures to protect sensitive data from unauthorised access, loss, or breaches. Finally, ensure that you can facilitate data subject rights, such as access, rectification, and erasure, as mandated by GDPR. This demonstrates your commitment to data privacy and helps you maintain compliance.

Streamline Your Workflow and Maximise Performance Efficiency with Salesforce Marketing Cloud Connect

By automating your Salesforce data to Marketing Cloud data import with Marketing Cloud Connect, you're not just eliminating manual CSV uploads; you're transforming your marketing workflow. This automation ensures data accuracy and consistency, which translates to more effective and targeted campaigns. By embracing this technology, you unlock the full potential of your Salesforce and Marketing Cloud investments, driving performance efficiency and ultimately achieving your marketing goals.