It’s an exciting moment to get that bright, shiny, fresh instance of Marketo Engage. The possibilities, the freedom, that new instance smell… It’s all right there in front of you. And nothing makes this feeling go away more than a poorly implemented solution. Your implementation will either get you started with a solid foundation or leave you flailing and wondering where it all went wrong.
In this article, we’re going to outline the five most important aspects of your Marketo Engage implementation that you just have to get right. Let’s get to it.
#1 The sync with Salesforce
Let’s be honest, if the sync with Salesforce (SFDC) isn’t set up correctly, then your Marketo Engage (MKTO) instance is doomed for failure. Without a proper sync with SFDC, your MKTO instance won’t work right. Ever.
You won’t have the correct data to create Smart Lists for your marketing programs. You won’t have the correct data to run any kind of reporting. It all falls.
To get this right, there are three key things you need to focus on.
- The sync user has the correct permissions for objects and fields
- You’ve done the proper field mapping exercise to understand which fields need to be in Marketo and which don’t
- Documented and robust testing of the integration
If you focus on these three things, you’ll get this right, and your MKTO will operate as intended.
#2 Program Strategy and Program Templates
This one is typically not given the amount of time and energy that it deserves. But, here’s the thing, if you don’t do this–or don’t do it well–you’re going to have problems.
Programs are essentially how you get stuff done in MKTO. They allow you to send emails, run and track events and webinars, and set your lead sources and acquisition programs. They’re also the primary basis for reporting in MKTO, at least in terms of any kind of influence-type reporting.
Also, MKTO is a somewhat complex tool. It’s not super intuitive to learn how to set up programs. And, you want your team to be efficient.
Therefore, you need a solid program strategy and effective program templates.
A good program strategy involves intentionally designing the Channels and the Channel Statuses, and then matching them back to SFDC Campaigns and Campaign Member Statuses. A good program strategy enables us to create effective program templates and track marketing engagement.
Good program templates allow us to do two key things.
The first one is to be efficient in our program creation and execution process. If you have to create every new program from scratch, as opposed to just cloning a template, you’re simply wasting time. You’re not being efficient.
The second one is to be consistent in our program creation and execution process. To obtain good, clean, and actionable data, you need to execute your programs consistently and reliably. The statuses must be used in the same way. The sync to SFDC Campaigns must work the same way. You can’t have people doing whatever they want in these programs. Program templates make it easy to stay consistent. People will be consistent if that’s easier than not being consistent.
#3 Technical Configuration (namely, Munchkin code and SPF & DKIM)
This is important for two primary reasons…
The Munchkin code enables MKTO to track individuals as they interact with your website. This is extremely important for your MKTO implementation, as you’ll use it for all sorts of Smart Lists. You’ll use this information to create targeted email audiences. You’ll use this information to create Smart Lists for reports. You’ll use this information for data management purposes.
SPF and DKIM are what ensure that your emails get delivered. Note that MKTO is configured to send emails on behalf of your organization. SPF & DKIM are basically how you tell the Internet (it’s a lot more complicated than this, but we’re simplifying here) that MKTO’s domain can send emails on behalf of your domain. It’s like you’re permitting them to send emails.
If you don’t have SPF and DKIM set up correctly, you’ll have serious email deliverability challenges. Email is one of the primary functions of MKTO, and if your emails aren’t landing in your audience’s inbox, then your marketing efforts will fail, no matter how good the content is.
#4 Your form strategy
You will be using MKTO’s form functionality. MKTO’s forms should replace all of the existing forms on your website. This allows all form fills to directly enter MKTO and it allows you to take action based on form fills. There are triggers and filters using the “Filled out Form” functionality.
There are additional benefits to using MKTO’s forms, such as progressive profiling, conditional fields, and pre-populating data points we already have, as well as others. Therefore, this is a critical function that requires careful setup.
We always advocate for a global form strategy. That means you should have somewhere around 5-7 forms, at most, in your MKTO instance that you reuse across your various use cases on your website and landing pages.
These forms are standardized with the key fields required for proper lead creation in SFDC and effective lead routing. These forms also power your unsubscribe, opt-in, and/or GDPR processes. This ensures that you’re compliant with all of your forms. Nothing would hurt more than having a GDPR violation because someone created their form without respecting the GDPR compliance process.
Another one of the biggest reasons you don’t want to have unlimited forms in your MKTO instance is due to maintenance. What happens if a new field is required to create a new record in SFDC? Do you want to update the 5-7 forms? Or would you like to update 1,000 forms? You want to update 5-7 forms.
#5 Training and Enablement
At the end of your implementation, you should have a well-designed and well-functioning MKTO instance. And, with the power and complexity of MKTO, it’s like you were just handed the keys to a Ferrari. Would you want to hop into a Ferrari without any training on how to operate it? Absolutely not.
MKTO is no different. You need proper training and enablement on all aspects of the implementation. This includes documentation. If your implementation partner performed an action in MKTO, you need to be trained on it and have documentation outlining the specific action taken.
And, virtual training isn’t enough. You need hands-on experience as well. That’s why we always create practical homework assignments as part of the training and enablement process. You should be given a scenario, such as building a webinar program, that you and your team can complete together. After your team has completed the homework assignment, your implementation partner should review and assess your work, providing feedback and coaching to ensure you’re doing these tasks correctly.
Fin
There are many more aspects to an MKTO implementation. This isn’t anywhere near all of them. You’ll also need email templates, landing page templates, lead scoring, a lead lifecycle, and many more focus areas that are standard parts of an implementation. However, these are the ones that will have the greatest impact on the functionality of your MKTO instance—and, indirectly, your effectiveness as a marketer or marketing operations professional.
If you get these things right, you’ll be set up for success. If you get these things wrong, you will struggle.
Need help getting Marketo Engage set up the right way?
Our team specializes in clean, scalable implementations that set you up for long-term success. Whether you’re starting fresh or fixing a messy instance, we can help. Contact us to learn more about our Marketo Engage implementation services.
