Perfect Your Marketo Salesforce Integration

So you’re feeling like a marketing master because you just implemented Salesforce and now you’re ready for the big leagues: integrating with Marketo. Marketo Salesforce integration is a two-way sync that updates every five minutes without skipping a beat, so you can get back to what you’re doing while it stays in tip-top sales shape. But before you do anything, here’s what you need to know to make your integration a certified success.

Before integrating Marketo and Salesforce, the most important thing you want to do is make sure your marketing and sales teams are aligned! According to the Aberdeen Group, sales and marketing alignment can lead to a 32% increase in year-over-year revenue growth, so it's worth the time to get everyone on the same page. Technology is only as good as the process you set up, so it's very important for both teams to understand every step—from acquiring a new lead to engaging with prospects and customers. Once you've reached consensus, the technology can be implemented.

Here are three of the most common pitfalls we’ve come across with clients who have tried to integrate these two platforms on their own:

1. Data Mapping
Contact roles need to be mapped properly in Salesforce because they provide the bridge between the people who receive marketing and the opportunities that are created in Salesforce. Why is that important? To attribute opportunities to your revenue cycle model, you'll need to have contact roles attributed in Salesforce, which will sync over to Marketo. Without a proper setup, you won't be able to measure marketing’s impact on revenue.

2. Sales Follow-up
Make sure the sales team knows how to manage leads being sent to Salesforce. It's important for the marketing team to effectively communicate and explain how the sales team will receive new leads and their value. It might be beneficial to set up a meeting with the sales team before sending over leads, so teams can properly align.

3. Goal Alignment
Make sure strategies, goals and technologies align for both your sales and marketing teams. You'll want to make the transition to the sales team is as smooth as possible. Make sure goals, roles and technology are all aligned. Set a foundation for your marketing goals with metrics, and a plan for how you'll use technology to talk to each other and increase sales conversions. It's important to communicate to the sales team the terminology, methods and processes of each tech stack so they can properly align.

Organization is very important across both Marketo and Salesforce. Without it, a successful integration can fall apart in a matter of days. Naming conventions should be created to make it easy for everyone to navigate both systems and find what they're looking for. It's best to establish organization in Salesforce and plan ahead as you sync to Marketo. Here are two easy steps to get you started:

1. Label your prospects and customers in a dedicated field.
Have a field that designates between a customer and a prospect. This is crucial for being able to target and communicate with your audiences the right way. In Marketo, you'll be able to segment your audiences using this field and can target prospects or customers separately in campaigns.

2. Map all relevant fields from Salesforce to Marketo.
To have fields properly syncing, you'll need to go to your Marketo admin section to make sure the fields are mapped to your Salesforce instance. This will make sure all of your important data is being passed from your CRM to Marketo and is actionable in your marketing activities.

So you got your sync up and running, but it’s taking forever to sync! Now what? Here are three ways you can speed up your sync:

1. It's important to note that the first sync will take a long time. Since all your data will need to be synced to Marketo, it can take 24 hours or more in some cases.

2. Looking for more speed? Schedule batch update campaigns to run at night, rather than during the day when you're working. If they're all running at the same time, this will slow down the system significantly.

3. Hide fields that aren't relevant anymore. The more fields that are being synced between Salesforce and Marketo, the longer an update will take. If there are fields you don’t need anymore, they can be disconnected from Salesforce and hidden in Marketo.

Successfully integrating Marketo and Salesforce can be a tricky task for any marketing pro, but by taking the time align, organize and refine your process, you’ll be well on your way to getting the leads you need to take your business to the next level.

Are you hitting some roadblocks with your Marketo Salesforce integration? Sign up for our Free Marketo Health Audit and our data experts will take a look under the hood to see how your integration can go smoother.

If you’re a current client and have a question related to this topic, reach out to your account executive and we’ll get you taken care of.