Must-Use Salesforce Marketing Cloud Features 2024

Salesforce Marketing Cloud is empowering organizations to deliver targeted, personalized experiences and build enduring customer relationships. 

This comprehensive guide will delve into the must-use features of Salesforce Marketing Cloud in 2024, highlighting how they can be leveraged to enhance marketing efforts and drive results.

Must-Use Features of Salesforce Marketing Cloud

1. Data Extensions

• Data Extensions are powerful tools that allow for the creation of flexible hybrid objects combining data from contact records with other data sources, such as account or event attendance data.
• They enable sophisticated customer journeys with flexible personalization and decision logic informed by the entire data set.
• Data Extensions help avoid large lists with hundreds of prospect fields, keeping the account tidy and reliable.

2. Marketing Cloud Connect

• Marketing Cloud Connect provides seamless integration with other Salesforce Clouds, aligning marketing and sales teams by sharing data and branded assets.
• It enables the automation of customer journeys based on Salesforce CRM records using Journey Builder.
• The connector allows for the removal of prospects from journeys based on their interactions with the sales team, avoiding unnecessary marketing emails.

3. Dynamic Content Blocks

• Dynamic Content Blocks allow for the personalization of email copy or images for individual recipients based on preset rules within a single email campaign.
• This feature saves setup time and enables sending communications that resonate with the audience, driving better engagement.

4. Ad Campaign for Journey Builder

• The Advertising Studio module allows for the creation of ad audiences and adding contacts to ad campaigns within Journey Builder.
• This feature makes journeys truly multi-channel by integrating social media into touchpoints, ensuring maximum reach and frequency among the audience.

5. Structured Query Language (SQL)

• SQL is an industry-standard way to transform and group precise segments of data, making it easier to manage data by merging or adjusting tables as needed.
• It is a technical feature best managed by someone experienced in data science or development.

Also Read – Does Salesforce Marketing Cloud Work on Inbound Emails?

6. Geofenced Mobile Messages

• Geofencing allows for setting up physical geographical areas to target and send messages only to contacts within those areas.
• This feature is useful for retail stores, events, and targeting users near competitor stores.

7. Interactive Email Forms

• Interactive Email Forms within the Email Builder allow for including forms in emails that recipients can submit without leaving their inbox.
• This feature is useful for immediate reviews, prospect interests, and one-click sales enquiries, reducing the number of steps for engagement or conversion.

8. Marketing Cloud Personalization

Previously recognized as Interaction Studio, Marketing Cloud Personalization offers dynamic, tailored content across multiple engagement points. By utilizing real-time data on customer behaviors, it delivers customized recommendations and experiences, which can significantly boost engagement and conversion metrics.

9. Marketing Cloud Intelligence

Once known as Datorama, Marketing Cloud Intelligence brings together marketing data from various sources into one cohesive platform. This feature provides in-depth analytics and reporting, empowering marketers to evaluate performance, refine campaigns, and make strategic, data-informed decisions with ease.

10. Mobile Studio

Mobile Studio enables brands to connect with customers directly through SMS, MMS, push notifications, and group messaging. With capabilities for location-specific targeting and immediate interactions, it is ideal for time-sensitive campaigns and notifications.

11. Social Studio

Social Studio equips marketers to listen, publish, and engage with audiences on a range of social media channels. It offers tools for monitoring social activity, scheduling content, and analyzing performance, aiding brands in maintaining a robust social media presence and responding promptly to audience feedback.

12. Advertising Studio

Advertising Studio allows marketers to create and control targeted ad campaigns across platforms like Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn. By leveraging CRM insights, it helps marketers personalize ad audiences, attract new customers, and re-engage inactive leads effectively.

13. Marketing Cloud Engagement

This feature focuses on enabling consistent, relevant engagement across various channels, including email, mobile, ads, and the web. It supports the development of integrated campaigns that resonate with audiences, increasing engagement and driving conversion.

14. Marketing Cloud Advanced Cross Channel

This capability enhances the management and optimization of cross-channel marketing efforts. It ensures that messaging and branding remain uniform across platforms, enabling marketers to deliver a seamless and cohesive customer experience.

Benefits of Using Salesforce Marketing Cloud

1. Data Administration: Enhance data management with tables that provide data enhancements.
2. Comprehensive Tools: Manage the user experience across email, social networks, site customization, ads, content production, and data analytics.
3. Predictive Algorithms: Assist in making judgments, such as which platform is best for a specific message.
4. Journey Builder: Tailor campaigns to clients’ behavior, requirements, and contact channel choices.
5. Scalability: An expandable system that can grow alongside your business, ensuring it remains relevant and effective.

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Pricing

Salesforce Marketing Cloud offers a range of products tailored to different marketing and data management needs. Here’s a breakdown of the key pricing models to help you choose the right product for your business:

Marketing Automation Products

Marketing Cloud Engagement

Starting at $1,250 USD per organization/month (billed annually)
Ideal for organizations focusing on personalized marketing across various channels, this product provides:

• Comprehensive Email Marketing tools
• Content Creation features for seamless campaign management
• Robust Analytics to track and optimize your marketing efforts

Marketing Cloud Account Engagement

Starting at $1,250 USD per month (up to 10,000 contacts, billed annually)
This solution is designed for businesses seeking to nurture leads and improve campaign effectiveness:

• Lead Nurturing and Scoring to boost engagement
• Engagement History Dashboards for a clear view of interactions
• Campaign Reporting and Insights for actionable data on performance

Data, Personalization, and Analytics Products

Data Cloud for Marketing

Starting at $108,000 USD per organization/year (billed annually)
This solution unifies your customer data into a single profile, providing:

• Data Ingestion and Harmonization for seamless data management
• Identity Resolution and Activation to deliver personalized experiences
• Insights and Predictions for data-driven decision-making

Marketing Cloud Personalization

Starting at $108,000 USD per organization/year (billed annually)
Focused on creating dynamic and personalized experiences, this product offers:

• Web and Email Personalization for targeted marketing
• Segmentation, Rule-Based Decisioning, A/B/N Testing, and Reporting
• Product and Content Recommendations to enhance customer engagement

Marketing Cloud Intelligence

Starting at $3,000 USD per organization/month (billed annually)
Designed to process and analyze marketing data, this product includes:

• Access for up to 10 users
• 3 million data rows for comprehensive reporting and insights

Customer Loyalty Solutions

Loyalty Management

Starting at $20,000 USD per organization/month (billed annually)
This tool helps businesses build and manage customer loyalty programs with:

• Member Administration and Reward Management
• Static Benefit Management for consistent rewards
• Tableau CRM integration for advanced insights into loyalty data

Referral Marketing

Starting at $12,500 USD per organization/month (billed annually)
This solution enables businesses to scale their referral programs with:

• Unlimited Referral Promotions and customizable templates
• Referral Sharing Widgets and Referral Tracking
• Voucher Management for managing rewards and promotions

Important Notes:

• All listed prices require an annual contract.
• Data Cloud operates on a consumption-based model. The Data Cloud Starter package includes 10 million Data Services Credits and 5TB of storage, with additional services available for purchase as needed.
• Pricing is subject to change. For detailed pricing or specific configurations, please contact a Salesforce sales representative.

Is Salesforce Marketing Cloud Right for Your Organization?

Determining whether Salesforce Marketing Cloud is the right fit for your organization depends on a few key factors:

1. Targeted Marketing Needs: If your business requires highly personalized marketing campaigns, automation, and a multi-channel approach (email, SMS, ads, etc.), then Salesforce Marketing Cloud’s tools like Journey Builder, Dynamic Content Blocks, and Advertising Studio will likely suit your needs.
2. Data-Driven Marketing: Salesforce Marketing Cloud is ideal for organizations looking to leverage large volumes of customer data for segmentation, behavior-based triggers, and advanced analytics. Businesses that rely on data to drive decision-making will benefit from its robust capabilities.
3. Scalability: If your organization is growing or anticipates growth, Salesforce Marketing Cloud is highly scalable, allowing you to expand your marketing efforts as your audience grows without major overhauls.
4. CRM Integration: If your business already uses Salesforce CRM, Marketing Cloud offers seamless integration, allowing your marketing and sales teams to work together more effectively. Shared data can enhance both marketing personalization and sales conversion.
5. Advanced Features: If you need features like geofencing, AI-driven insights, or mobile push notifications, Marketing Cloud provides advanced functionalities that are helpful for businesses in retail, e-commerce, or event-based industries.
6. Budget Considerations: As Marketing Cloud is a premium product with various feature sets, it’s essential to consider your budget. Smaller businesses may find it more cost-effective to explore other marketing automation tools, while medium to large organizations can fully leverage its capabilities.

Summing Up

Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a powerful tool for businesses looking to enhance their marketing efforts and build enduring customer relationships. With its wide range of features and benefits, it provides a comprehensive solution for managing the user experience across multiple channels. By leveraging Salesforce Marketing Cloud, businesses can create targeted, personalized experiences that drive results and foster long-term relationships with their customers. 

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are Data Extensions in Salesforce Marketing Cloud?

Data Extensions are powerful tools that allow for the creation of flexible hybrid objects combining data from contact records with other data sources, such as account or event attendance data.

2. How does Marketing Cloud Connect benefit businesses?

Marketing Cloud Connect provides seamless integration with other Salesforce Clouds, aligning marketing and sales teams by sharing data and branded assets. It also enables automating customer journeys based on Salesforce CRM records using Journey Builder.

3. What is the purpose of Dynamic Content Blocks in Salesforce Marketing Cloud?

Dynamic Content Blocks allow for changing email copy or images for individual recipients based on preset rules within a single email campaign. This feature saves setup time and enables sending communications that resonate with the audience, driving better engagement.

4. What is the benefit of using Journey Builder ‘Copy Activity’ in Salesforce Marketing Cloud?

The ‘Copy Activity’ feature in Journey Builder saves time by allowing the creation of a journey for one split and then copying, pasting, and amending it for other paths, rather than building every little bit from scratch.