Note: Salesforce has changed the name of this marketing automation platform from Pardot to Marketing Cloud Account Engagement. For the purposes of this article, we’ll refer to it as Account Engagement.

Overview

You’ve purchased Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (MCAE)—now what? Before diving into your implementation, it’s crucial to grasp the platform and its terminology. Fortunately, Salesforce offers a plethora of resources for newcomers on Trailhead. If you’re new to MCAE, we recommend perusing this handy glossary and completing the MCAE Basics Trailhead before embarking on your implementation planning.

Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals, you’re primed to delve into the implementation process. Follow the steps below to craft a comprehensive project plan for your MCAE implementation, ensuring a successful rollout:

Implementation Team

Before beginning on your implementation, it’s crucial to set up your project for success with the right people. The following team members are essential to guarantee success:

• Project Manager – To own your project plan and keep your project on track
• MCAE Admin – Responsible for the implementation and setting up the platform to meet your company’s marketing needs
• Salesforce Admin – To complete the technical configuration with Salesforce
• Web/IT Lead – To configure website tracking and forms
• MCAE Power Users – To inform marketing decisions

Account Configuration and Technical Setup

During this phase, you’ll take on essential configuration tasks for your instance. Completing this stage ensures the proper setup of MCAE within Salesforce and aligns the technical components of your setup with your marketing strategies.

Your Salesforce Admin’s assistance is crucial for installing and activating MCAE within Salesforce, as well as addressing technical requirements such as user management setup and defining data sharing rules.

Your MCAE Admin will primarily concentrate on configuring the Salesforce-MCAE Connector, managing field mappings, setting up native integrations, and importing initial prospects from Salesforce.

Additionally, collaboration between your MCAE Admin and your IT/Web team is necessary to establish domains for emails and landing pages, and to implement tracking code(s) on your website.

Marketing Setup

During this project phase, your focus will be on ensuring the correct configuration of your MCAE instance for marketing endeavors. Here are several key areas to concentrate on:

• Folder Structure – Establishing a well-organized folder structure is crucial for scalability. As your marketing initiatives expand, managing assets, campaigns, and data becomes more complex. Without a clear organizational framework, you risk getting lost in chaos.
• Forms / Form Handlers – Forms are effective tools in capturing information about your prospects as you attempt to convert them to opportunities down the road.
• Segmentation and Dynamic Lists – Employ segmentation rules or dynamic lists to categorize prospects based on specific criteria, facilitating targeted marketing actions.
• Emails – Begin constructing marketing emails using either the enhanced email or classic email experience within MCAE.
• Prospect Scoring and Grading – Leverage the built-in capabilities of MCAE for prospect scoring and grading, enabling the assessment of prospect quality.
• Automation Rules and Page Actions – It’s essential to develop automation rules and page actions tailored to your business requirements.

Conclusion

Embarking on an MCAE implementation may seem daunting, yet with a well-structured project plan, you can navigate towards your objectives with confidence. Our MCAE Implementation checklist serves as a valuable resource to keep you on course. Should you encounter any challenges during the process, don’t hesitate to reach out with your questions—we’re here to support your success every step of the way!