Ambre Juryea-Amole, Author at Sercante

About Ambre Juryea-Amole

Ambre Juryea-Amole is the content strategist at Sercante. In her role, she leads The Spot and delights Sercante clients with her copywriting and editing expertise. When Ambre's not working, you'll find her jamming out to ska, metal, punk, and classic rock with her husband and their two young kiddos.

Salesforce Announces Marketing GPT and Commerce GPT

Salesforce is upping their game in the race to incorporate the latest generative AI tools into their products. Announced during Salesforce Connections on June 7, Marketing GPT and Commerce GPT are coming to Salesforce customers using Marketing Cloud and Commerce Cloud.

The features are gonna make it easier for marketers to reach the right audiences and generate emails, and commerce teams will create better shopping experiences and customer journeys. But, the best part is that both Marketing GPT and Commerce GPT can be connected to Data Cloud — meaning the tools can do their thing using data from any source.

History of Salesforce in the GPT game

Both Marketing GPT and Commerce GPT are dependent on Einstein GPT, which is the generative AI version of Einstein.

For a little back story, Salesforce Einstein is the machine learning model the company rolled out in 2016 to analyze large sets of CRM data. So, Salesforce has been on the AI train for a while already.

Einstein can do things like predict which customers or sales leads are likely to buy by looking at data from a bunch of sources. Or it can analyze data to determine the best time to send emails to your lists.

You can get it in Marketing Cloud Engagement and Account Engagement, Sales Cloud, Commerce Cloud, Experience Cloud, and Service Cloud, along with other platform tools.

In March 2023, Salesforce released Einstein GPT, which combines the machine learning model Salesforce developed with the chatbot from generative AI company OpenAI. (On a side note, Salesforce is going heavy on the AI devotion and has already invested $250 million into other AI technology companies.)

So, how are Marketing GPT and Commerce GPT related to Einstein GPT?

Both Marketing GPT and Commerce GPT are powered by Einstein GPT — the AI-powered set of solutions that marries Salesforce AI with OpenAI’s technology. They are both iterations of Einstein GPT that are tailored for the respective clouds. Stay tuned because we’re seeing GPT features getting infused across all Salesforce clouds in addition to these two.

What capabilities do Marketing GPT and Commerce GPT have?

Both of the sets of features combine generative AI capabilities, which use data from OpenAI, with Salesforce Data Cloud. That means you can use customer profiles in Data Cloud that include data from any source in real time. And while you don’t have to use Data Cloud to take advantage of the Salesforce GPT features, you’ll definitely be able to do more if you have it.

So, what exactly can you do with Marketing GPT and Commerce GPT?

Marketing GPT Capabilities

We’re really gonna be cooking now by giving the people super valuable experiences through email and content marketing. We already have Einstein features in our marketing back pocket, but now we’re throwing GPT into the overall mix. That means we can use conversational language prompts to get Marketing Cloud to do things for us.

I mean, it’s not going to organize all those random newsletter graphics you’ve been uploading to Account Engagement without using a naming convention (yet???). But it will do things like analyze the data you have and use that information to predict the best ways to improve your emails.

Source: Salesforce

Here’s what Marketing GPT can do (so far):

Segment Creation | generally available Oct. 2023
This is a whole new fancy way to build your audience segmentation strategy. You can tell Marketing Cloud to create audience segments for you using natural language prompts, and it will help you to improve your targeting using AI recommendations and audience data that’s in Data Cloud.

Email Content Creation | generally available Feb. 2024
Ok, so I’m gonna have to see this one in action, but Salesforce said this feature can “reduce writing workload” by creating auto-generated emails. It can potentially be a big one for marketing teams that have the content but stumble with their email marketing.

Segment Intelligence for Data Cloud | generally available Oct. 2023
This adds a fancier twist for tracking ROI. Segment intelligence combines first-party audience data, revenue data, and paid media data to show you exactly how your campaigns are doing in relation to your audience segments.

Rapid Identity Resolution, Segmentation, and Engagement | generally available Aug. – Oct. 2023
Salesforce is going heavy on the ‘transform at the speed of your customer’ theme. The mouthful that is this feature basically keeps Data Cloud segments updated in real time so messaging is always relevant and timely.

Typeface content platform | GA date not given yet
Using a third-party content generator called Typeface, marketers can create branded visual assets (like email graphics or social cards) inside Salesforce. Stay tuned for this one cuz it could be huge.

These are the features that Salesforce outlined during the announcement, but we’re sure the list will grow with each Salesforce release.

Commerce GPT Capabilities

We’re also getting a bunch of generative AI features for B2C companies that use Salesforce tools for commerce. These are especially cool because ecommerce customers can be a fickle bunch. Getting them exactly what they want when they want it makes all the difference.

Source: Salesforce

Here’s what Commerce GPT can do (so far):

Goals-Based Commerce | generally available Feb. 2024
This is one of those a-ha tools for businesses with big growth goals. It unites Data Cloud, Einstein, and Flow to lay out everything commerce companies need to do to reach their goals. Users give it a goal, like increase average order value (AOV) by XX%, and it gives recommendations on how to get there.
Dynamic Product Descriptions | generally available July 2023
Okay, so we’ve seen how serving up product recommendations based on customer preferences has shaken things up for commerce companies. But now we’re gonna be taking it even further by introducing dynamic copy capabilities for product descriptions. It could be a serious game changer.
Commerce Concierge | generally available Feb. 2024
Not all of the Commerce GPT features are specifically for Salesforce users. Online shoppers can use Commerce Concierge to find what they need using language prompts across channels from online stores to SMS messaging.

Comments on generative AI + Salesforce from the peanut gallery

My two cents: My mind immediately goes to the content creation features of Marketing GPT. There is SO MUCH copywriting that goes into marketing. And we’ve seen a whole bunch of copywriting GPT tools pop up in the last year, like the free Stensul email toolkit or paid ones like GrammarlyGo. Some people are naysaying the tools in fear that they will replace copywriting jobs, but I don’t think that’s the case at all.

In my experience, leaner marketing teams rarely have dedicated copywriters. Those responsibilities are usually lumped into other marcom roles. I see the tools giving marketers the ability to edit copy instead of writing from scratch. Then, they can have bandwidth to dig deeper with their messaging and present higher quality work that hits their audience in the feels. And being able to do that inside Salesforce just sweetens the whole deal.

I opened the floor to my teammates about what they think about Marketing GPT and Commerce GPT, and here’s what they had to say.

Cate Godley

“I’m excited to see how Marketing GPT can help marketers to craft better subject lines and calls to action to increase engagement with content. There are so many ways to use generative AI to inspire creativity in our marketing efforts, and I can’t wait to see how people are using these tools in new and exciting ways.”

Courtney Cerniglia

“As marketers, we’re constantly asked what content is resonating most with customers, what action will increase likelihood to purchase, and how we identify our highest value leads. Marketing GPT is going to help prove our assumptions and give us the data in real-time, across platforms, so we can quickly pivot and personalize experiences for customers.”

Mike Creuzer

“There have been a few inflection points where human knowledge growth hockey sticked. Gutenberg press took centuries, computers took decades, the internet took years, and this generative AI appears to be taking… months?

According to the 2023 Connections Keynote, there were 1 million users in two months for ChatGPT (if I remember correctly).

We are at the start of the next great change in pace of human knowledge and communication.

2023 is the year where AI is no longer hidden away behind RFID badged doors and is widely available to EVERYBODY in a usable, general way.

In business, AI has been baked into the tools that we use for many years now. But it’s been a one trick pony. It’s now anything WE want it to be, not just what our vendors built.”

Continue the conversation

What are your thoughts on Salesforce and generative AI? Any hot takes? Tell us about it in the comments, or reach out to team Sercante to see how the tools fit into your overall marketing and operations strategy.

Original article: Salesforce Announces Marketing GPT and Commerce GPT

The post Salesforce Announces Marketing GPT and Commerce GPT appeared first on The Spot.

By Ambre Juryea-Amole|2023-06-08T19:17:37+00:00June 8th, 2023|Categories: Automations, Data Management, Emails & Forms, New Features, revive|

In a move that extends beyond the chatbots used to formulate interview questions or write email subject lines, Salesforce is expanding automation capabilities by integrating Einstein GPT and Data Cloud with Salesforce Flow.

So, what does the announcement from Salesforce mean for marketers?

Bringing Einstein GPT and Data Cloud capabilities into Salesforce Flow means marketers can use the automations to create impressive real-time experiences for customers. And they’ll accomplish that using clicks rather than coding skills.

It’s something that will make the tools easily scalable for Salesforce customers at every growth stage.

How and when can Salesforce customers access it?

The announcement actually involves two initiatives Salesforce is launching. The first is a tighter integration between Salesforce Data Cloud and Flow. And the second is the integration of Einstein GPT and Flow.

According to John Kucera, senior vice president of product management at Salesforce, customers can use Flow currently with Salesforce database data. The integration updates between Data Cloud and Salesforce Flow are opening up the possibilities, and incorporating Einstein GPT is adding an efficiency edge to the technology.

Kucera said the Einstein GPT capabilities will be available on an early adopter basis in early fall as part of the Salesforce Winter ‘24 release. He went on to say that the Data Cloud integration will probably be offered as part of a standard Salesforce subscription, and Einstein GPT for Flow may carry an additional charge once those details are worked out.

Einstein GPT and Data Cloud Capabilities

Salesforce introduced Einstein GPT in March 2023 as the world’s first generative AI CRM technology, which infuses proprietary Salesforce AI models with generative AI models from OpenAI and other large AI models. And Data Cloud takes customer data from any source inside or outside the Salesforce platform and harmonizes it in real time.

So what in the world does that mean for marketers?

That means marketers can use information from Data Cloud to generate content and build workflows via Einstein GPT. Since Data Cloud reacts to data changes in real time, marketers can serve content that adapts dynamically and creates personalized experiences every time.

For example, a marketer could use Einstein GPT to generate an email with dynamic content blocks that update in real time when a Data Cloud field updates based on customer activity.

John Kucera said to SiliconANGLE, “You can give it a prompt such as ‘I want to create a guided workflow for a new customer or create a rule to follow up with an email to customers who haven’t responded in five days.”

Infusing Einstein GPT and Data Cloud with Salesforce Flow

The new integrations are going to turn things up a notch for marketers. Here’s what happens when we incorporate Salesforce Flow into the Einstein GPT and Data Cloud mix.

What is Salesforce Flow?

Salesforce Flow is a declarative automation tool. It allows you to create complex automations inside the platform using clicks rather than code, so users can get in there without the need for developer skills.

Marketers use Salesforce Flow for things like managing campaign activations, automating customer onboarding steps, or creating a custom task series for sales teams.

How can marketers use Salesforce Flow with Einstein GPT and Data Cloud?

Using the Einstein GPT and Data Cloud integration alongside Salesforce Flow is changing the game for marketers who use the platform. That’s because marketers will be able to use conversational chatbots to automate complex workflows and trigger actions in real time.

Users and admins can describe the type of flow they want to build, and then they’ll sit back and watch the chatbot complete the tasks. Or, it can be used to build formulas or search for functions. It removes much of the manual and tedious work that goes into creating complex flows and automations.

Source: Salesforce

For example, a field in Marketing Cloud Engagement detects that a customer added items to their shopping cart, but they left the page without completing the purchase. That triggers an immediate email notification, created via generative AI, that goes to the customer and offers a discount code for them to complete the purchase.

In summary, the three benefits to marketers include:

Reduced flow build time
Access to more options to automate with flow
Improved real-time personalization for customer interactions

Get ready for generative AI inside your Salesforce org

We’re on the edge of our seats with anticipation for combining Einstein GPT with Salesforce Flow and Data Cloud capabilities.

These technologies make us feel like we have a front row to the future of CRM and marketing automation. So, in the meantime, we’ll be thinking about all the ways we can use conversational AI to do all the things us busy marketers do.

Have any aha use cases you’d like to share? How do you think Einstein GPT, Data Cloud, and Flow are going to work together in your org? Let us know in the comments!

You can also drop us a line if you’re wondering how you can incorporate these tools into your marketing operations strategy.

Original article: Salesforce Automation Game-Changer: Einstein GPT and Data Cloud Capabilities for Flow

The post Salesforce Automation Game-Changer: Einstein GPT and Data Cloud Capabilities for Flow appeared first on The Spot.

By Ambre Juryea-Amole|2023-04-19T21:08:10+00:00April 19th, 2023|Categories: Automations, Industry News, New Features, Release Notes|

I saw an email pop in my inbox last week from our pals at Stensul. The subject line read “Simple and quick subject lines? The Stensul way it is.” Inside the email was a link to try out an AI-powered email subject line generator.

I had to check it out.

I spend lots of time in my role at Sercante writing and editing copy for marketing assets like emails, blog posts, landing pages, and social media posts. And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten in an editing hole testing different variations of words for email subject lines until I find the perfect one.

That’s what got me so excited about the tool.

Email Subject Lines that Inspire Action and Curiosity

Each email you send through your marketing automation tool has such a small chance to get people to do the things you’re asking them to do. So, it’s especially important to write an impactful email subject line to get people curious about what your email has to offer. You also have to provide value by offering your reader clear expectations about what’s inside the email.

I’m thinking the Stensul email subject line generator will be helpful for achieving those goals. I’m also thinking we can use it to create subject line variations for A/B testing.

Trying the Stensul Subject Line Generator on Sercante Emails

I guess the best way to see how this thing works is to dive in. First, I went to the subject line generator landing page and traded my info for access to the tool. A few seconds later, I got an email with my magic link to use it.

Here’s what it looks like:

You’re prompted to enter the text of your email along with details like your company type, industry, and tone of voice along with word limit for the subject line.

The tone of voice options range from average to entertaining. Here are the options:

Enthusiastic
Funny
Informational
Casual
Professional
Pirate-Like
Yoda
Shakespearean

I tested it out using a few older Sercante emails to see what subject lines it produces.

Here are examples from my exploration:

Sercante 2022 Year in Review Email Example

Here’s what I got when copy-pasted the content from our 2022 year in review email and asked for 10-word subject lines.

Original subject line: Join Us In Celebrating Our Milestones

The email:

Results with Enthusiastic Tone:

Celebrating a Year of Growth & Opportunity with Sercante!
2022 Highlights: Sercante’s Unforgettable Journey
Sercante’s 2022 Milestones: Thanks for the Support!
Sercante’s Incredible Growth: Join our 2023 Adventure!
Cheers to Sercante’s Success: Let’s Make 2023 Even Better!

Results with Funny Tone:

Hold Our : Sercante’s Wild & Wonderful 2022 Recap!
Blast Off! Sercante’s Stellar 2022 Highlights Inside
Unleashing the Fury: Sercante’s -Filled 2022 Adventures
Sercante Turns 5: Our Side-Splitting, Record-Breaking Year!
Brace Yourself: Sercante’s 2022 Rollercoaster Ride Awaits!

Note: I love that it’s intuitive enough to throw a dragon emoji in there.

Results with Yoda Tone:

Growth & Opportunity, 2022 We Celebrate, Yoda Says
Memorable Year, Sercante’s Journey, Learn You Will
Gratitude and Success, 2022 Recap, Stronger Together
Salesforce Support, Sercante Achievements, Future Yoda Sees
Embark 2023, Marketers’ Galactic Adventures Await Us

The Spot & Jenna Molby Partnership Email Example

Here’s more email subject line generator exploration using an email we sent to announce Jenna Molby’s partnership with The Spot.

Original subject line: A shining Salesforce star is joining The Spot

The email:

Results with Informational Tone:

Discover Jenna Molby’s Salesforce Insights on The Spot
Elevate Your Marketing with Jenna Molby & The Spot
Master Pardot: Jenna Molby’s Tools & Tips Now Live
Unleash Your Salesforce Potential: Jenna Molby & The Spot
Jenna Molby’s Salesforce Expertise Joins The Spot Library

Results with Informational Tone:

Jenna Molby Joins The Spot: Upgrade Your Salesforce Game
The Spot + Jenna Molby: A Match Made in Salesforce Heaven
Jenna Molby’s Salesforce Secrets Now on The Spot!
Boost Your Salesforce Skills with Jenna Molby & The Spot
Unleash Your Marketing Superpowers with Jenna Molby & The Spot

Results with Pirate-Like Tone:

Ahoy Mateys! The Spot & Jenna Molby’s Treasure Trove Unveiled
Sail into Salesforce Success with Jenna Molby’s Insights
Chart Yer Course with Jenna Molby’s Ultimate Salesforce Guides
Discover the Hidden Gems of Salesforce with Jenna Molby
Jenna Molby’s Swashbuckling Salesforce Secrets Unleashed

Results with Shakespearean Tone:

Behold! Thee Spot & Jenna Molby: A Veritable Pairing
Pray, Joineth The Spot for Molby’s Salesforce Wisdom
Salesforce Mastery: Jenna & The Spot Unite in Harmony
Rejoice! Jenna Molby’s Tools Now Grace The Spot
Hark! Jenna Molby’s Top Guides, Now on The Spot

My thoughts overall on the email subject line generator

This tool is super handy for coming up with subject line variations for emails. I especially see it being helpful when my brain is done and I simply can’t write another word — let alone something that grabs people’s attention.

And that’s the thing about email subject lines. Writing them is often the last thing we do in the email copywriting process. But we should be paying closer attention so we have greater chances of getting clicks from our email recipients.

The more copy the better

I did learn one caveat while using the subject line generator tool. It works better on emails that have a higher volume of copy. My first example was a true newsletter with 667 words of copy, while the second example had about 415 words of copy.

The generator results were spot on in my opinion for the first email while I was underwhelmed by the results for the second email. That may be because the second example had significantly less copy and sections. It makes sense because the tool needs enough information to pull from so it can summarize into a short subject line. I’m also loving the emoji suggestions, but I didn’t get those with all of my results.

Where AI Tools Fit in Content Marketing

You’ve probably heard lots of talk lately about OpenAI’s ChatGPT tool and other AI-powered chatbots that we’re seeing in the content marketing world. The Stensul Email Subject Line generator belongs to the wave of tools that are powered by GPT4, which is the latest iteration of OpenAI’s chatbot.

I’ve seen blog and social posts from people who aren’t seeing the potential in these tools. But I think these tools are giving more power to individual content creators.

I was recently discussing how AI tools affect content marketers with my fellow dragon, Marcos Duran. He brought up a great point that he heard in conversations with people at a martech networking event.

Someone said something to the effect of “ChatGPT turns a content creator into an editor.” And I couldn’t agree more.

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather fix a mediocre sentence than start from scratch. And that’s what these AI tools are all about. They create a starting point, and you still need highly skilled individuals to add the human touch.

What are your thoughts on the impact of AI chatbot tools on content marketing? Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the AI debate in the comments section. Or reach out to team Sercante if you’re looking to add a human touch to your marketing campaigns.

Original article: Playing with the AI-Powered Stensul Email Subject Line Tool

The post Playing with the AI-Powered Stensul Email Subject Line Tool appeared first on The Spot.

By Ambre Juryea-Amole|2023-03-24T15:47:49+00:00March 24th, 2023|Categories: Emails & Templates, Getting Started, Real Talk, revive|

Like many big software companies, Salesforce has an honor they bestow to most influential supporters. They call this the Salesforce MVP program. The Trailblazer Community team recently announced the 2023 Salesforce MVP program inductees, and we were thrilled to see many of our favorite marketing voices on the list.

Marketers don’t always get the recognition they deserve, which is why we’re on a mission to showcase all of the amazing things marketers do. We’re especially excited to highlight the people who are shining the limelight on Salesforce marketing tools for a change.

Background of the program

If you haven’t already noticed, there’s a whole lot to learn about using marketing automation and CRM tools. Salesforce does everything they can to make resources available to customers so the tools are easier to use and customize, but everyone learns in their own way.

Sometimes we need real people who have been working closely with these tools to teach us what’s possible with them. (You know, like, other customers and people with an outsider’s perspective)

That’s where the Salesforce MVP program comes in. These are all people who share what they know about the platform and personally connect with others who are still learning.

According to the Salesforce MVP Code of Conduct, MVPs are “lifelong learners who go above and beyond to share their expertise and help the entire community succeed… [and] leaders in the Trailblazer Community who encourage each other, celebrate others’ successes, work collaboratively to make our community and the world a better place, and have a lot of fun along the way!”

Here’s the MVP Hall of Fame and Member Directory, which goes into complete detail about the program.

How Salesforce MVPs are Selected

Wondering how people get a spot in the program? Here’s how the process works:

Salesforce opens nominations for MVPs around November each year.
Community members either self nominate or can share stories to nominate others.
- Current MVPs do not need to take action, they are automatically reviewed for renewal.
The Trailblazer Community team completes the first round of nomination reviews.
Then, the nominations go through a second round of reviews from a team of Salesforce employees who are active in the Trailblazer Community
After that, current Salesforce MVPs provide feedback to new nominations and nomination renewals.
The Trailblazer Community team completes a final review before the Salesforce leadership team makes final calls and approvals.

The 2023 Salesforce MVP Class

Congratulations to everyone who was selected to join the 2023 Salesforce MVP Class!

Aaron Crosman	Michael A. Grandel
Andy Engin Utkan	Mihoko Yamashita
Ankit Taneja	Oleh Mykytyn
Asterisk Loftis	Patricio Sapir
Ben LaMothe	Phaneendra Arigachetta
Gian Piere Vallejos Bardales	Rachel Park Brayboy
Johann Furmann	Samantha Shain
Kannan Narayanan	Skye Tyler
Kristi Brown	Swati Taunk
Kristin Hubbard	Thomas Theunen
Lilith Van Biesen	Vicki Moritz-Henry
Maham Hassan	Warren Walters

Marketers Who Made the New 2023 Salesforce MVP List

We were thrilled to see two people we know from the Salesforce marketing community who made the list. Special congratulations to Ben Lamothe and Vicki Moritz-Henry and thanks for all the work you do for the community!

In fact, we know these two MVPs thanks to their work with the MarDreamin’ conference. Both have presented at MarDreamin’ in past years and have contributed in other ways.

Our team reached out to them to get their thoughts on their new Salesforce MVP honors. Here’s what they had to say:

Ben Lamothe

“Being selected as a Salesforce MVP is an honor and is truly humbling. Giving back to the Salesforce and Account Engagement (Pardot) Trailblazer community that has changed my life and given me so much, is so important to me.”

Vicki Moritz-Henry

“When I transitioned careers into Salesforce, I was astounded by how supportive the community was. There were so many people who encouraged, mentored and taught me over the years. I honestly wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for them. My motivation is to spread that impact and be that same person for others.”

Andrea Tarrell Added to the Salesforce MVP Hall of Fame

Last but most certainly not least, we wanna send a huge congratulations to the person who started this whole blog (and Sercante) in the first place. Andrea Tarrell has been an influential voice in the Salesforce community for close to a decade, and she’s served as a Salesforce MVP enough years for Salesforce to add her to the MVP Hall of Fame in 2023.

Launching The Spot for Pardot blog is only a small fraction of everything Andrea has contributed to Salesforce Trailblazer Community through the years. She’s spoken at countless events including Dreamforce, Connections, Dreamin’ conferences and user group meetings. Andrea even launched the first virtual conference for marketers on Salesforce in 2020 — MarDreamin’ (formerly ParDreamin’).

Keep being helpful and the rest will fall into place

The Trailblazer Community team received over 2,400 MVP nominations in 2023, so of course some people were disappointed to learn they weren’t among the 24 new MVPs who were selected. The most important takeaway though is to keep going! While the MVP program brings inherent benefits along with it (i.e. free entry to conferences, getting asked to participate in high-profile marketing content), the true benefit is that helping others helps you, too.

When the community grows, we all grow together. And there’s room for us all to be successful in the community. So, keep sharing what you know. Start a Salesforce blog (or you can write for this one!). Apply to speak at community events. Volunteer with a Salesforce mentorship program, like Merivis, for instance.

The possibilities to give back are endless. Tell us how giving back to the tech community has enriched your life in the comments section.

Original article: Congrats to The Salesforce MVP Class of 2023

The post Congrats to The Salesforce MVP Class of 2023 appeared first on The Spot.

By Ambre Juryea-Amole|2023-03-18T14:50:56+00:00March 18th, 2023|Categories: Career Development, Community, Community Spotlight, Industry News|

You are 72% more likely to keep reading a blog post when the author uses a data point in the first sentence. That’s because sharing numbers makes it sound like you looked at studies related to your topic. And using those statistics in marketing content makes the information you share seem reliable so people find value in it.

But more often than not, marketing writers do a quick web search to find a statistic. Their quick web search takes them to a blog post where the author uses a statistic but doesn’t say where the stat came from. It seems legit enough, so they grab the stat to use in their blog post.

Our dear marketers have the best of intentions. But these wearers of many hats are usually short on time.

Who knows, they may just pull a number out of thin air and hope nobody looks into it.

(seriously, don’t cite the 72% stat I just gave you)

Always Check the Numbers

As someone who’s been proofreading and editing marketing things other people write for almost 15 years, I can tell you that I always double check the statistics authors use.

That’s because the statistics aren’t adding any real value to the piece unless the numbers are reliable and include context around them. Don’t get me started on ChatGPT content pieces.

How to Use Statistics in Marketing Content

I’m not knocking using statistics in marketing content at all. I think it’s super important to research what you’re writing about so you can focus on collective knowledge rather than just your own thoughts. And using numbers does catch the attention of your audience and give you an authoritative voice.

But, there’s a right way to do it. And the wrong way.

The Right Way to Use Statistics in Marketing Content

Let’s get you on the right track so you can use statistics in your marketing content and sound like a boss.

The best way to use statistics is to provide context around the numbers. Then, the reader can understand what the numbers mean to them and truly find value in your content.

Here’s an example of a GOOD use of a stat

“According to a 2022 survey conducted by Content Marketing Institute, 47% of content marketers said they will hire or contract with content producers (writers, designers, photographers, videographers) in 2023.”

Original source that tells you how they came up with the stat

The source we cited here is linked to the original. And the original source includes all the information we need to know to accurately interpret the statistics within the full study. We know it was a 2022 survey from CMI, and the author even provided the survey’s definition of content producers.

After clicking on the link, we find out that On24 sponsored the survey as part of the B2B Content Marketing Report. And the source includes demographic and methodological information on the last slide of the PDF.

Add Context for your Statistics

There aren’t any hard-and-fast rules for providing context about stats to your readers unless your company or organization has defined those rules.

Your company may have well-defined writing style guidelines you can refer to, and I encourage you to follow them. But if your company doesn’t have that worked out already, then you can follow these simple guidelines and share with your teammates. (consistency is awesome!)

Elements that add context to statistics

A link to the original source, and check that the link is working
- Tip: Use a website plugin to check for broken links if you have a lot of content with linked statistics and resources.
A date to indicate the age of the statistic
The name of the source

Who is Your Audience?

You know your audience better than we do. That should guide what information to include with your statistics. Give your audience the information they need to understand why that statistic is important to them.

Things to consider when determining if a source is reliable

On the surface, a statistic may seem reliable when it actually isn’t. The main questions to ask yourself about the statistic are:

What organization collected the information? Look for studies that were conducted by impartial organizations like universities, industry associations like the CMO Council, and research consulting companies like McKinsey and Forrester.
When did they collect it? The study may be old. This is an especially important factor to consider when using statistics related to technology and economics.
How did they collect it? Look for what methodology was used to collect the data. If it was a survey, look for the sample size or geographic area from which the data was collected. These factors can have a big impact on the reliability of the data points and how the data relates to your message.
And why did they collect it? The source may be a study funded by a special interest group that structured the study or presented the results in a misleading way.

Tip for our Salesforce ecosystem readers

There’s a searchable Salesforce Stat Library to make it easier to find statistics from Salesforce annual reports. It includes specific stats about industry trends for people working in sales, marketing, service, IT, manufacturing, human resources, financial services, and public and nonprofit sectors.

The Wrong Way to Use Stats in Marketing

For illustrative purposes, we’ll review the WRONG way to use data points in marketing content.

Here’s a bad example:

“You are 35% more likely to close a deal if you follow up on a lead within 48 hours.”

So what’s wrong with that statement?

The author did not cite their source for the 35% statistic. And because of that, the reader has no idea what that statistic is based on. The study may have been completed in an industry that isn’t relevant to the reader. Or maybe the study is 15 years old, and we all know that sales processes have changed in that time.

Here’s another example:

“When text in a call to action button is changed from second-person viewpoint to first-person viewpoint, clicks improve by 90%. (Campaign Monitor)”

The example includes a link to the source, but it’s not the original source. The linked source tells you the name of the original source without a link to it.

A Google search of the stat and the original source, Unbounce, takes us to a 2013 blog post. The blog post author wrote the post in reference to an A/B testing case study from a consulting client, but it doesn’t provide demographic info or sample details.

The statistic becomes less powerful and when you add context to it:

“According to a 2013 Unbounce client case study, changing text in a call to action button from second-person viewpoint to first-person viewpoint improves clicks by 90%.”

The original example sounds like a generalizable statement. But in reality, the number came from a single test that happened a decade ago. That’s why using the statistic in this case isn’t adding value for the reader.

(Hi Unbounce and Campaign Monitor – we mean no disrespect and hope our links boost your SEO)

What Do You Do When You Can’t Find Reliable or Original Sources

Nobody is forcing you to use that stat. And if they are, then send them a link to this blog post so you can educate them.

The best way to approach the use of stats in your marketing is to lean into information you CAN rely on. And if you don’t have that information, figure out what processes you can put in place to gather reliable information you can use down the road.

You could build a process to survey your clients before and after engaging with your company, and optimize your reporting dashboards to track the results of your efforts over time. Or, maybe your company could benefit from using a subscription service like Statista to get access to original sources.

Do you have cool stats about your audience that you can share?

Maybe it’s time to start collecting data about your audience and community. Lucky for you, there’s lots of tools you can use for collecting data about your audience.

Here’s are blog posts about a few of our favorites:

Stats Are Better When You Add Context

Hopefully this post shines a light on using statistics in marketing content. Despite the best efforts of marketers everywhere, it’s one of those things that I see people get wrong more often than not.

But, you can get it right every time when you provide context to your statistics. Give the reader details like where the information is coming from, how and why it was collected, and what the date was when it was originally gathered or published.

What are your thoughts on using statistics in marketing content? Any fun horror stories to share? Tell us about it in the comments section.

Original article: The Right Way to Use Statistics in Your Marketing Content

The post The Right Way to Use Statistics in Your Marketing Content appeared first on The Spot.

By Ambre Juryea-Amole|2023-02-24T20:36:43+00:00February 24th, 2023|Categories: Getting Started, Real Talk, revive, Strategy|

Our dear marketers have the best of intentions. But these wearers of many hats are usually short on time.

Who knows, they may just pull a number out of thin air and hope nobody looks into it.

(seriously, don’t cite the 72% stat I just gave you)

Always Check the Numbers

As someone who’s been proofreading and editing marketing things other people write for almost 15 years, I can tell you that I always double check the statistics authors use.

That’s because the statistics aren’t adding any real value to the piece unless the numbers are reliable and include context around them. Don’t get me started on ChatGPT content pieces.

How to Use Statistics in Marketing Content

But, there’s a right way to do it. And the wrong way.

The Right Way to Use Statistics in Marketing Content

Let’s get you on the right track so you can use statistics in your marketing content and sound like a boss.

The best way to use statistics is to provide context around the numbers. Then, the reader can understand what the numbers mean to them and truly find value in your content.

Here’s an example of a GOOD use of a stat

Original source that tells you how they came up with the stat

Add Context for your Statistics

There aren’t any hard-and-fast rules for providing context about stats to your readers unless your company or organization has defined those rules.

Elements that add context to statistics

A link to the original source, and check that the link is working
- Tip: Use a website plugin to check for broken links if you have a lot of content with linked statistics and resources.
A date to indicate the age of the statistic
The name of the source

Who is Your Audience?

Things to consider when determining if a source is reliable

On the surface, a statistic may seem reliable when it actually isn’t. The main questions to ask yourself about the statistic are:

What organization collected the information? Look for studies that were conducted by impartial organizations like universities, industry associations like the CMO Council, and research consulting companies like McKinsey and Forrester.
When did they collect it? The study may be old. This is an especially important factor to consider when using statistics related to technology and economics.
How did they collect it? Look for what methodology was used to collect the data. If it was a survey, look for the sample size or geographic area from which the data was collected. These factors can have a big impact on the reliability of the data points and how the data relates to your message.
And why did they collect it? The source may be a study funded by a special interest group that structured the study or presented the results in a misleading way.

Tip for our Salesforce ecosystem readers

The Wrong Way to Use Stats in Marketing

For illustrative purposes, we’ll review the WRONG way to use data points in marketing content.

Here’s a bad example:

“You are 35% more likely to close a deal if you follow up on a lead within 48 hours.”

So what’s wrong with that statement?

Here’s another example:

“When text in a call to action button is changed from second-person viewpoint to first-person viewpoint, clicks improve by 90%. (Campaign Monitor)”

The example includes a link to the source, but it’s not the original source. The linked source tells you the name of the original source without a link to it.

The statistic becomes less powerful and when you add context to it:

“According to a 2013 Unbounce client case study, changing text in a call to action button from second-person viewpoint to first-person viewpoint improves clicks by 90%.”

(Hi Unbounce and Campaign Monitor – we mean no disrespect and hope our links boost your SEO)

What Do You Do When You Can’t Find Reliable or Original Sources

Nobody is forcing you to use that stat. And if they are, then send them a link to this blog post so you can educate them.

Do you have cool stats about your audience that you can share?

Maybe it’s time to start collecting data about your audience and community. Lucky for you, there’s lots of tools you can use for collecting data about your audience.

Here’s are blog posts about a few of our favorites:

Stats Are Better When You Add Context

What are your thoughts on using statistics in marketing content? Any fun horror stories to share? Tell us about it in the comments section.

Original article: The Right Way to Use Statistics in Your Marketing Content

The post The Right Way to Use Statistics in Your Marketing Content appeared first on The Spot.

By Ambre Juryea-Amole|2023-02-24T20:36:43+00:00February 24th, 2023|Categories: Getting Started, Real Talk, revive, Strategy|

We’re getting ready for TrailblazerDX 2023 (formerly TrailheadDX) — which was previously known as the big Salesforce community conference event for anyone who builds on the Salesforce platform using developer or declarative solutions. However, we’re finding that people who fill roles from all corners of the Salesforce ecosystem are traveling to TDX in recent years. That can include Salesforce admins and general users, consultants, and analysts in addition to developers and architects.

In this post, we’ll cover all the things our marketing friends should know about the 2023 TrailblazerDX conference.

2023 TrailblazerDX Details

TrailblazerDX is taking place March 7-8, 2023, in San Francisco as well as virtually through Salesforce+ live streams and on demand after the event ends. Salesforce is expecting around 25,000 attendees who can choose from 200+ technical sessions, product demos, workshops, and hands-on learning.

Go here to check out the official Salesforce description for the event.

If you’re a marketer or support a marketing team from any one of those roles and nerd out about the backend of Salesforce, then there’s a good chance you’ll want to catch a few TrailblazerDX sessions this year.

Sercante Team TDX Sessions

Team Sercante will be out in full force at TrailblazerDX. If you’re going to be there in person, let us know so we can meet up to chat.

You can find our dragons dropping knowledge during these sessions:

Account Engagement Extensibility: Automation to the Extreme

Tuesday, March 7 | 12 PM PT | Learn More

Learn how to expand communication channels and expand the event experience with marketing app extensions. Discover how to reduce manual efforts with API V5 for Flow.

Speakers:

Christopher Cornett, Senior Product Manager, Salesforce
Adam Erstelle, VP of Technology, Sercante

Discover How Data Cloud for Marketing Unifies Customer Data

Tuesday, March 7 | 1:30 PM PT | Learn More

Customers are constantly changing and your data needs to evolve with them. Learn how to make every digital moment smarter using the power of unified data within Data Cloud for Marketing.

Speakers:

Adam Erstelle, VP of Technology, Sercante
Heather Rinke, Salesforce Product Director, Sercante

Evaluate and Make Critical Design Decisions

Wednesday, March 8 | 12 PM PT | Learn More

Learn how an admin, architect, consultant, and developer approach critical design decisions. See how each role evaluates challenges when solving for specific user needs.

Panelists:

Skye Tyler, Solution Architect, Exponent Partners
Adam Erstelle, VP of Technology, Sercante
Karmel James, Senior Salesforce Administrator , Viz.ai
Hayley Tuller, Founding Partner & Head of Services, Navigators
Michelle Hansen, Principal, Slalom

Marketing-focused TrailblazerDX sessions

We’re always on the lookout for sessions our fellow marketers should catch.

You’ll want to attend these sessions if you’re attending TrailblazerDX in real life this year. But if you’re not gonna be there in person, then check out the full schedule of sessions you can watch virtually on Salesforce+.

Dive into Data: CRMA vs. Salesforce Reports and Dashboards

Tuesday, March 7 | 1 PM PT | Learn More

Review Salesforce reports and dashboards and introduce learners to the world of CRM Analytics. Compare product features, uncover nuances, and take your analytics insights to the next level.

Speakers:

Rahul Shah, Manager, APAC Delivery, Salesforce
Mari Greenburg, Principal Instructor , Salesforce

Best Practices for Implementing Data Cloud

Tuesday, March 7 | 12 PM PT | Learn More

Learn to unlock value across the implementation journey for Data Cloud, Salesforce’s customer data platform, from use case discovery to data ingestion, unification, segmentation, and activation.

Speakers:

Arvind Raman, Director, Cloud Solution Alliances , Salesforce
Andrew Lee, Product Marketing Manager, Salesforce

Find Your Community in the Cloud

Tuesday, March 7 | 12 PM PT | Learn More

New to the Salesforce ecosystem? Building professional connections and strong relationships requires work. Learn how to forge your own path and create your community with Salesforce.

Speakers:

Najee Bartley, Marketing Cloud Consultant, Jaimee An LLC

Marketer Networking Knowledge Hour

Tuesday, March 7 | 12:30 PM PT | Learn More

Marketing is as hot as a firecracker, but how do you ignite that spark? Marketers need to constantly be plugged in. Learn about the power of brand advocacy and nurturing community to achieve success.

Community Cove Networking Event

Maximize Mobile Engagement

Tuesday, March 7 | 3 PM PT | Learn More

Learn how to increase user engagement with your mobile app by taking advantage of event-driven journeys, in-app experiences, and push messages.

Speakers:

Caitlin Dwyer, Senior Product Manager, Salesforce
Monica Marathe, Product Manager, Salesforce

An Architect’s Guide to Cross-Cloud with Data Cloud

Tuesday, March 7 | 3:30 PM PT | Learn More

Learn the foundations of successful cross-cloud architecture across the Lightning Platform, Commerce Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Data Cloud from data mapping to integration to environment management.

Speakers:

Craig Poirier, Sr. Director, Slalom
Mike King, Sr. Director, Global Salesforce Commerce, Slalom
Gillian Reynolds, Slalom

Deep Dive into Marketing App Extensions for MCAE (Pardot)

Tuesday, March 7 | 3:30 PM PT | Learn More

In this session, we will examine the different use cases for MCAE External Actions & Activities and demonstrate how to leverage external actions within Engagement Studio to send a webhook.

Speakers:

Brandon Walton, Consultant, Cypress Learning Solutions
Tasha Rucker, Founder, Principal Consultant, ReadyCRM

Architect the Ultimate ABM Experience

Wednesday, March 8 | 11 AM PT | Learn More

Learn how Copado leverages Sales Cloud to connect and power ABM journeys across digital ads, BDR outreach, automated nurtures, sales engagement, and field programs.

Speakers:

Cameron Tyler, Senior Director, Demand Generation, Copado
Halie Vining, Sr. Director of Field Marketing, Copado

Explore the Marketing Cloud Programming Languages

Wednesday, March 8 | 11:30 AM PT | Learn More

In this session we will cover the programming languages available on the Marketing Cloud Platform and how to use them. We will explore AMPscript, SSJS, GTL, SQL, and more.

Speakers:

Danielle Larregui, Marketing Cloud Developer Advocate, Salesforce

5 Tips to Optimize Your Data Lifecycle

Wednesday, March 8 | 12:30 PM PT | Learn More

During this session you will learn the five stages of the data lifecycle, common mistakes, how Salesforce can support your data lifecycle  and actionable advice for optimizing the data lifecycle.

Speakers:

Andrew Fragias, Product Manager, Validity

Activate Customer Data in Journey Builder

Wednesday, March 8 | 1 PM PT | Learn More

Data is the key to personalizing customer journeys. Learn how to activate data from the Customer Data Platform to inform, activate, and alter journeys in Marketing Cloud Engagement.

Speakers:

Abbe Spaans, Senior Director, Product Management, Salesforce
Miku Konsolas, Principal Architect, Salesforce
Tyler Staley, Director of Product Management, Salesforce

Dynamic Content: Personalization Taken to the Next Level

Wednesday, March 8 | 1 PM PT | Learn More

In this session you’ll learn how dynamic content and personalization can reduce unneeded friction points in the buyer’s journey. Powered by Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (Pardot).

Speakers:

Stephen Stouffer, VP Marketing Operations, SaaScend

Personalize Customer Journeys with Vonage Communication APIs

Wednesday, March 8 | 1:30 PM PT | Learn More

Businesses need to streamline customer journeys across channels. Learn to create customized conversations with Salesforce CRM and Vonage communications APIs and bring together data, systems and users.

Speakers:

Oscar Rodriguez, Senior Director Global Solutions Engineering, Vonage

Increase Productivity: Customizing the Marketing Cloud

Wednesday, March 8 | 3:30 PM PT | Learn More

Learn how to leverage Package Manager and custom activities to supercharge your customer engagement with Marketing Cloud and empower your marketing teams to do more.

Speakers:

Mark Rosato, Senior Solution Engineer, Salesforce

TrailblazerDX 2023 Musical Guest: Fallout Boy

Did we mention Fallout Boy is the TDX musical guest this year?

Those of us who aren’t attending IRL are fighting the FOMO in hopes that the show will be broadcasted live on Salesforce+.

Image: Salesforce

See you at TDX 2023!

So, TrailheaDX was known as the developer conference, but TrailblazerDX opens the doors for everyone on the Salesforce platform to learn how it works.

And while marketers don’t always get the attention they deserve, we see lots of exciting things on the horizon for our pals. It’s especially evident at this year’s TrailblazerDX conference.

Attending TrailblazerDX in person?

If you’re lucky enough to catch TrailblazerDX in person this year, then we should meet up!

Visit this page to let us know you’re going. We’ll reach out to find the perfect time to talk. And remember to say “hi” to our dragons who are part of the following TDX sessions:

Discover How Data Cloud for Marketing Unifies Customer Data | Learn More
Account Engagement Extensibility: Automation to the Extreme | Learn More
Evaluate and Make Critical Design Decisions | Learn More

Have a favorite memory from last year’s TrailblazerDX conference? Tell us about it in the comments.

Original article: TrailblazerDX: 2023 Conference Preview for Marketers

The post TrailblazerDX: 2023 Conference Preview for Marketers appeared first on The Spot.

By Ambre Juryea-Amole|2023-02-19T00:32:56+00:00February 19th, 2023|Categories: Career Development, Community, Events|

You thought putting tea and honey together was good? Well, we’re pleased to announce Jenna Molby’s whole library of Salesforce blog posts and tools now live on The Spot with insights from 50+ marketing pros.

The same way André 3000 pairs perfectly with Big Boi, or Brie with Champagne, Jenna Molby and The Spot are the Yin to each other’s Yang.

This is gonna be super helpful next time you’re trying to create a fancy landing page. Or finally earn the certification you’ve been eyeing. With one place to go for all the guidance you’re looking for, the sky’s the limit to what you can do.

Jenna Molby and The Spot are together at last

So what exactly does this partnership mean? Here’s what to expect:

New guest author on The Spot

Jenna Molby now has a HUGE bubble on The Spot. Seriously — her spot is almost the size of our OG blogger, Andrea Tarrell. Go see for yourself here!

Like Elsa and Anna, Jenna Molby and The Spot are the perfect compliment to one another. Don’t just take our word for it though. Jenna explains it all in this video.

You’ll find all of Jenna Molby’s Salesforce blog posts on The Spot from now on. You’ll also get redirected to The Spot when Salesforce posts on Jenna’s website come up in search results.

The reason all of my Salesforce content is moving to The Spot is that Andrea and her team at Sercante have always been great at supporting not only me, but the greater ecosystem. – Jenna Molby

All the tools in one place

Anyone who knows Jenna Molby’s name already has her tools bookmarked in their browsers. Now, you’ll find things like her calendar link, form style, and landing page style generators living in harmony with freebies from Sercante Labs.

You can find all of the free tools on this page.

Here’s a sampling:

Google Calendar Link Generator

Use this Google Calendar Link Generator to create calendar links that can be used on your web pages, landing pages and emails.

Try it Now

ICS Link Generator for Microsoft Outlook & Apple iCalendar

Use this ICS Link Generator to create calendar files that are compatible with Microsoft Outlook & Apple iCalendar.

Try it Now

Bulletproof Pardot Email Button Generator

Create beautiful buttons for your Pardot emails. Simply select your button style to generate HTML for a Pardot email or landing page template.

Try it Now

Pardot Form Style Generator

Use this tool to customize your Pardot forms in four easy steps.

Try it Now

2 Free Pardot Landing Page Templates For Events

Create beautiful responsive landing pages in Pardot by using one of these two free landing templates specifically built for use in event marketing campaigns.

Try it Now

Jenna claimed her spot — and so can you

No matter your goals, you can claim a spot among the community. Whether you’re here for guidance through new features, ongoing solutioning help, or resume-building criteria, The Spot has you covered.

Here are resources you can use that go beyond blog posts and free tools. Now, get in there and do all the ingenious marketing automation things you know are possible. And let us know when you need support that goes beyond what these resources can do.

Become a guest blogger

We’re looking for passionate marketing technology bloggers to share their knowledge and experiences with others in the community. Visit this page to learn more about contributing to The Spot.

Join the Pardashian community

The Pardashians Slack is a community where Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (formerly Pardot) and Marketing Cloud users can grow their skills together. Click here and complete the application to join.

Watch MarDreamin’ replays

Get ready for a 3-day virtual conference focused on all things marketing on the Salesforce platform. You can access session replays here and learn at your own pace.

Find or post a job

The Spot for Pardot Jobs is a place to find your next gig or team member when you use Salesforce marketing tools.

Original article: The Spot & Jenna Molby: An Iconic Duo

The post The Spot & Jenna Molby: An Iconic Duo appeared first on The Spot.

By Ambre Juryea-Amole|2023-01-12T16:00:00+00:00January 12th, 2023|Categories: Community, Community Spotlight, Industry News|

As 2022 comes to an end, it’s time to reflect on all of the ways our dear readers interacted with The Spot over the past 12 months.

This was certainly the biggest year yet for The Spot since Andrea Tarrell started the blog in 2017. For one thing, we widened our focus to include all tools marketers touch when Salesforce is part of the tech stack. On top of that, the resource got a spankin’ new name, website, branding updates, and lots of new authors who contributed content. (You can read all about the updates in this blog post.)

However, we’ve always had one focus in mind that honors the spirit that inspired Andrea to start this blog in the first place: sharing knowledge so everyone can grow. And we did a whole lot of that in the past year.

Now for the good stuff. Read on to see all the stats that made 2022 wonderful for The Spot community.

The Spot Wrapped Stats

We’re sure you have that one post you always share with others. Or that one you keep open while you’re knocking out a task in case you need a gut check along the way. Better yet, you’ve hopefully uncovered a new gem or author in the past year that made you feel confident you could implement a new feature.

Here are the stats behind The Spot so you can see how everyone is using this resource. Perhaps these stats will even inspire you to get involved and claim your spot, too.

With that in mind, here’s who has the biggest spots as of December 21, 2022:

Become a Guest Contributor for The Spot

See anyone you know? Picturing yourself among the crew? We welcome guest posts from the community, and we even have paid contributor opportunities available.

Learn all about becoming a guest blogger for The Spot on this page.

Top Contributors on The Spot in 2022

These top contributors poured their hearts into blog posts for The Spot in 2022, which means they wrote more posts than any other contributors. Click on their names to view their author biographies and a list of all the posts they’ve written for The Spot.

These are the top 10 blog contributors from 2022 in descending order:

I have an unfair advantage here since my role at Sercante is focused on producing blog content. But what amazes me is that the other top contributors in the list above serve in completely different types of roles at Sercante while contributing equally high-impact content on a regular basis. Way to go, team Sercante!

The Spot 2022 Audience Breakdown

So here’s a little information about you — our lovely and talented readers who know how to dive in and get things done through wayfinding.

The Spot Readership Stats

Total website visitors in 2022 – 109,000
Top 5 countries (in descending order)
- United States
- India
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- Australia

Top Search Terms Used

Top 10 non-branded web searches (this is what you all typed into Google to reach The Spot blog posts.)

#1 Most Popular Search Query – pardot lightning email builder
#2 Most Popular Search Query – pardot email builder
#3 Most Popular Search Query – your salesforce login isn’t connected to a pardot user. ask your pardot admin for help.
#4 Most Popular Search Query – pardot external activities
#5 Most Popular Search Query – pardot grading
#6 Most Popular Search Query – social studio sunset
#7 Most Popular Search Query – pardot certification
#8 Most Popular Search Query – pardot operational emails
#9 Most Popular Search Query – pardot snippets
#10 Most Popular Search Query – marketing cloud email specialist certification study notes

Looking Toward an Even Bigger Year in 2023

Thank you for being here and reflecting on the past 12 months with us. We’re busy cooking up our plans to grow this resource along with the Salesforce platform in 2023. And we can’t wait to connect with you and continue to deliver helpful content and connect with the community in the coming months.

Want to see more? Make sure you’re on our subscriber list by completing the form on this page. Or, drop a comment below to let us know what you want to see more of on The Spot.

Original article: The Spot Wrapped: 2022 Edition

The post The Spot Wrapped: 2022 Edition appeared first on The Spot.

By Ambre Juryea-Amole|2022-12-21T22:01:58+00:00December 21st, 2022|Categories: Community, Community Spotlight|

The MarDreamies awards celebrate solutions marketing and sales professionals built to reach their goals using Salesforce. These solutions are especially impressive because they each rose to solve a specific challenge while utilizing technology to automate their way to greatness.

Winners of the MarDreamin’ awards get bragging rights for their team and company, a sweet prize pack, and a fancy trophy to remind them how awesome they are every day. And the MarDreamin’ team announced the MarDreamies winners during the After-Party, which took place November 3, 2022.

Check out this blog post to get details about the full MarDreamin’ conference — including information about watching all session and keynote replay videos.

MarDreamies Award Categories

The MarDreamies awards are divided into five categories to honor the teams behind the magic:

Personalization Perfection: Right-time, right-message marketing
Social Impact: Creating positive change through Pardot
Grassroots Innovation: Scaling small business with Pardot
Extending Pardot: API-driven solutions
Best in Show

You can find all the details about what went into choosing the award winners in this blog post.

2022 MarDreamies Award Grassroots Innovation Category Winner: FTD Disorders Registry

Here’s the solution that won the MarDreamies 2022 award for the Grassroots Innovation category, which recognizes teams that scale small businesses with Salesforce marketing tools. The MarDreamies Grassroots Innovation award went to FTD Disorders Registry, which was submitted by Sherry Harlass.

What does the FTD Disorders Registry do?

The FTD Disorders Registry (FTDDR) is designed to bring together the frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) community. This means persons diagnosed, their family members, caregivers, and friends as well as clinicians, scientists, patient advocacy groups, and the pharma/biotech industry.

Their goal is to advance the science and move faster toward finding treatments and cures for this spectrum of disorders, which includes:

behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD)
primary progressive aphasia (PPA)
progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP)
corticobasal degeneration (CBD) / corticobasal syndrome (CBS)
FTD with motor neuron disease (also called FTD-ALS)

A diagnosis of FTD can be isolating, so the registry was created to be a resource for patients, families, and caregivers. We provide one location to collect and share de-identified data, promote research studies, and notify potentially eligible research study candidates.

How does FTD Disorders Registry use Salesforce to reach their goals?

The team at FTD Disorders Registry is technologically savvy and uses the Salesforce platform in a unique way to support the company’s mission. Specifically, the marketing team uses Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (Pardot) to communicate with their audience while tracking campaign success so they can adjust their strategy when needed.

The FTD Disorders Registry collects data to help researchers and direct prospects to clinical trials in the search for treatments and a cure for a group of rare diseases, for which there currently are none. Maintaining data fields is critical for reporting on these diseases. When the team updated their enrollment forms, they added several new data points in Salesforce. An intricate Pardot campaign was built to collect this additional data from participants who joined prior to the update.

Turning to the Salesforce Community for Help

Marketing teams who have limited resources know the importance of relationship building within technical communities to solve challenges that go beyond their teams’ expertise.

As a small (3 people when campaign was initiated) nonprofit registry, FTD Disorders Registry lacked time, people, and knowledge to set it up. Thanks to a Spring of Salesforce opportunity, we learned by doing guided by a wonderful (volunteer) expert (in another state).

Assets the team built for this campaign included:

1 layout template
2 landing pages
2 forms
1 Thank You landing page on their website
6 email templates
12 Engagement Studio Programs
17 email lists
4 completion actions
6 operational emails
2 Thank you emails

Salesforce is the data collection tool from which enrollment and survey information is collected. The team then generated an NIH Globally Unique Identifier (GUID), which allows the sharing of data specific to a research participant without exposing personally identifiable information. They used Pardot to collect missing data fields, because they also use it to generate lists from these same Salesforce fields to send targeted emails about research opportunities.

Small Teams Use Grassroots Innovation to Accomplish Big Goals

The team at FTD Disorders Registry truly encompasses the spirit of the grassroots innovation category. The small team wears many hats and uses community resources to figure things out when necessary.
Check out this blog post to learn more about the MarDreamies awards. Or, share a few words to congratulate the winners using the comments section below.

Original article: Mardreamies 2022 Award Winner Story: Grassroots Innovation

The post Mardreamies 2022 Award Winner Story: Grassroots Innovation appeared first on The Spot.

By Ambre Juryea-Amole|2022-12-01T20:17:14+00:00December 1st, 2022|Categories: Community, Community Spotlight, Events|

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