email specialist exam

what's the process for creating and automating the refreshing of segments?

(1) create the data filter --> define rules and conditions (2) create the filter activity --> creates filtered DE or filtered List (3) automate thru automation studio refreshes filtered DE or filtered List

classic content to content builder migration

2 methods: (1) either migrate current folders + content (keeps same structure) or (2)migrate content only (folders won't be copied over) but you get to customize the folder structure ** recommended

how many activities can you have in one step in automation studio?

2-4 is reasonable activities that operate on the same data extensions should be in separate steps to avoid locking

wait

Adds a pause during a running automation program for a specific time period before performing the next step You can have multiple wait periods in a single automation The automation must fully run before subsequent runs begin * If the automation is in the middle of a wait period when the next run is supposed to begin, that run is skipped

subscription center

Allows subscribers to subscribe or unsubscribe from different communications A list must be marked as public when imported in order for it to be visible on this page to viewers

auto suppression list

Assign a suppression list for use across the entire enterprise or specific BUs only for certain send classifications Assign them at different levels of your account

refresh group

Can only be used if the group was already created and you just need to refresh the subscribers in it

NTO wants to send a one-time email to MyNTO members who clicked o the camping link in the last rewards email, are silver/gold/or platinum members and have made a purchase of a tent in the last year. The data is located in multiple DEs with a common field of Customer Number. The marketing team at NTO is non-technical. How can they create their segment?

Create a data relationship Create a measure Create a data filter

send relationship

Defines a field in the sendable data extension to map to Subscriber Key in All Subscribers when sending

primary key

Determines whether the field is unique for the data extension You can't have a primary key if data repeats in each column of data

script

Executes server-side JavaScript in the context of landing page - don't get passed any reference to the send, subscriber or automation program that runs that script Use cases: contact subscription status updates in lists/DEs and processing bulk contact deletions NOT recommended for web-hook like scenarios or heavy transactional outbound integrations

suppression list

Filtering out email addresses to prevent certain people from receiving communications Serve as do-not-contact (DNC) lists for email sends

NTO is collecting data on customers that abandon their cart. The data file is prepared on a nightly basis and will be used to send out emails the following day. The marketing team would like to create and manage the abandon cart automation. What import method should be used?

Import Activity

mobile studio activities

Import Mobile Contacts Refresh Mobile Filtered List Send Push Send SMS Allow to import and refresh contact lists as well as send SMS or Push messages

NTO wants to automate the importing of an encrypted file. What would the workflow be?

Import activity --> data extract Transfer file and import activity Transfer file --> import activity Data extract --> transfer file

NTO wants to send automated emails to notify subscribers when items on their wish list are on sale. The data required for segmentation resides in 2 DEs; Wish List and On Sale will be updated nightly. There are over 1 million records in the Wish List DE. Emails will be sent at 9am the next morning. What is the workflow for the automation?

Import file --> SQL Query --> wait --> Send Email

journey builder vs automation studio

JB - creating responsive automated multi-channel campaigns AS - executes multi-step marketing and data management activities on an immediate, triggered, or scheduled basis

exclusion list

List, group or DE you create in the application that at the time of the send, you select to exclude from the send If your account has subscriber key enabled, the system excludes using the subscriber key value

marketing cloud roles

MC Admin -- assigns roles, manages channels/apps/tools MC Viewer -- views cross channel marketing activity that results in the MC MC Channel Manager -- creates cross channel interactive marketing campaigns and administers specific channels MC Security Admin -- maintains security settings and manages user activity and alerts MC Content Editor/Publisher -- creates/delivers messages through applicable channel apps

ways to send an email

MC UI sends Triggered emails user-initiated email interaction

JB canvas activities

Message Activities (email, SMS, any form of content sent to contacts) Split Activities (divides contacts into separate cohorts that follow different paths - allowing them to receive a different set of subsequent activities) ** ex. dividing contacts into 2 groups -those 35+ yrs old and those <35 yrs old Customer Update Activities (prompt SFMC to automatically update a contact's data in a DE) Sales & Service Cloud Activities (used to interact with the SF Sales & Service Cloud) Custom Activities (custom messaging thru uncommon channels or evaluation of only specified data fields on contact records)

data extract

Produces a file from any DE or tracking data in MC using standard/custom data extracts given in the account Custom extracts can be used to process inbound data files as well as transform data into multiple DEs These files get stored in Safehouse locations so if you want to move them to a SFTP location, use File Transfer activity

NTO sends their newsletter to 1.5 million subs monthly. They are overstocked in mountain climbing equipment. They want to send a targeted email to newsletter subs who have purchased mountain climbing equipment in the last year and everyone who clicked on the learn more about mountain climbing link in the last email. What tool in the Email application is the best tool to use?

Query - there's 1.5 million subs and segmentation will be done on both subscribers and behavioral data

legacy activities

Report Definition * Used with Report activities configured in Email Studio --> Interactions --> Report * These have different configuration from Analytics Builder --> Reports and should be moved into Analytics Builder reports moving forward

Sally from Northern Trails Outfitters Marketing Dept. is creating an Import Activity to add and update data in the Abandon Cart DE. However, the only Update Type that's appearing is overwrite. Sally needs to be able to add and update data. What does Sally need to do?

Sally will need to mark a field in the DE as a Primary Key If no field is marked Primary Key, the only option will be to overwrite the data

drag and drop segmentation

The new drag-and-drop interface provides a better view of the relationship between the original data extension (source) and the filtered data extension (results of a filter). With the previous interface you could edit field names and add new field names to the filtered data extension, but when the filter activity ran again, the filtered data extension reverted back to the original data extension configurations. The filtered data extension adopts the same characteristics as the source data extension, in the new, simplified drag and drop interface. To make a filtered data extension sendable, change the source data extension to sendable. To make a filtered data extension non-sendable, change the source data extension to non-sendable.

filter

Used for the segmentation process Applies a criteria you set through a drag and drop experience Easy to target contacts based on their attributes across one or more data extensions It applies a data filter and stores the resulting records in the DE created once the activity is configured with the schema inherited from the source DE It's considered a 'destructive' activity because the data in the target DE is always overwritten when you re-run the activity

verification

Used to avoid unintended automation outcomes Select a target DE impacted by the current automation or other programs and evaluate against the conditions you set Once the activity detects the conditions you set are met, the activity can stop the automation or send you a notification (or both depending on the your set settings) *You can opt to have a note included in the email notification that provides more context for investigation or troubleshooting Use case: scenarios where you want to prevent a program from continuing to next steps as it will impact data integrity due to unexpectedly low/high volume of data in a DE after import activity was executed

sender authentication package

account branding brands your account with your chosen authenticated domain modifies links, landing pages/image wrapping, and removes all references to MC in favor of your domain private domain, dedicated IP address, RMM

can-spam requirements

accurately identify the sender in the header information subject line accurately represents content of the email identify the message as an advertisement, unless you have expressed consent from subscriber include physical mailing address provide a mechanism to opt out (no more than 1 page to unsubscribe) honor opt-out requests within 10 days

query activity

activity to retrieve DE or system data view info that matches your criteria SQL to access data stored based on your criteria results are placed in a results DE * results DE must be created before defining and executing the query activity

distributed marketing

allows for users outside of marketing cloud go in and make updates to their own content everyone is able to log in but they each see their own content within the platform clouds required for this: sales and service, or financial services, or community cloud (w/ partner community license)

journey builder

allows the design and automation of campaigns that guide customers thru a journey with a brand intended for multi-touch, multi-channel use cases - intended for 1:1 customer interactions rather than mass sending (interaction reporting limitation) ex. abandoned cart journey, birthday journey with coupon, welcome journey with engagement

personalization strings

allows us to insert subscriber attributes into emails can be added to subject, preheader, or content of the email they are not case-sensitive form them by placing 2 sets of %% around the string of text always assign a default value to a p. string just in case it's unable to pull the correct info

business units

allows you to control access to information and sharing of info can only have one parent BU can have unique properties (unsub settings, physical address, etc) unsubs can either be removed from all BUs in the enterprise or that BU only use if multiple brands within one account with different domain branding, restrict access to assets for users in specific divisions, if sub brands need different subscription models

import wizard

allows you to manually bring your data into a DE account must be configured to use enhanced FTP before you import a file, you must create a DE and create the import file. Import file must contain a header row and at least one row of data and can't exceed 20MB

dynamic content

allows you to send specific content to a subscriber based on the data you're storing in a data extension individualized content will display based on simple or complex rules you create more time consuming than personalization strings but increases ROI

automation studio

application that executes multi-step or single programs of various complexity on demand, on a set schedule or triggered programs = series of tasks that make sense to run in a specific order or at the same time on a specific schedule tasks = data import, transformation, segmentation and message send activities

how many activities can i have in an automation program?

as many as you need but consider program schedule and total runtime to avoid any program run skips

can I run programs more frequently than once an hour?

ask why first, then use mix-in of schedule copy of the program, use of wait activities and repeat steps or better file triggered automation program

reply mail management (RMM)

automatically manages the responses sent to your email's "reply-to" address and applies a series of rules to determine the next action ex. filters OOO/auto-replies, honors unsubscribe requests, conditionally auto-replies

list

compilation of subscribers that receive your communications you can make as many as you want - makes it easier to target your sends use cases: list has <500,000 subscribers or less long-term prefer simplicity over performance don't require fast import speed plan to use a limited # of subscriber attributes

user-initiated email interaction

created to send an email to a user-initiated subscriber list or data extension can be configured to send manually in email studio or configured to run as part of an automation in automation studio

4 activities that can be automated and explain what they do

data activities * data extract, transfer file, import file refresh activities * filter activity * refresh group * SQL query send email * choose a UI email definition to execute or allows you to define the parameters for the send using the send activity wait activity * pauses the execution of an automation for a specific duration before performing the next step

2 segmentation tools in the email application

drag and drop segmentation Query

subject/preheader validation

feature that displays notifications to the user highlighting specific words in the subject/PH of emails prior to sending ex. if you have the words "Internal Test" in your SL displays when you're sending an email during creation, using send flow to send an existing email, in Send Email Activity in AS

3 types of unsubscribes

global master list-level

NTO sends a newsletter to subscribers on the 'Newsletter' List. Joe receives the email and then unsubscribes from the email. Where will his subscription status be?

he will appear "unsubscribed" on the 'Newsletter' List and "active" on the 'All Subscribers' List he won't receive another commercial email from NTO when the 'Newsletter' List is used as the target audience, including any filtered groups that are created from this list

publication list

helps you manage how subscribers receive different categories of emails or SMS messages. create a separate publication list for each category. When you send a newsletter, associate the send with the newsletter publication list to identify to the system what kind of content is inside the publication Ex. Categorize by newsletters, ads and alerts

3 repeat options when defining a schedule

hourly daily weekdays weekly monthly yearly

import file

import data from a file into a subscriber list or DE you choose what data type it is, map the columns to the fields, and choose how the data is being updated (add/update/overwrite) doesn't decompress or decrypt the file only operates with plain text files with nominated delimiter with MC Connect configured, import activity enables creation and population of a DE with data from a SF object/report

3 ways to import

import wizard * step-by-step guide to import data * import parameters must be defined import activity * same as import wizard but a definition that can be saved and used again * can be manually executed or automated in AS API * can import programmatically behind the scenes

use cases for automation studio

importing data files on a defined schedule trigger segmentation and send activities with the file drop on FTP perform ETL tasks with the data in the account export data from DE and extracts in automated fashion

import activity

manually bring your data into a DE - can be automated using Automation Studio use automation studio if the file is >20MB

how can segments be refreshed?

manually or automated

A/B testing

market testing method where you send 2 versions of your email studio communication to 2 test audiences from your subscriber list track which one delivers better results and sends that version to the remaining subscribers on the list (CTR and open rate) subject line, email, content area, from name, send time, preheaders you can run a/b tests on emails with dynamic content, subject line or AMPscript unless the SL is dynamic and you're running a SL a/b test

triggered emails

messages sent by MC to a subscriber in response to a subscriber action when you define a triggered email interaction, you provide info about the message and its behavior that the interaction uses each time it's triggered journey builder sends are an example - accessible in email studio

file transfer

moves files between MC SFTP and Safehouse allows for decryption and decompression of the files 'manage file' option to unzip a file in the enhanced FTP directory 'move a file from safehouse' to move files from safehouse to a specific SFTP location import flow File Transfer comes before Import File export flow Data Extract comes before File Transfer

steps in configuring an automation

name the automation define the starting source (type) configure the workflow schedule/activate save and set notifications

when can a scheduled automation end?

never after a certain amount of occurrences on a specific date

HTML paste

option for creating an email in email studio allows you to create emails with HTML code

subscriber

person who's opted in to receive communications

what objects can be shared if your company has the Enterprise 2.0 SF package?

portfolio content templates emails data extensions publication lists suppression lists

AMPscript

provides advanced content personalization into emails

query vs data filter

queries have to deal with coding - they use codes to filter sets of data. data filters are simpler -you can drag and drop different attributes you want to sort data by

subscriber key

required text field containing a value that uniquely identifies a subscriber in your systems system of record - that should persist over the lifetime of the subscriber

SQL query

retrieves records from DEs or system data views that match your criteria - saves the result in a single, nominated data extension sql statement -isolated statement that can't take input parameters from other activities or other processes

roles vs permissions

roles - grant users access to areas and functions that pertain to their jobs (collection of permissions allowing/denying actions on an item or item property) roles can be predefined or custom

2 types of automation programs in Automation Studio

scheduled * executing a campaign that involved importing and refreshing audience lists and sending out the campaign once a week * extracting tracking and send log data on a daily basis for analysis in BI tools file triggered * data import and subsequent transformation when the control file is dropped on SFTP in the defined folder * initiate the process that depends on numerous external systems and should be started when all dependencies have been resolved, indicated by control file drop

automation studio activities

send email salesforce email send import file file transfer SQL query filter refresh group data extract script wait verification mobile studio activities legacy activities

marketing cloud UI sends

send flows (content builder) guided sends (classic content) test sends & simple sends (classic content) allows you to send emails thru the user interface of marketing cloud

similarities and differences of lists and DEs

similarities: subscriber data import wizard import activity guided and UI send methods drag and drop segmentation text, date, numeric data types differences: DE -other data, overwrite, can contain different fields, query, subscriber key can appear multiple times, decimal/email address/ other data types lists - each one has the same attributes, subscriber key appears once, standard profile and subscription centers, simple send

API

software intermediary that allows 2 apps to talk to each other (MC uses SOAP and REST) ex. purchase confirmation triggered sends, DE record insert, content builder asset creation REST API covers more multi-channel functions but isn't as comprehensive with legacy functionality SOAP API covers more comprehensive/legacy functions

subscriber management terms

subscriber subscriber key profile center subscription center publication list suppression list auto suppression list exclusion list

profile center

subscribers go here to update their attributes and preferences displays everything that's 'not hidden' and allows them to modify info that's 'no read-only' updates are only captured in the "all subscriber" list - DEs are not linked to this experience

4 tabs in automation studio

summary workflow schedule activity

data extension

table within the application database that contains your data you can use it to store sendable subscriber data like lists or just to house relational data use cases: list has >500,000 subscribers support multiple subscriber data sets with separate definitions send global messages require fast import speeds implement triggered sends use the SOAP and REST APIs prefer a flexible subscription model

journey builder activities definition

the message action, decision, or update (or a combo of these 3) that is dragged onto the JB canvas these activities set by the marketer impact contacts until the contact reaches a goal or endpoint of a journey

automation solution types

triggered email automation studio journey builder API

one click unsubscribe

unsubs users dierctly after they click the link in the email provides a link to profile center and preference center and includes unsub from all button

REST API / SOAP API

use SOAP API to create, retrieve, update, or delete records. You can also use SOAP API to perform searches and much more. integrate Salesforce with your org's ERP and finance systems. You can also deliver real-time sales and support information to company portals and populate critical business systems with customer information. REST API provides a powerful, convenient, and simple REST-based web services interface for interacting with Salesforce. Its advantages include ease of integration and development, and it's an excellent choice of technology for use with mobile applications and web projects.

capturing data

web collect (list) or data extension manager (DE) permissions and preferences get stored and then applied against subscriber key a subscriber record is created as soon as data is added to a list when adding data to a DE, a subscriber record is created in a corresponding list on during the first send

sender profiles

you can change the "from name" of your emails to information contained in your salesforce instance ex. you want to send your emails to customers from a specific customer service rep

salesforce email send

you can target SF data extensions, SF campaigns and SF reports can be used to send emails on their own or in sequence with other activities you can use pre-configured send definitions or configure within the automation and save for further reuse

send email

you can target lists, groups, data extensions and data filters

permissions

you either allow or prevent a brand from initiating digital interactions with you platform features should recognize these and respect them ex. "i don't want to receive any marketing email messages although i'm quite happy to receive SMS" stores: all subscribers list and auto-suppression lists

preferences

you express what content you'd prefer to receive and on what cadence puts certain expectations on the brand to categorize their communications to respect the subscriber's wishes traditionally adhered via segmentation and in some cases via platform features ex. "i prefer to receive weekly hot offers via SMS and monthly catalogue updates via email" stores: subscriber list, publication list, suppression list