Marketing Cloud Next: Account Engagement Convergence - Learning Path

Summary: This learning path is designed to help you harness Agentforce Marketing Convergence, combining the best of Account Engagement and next-generation Marketing Cloud to work seamlessly together.

  • What you’ll learn

    • Understand Agentforce Marketing and map Pardot concepts to Marketing Cloud Next  (Prospects, Lists, Completion actions, Engagement Studio vs Flows, etc.)

    • Decide “use both” vs “move to MC Next”. Our recommendation is to use both tools in parallel for a period of 6 months.

    • Practical guides to seamlessly integrate the two tools, once Marketing Cloud Next is setup: here is our quick guide to your first MC Next email.

  • Why it matters

    • Convergence is a pillar of Agentforce Marketing, to upskill without breaking day-to-day operations.

    • Avoid feature mismatches by designing with Core + Data Cloud in mind

    • Build a future-proof setup where data, activation, and reporting live together

Step 1 of 7 – Translate concepts, avoid traps

Translating Pardot concepts into Marketing Cloud Next
This is an introduction to Marketing Cloud Next. See how prospects, lists, scoring/grading, completion actions, and programs map to Unified Individual, segments, flows, and content on Core.
Read: Translating Pardot concepts
Next: Evaluate if the Convergence approach is best for you.

Step 2 of 7 – Choose convergence

Marketing Cloud Next: should you drop Pardot or use both?
Our main takeaway from the field is that using both tools for at least 6 months will give you a clear view on eventually switching tools or not. Account Engagement Users have free access to MC Next (aka Permission Set Licenses), and just need to provision Data 360 credits to use MC Next (Salesforce Foundations provides some for free).
Read: Drop Pardot or Use Both?
Next: As a first step to convergence let’s keep Prospects in sync

Step 3 of 7 – Creating Core Prospects from Pardot

Keeping Pardot Prospects and Marketing Cloud Next core Prospects in sync.
A step by step guide to auto create Core Prospect when creating a Pardot Prospect. Autolaunched Flows, External Actions at the center. This step is optional.
Read: How to sync Pardot and Marketing Cloud Next Prospects
Next: Sync Pardot Opted Out with a new Agentforce Marketing Subscription

Step 4 of 7 – Consent Matching

Keeping Pardot Mailability Field in sync with a new Marketing Cloud Next Subscription
A step by step guide to activate the Consent Convergence between Marketing Cloud Account Engagment (Pardot) and Agentforce Marketing (Marketing Cloud Next). We also discuss the pros and cons of the alternative manual approach.
Read: How to sync pardot Opted Out and a MC Next Subscription
Next: Ingest Account Engagement Data in Data Cloud 

Step 5 of 7 – Engagement and Activity ingestion

Make your Asset Performance and Prospect Activity available to Agentforce Marketing
In this detailed guide, learn how to ingest any asset type performance data (like List Email or Forms, etc.) and all your Prospect activities (Email Opens or Link Clicks for example) so Marketing Cloud Next can use them as native data.
Read: Ingest Account Engagement’s Engagement data in Data 360
Next: Make your Account Engagement Assets available to Agentforce Marketing.

Step 6 of 7 – Copy your Assets from Pardot

Make your Assets available to Agentforce Marketing
In this guide, learn how to copy your existing Assets: Emails, Files, Forms and Landing Pages  so that Marketing Cloud Next can use them.
Read: Copy your Assets in a CMS workspace that MC Next can access
Next: Leverage Data Cloud thorough and harmonised data to enhance your segmentation strategy.

Step 7 of 7 – Segment from Data 360

Use Data 360 Segments in Account Engagement
We’ll detail the steps to connect Data Cloud Segments as Account Engagement Dynamic Lists.
Read: Leverage Data Cloud’s Segment in Account Engagement

 
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Next path → Data Cloud Foundations & Value