Salesforce Marketing Cloud Implementation

Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC), a tool with power-packed features, may seem exciting to organizations due to its capabilities. But realizing its full potential is not always a smooth journey. 

Are you concerned about implementing SFMC correctly? Or lacking to fully utilize Marketing Cloud’s capabilities?

You are not alone. Many businesses implement SFMC with high expectations but encounter hurdles like complex data migration and integration complexities. It’s all due to unclear strategic planning and a lack of technical expertise. 

Implementing Salesforce Marketing Cloud presents several challenges and demands specialized knowledge and technical expertise to address them effectively.

In this blog, our Marketing Cloud experts have shared a comprehensive guide that covers the prerequisites, implementation steps, and best practices for Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC).

Let’s start!

Pre-Requisites of Salesforce Marketing Cloud Implementation

Considering these prerequisites will help you complete the implementation process successfully.

1. Choose the Right Edition

Choosing the appropriate Salesforce Marketing Cloud edition based on your budget, business requirements, and required features. Different editions of SFMC offer different functionalities, so considering factors such as required functions, customer size, and integration requirements can help identify the ideal edition. 

2. Enable Data Cloud

From the app launcher, search and select Data Cloud, then click on settings to access Data Setup to enable it. 

3. Necessary Roles and Permissions

Before starting implementation, you need to assign roles, including a Salesforce admin, marketing admin, and Data Cloud admin. Here, a Salesforce admin means someone who has permission to complete tasks in Salesforce.

• A Data Cloud admin is someone who can manage the Data Cloud setup Page and ensure the handling of user management security settings, manage data stream, etc.
  
• A Marketing Cloud admin is someone who can configure the Marketing Cloud setup page and active campaigns. Also if you want to leverage generative AI features with SFMC implementation, the marketing cloud admin can configure the AI features.

4. Create a Salesforce CRM Connector

Create a Salesforce CRM connector in the Data Cloud setup. This will allow you to integrate data between the Marketing Cloud and other Salesforce CRM solutions seamlessly. 

Follow these steps to create a Salesforce CRM Connector:

• You have to navigate to the “Connector” page (in the Data Cloud setup).
• Initiate new connector creation by clicking on “New.”
• Now, select connector type> choose “Salesforce CRM” and provide a name for this connector. 
• You have to authenticate this with your Salesforce Org. For this, choose the method of OAuth 2.0 (more secure) as you will be redirected to the Salesforce login page. Here, log in with credentials and authorize Data Cloud to access your Salesforce org and grant permissions to read data. 
• Now, you have to define the data refresh schedule between full refresh (sync data daily or weekly) and incremental refresh (sync data every hour or in a few hours).
• Review all the configured settings to finalize and save the connector. 

5. Add a Default Email Channel

To send emails through the platform, adding a default email channel is required. Also, You need to set up at least one sender email address and configure the required authentication setting. 

Here is how to add a default email channel:

• In the SFMC setup, navigate to “Email Studio” and then select “Admin.”
• Find the “Sender profile section” and create a new profile by filling in your name, email address, and reply-to address. 
• Now, you have to configure sender authentication (DKIM, SPF), including adding specific DNS records to the domain’s DNS settings. 

6. Add Data Protection Details to Records

When implementing SFMC, adding data protection details to records is required to ensure compliance. To enable this option, select data protection and privacy (by searching from the quick find box). This ensures compliance with privacy regulations, maintains user trust, and protects sensitive customer information while aligning with the structure of the SFMC data model for efficient data management.

7. Other

If you want more complex configurations like privacy and content management, you can contact a Salesforce marketing cloud consulting company. They can help configure the Marketing Cloud setup as per your requirements.

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Implementation Process

Here is the step-by-step Salesforce Marketing Cloud implementation process. By following the steps, businesses can ease their journey. 

1. Identifying the Tenant 

The type of tenant in Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) is determined by the edition of the Marketing Cloud Engagement (MCE) that your company purchased: 

• Enterprise 2.0: A top-level account that includes all associated business units
• Enterprise 1.0: A top-level account that includes Lock and Publish or On-Your-Behalf business units
• Core: A single account
• Agency: Each top-level account and each associated client account is a separate tenant

2. Confirming the Account Name and Member Identification Code (MID)

When a Salesforce Marketing Cloud account is provisioned, the organization is assigned an initial account name and a unique Member Identification Code (MID). The MID serves as the identifier for the account. Depending on the edition, an organization may have one or multiple MIDs. You can edit your account name by clicking on the edit button.

To verify the Username and MID, click on the ‘Setup’ option and navigate to ‘Account Settings.’ The MID will appear as the Account ID alongside the account name.

3. Configure Security Settings for Your Account

You can configure the security setting by going into the ‘Setup’ option and then navigating into ‘Security’. 

You should configure your alert manager and security settings. These security settings allow you to customize preferences such as session timeout, login expiration, multi-factor authentication, and more.

4. Approving IP Addresses

Organizations need to approve and add IP addresses to the allowlist. It is recommended to include all IP addresses from the local region to ensure seamless access. This allows users to log in without interruptions and easily switch between primary and secondary instances.

5. Creating Business Units

In Salesforce, business units enable you to manage data access and information sharing across Marketing Cloud. Organizations can establish business units for their various brands or divisions, ensuring users have access only to relevant information while maintaining data integrity.
For creating business units, go to the ‘Setup’ button then go to ‘Administration’, and then go to ‘Business Units’. After that click on the ‘Create’ button.

Organizations must pay proper attention to the “Unsubscribe Settings” options at the bottom. 

Note: Business units are not available in the following Salesforce tiers: Enterprise 1.0, Agency, and Core Tenants.

6. Creating Users and Assign Them Roles

For creating users, go to the ‘Setup’ button then go to the ‘Administration’ tab, and then go to ‘Users’. After that click on the ‘Create’ button.

You can create roles by going into the ‘Roles’ tab under the ‘Administration’ section.

If you want to assign the user a particular role or business unit, you can go to users and check the checkbox of a particular user(s) and assign them.

7. Setting up FTP Accounts

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) facilitates the transfer of files between computers or servers over a network. In Marketing Cloud, you can create FTP accounts and assign FTP privileges to users.

This helps minimize the amount of data stored within your Marketing Cloud account. Additionally, you can set up automation to trigger when new files are uploaded to your FTP client. Marketing Cloud supports up to 10 FTP accounts per Member Identification Code (MID).

Add new FTP users by navigating to the “FTP Accounts” option available in the “Data Management” tab of the “Administration” menu. 

8. Setting up Sender and Delivery Profile for Email Studio

A Sender Profile specifies the information that is displayed in the recipient’s inbox and drives where a message will be sent if they click ‘reply’. The sender profile is made up of three different items name, email, and reply email.

To create a new sender profile (or modify an existing one), navigate to the appropriate Business Unit, enter Email Studio, and then click Admin ->  Sender Profiles.

Click New to create a new sender profile, or click the name of an existing profile to modify it.

Marketing Cloud delivery profiles specify whether the communication is commercial or transactional. When creating a delivery profile it’s essential to identify an IP address, header, and footer for compliance with CAN-SPAM.

To create a Delivery Profile, in Marketing Cloud, navigate to Email Studio -> Admin -> Delivery Profiles, and click Create.

A send classification combines a CAN-SPAM classification with a sender profile and a delivery profile.

To create a send classification in Marketing Cloud, go to Email Studio, then navigate to Admin > Send Classifications, and select “Create.” In the Properties section, enter a name and description for the send classification. The external ID will automatically populate upon saving. Under the CAN-SPAM Classification section, choose “COMMERCIAL” or “TRANSACTIONAL” for emails that do not include an unsubscribe option.

These steps give you a solid start, but a truly smooth Marketing Cloud implementation goes beyond just following them. After successfully helping businesses implement it, we’ve gathered expert-backed insights into a detailed guide. It’s filled with best practices and real-world tips to help you get it right the first time. Grab your copy below!

Free e-guide

Roll Out with Confidence – Download Our Expert-Backed Marketing Cloud Implementation Guide!

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Salesforce Marketing Cloud Pricing

Salesforce Marketing Cloud pricing starts from 25 USD/ User/ Month for the “Starter Suite” edition. It offers different editions that are suitable for every business need.

Conclusion

With the changing marketing dynamics, leveraging the power of Salesforce Marketing Cloud is essential to acquire higher results. By implementing this platform successfully, businesses can take their marketing efforts to the next level and get various benefits.

However, if you are still confused about the implementation process, consult a partner with expertise in Salesforce cloud implementation services. Cyntexa offers a range of implementation experts who can help you with all the technicalities and intricacies and guarantee the success of your business.

So, let’s take the next step and hire Salesforce marketing cloud developers, who would be delighted to help you strategize your marketing efforts.

AUTHOR

Vishwajeet Srivastava

Salesforce Data Cloud, AI Products, ServiceNow, Product Engineering

Co-founder and CTO at Cyntexa also known as “VJ”. With 10+ years of experience and 22+ Salesforce certifications, he’s a seasoned expert in Salesforce Data Cloud & AI Products, Product Engineering, AWS, Google Cloud Platform, ServiceNow, and Managed Services. Known for blending strategic thinking with hands-on expertise, VJ is passionate about building scalable solutions that drive innovation, operational efficiency, and enterprise-wide transformation.