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As marketers, we’ve all been there, sending emails and launching campaigns with no certainty they will resonate. The struggles of traditional marketing are all too familiar.
However, there are tools that can change the game!
Enter – Marketo Programs and Smart Campaigns.
They are an advanced approach to marketing automation that transforms scattered efforts into a precise, data-driven process. By combining sophisticated targeting, real-time automation, and intelligent workflow design, these tools turn marketing from a guessing game into a strategic science.
In this guide, we’ll break down how Marketo Programs and Smart Campaigns work. You will explore their types, key parameters, steps to implement, and practical applications to help you drive meaningful results. So, let’s begin.
What are Marketo Programs?
A Marketo program is a marketing initiative that combines two key elements:
- Assets: Customizable content pieces like landing pages, emails, and forms.
- Smart Campaigns: Automated marketing rules that define how the program responds when a user interacts with an asset.
Together, they work to ensure a smooth, automated marketing workflow from start to finish.
Let’s understand it with a real-world example.
When launching a webinar, you typically create a registration page, confirmation email, and post-webinar survey. These are the assets that help you interact with the audience.
Smart campaigns handle the automation of these interactions such as sending reminder emails, notifying the sales team about attendees, and triggering follow-up campaigns for no-shows.
The two elements work in tandem to organize the webinar campaign, engage audiences, and track performance.
Types of Programs in Marketo
Marketo offers four distinct program types, each designed for specific marketing objectives:
Email Programs
Email programs are ideal for targeted, one-off email sends. They are sent to a specific group of people at a specific date and time. With built-in A/B testing capabilities, they allow marketers to refine subject lines, content, and send times.
Engagement Programs
Engagement programs are the go-to for nurturing leads over time. Think of them as drip campaigns, where you can serve a sequence of content pieces based on where your leads are in their journey. Once leads are ready to be moved to a different stage, Smart Campaigns are used to move them automatically.
Event Program
Event programs are best suited for webinars, trade shows, and other online and in-person events. They can be integrated with several third-party tools to streamline registration management and follow-ups.
Default Program
When your initiative doesn’t fit the above categories, default programs come to the rescue. They are highly versatile programs and can be used to manage activities like online advertising, social media, lead scoring, and data management.
The Magic of Marketo Smart Campaigns
Smart Campaigns are the driving force behind automation in Marketo. They enable marketers to create seamless, dynamic workflows that can be tailored to meet specific goals.
What makes Smart Campaigns truly powerful is their ability to automate and integrate all aspects of your marketing workflow—from capturing leads to nurturing them, following up, and managing data. By defining actions based on a lead’s behavior or characteristics, Smart Campaigns ensure that each interaction is timely, relevant, and personalized.
Take it from a seasoned Marketo user working across multiple instances, “I love the fact that its operation is based on small simple steps – I very often compare it to Microsoft Excel. Using simple formulas (flow steps) and stacking them together (smart lists and campaigns) can take you a long way.” – Pavel Ivanov
This analogy perfectly captures the essence of Smart Campaigns. Just as a complex Excel spreadsheet emerges from combining simple formulas, Smart Campaigns are built by strategically linking basic campaign elements. Let’s explore each of them.
Parameters of Marketo Smart Campaigns
Who
This refers to the audience you want to target within your campaign. The “who” is defined through a Smart List, which uses triggers and filters.
Triggers respond to real-time actions, such as submitting a form or clicking a link. They are displayed in orange.
Filters target specific attributes or historical behaviors, like lead score or region. They are displayed in green.
What
This is the Flow tab of a Smart Campaign that determines the action that occurs when a lead meets the defined criteria. The “what” could be anything from sending an email, changing the status of a lead, or adding them to a different campaign. It helps ensure each lead is properly nurtured or moved through the funnel.
When
This is the Schedule tab where it all comes together. The “when” defines the precise moment your actions take place to ensure communication remains relevant. It allows you to either activate your Smart Campaign (if it uses triggers within the Smart List) or schedule it for a specific time (if it relies on filters).
Types of Smart Campaigns in Marketo
There are two types of Smart Campaigns that enable workflow automation.
Trigger-Based
These campaigns are activated when there is at least one trigger in the Smart List. They respond instantly to real-time events such as form submissions and email clicks, and cannot be scheduled. You can set up multiple triggers, and the campaign will activate whenever any of them is met.
Batch-Based
Batch campaigns rely solely on filters in the Smart List. They process leads based on predefined criteria and can run either once or on a recurring schedule—daily, weekly, or monthly. This makes them ideal for managing bulk actions or processing historical data.
Creating a Smart Campaign in Marketo
Step 1: Go to Marketing Activities in Adobe Marketo Engage.
Step 2: Select your Marketo Program and right-click to choose New Smart Campaign.
Step 3: Define the Smart Campaign name and click Create.
How to Create Trigger Smart Campaigns
Step 1: Go to your Smart Campaign and click the Smart List tab.
Step 2: Select the required trigger and drop it on the Smart List tab.
Step 3: Choose the operator and define the Trigger.
Step 4: Establish email sends to individuals who submit the form and create notification alerts for the sales team.
Step 5: Activate the campaign from the Schedule tab.
How to Create Batch Smart Campaigns
Step 1: Go to your Smart Campaign and click the Smart List tab.
Step 2: Select the required filter and drop it on the Smart List tab.
Step 3: Choose the filter operator and define the value.
Step 4: Since Batch campaigns target past actions, the schedule option isn’t typically available. However, if configured to run once, scheduling becomes available.
Practical Applications of Marketo Smart Campaigns
Marketo Smart Campaigns are powerful tools that go beyond simplifying email operations. Let’s look at its other key applications:
Data Normalization
Smart Campaigns standardize lead information by ensuring consistency across records, such as unifying variations like “CEO” and “Chief Executive Officer,” correcting formatting inconsistencies like “john doe” to “John Doe,” and resolving discrepancies in names, such as ‘Google Inc.’ and ‘Google LLC.’ This helps create cleaner databases that enable better segmentation and precise reporting.
Automated Alerts
Smart Campaigns enhance team coordination by automating real-time alerts. Sales teams can be notified when a lead reaches a certain score, providing insights into its activity and contact details. Administrators are alerted to any data errors or workflow issues to help them stay on top. These notifications foster better collaboration, reduce manual oversight, and boost operational efficiency.
The Final Note
Marketo Programs and Smart Campaigns are central to your marketing and operations. They manage everything from sending emails and nurturing leads to analyzing the success of each initiative.
That said, to unlock their full potential, expert guidance can make all the difference. Consider partnering with professional Marketo consultants to optimize your marketing and boost conversions.
Want to Manage Marketo Programs and Smart Campaigns with Ease? Contact Us!
Our Marketo consulting team specializes in addressing your Marketo issues and helping you fully leverage the platform to fuel performance and growth. To learn more, email us at [email protected].
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the difference between a Smart Campaign and a Program in Marketo?
A: A Program in Marketo acts as a container for all your marketing activities, such as emails, events, and campaigns. It provides the structure for your efforts. A Smart Campaign operates within that structure and automates specific actions, such as sending emails or adjusting lead scores, based on predefined triggers or criteria.
Q: How do I decide between trigger and batch campaigns?
A: Trigger campaigns are ideal for real-time actions such as responding to form submissions or lead interactions. Batch campaigns are better suited for periodic tasks, like sending monthly newsletters or conducting data cleanses, allowing you to handle larger, scheduled tasks.
Q: Are Marketo Programs and Smart Campaigns scalable?
A: Marketo Programs and Smart Campaigns are highly scalable, making them a perfect fit for both small and enterprise-wide initiatives. Whether you’re targeting a handful of leads or a global audience, they can be adapted to meet your needs.
Q: Do I need technical expertise to use Marketo Programs and Smart Campaigns?
A: While there is a learning curve, Marketo provides user-friendly interfaces and plenty of resources to help marketers at all skill levels. If you need extra guidance, you can reach out to Marketo support or work with a Marketo consultant to fully harness the platform’s capabilities.
Q: Can Programs and Smart Campaigns integrate with other marketing tools?
A: Marketo offers powerful integration options, allowing Programs and Smart Campaigns to work seamlessly with CRM systems, webinar platforms, and other marketing technologies. This integration enhances your overall marketing ecosystem and streamlines workflows.
Q: How quickly can I see results from implementing Smart Campaigns?
A: Many businesses notice significant improvements in engagement and conversion rates within just weeks of implementing sophisticated Smart Campaigns. The speed at which you see results often depends on campaign complexity and the effectiveness of your workflows.
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