Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (Pardot) Spring ’24 Release Highlights

New year, new season, new release!

The Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (formerly known as Pardot) Spring ‘24 release notes are out, and they’re brimming with exciting updates designed to supercharge your marketing engine.

At the forefront is an innovative email builder that promises to transform the way you communicate, giving you a taste of the powerful features this release has in store.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

Say hello to Einstein Assistant for Account Engagement, your AI-powered wand ready to boost your efficiency and user experience.

Moreover, this release goes beyond features; it’s a roadmap ensuring your emails reach their destination successfully. Notably, with changes from Google and Yahoo on the horizon, this release helps optimize your email delivery and ensures your messages land in your customers’ inboxes.

Spring ‘24 release also brings tools to effortlessly leverage the Data Cloud, helping you to easily put your email engagement data together.

In this blog post, we’ll dive deeper into the new updates that the Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Spring ‘24 has in store for you!

Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (Pardot) Spring ’24 Release Highlights

Account Engagement Spring ’24 release packs a punch, bringing AI-powered content creation, enhanced data integration, and a glimpse into a future-proof email platform.

So, with this release, it’s time to give things a boost!

Let’s check the top 5 highlights.

1. Einstein Assistant: Generate Content On-The-Go

In 2023, GPT technology took center stage, particularly at the TDX event in March, where Salesforce unveiled Einstein GPT, now named Einstein 1. The focus was on leveraging Gen-AI technology within the Salesforce ecosystem, specifically in the realm of marketing. Salesforce emphasized the need for responsible use of Gen AI, stressing the importance of maintaining data privacy within the Salesforce platform. Currently, the spotlight has shifted towards Account Engagement.

With Einstein Assistant for Account Engagement, you can quickly generate forms, landing pages, email subject lines, and email content with just a brief description. This feature empowers you to produce personalized, high-quality content within minutes, eliminating writer’s block and streamlining the content creation process.

This feature is accessible in Account Engagement Advanced and Premium editions, as well as in Lightning Experience within Enterprise, Unlimited, and Performance editions.

2. Data Cloud: Deliver Hyper-Targeted Campaigns

This year has witnessed the emergence of the Data Cloud, driven by the availability of a freemium version that allows any user to access the tool for up to 10,000 unified profiles.

The bond between Account Engagement and Data Cloud deepens this season. You can now import email engagement data into Data Cloud, creating a richer tapestry of customer insights. Essentially, this provides an additional source of behavioral data for unification, enabling the construction of a more comprehensive profile of a specific individual across all your systems. Moreover, you can use this data to personalize journeys, segment audiences, and drive hyper-relevant campaigns.

To get started, enable the Account Engagement connector in Data Cloud and set up a stream for importing email engagement data. This upgrade is applicable to all editions of Account Engagement.

3. Email Builder: Create Engaging Emails With Greater Efficiency

If you’ve been using Account Engagement for a while, you probably know that the Lightning email builder replaced the Classic one for a more modern experience. However, Salesforce is committed to continuous improvement.

Starting a few weeks after the release, Account Engagement marketers can click “Edit in Builder” from any email content record. You’re not stuck with the new builder – you can choose between the old and new experiences each time you edit an email.

The new Lightning email builder boasts a sleek, intuitive interface that promises easier drag-and-drop design, improved accessibility, and a smoother overall experience. Now you can create stunning emails with even greater efficiency.

This change is applicable to all editions of Account Engagement and will be available in the weeks following the Spring ‘24 release. So, why not give version 3 a shot?

4. Sending Domain Verification: Ensure Your Emails Land in the Right Inboxes

Google and Yahoo recently shared some upcoming changes and rules, and this has got Account Engagement users thinking about getting ready for them.

These changes are basically about cracking down on spam and unwanted emails. Now, when you send emails through Account Engagement, the email service providers (the ones handling the inboxes of your recipients) want a verified DKIM record. Think of it like a signal saying, “Yep, Account Engagement is allowed to send emails for our organization.”

So, to make sure you’re good to go with these changes, you need to check and confirm that your DKIM record is added and verified. You can do this by going to Account Engagement Settings → Domain Management.

If you haven’t done this DKIM validation for your sending domains yet, here’s what you need to do:

• Account Engagement gives you a unique validation key for each sending domain.
• Take that validation key and paste it into your DNS record. You can find this in the control panel of your website for the domain.

This will ensure your emails won’t end up in spam folders and follow the best practices for sending emails. This change is important for all Account Engagement users.

5. Twitter Connector: Retired

Due to changes in X’s (formerly Twitter) API terms, the Twitter connector for Account Engagement is no longer available as of October 31, 2023. This modification impacts all editions of Account Engagement.

Additional Updates

• Enhanced Error Reporting with API Version 5 for Flow: Improved error reporting to facilitate issue diagnosis when copying marketing assets.
• Account Engagement API Updates:
  – New and Changed Items: Access more of your data with new and updated objects for Account Engagement API version 5.
  – Forms and Form Fields: Efficiently create and manage forms and form fields using the API.
  – Scheduling Fields: The Engagement Studio endpoint now provides start and stop schedule fields.

Conclusion

The Account Engagement Spring ’24 release is a game-changer, building upon the success of its predecessors.

From AI-powered content creation to deeper data integration and a sneak peek at the future of email, there’s something for everyone. Moreover, the Spring ’24 doesn’t forget the little things such as expanded sending domain validation, new API capabilities, and bug fixes.

If you’re using Account Engagement, expect Spring ‘24 updates to reach you by the first two weeks of February 2024. That’s when you can start using all these updates, making your customer engagement and conversions bloom in a whole new way!

Ready to Take Your Email Personalization to the Next Level With Account Engagement? Talk to Us!