Synchronized and Salesforce Data Extensions in SFMC

 

In the Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC), there are distinct dissimilarities between Synchronized Data Extensions and Salesforce Data Extensions. This article aims to shed light on these disparities and provide a comprehensive understanding of their functionalities.

Synchronized Data Extensions

Synchronized Data Extensions in SFMC serve as a bridge that facilitates the integration of data between Salesforce CRM and SFMC. These data extensions are established using a synchronized data source within the Marketing Cloud Connect framework. By configuring the required synchronization settings, valuable customer data from Salesforce CRM is efficiently replicated in the synchronized data extensions.

Key Features:

Seamless integration: Synchronized Data Extensions enable real-time synchronization of contact data between Salesforce CRM and SFMC, ensuring consistency across both platforms.

Bi-directional communication: Changes made in either Salesforce CRM or SFMC are synchronized, enabling a unified view of customer interactions across the platforms.

Convenient segmentation: Synchronized Data Extensions allow marketers to create targeted audience segments by utilizing Salesforce CRM attributes within the Marketing Cloud.

Salesforce Data Extensions

On the other hand, Salesforce Data Extensions within SFMC serve as repositories for storing data primarily acquired and managed within the Marketing Cloud. These data extensions are created directly in SFMC and provide marketers with a flexible environment to organize and manipulate data specific to their campaigns.

Key Features:

Autonomy within SFMC: Salesforce Data Extensions are not linked to Salesforce CRM and function independently within the Marketing Cloud, allowing marketers to maintain a separate database specifically tailored to campaign requirements.

Enhanced personalization: By leveraging data captured within SFMC, marketers can create highly personalized and targeted campaigns using dynamic content and segmentation strategies specific to Marketing Cloud activities.

Data enrichment possibilities: Salesforce Data Extensions enable the enhancement of existing data with additional attributes captured from various SFMC activities such as email sends, opens, clicks, and more. 

Read More Info about Data Extension @ Explore Synchronized Data Sources Unit | Salesforce Trailhead 

Follow SFMC Blog @ Welcome To SFMC Universe Blog

Email Studio Getting Started with Salesforce Marketing Cloud

 Introduction about Email Studio in Marketing Cloud : Email Studio is a powerful tool within Salesforce Marketing Cloud that allows businesses to effectively manage and execute their email marketing campaigns. With its user-friendly interface and robust features, Email Studio serves as a valuable resource for marketers looking to engage their audience through personalized and impactful email communications.  

Step-by-Step guide to help Email Marketing Journey:  

1. Accessing Email Studio: Log in to your Salesforce Marketing Cloud account and navigate to the Email Studio application.

2. Creating an Email: To begin creating your email, click on the "Create" button in the top navigation bar.

3. Designing Email: Once you've selected the email type, you'll be directed to the Email Studio Content Builder, where you can design your email using a drag-and-drop interface. 

4. Set Up Your Audience: Salesforce Marketing Cloud allows you to segment your audience based on various criteria, such as demographics, behavior, and interactions. This ensures that your email reaches the right people at the right time. 

5. Personalize Your Email: Personalization is a crucial aspect of effective email marketing. Using Email Studio, you can personalize your emails by inserting dynamic content and personalization variables, allowing you to address each recipient individually. 

6. Schedule and Send: After you've designed and personalized your email, it's time to schedule and send it. Email Studio provides you with the ability to choose the send time and frequency, ensuring your emails are delivered at the optimal time for your audience. 

Advantages and Benefits of Email Studio : 
1. Personalization increases the relevance of your emails, leading to higher open rates and click-through rates.
2. With Email Studio, you can set up automated email journeys, triggered by specific customer actions or events. 
3. Email Studio provides comprehensive tracking and reporting capabilities, allowing you to monitor the success of your email campaigns.
4. Email Studio seamlessly integrates with Salesforce CRM.

The Ultimate Guide to Data Extension in SFMC: Everything You Need to Know

SFMC provides powerful feature i.e. Data Extension allows us to import, store, and manipulate data within the Marketing Cloud platform. 

Data Extension is a storing method like a table with no. of rows and column. it is very similar to database table and can be used to hold a variety of data types, such as text, numbers, dates, etc. 

A Data Extension that stores multiple records for one customer is known as a one-to-many relationship (more on data relationships later!). 

Data Extension can be Sendable or Non-Sendable. When a Data Extension is marked as ‘Sendable’ it means that you can send an email, SMS and so on to this as a data source. Sendable Data Extensions map to a subscriber and when you send to them, the subscribers are added to ‘All Contacts’, if they do not already exist there. 

For No-Sendable DE, if you wanted to email a customer who recently purchased from your online store including the name of their most recent purchase, you could use a Nonsendable Data Extension containing your recent store orders to personalize the email with their recent purchase details.

Q1. How to create a Data Extension in SFMC ? 
--- a. Navigate to Email Studio > Email > Subscriber > Data Extensions.
     b. Click on "Create" to define the structure (fields and data types) of your Data Extension. 

Q2. Types of Data Extension ? 
---  1. Standard Data Extension : Used for Basic building customs fields. 
 
      2. Filtered Data Extensions - based on criteria, used to create segments from other Data Extensions. These are useful when you want to send marketing communications to certain groups of contacts who already exist within your Data Extensions. For example, all customers who purchased a particular product.

     3. Random Data Extensions - used to randomly select subscribers from an existing Data Extension. This type of Data Extension can work well for A/B testing. 

What Are The List We Use In SFMC

 

Lists is a collection of contacts or subscribers that have been grouped together based on specific criteria or characteristics. This could include demographic information, behavioral data, or past interactions with the brand. Lists can be created and managed within the Marketing Cloud platform, making it easy for marketers to keep track of their audience and target them with personalized and relevant content. 

While using lists in Salesforce Marketing Cloud is the ability to segment your audience. With lists, marketers can easily divide their contacts into smaller groups based on shared attributes. This allows for more targeted and tailored communication, as marketers can send messages to specific segments based on their interests, preferences, or behaviors. 

There are Two Types of List are Used in SFMC : 
1. Publication Lists :  Publication lists allow subscribers to control what types of communications they receive, such as opting out of future sends from a particular list (it helps to imagine an email preference center here).

If no Publication List is selected at send time, the All Subscribers list is used by default. You can find an All Subscribers list as well as Publication lists in Marketing Cloud’s Email Studio. 

2. Suppression Lists : A suppression list is a list of subscribers that you don't want to receive your communications. Suppression lists serve as a do not contact list for your email sends.

Examples of the types of addresses included on a suppression list are addresses with a history of spam complaints, unsubscribe lists from previous providers or advertisers, addresses of your competitors, and canceled customers.

Data Extension and List in SFMC

 Q1. What is Difference between Data Extension and List ? 
 Q2. Why Most the Marketers they go with Data Extension ? 

-- List : List is a storing data method in SFMC. Collection of subscribers that receive your communications. You can create as many lists as you want to segment your subscribers. 
 
1. Your lists contain 500,000 subscribers or fewer.
2. You prefer simplicity over performance.
3. You don’t require fast import speed.
4. You plan to use a limited number of subscriber attributes. (First Name, Last Name, Email Address, Status.)

Advantages:
1. A List can be configured to send a welcome email when a new subscriber opts in.
2. Lists also give you the option to enable double opt-ins for new subscribers to receive an email containing a link to confirm their email address.  

Disadvantages:
1. If we have data more than 500,000 then we can't use List.
2. If a recipient unsubscribes from any one of your Lists, they are unsubscribed from all your Lists.
3. Lists can only store first name, last name, email address, status, and a subscriber key for each of your subscribers. 
4. List Can not use Publication List.

--Data Extension: DE is a table which is contain row and column for storing data in SFMC.  

1. Your DE contain more than 500,000 subscribers.
2. You support multiple subscriber datasets, with separate definitions.
3. You send global SMS/messages.
4. Give fast import speeds.
5. Use triggered sends for Immediate Contact.
6. We can use the SOAP or REST APIs.
7. Prefer a flexible subscription model. 

Advantages: 

1. Data Extensions are defined as Sendable OR Testable. Sendable can be used for sending emails. Testable can be used for testing emails. A Data Extension can be both, either, or neither.
2. Data Extensions gives you the ability to use Publication Lists to manage both subscribers and unsubscribes.
3. Data can hold more information called relational Data Extensions.