Category

Career Development

We’re getting ready for a special edition of Dreamforce. That’s because it’s the 20th year for the largest software conference in the world. Dreamforce ‘22 is jam-packed with all the Salesforce things you can imagine and more parties and activities than any human can possibly wrap their heads around. 

But we don’t mean to freak you out about it. We have the knowledge and experience and we’re going to do our best to help you reel it in and build your ultimate Dreamforce 2022 schedule as a badass marketer.

Step 1

Turn on our Spotify Playlist to start channeling your inner Flea: Dreamforce Bands of the Past

Step 2 

Remind yourself that you’re human and this is just a guide. Make sure you leave room in your schedule for last-minute session changes, new friends and networking, vendor hall and swag, snacks and naps.

Step 3

Take a deep breath and get excited for Dreamforce 2022!

Dreamforce 2022 has everything — from small breakout sessions to inspirational keynotes from world leaders and celebrities. Just check out the number of different roles, industries, and topics Trail Maps Salesforce provided! 

The main aspects of the conference are streaming on Salesforce+ so virtual attendees can take part in the action. (Don’t forget to join the conversations and fun on Twitter #DF22.)

Here are our top marketing sessions, meetups, parties, and events to consider as you build your ultimate Dreamforce schedule. 

Day 0: Monday, September 19th

Marketers Welcome Bash

Start your week on a good note at an epic bash designed to bring marketers together in style. Joins us at the Marketers Welcome Bash to meet marketers, make friends to enjoy the week with, and say ‘cheers’ to a fun-filled Dreamforce.

Monday, Sep 19 | 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM PDT

Register here

Day 1: Tuesday, September 20th

Dreamforce Main Keynote

Join Co-CEOs Marc Benioff and Bret Taylor along with special guests!

Tuesday, Sep 20 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM PDT | Keynote Room, Moscone North

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Tap the Full Potential of Your Martech Ecosystem

Marketers are using more applications than ever before. Learn how Account Engagement’s extensibility features help you keep all your webinar and survey data in one place, and use it in automations.

Tuesday, Sep 20 | 12:30 PM – 12:50 PM PDT | Marketing Theater, Moscone West

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Create Efficiency and Focus on ROI with Intelligence

Learn how to drive marketing efficiency and maximize ROI with a centralized view of performance, automated cross-channel data connections, and actionable insights to optimize campaigns and investments

Tuesday, Sep 20 | 1:00 PM – 1:40 PM PDT | Room 3014, Moscone West

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Build a Data-First Strategy for Personalization with CDP

Understanding every customer is essential to providing personalization. Learn how to build a data-first strategy to make every engagement contextual and personalized across every touchpoint.

Tuesday, Sep 20 | 1:30 PM – 2:10 PM PDT | Room 3014, Moscone West

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The Art of Communications: Strategy to Execution

Discover how CreditAssociates & other businesses utilize Vonage & Salesforce to deploy intelligent contact centers, omni-channel strategies & deliver upgraded experiences for employees & customers.

Tuesday, Sep 20 | 1:30 PM – 2:10 PM PDT | Camp Three, Moscone South

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Ethical Real-Time Personalization: The What and the How

In this session, learn how Salesforce’s marketing personalization tools are designed with ethics from the ground up and how to drive cost savings from personalization while realizing its full promise.

Tuesday, Sep 20 | 1:30 PM – 2:10 PM PDT | Commerce Theater, Moscone West

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Discover How CDP Unifies All Customer Data in One Place

Building a single-source-of-truth customer profile that unifies data wasn’t easy — until now. Learn how Customer Data Platform (CDP) is a game changer for marketers who use the Salesforce Platform.

Tuesday, Sep 20 | 2:30 PM – 2:50 PM PDT | Trailhead Theater, Trailblazer Forest

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Automated Real-Time Personalization

94% of marketers say customers expect personalized experiences. See how Marketing Cloud Personalization uses its own technology to create 1:1 customer experiences that drive efficiency and conversions.

Tuesday, Sep 20 | 3:00 PM – 3:40 PM PDT | Room 3014, Moscone West

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Day 2: Wednesday, September 21st

Winter ’23 Release Readiness Live: Sales Cloud

Release Readiness Live is here at Dreamforce. Join our Sales Cloud product management team to learn what’s new in the Winter ’23 release for core sales, sales engagement, and rep productivity.

Wednesday, Sep 21 | 8:30 AM – 9:10 AM PDT |  Room 2018, Moscone West

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Turn Marketing into a Recession-Proof Competitive Advantage

Get five marketing strategies to work smarter and rise above your competitors — even during economic downturns. We’ll equip you to execute ABM, nail nurture campaigns, and prove your worth.

Wednesday, Sep 21 | 10:30 AM – 11:10 AM PDT | Moscone South, Level 3, Room 306

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Blog About Salesforce 

Propel your career and build your network by learning six strategies non-writers can use to start blogging about Salesforce. Blaze a trail from zero to content rockstar.

Wednesday, Sep 21 | 12:30 PM – 12:50 PM PDT | Einstein Community Campfire, Trailblazer Forest

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Marketing Keynote: Deliver Moments That Count

Cookieless future. Tighter budgets. Marketers, we got this — thanks to CDP and Marketing Cloud. See how real-time engagement makes every moment count, so you can build trusted relationships at scale.

Wednesday, Sep 21 | 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM PDT | Keynote Room, Moscone North

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Fusion Teams Part I: Finally Uniting IT & Business Teams?

Companies are struggling to adopt new technologies across business and technical teams. Rising fusion teams present a fresh way to deliver value — learn their benefits and how they’re structured.

Wednesday, Sep 21 | 1:00 PM – 1:20 PM PDT | Platform Theater, Moscone West

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Day 3: Thursday, September 22nd

Salesforce for Admins Keynote: Deliver Success

Get an inside look at how Salesforce Admins build solutions and deliver success at their organizations. See technology in action with live demos, and learn about the skills admins need to succeed.

Thursday, Sep 22 | 9:00 AM – 9:40 AM PDT | Keynote Room, Moscone North

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Tech & Media Keynote: The Future of Growth & Efficiency

Learn from visionary leaders and brands how products that enable personalization, automation, and the unlocking of data lead to increased CLTV, deeper audience engagement, and sustained revenue.

Thursday, Sep 22 | 9:00 AM – 9:40 AM PDT | Keynote Room, Moscone West

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Better Lead Attribution with UTM Capture Across Time & Space

Learn a native Marketing Cloud Account Engagement and Salesforce workflow combined with a simple website plug-in to capture first and last UTMs for visitors across site pages and landing pages.

Thursday, Sep 22 | 9:30 AM – 9:50 AM PDT | Magic Falls Theater East, Moscone West

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Innovation Keynote: Discover The New Customer Data Platform

Next-gen CDP will change how you do business. Unlock your data’s full value with integrated marketing, sales, service, and analytics. Personalize in real time and earn trust — no cookies needed.

Thursday, Sep 22 | 10:30 AM – 11:10 AM PDT | Keynote Room, Moscone North

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How Adecco Turned Its Website into a Pipe Gen Machine

Learn how Adecco used Pipeline Cloud to engage qualified buyers in real time conversations, right on the website. The result: $37M in sourced pipeline in just two months.

Thursday, Sep 22 | 11:00 AM – 11:20 AM PDT | Theater Two, Moscone South

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Drive Efficiency by Aligning Sales and Marketing

Disconnected tools make it impossible to align marketing and sales. Learn how Marketing Cloud Account Engagement can help you drive leads to sales, close deals, and showcase marketing impact.

Thursday, Sep 22 | 1:00 PM – 1:40 PM PDT | Room 2008, Moscone West

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How to Increase Efficiency and Revenue with Automation Apps

Learn how customers are using apps to automate workflows, campaigns, and revenue intelligence. See how you can accelerate automation with AppExchange and increase productivity.

Thursday, Sep 22 | 2:00 PM – 2:20 PM PDT | AppExchange Campfire, Trailblazer Forest

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Admin Preview: Winter ’23 Release Readiness Live

Release Readiness Live is here at Dreamforce. Learn the top features for admins from the Winter ’23 release. Watch live demos and ask your Flow, Permissions, and DevOps Center questions in a live Q&A.

Thursday, Sep 22 | 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM PDT | Keynote Room, Moscone West

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Our Favorite Events, Meetups, Parties, & Places

Home for Marketers Lounge

The Home for Marketers is where marketers on the Salesforce platform can go to find their people. It’s the perfect spot to take a break, network, refuel with amazing food and drinks, and get resources to level-up their MOPs.

Register here

Dreamforce ’22 Admin Meadow

The Admin Meadow is a place you’ll definitely want to stop when you arrive. Full of resources, support, and information for our #AwesomeAdmins.

Learn more 

Home for Marketers Genius Bar

Troubleshoot your marketing woes with one of our experts. Sign up to secure a time slot or drop by at a time that works for you.

Save your spot

Night of Enchantment Party

Everyone’s going to be talking about this enchanted Dreamforce party, so register and get it in your calendar now.

The epic bash is taking place at Temple Nightclub. It includes a live DJ, mouth-watering hors d’oeuvres, memorable activities and prizes, and exclusive VIP experiences. 

Tuesday, Sep 20 | 7:00 PM PDT | Temple Nightclub

Register here

The Engagement Party

Idealist Consulting’s Engagement Party is Back! For over 15 years, their Engagement Party has been the go to event at Dreamforce. 

Wednesday, Sep 21 | 7:30 PM PDT | The Pawn Shop

Register here

Pardot Users / Pardashians Meetup

Join the largest gathering of Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (formerly Pardot) users at Dreamforce! This is a great networking opportunity to meet your fellow Pardashians and share your tips and tricks for the Account Engagement platform.

Tuesday, Sep 20 | 8:00 AM PDT | Pink Elephant Alibi

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HowToSFMC Meetup

MHowToSFMC is a helpful community for Salesforce Marketing Cloud users. This is a great networking opportunity to meet your fellow practitioners and talk tips and tricks for the SFMC platform. 

Tuesday, Sep 20 | 11:30 AM PDT | Pink Elephant Alibi

Learn more

Financial Services Marketers Meetup

Meet up with your fellow Financial Service Industry Marketers to network, connect and grab some fuel (coffee, refreshments & snacks) before walking on over to grab a front-row seat at Salesforce’s Financial Services Keynote at 11:30 a.m.

Wednesday, Sep 21 | 10:00 AM PDT | Pink Elephant Alibi

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Merivis Meetup

Merivis supports veterans preparing for their next mission through training, mentorship and job placement for Salesforce cloud technology careers. Join us to connect with military veterans and milspouses who are at all stages of their journeys into the Salesforce ecosystem. Learn from others and share your story so we can all grow together. 

Thursday, Sep 22 | 11:30 AM PDT | Pink Elephant Alibi

Learn more

Diverse Salesforce Business Founders & Allies Meet Up

Close out the week of Dreamforce by networking with fellow diverse partners and founders in the ecosystem. This happy hour is open to founders and CEOs of businesses that identify as Black, Latinx, AAPI, LGBTQ+, veteran-owned, persons with disabilities, or women owned / led / founded — along with the allies who support them.

Thursday, Sep 22 | 4:00 PM PDT | Pink Elephant Alibi

Learn more

Circle of Success: Various Topics

Join these small group discussions on various topics related to the Salesforce ecosystem to learn best practices, brainstorm, and network. 

Tuesday, Sep 20 & Thursday, Sep 22 | Multiple Times | Marriott Marquis

Learn more

Salesforce Ben’s Ultimate List of Dreamforce 2022 Parties & Events

Salesforce Ben has been putting together this list since 2016, and after a two-year hiatus, they’re proud to bring you the best parties and events Dreamforce has to offer.

See the list here

Stay in Touch!

Pardashians

Join all the cool new Slack groups you learned about including our favorite, The Pardashians.

APPLY TO JOIN

MarDreamin’

Register for MarDreamin’ for free – a 3-day virtual conference focused on all things marketing on the Salesforce platform.

SIGN UP FOR MARDREAMIN’

See You There!

Dreamforce 2022 is a massive event and you will feel overwhelmed at times. But remember, you are not alone. 

This is an inclusive community of like-minded individuals who will be just as lost as you, even if they are a seasoned Dreamforce professional. (Keep an eye on #SalesforceOhana to see what others are up to.)

Plus, Team Sercante will be there passing out pink dragons (trust us, you want one), sharing Pardot Marketing Cloud Account Engagement secrets, and absorbing as much knowledge as we can. 

Stop by and say hi!

Dreamforce Home for Marketers Lounge

Streaming keynotes, 1:1 meeting space, open all week.

Register here

Merivis recently named Sercante as their “Partner of the Year” for 2022, and I couldn’t be more proud to be a #Merivet AND a #SercanteDragon. In the spirit of this award, I want to share the story of my journey into a new career in the Salesforce ecosystem as a transitioning military veteran.

Summer is in full swing, and folks are having BBQs, going to baseball games, and heading out for vacation. This is also the time of year when many active-duty servicemembers and their families are getting ready to move from one duty station to another, or transition from the service back to civilian life. 

Every year, over 200,000 active-duty sailors, soldiers, airmen, marines, guardians, and coast guardsmen separate or retire from active duty. This is a large group of highly motivated, smart, and loyal potential employees that have no idea that they can break into tech and the Salesforce ecosystem. 

First, I’m going to tell you a bit about my journey and then I’ll lay out resources for you and your team to tap into this talent goldmine. 

My Limited Duty Officer Class in front of the USS Constitution in Newport RI, circa 2011

My journey from sailor to Salesforce solution engineer

Why am I talking about this? 

Well,  a little over two years ago, I was in that same group of transitioning service members. I was coming up on 20 years of active duty service and was preparing for life after the Navy (Yes, I’m a retired sailor). I knew I didn’t want to be one of the guys who leaves the service only to come back as a Government employee — it just isn’t for me. 

I spent a lot of time mulling over my options, and I knew I wanted to break into tech. But that’s a nebulous destination at best with so many options (too many to count!). 

By now, you’re probably thinking…

“Jason, get to the point, I mean isn’t this blog supposed to be about marketing?”

Well, not in the traditional sense but be patient young grasshopper. 

Here I am reenlisting one of the best sailors I ever worked with. Reenlisting a sailor was a sacred honor I cherish to this day.

Introduction to big tech through military-sponsored program

In 2019 as I was planning my escape, er I mean, retirement, I applied to and was accepted into a program called Fourblock. It’s a program specifically designed to help veterans and transitioning Active Duty break into tech. 

We got to do some cool stuff like visiting the T-Mobile HQ, Microsoft Campus, Amazon (they are truly everywhere in Seattle), and meeting with and networking with Veteran Group Leaders at these Fortune 100 companies. 

We did resume reviews, interview prep, and networking! Pretty awesome stuff, right? I mean I had never seen a place that had craft beer ON TAP in the lunchroom, wild!

It was during this time in my Fourblock cohort when I was lamenting about breaking into tech without any tech skills (queue up imposter syndrome), and someone recommended Salesforce.

I jumped on Trailhead, created my profile, and got to work. ANNNND then the pandemic hit — my job got super crazy and I totally neglected Trailhead, Astro, and all the cool things I was starting to get hyped about with Salesforce. 

Learning Salesforce through the Merivis cohort program

Fast forward to Spring 2021 and I’m starting to panic about my post-Navy career. Then, after one fateful Veterati Mentorship phone call, I was directed to the Merivis website

I applied to and was accepted into Admin Cohort 20, and I achieved my Salesforce Administrator certification in June of 2021. 

It was through a Merivis contact, the amazing (and former Sercante Dragon) Hayley Tuller, that I was introduced to the leadership team at Sercante. And the rest is history. 

Team Sercante with Merivis Executive Director Kate Perez

Since joining Sercante in September 2021, I’ve added 2 more certifications and I truly love my job! 

I get to work with thought leaders in the Salesforce and Pardot (MCAE) space every day. And the best part is that it’s fully remote. My commute is the 15 seconds of walking downstairs to my office after taking my dogs out. 

What is Merivis?  

The name Merivis comes from the Latin roots of Merit and Force, Merivis is a non-profit Veteran’s Service Organization (VSO) that specializes in “Transforming military years into tech careers.”

 It was founded by Hector Perez, Kate Perez, and Joe Castro and focuses exclusively on helping veterans, military spouses (current and former), and transitioning service members break into the Salesforce Ecosystem. From Hector’s experience as a hiring manager at various tech companies, he recognized a growing talent gap that veterans could be trained and hired to fill, which inspired him, Kate, and Joe to found Merivis. 

Merivis provides no-cost training by Salesforce Certified Instructors to members on a wide range of certifications: 

  • Salesforce Administrator
  • Platform App Builder
  • CRM Analytics
  • MCAE (Pardot)
  • and more

Members of each cohort are paired up with a coach to help them with the technical side of understanding Salesforce and a mentor for accountability and guidance on job seeking and networking. 

Seriously, that one phone call with  Jeri Lim and her advice to check out Merivis changed my life. 

Sercante VP of Technology Adam Erstelle with Jason Ventura at Forcelandia in July 2022

Why Veterans? (or Transitioning Military, or Mil Spouses?)

We all know and appreciate military veterans for the jobs they do while wearing a uniform. But what if I told you that even the most junior enlisted sailor has better project management skills than the kid who just graduated from college? 

Real-Talk: Any member of the military who has served for at least 2 years has been a project manager. And the same applies to military spouses. Military spouses are project managers, logistics experts, and financial gurus. No joke.  

The point I’m trying to make is that most, if not all, vets, transitioning service members, and military spouses have those “soft skills” you see on job posts. 

Hard skills versus soft skills 

Hard skills are the things that can be taught or learned — like coding, building automation, writing flows, building marketing campaigns, developing reports, etc. 

Soft skills are more abstract and tend to be hard to codify — like being a team player, adaptability (whoa boy is that a military requirement), authenticity, passion, and leadership. 

You can study a book on coding and retain the information and make use of the skills immediately, but it takes time and effort to put soft skills into practice. And it takes a lot more time to effectively use and master them. 

Ok, you’ve convinced me. So what’s next? 

I’ve only scratched the surface of what the veteran and mil-spouse community can bring to the table. And I could write a series of blogs about each group, vertical, or specialization that veterans and mil-spouses can excel in. 

However, to keep this more of a blog and less of a Doctoral Thesis, I’m going to sum things up for you. 

  1. Veterans, mil-spouses, and transitioning service members are often overlooked as a resource in the martech space and Salesforce ecosystem when searching for talent. 
  2. Training in technology is easy. Training in soft skills is hard. Vets and mil-spouses probably have the soft skills you’re looking for. 
  3. Merivis and other amazing VSOs provide no-cost technical training to vets, mil-spouses, and transitioning service members. 
  4. Finally, if you connect the dots, Merivis and other VSOs fill the skill gaps for vets, mil-spouses, and transitioning service members so they can come to the Salesforce ecosystem and find fulfilling careers. At the same time, they’re filling skill gaps that make it hard to hire people for technical specialty roles.

Technology career resources for military veterans

There are a number of great resources out there for companies looking to hire veterans and veterans looking to break into the tech industry. 

Here are some links:

My sincere goal was to introduce you to these wonderful organizations, bring awareness to this untapped talent resource, and share a little bit about my story.  

If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up on LinkedIn or drop a comment below.

Cheers!

The Great Resignation has impacted businesses throughout the US for the last two years and more specifically, it has created a talent gap for many departments. Marketing teams in particular seem to be taking a big hit, mainly when it comes to specialty roles like digital marketing and marketing operations/technology. 

One theory behind the Great Resignation is that it can be traced to the earlier part of the Covid-19 pandemic; workers reevaluated their current employment and determined if their role at said company was still in alignment with their needs and wants. Whether that was tied to company policies around PTO, working from home or their level of pay, workers started to seek out new opportunities and leave their sometimes long-held positions.

Whatever the impetus behind the Great Resignation, it has caused many business leaders to take pause and evaluate both how they retain and hire top talent. 

Retaining and hiring marketers in the Great Resignation

Retention often means understanding what your current marketers want and need in their job to stay satisfied. It’s time to break down some of the old traditions of once a year, one-sided evaluations as an indicator of worker satisfaction. Do those evaluations fully articulate satisfaction anyway? Probably not. Internal surveys, informal check-ins and reverse evaluations can offer both qualitative and quantitative  insight. 

When hiring is the next feasible option, your company’s reputation, training and benefits are what will be of most import to the job seeker. If resourcing becomes more critical in terms of immediate need, there are additional options to consider and supplement until top talent can be brought in or even in lieu of onboarding new employees. 

Use your company website as a talent pipeline

A company career page isn’t solely a place to post job descriptions, it also provides insight into the culture and values that a particular company holds. This can be articulated through mission statements and core values, but also pictures of team building trips and activities. First impressions hold true in many circumstances, but especially for potential candidates searching your site for a glimpse into your company’s culture and overall vibe. 

Since review sites like Glassdoor.com exist and often display as a top search result, establishing your company’s image first can make a significant difference when it comes to reputation management and drawing in the top candidates you seek. 

On this career page, within job descriptions themselves, you have another opportunity to snag the attention of top marketing candidates. Give the job description a broader appeal and provide a vision of what the position’s “day in the life” can be like. 

Crafting a story within the job description can help job seekers envision themselves in that role with greater ease and get a better understanding of expectations and cross departmental functionalities. Here’s an example from the Sercante website.

Another way to capture the attention of the ideal marketing technology candidate is to include a pay range within the position description. This can make your company stand out and create good faith moving forward, especially for previously underpaid demographics.  Pay transparency is the new unlimited PTO. 

Train marketing talent from within 

Instead of looking outside the company for the ideal marketing ops candidate, empower existing team members to learn something new by offering training opportunities

Many “traditional” marketers can feel pigeonholed and often want to learn a new skill to expand their expertise. For example, a PR professional might be tired of writing press releases and want to delve into the social media world, or content writers might wonder how their email copy is being used within a particular marketing automation platform. 

Giving your internal team members the time to learn on the clock can be a major confidence booster. Assign a task in Asana (or other project management tool) with 3-5 hours per week to team members open to learning new technology. 

Allowing company time for learning and growth opportunities may help build toward a positive impression with your current employees. Salesforce Trailhead is one of the best platforms to turn marketing-minded individuals into marketing technology powerhouses. Likewise, HubSpot offers free marketing certifications. Take it one step further by paying for certification tests and/or tying certification completions to additional bonuses. 

To supplement self-guided training, setting up a company catered Lunch & Learns results in a pro-learning environment and is a beneficial team building tool. When the training models are checked off and certificates produced, the next step is aligning team members on openings and evaluating opportunities for advancement in title and pay. 

Offer solid benefits + competitive pay to stand out 

Competitive pay will often be the number one indicator of a company’s ability to obtain top talent. In addition to pay though, a generous and even unique benefits package can help your company stand out among competitors. 

The standard (or expected) benefits such as a tech stipend, retirement investment account, healthcare and PTO are now considered the bare minimum. Here are additional benefits that businesses have recently started offering:

  • Fitness reimbursement 
  • eBook subscriptions
  • At home office stipend
  • Meditation app subscriptions
  • Nap pods 
  • Food delivery/meal prep service discounts 
  • Unlimited or extra PTO

As family structures change, more forward-thinking companies are aligning to different parental leave benefits or PTO for recent adoptions or foster care placement. Perhaps some of the more sought after benefits aren’t just tangible, they are about breaking down the very structure of how folks are seeking to work such as 100% remote workplaces or even 4-day work weeks. 

Leverage external resource for team expansion 

So you’ve tackled your reputation, finessed the job descriptions and looked internally for resources but have a gap and have an immediate resource need. After all those emails won’t trigger themselves and that landing page won’t magically layout on its own. For some companies, the immediate need for marketing technology individuals can hold up business processes and slow down the marketing to sales pipeline if not fulfilled. 

So who can you turn to when looking to supplement your internal team? This is where hiring managers can tap into freelance marketing professionals or consultant agencies. Agencies, like Sercante can act as an extension of the team, function on a project basis lending expertise or fill in for someone on health leave. Sometimes you can even have a fully trained team but too many projects that are all priorities. This is where the external support can assist with minimal ramp-up time.  

The Sercante motto is we make marketers wildly successful with the Salesforce platform. This means we share our expertise for all things automation and Sales Cloud and training teams to use the tools themselves. 

Looking toward the Great Resignation bright side 

One of the benefits of the Great Resignation is opportunity for realignment both inside companies and for the new job seeker. 

The last two years have shown us that workers want to feel valued and seen for their contributions and companies are starting to see the importance of finding the right talent or resources to assist with marketing technology projects. 

Are you looking to become or obtain top marketing talent within the Salesforce ecosystem? Feel free to check out the Pardot & Marketing Cloud Job Hub.

I just returned from an action-packed week at Connections (Salesforce’s banner event for marketers) and I gotta say — it feels good to be back with the Ohana.

It’s been a hot minute since in-person Salesforce community events were in full force. Dreamforce 2019 is the last big thing I attended prior to this event. As we ramp back up, I’m realizing that some of my team members, customers, and friends in the ecosystem actually have never attended a Salesforce event. And those who have are a little rusty (I know I was.)

If you’re looking to get more involved in the Salesforce ecosystem through events, here are a few rules/guidelines you can follow to maximize the benefits.

Rule 1. Mix it up and attend both “official” and “community” Salesforce events

There are a few types of Salesforce community events that might come across your radar. And there’s value in attending all of them.

Each event type brings something unique to the table. If you have the opportunity to, I’d recommend engaging with a mix of Salesforce-sponsored and community-led events. 

Salesforce User Groups

Local events led by a community member, customer or partner. Topics are often how to/best practice oriented. They’re usually 20-30 people, sometimes more in bigger metro areas. 

Search for Salesforce user groups in your region here.

Erin Duncan welcomes attendees to an Atlanta Pardot User Group meeting.

Salesforce World Tours

These are usually in a big city and are official events put on by Salesforce (free to attendees). Expect a couple thousand people, a big expo hall, dancing mascots, and a high energy keynote full of product news and big logo customers. Oh, and post-event happy hours from vendors and partners. 

A few Sercante dragons were spotted in the wild at Salesforce World Tour London 2022

Dreamin’ Events

Although increasingly virtual or hybrid, these are usually in a big city and put on by members of the Salesforce community for a modest fee (usually $100-300). In other words, they’re created by Salesforce users, for users, and are loosely sanctioned/supported by Salesforce. 

The content is totally different in comparison to Salesforce World Tours. There’s no “selling” angle in mind — instead, you’ll find “in the trenches” advice from admins and hands-on folks with lots of real talk. This is a great place to find your people and meet someone you can call with an SOS when you’re stuck on something.

MarDreamin’ (formerly ParDreamin’) is a marketing-focused Salesforce community event

Dreamforce

This is the Superbowl of Salesforce. There’s a huge volume of content catered to almost any audience, and Salesforce pulls out all the stops to make this a fun, flashy, and engaging event. And the entire partner ecosystem rallies to woo customers, throw parties, and celebrate headline product news. 

The price tag is $1-3Kish depending on discounts and how early you buy your Dreamforce ticket. 

Pre-covid, they shut down multiple city blocks in San Francisco and had nearly 200K people. This year, rumor has it that attendance will be capped at 30K (but limited info out about that yet.) 

Here are scenes from the last big Dreamforce in 2019.

Salesforce Connections

Already happened this year, but for future reference, Connections is like a mini Dreamforce for marketers (also Salesforce sponsored). It’s been in Chicago for the last several years, and is the place to be for customers (or would-be customers) of Marketing Cloud and Commerce Cloud.

The Sercante team was happy to gather and learn at Connections 2022.

Rule 2. Define your goal for participating 

Do a little soul searching to figure out your ‘why’ for attending these events. Your objectives for attending Salesforce community events might include:

  • Tactical, how-to learning
  • Getting ideas & inspiration
  • Networking with other users 
  • Meeting your Salesforce account team
  • Recruiting 
  • Sales & prospecting
  • Learning about interesting products that work with Salesforce 
  • Evaluating prospective partners
  • Building a personal brand in the ecosystem 

Determining what’s most important to you will inform what events you should prioritize. As a rule of thumb, I would say user-led events are the best for tactical, how-to learning. 

Rule 3. Get digital business cards

I completely forgot business cards were a thing until Connections. Surely I have a stash of pre-covid cards somewhere in my house… but it didn’t even enter my mind until I was ready to swap contact info with someone.

I was surprised to see A LOT of people using QR codes for an efficient contact info swap. Some people connected this to their Linkedin, and others had a QR code that created a contact record in the scanning user’s phone. I will definitely be doing this before the next event! 

Image credit

Rule 4. Don’t just attend… speak and volunteer! 

Once you have a feel for what these events are all about, I highly recommend throwing your hat in the ring to speak. I’ve found speaking at events to be incredibly rewarding and fantastic for networking. 

You know you’ve found your people when you can get up in front of a group and say

 “I worked on XYZ, I struggled with ABC, and here’s where I’m at,” and see heads nodding. It’s validating to find others who have the exact same challenges and know we’re all figuring this thing out together.

I’m a big believer that we all have something to learn and something to teach. If you’re reading this thinking “I have nothing to speak on” — check that imposter syndrome

Another great way to get more engaged is through volunteering. As someone who isn’t a particularly natural networker, working badge check in desks used to be my go-to to meet people in a low-pressure way.

Rule 5. Pick what sessions you want to prioritize

When it comes to the bigger conferences and Dreamin’ events, it’s not uncommon for popular sessions to fill up and not be able to accommodate everyone who wants to join. Skim the agenda before you go and pick three things you really want to attend.

Pro tip: If you see Circles of Success on the agenda, pick those! They’re group discussions and rarely disappoint.

Rule 6. Try to figure out who you want to meet… in advance of the event 

Ask around (i.e. customers, partners, friends, Salesforce AEs) and see who’s going. Events are a great opportunity to get some facetime with people you only work with online. Skim the speaker list — anyone with an interesting background? 

Ping these folks before the event and set up a coffee or lunch date, or plan to go find them the day of.

(And if you don’t know anyone who’s going — not to fear. You can still have a great networking experience attending live! This extra step ensures you get the value you were hoping for out of the event.) 

Rule 7. Check out Twitter 

The Salesforce ecosystem is active on Twitter. That means it’s the place to be for social connection during the actual event. 

For bigger events, follow the event hashtag to see pictures, find information about happy hours and adjacent events, read people’s hot takes, and more. Many user groups also have their own Twitter accounts and hashtags.

Pro Tip: Follow the #SalesforceWorldTour hashtag.

Rule 8. Don’t skip the “real life” social parts 

After a long day of networking, you might want to head home or get back to your hotel room to decompress. But you’d be missing the best part — happy hours, dinners, and spontaneous post-event hang outs are some of my favorite memories from Salesforce events. That’s because people tend to be more relaxed and aren’t rushing to the next thing.

If the idea of unstructured open networking makes you green in the face, then try thinking of a few questions to keep in your back pocket. 

For example: 

  • What was your biggest takeaway from the event? 
  • Are you working on anything you’re excited about?
  • What do you see as the biggest barrier or struggle with Salesforce at your organization? 
  • Have you ever seen a ghost? (Seriously — someone asked me this once at a happy hour, and it led to the most interesting group conversation ever.)

Rule 9. Say thank you and follow up 

Most people consider the event over when it’s…. well, over. But the magic is staying connected and building on value you got from the event. 

What relationships can you nurture? Who can you say thank you to? Do you have any thoughtful resources or help you could offer a new acquaintance? 

If all else fails, at least fire off a few Linkedin requests. 

Salesforce community events propel careers

I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met at Salesforce community events who later became teammates, clients, and partners. And I get it. These things aren’t easy for natural introverts like me. 

What I can tell you is someone else in the room is likely experiencing the same anxiety you’re feeling about being in these situations. And there’s luckily a big enough variety of Salesforce community events to accommodate all social situation comfort levels.

  • Not a fan of crowds? Check out an intimate user group meeting in your area. 
  • Don’t wanna be around people at all? Connect with Trailblazers through a virtual community group meeting (this blog post has a few examples).
  • Rather blend in with a crowd? Dreamin’ conferences have a spot for you to soak in all the educational in-person sessions.

Bottom line is — get yourself out there. You’ll connect with people who have similar work experiences and learn a few things. And, who knows, it may lead to your next big opportunity.

Have any nuggets of wisdom for attending Salesforce community events that we forgot? Tell us about it in the comments section.

Passing the Salesforce Marketing Cloud Administrator exam demonstrates that you have the skills to configure and administer Marketing Cloud products using industry and product best practices. And having that distinction puts you in a position where employers will compete to welcome you to their team.

That’s because people with Marketing Cloud skills are among the most difficult to find and retain, according to research by 10K. Based on supply and demand, there are great opportunities for those who put in the time and energy to develop these skills.  

Use these tips to pass the Salesforce Marketing Cloud Administrator exam

There are a lot of Salesforce-approved exam prep resources available. So, we’re not going to dive too deeply into them (we’ll touch on them a bit in tip #3). 

This post will instead focus on eight tips that helped me pass the Marketing Cloud administrator exam — and I hope they will help you too.

Tip #1: Pregame with the Marketing Cloud Email Specialist Certification 

While there is not an official practice exam for the Salesforce Marketing Administrator exam, the Marketing Cloud Email Specialist Certification is a worthy stand-in. There’s a fair amount of crossover between the email specialist and administrator exams. Sure, the weights are different and the admin exam goes into more depth, but the overall concepts are similar.

There are different schools of thought as to the order in which the marketing cloud exams should be taken. But I firmly believe you should not take the Marketing Cloud Administrator exam until you’ve passed the specialist exam. It will ensure that you have a solid foundation in place and it will let you beef up your LinkedIn profile with another cool certification!

Tip #2: Setup is king in the Marketing Cloud admin exam

Setup is a whopping 38% percent of the Marketing Cloud Administrator exam. The next closest section is  Subscriber Data Management at 18%. This is basically make it or break it territory. Ace the Setup section, and you are well on your way to adding a new credential to your collection. 

With that said, I take a very methodical approach to exam preparation. I study the exam guide, make sure I understand the weight of each section, and then budget my study time accordingly. This may seem like common sense, but I see people stressing over sections with low weighting all too often.

Tip #3: Don’t trust the internet

We all know the policy about exam dumps and questions floating around on the internet. In short, don’t use them. If you have any questions about this topic, be sure to review the Salesforce Credential Code of Conduct.

Not only is the use of exam dumps and non-approved study materials in violation of the code of conduct, they are often wrong. The only thing worse than studying for hours is studying the wrong information for hours! 

Do yourself a favor (and the right thing) and stick to Salesforce-approved materials.

Here are Salesforce-approved resources I found to be helpful.

Tip #4: Focus on key Marketing Cloud terminology 

I’ve taken my share of Salesforce exams, and I would classify the Marketing Cloud Administrator Exam to be more straightforward than most. If you’ve taken any of the Salesforce Administrator certification exams, you’ve no doubt seen the scenario based questions that are about a paragraph long! 

The questions on the Marketing Cloud Administrator Exam are pretty simple and to the point. The point of confusion lies in the list of answers provided. Outside of a random term here and there, most are terms that you’ve seen in Marketing Cloud. This tends to lead to second guessing as you’ll be telling yourself “Yeh. I remember that one.”

 My advice is to create a list of key terms and know it like the back of your hand. These questions become VERY easy — if you know the terminology and can quickly eliminate the wrong answers.

Here’s a list of terms I made for myself. I compiled these from a variety of Salesforce-approved resources. This list is NOT inclusive of all the terms you’ll see on the exam. Use this as a starting point and add more terms based on your experience level with Marketing Cloud.

TermDefinition
Access LogList of non-allowlisted IP addresses and login names logged into Marketing Cloud accounts for network.
Audit TrailAllows security admin users to view Marketing Cloud access and activity records.
Burst SendingBurst Sending allows you to send emails fast. The audience is locked down and the emails are built when the schedule send time is set. Use this feature for flash sales or emergency messaging.
ContactIn Contact Builder, it is an individual added to any contact database. A contact is also any other individual to whom you sent a message via any channel using Marketing Cloud.
Contact IDA system defined, unique identifier representing a Contact.
Contact KeyA user defined attribute that is used as a unique identifier for the contact model, and other models (Journey Builder) except Email Studio.
Content DetectiveTool in Email Studio that will identify spam triggers in your email content. Scans the preheader, the subject line, the body copy for words, patterns, and phrases that it views as spam.
Delivery ProfilesSpecifies the delivery information for a message (Company, IP Address, Header and Footer).
Domain AllowlistTrust all email addresses within that domain to receive your data.
Export Email AllowlistIndividual email addresses that can receive exports via email from your Marketing Cloud account.
Identity VerificationRequires you to authenticate the browser or app used to access the application.
IP AllowlistRange of IP addresses who can access your account to prevent unauthorized logins.
Multi-factor AuthenticationAnother layer of protection so users must provide two factors when logging in.
Primary KeyA unique field on a data extension that identifies a specific and unique data point. Often this is the contact key, but it can be something unique to that data.
Reply Address DefinitionConfigure reply-to info like email display name, reply subdomain, and email reply address.
Reply RulesHow reply mail management identifies and responds to the replies that subscribers send.
Routing AddressEmail address that replies are sent to when the reply is not defined in the Reply Rules.
SafehouseDecrypt or encrypt files before import or extract without exposing these files to the Enhanced FTP directories. Only authenticated users can access the Safehouse, which resides on highly redundant, highly available central storage servers.
Send ClassificationComposed of Sender Profile, Delivery Profile, and CAN-SPAM classification
Sender Authentication Package (SAP)Purchased from Salesforce and includes a collection of products, including a private domain with link and image wrapping, a dedicated IP address, and reply mail management (RMM).
Sender ProfileSpecifies the From information for a send in a central location (from name).
SFTPA secure method for transferring data from one computer to another over the Internet.
SubscriberA person who opted in to receive communications from your organization.
Subscriber IDA system defined, unique identifier representing a Subscriber.
Subscriber KeyA user defined text field that contains a value that uniquely identifies a subscriber. Shouldn’t contain email addresses.
Tokenized SendingUsed to send contact data that is too sensitive to store in your Marketing Cloud account database. Instead of storing sensitive information in your Marketing Cloud account database, your account stores a single token per send attribute. Support must activate this feature.
Web Analytics Connector (WAC)Free feature that appends a ‘string’ to every Email Studio email link. Simply put, it adds data to the end of your links for tracking purposes. The string is typically used to add Google Analytics UTM Parameters, but it can really be used for anything you want.

Tip #5: The devil is in the details 

Pay attention to details when taking your exam, and be sure to read all options before selecting your answer. I noticed several questions on the exam that had several answers that were seemingly correct.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about.

How would a Marketing Cloud Administrator add new users in EMEA to the correct business unit?

  1. Setup > Users > Edit Business Units
  2. Setup > Business Units > Manage Business Units
  3. Setup > Users > Manage Business Units

There are a couple things to note when looking at this question. The first is the navigation path. Can you add users to BUs under Business Units? Nope! This is where you would go to set up your business units. We can now cross answer B off the list.

The second thing to note is the action referenced in the answer. “Edit Business Units” and “Manage Business Units” both sound correct, but you have to choose one. This is where paying attention to details is really important. Inside Marketing Cloud, “Manage” is the action that’s used to add users to business units (and roles).  


So the answer to our relatively straightforward looking question is “C”. You would add users to the EMEA business unit by navigating to Setup > Users > Manage Business Units

Tip #6: Pay attention to product names  — new and old

Salesforce recently updated the names of several products, and Marketing Cloud was impacted (Salesforce Name Changes: Pardot & Marketing Cloud Get A Rebrand). When I took the Marketing Cloud Administrator exam, these changes had not yet been integrated. I’m sure this will be addressed quickly in the next release, but it’s worth mentioning as every question counts! Don’t be too surprised if you see something like this.

The Marketing team would like to be able to pick the next best action based on real-time interaction data. Which Marketing Cloud add-on best addresses this purpose?

  1. Journey Builder
  2. Interaction Studio
  3. Automation Studio
  4. None of the above

So where’s Personalization? We all know that the correct answer is Marketing Cloud Personalization, but it’s not included in the list. The first instinct would be to select answer D “None of the above,” but that would be incorrect. 

The correct answer is B “Interaction Studio.” This was the name of that add-on at the time the exam was written. Be sure to know the new and old names — just in case!

Tip #7: Activate those Einstein features 

Salesforce is really excited about the Einstein features in Marketing Cloud (as they should be). A lot of time and effort has gone into enabling marketers with AI, and you are going to be asked about these features.

To make sure that you understand the capabilities of Einstein, activate ALL the features available in your account. I guarantee that you’ll learn something you didn’t know! 

Keep in mind that data is not instantly available in your account after activation. Depending on the feature, it could take 24 to 72 hours.

Tip #8: Get hands-on practice! 

This exam focuses a lot on how to DO things in Marketing Cloud. If you are anything like me, the best way to learn is by doing. There are a lot of great Trailhead modules on Marketing Cloud, but no hand-on challenges. It’s really easy to read the content and answer a couple of questions to get your badge, but did you really learn anything?

My advice is to make those modules hands-on. Login to your Marketing Cloud account and follow along. You don’t need to save all your work in your account, but the act of navigating to the correct sections and clicking the buttons will reinforce your learning. Sure, it’s going to take you a lot longer to complete the modules, but it’s not a race!

As I said  in tip #4, the devil is in the details. You are going to need to know how to navigate Marketing Cloud to pass this exam. If you don’t know your way around (very well), save your $200 and don’t take the exam until you have more hands-on experience.

You can do it — now go pass the Marketing Cloud admin exam!

I would not rate the Marketing Cloud Administrator Exam as one of the toughest Salesforce exams that I’ve taken (that honor goes to the Salesforce Advanced Administrator exam). But it should not be taken lightly.  

You’ll have 105 minutes to take the exam, which I found to be very generous. Don’t rush and take the time to read the question and all the answers before making your selection. With adequate preparation and a good amount of hands-on experience, you’ll pass this exam.

If you don’t pass on your first try, don’t be discouraged. Look at it as a learning opportunity. While exam results don’t show results by individual questions, the section level scoring is a great way to see your strengths and areas for improvement.

If you have any specific questions about the exam or just want to talk Marketing Cloud, drop a note in the comments section or hit me up on LinkedIn.

Good luck — you got this!

Salesforce Connections is a digital marketing and commerce two-day conference that takes place annually. 

It’s happening in person in Chicago, Illinois, from June 7-9, 2022. And you’re invited (to attend virtually if you can’t be there in person, of course).

We’re here to tell you that the benefits of attending these big tech industry events are gifts that keep on giving. 

I know so many people who made connections with other Trailblazers at Salesforce events that lead to job opportunities, collaborative partnerships, and client contracts (if you’re on the consulting side). And some of these happened years after the initial connections took place!

What is Salesforce Connections?

Salesforce Connections is a two-day conference that’s chock full of educational and inspirational content that’s geared toward marketers who use the Salesforce platform to reach their goals. 

Not to be confused with the series of the same name on Salesforce+, it happens annually and brings together all the big names you’ve learned to associate with Salesforce and marketing.

Salesforce Connections 2022 is happening June 8-9 in Chicago at McCormick Place.

Who attends Salesforce Connections?

Salesforce Connections is where all types of marketing and commerce professionals can learn how to use technology effectively and discover the latest innovations as they look toward the future. 

The event grew steadily from a humble 600-person conference to one that welcomed about 13-15,000 attendees in recent years (with the exception of the pandemic years). We expect to see a similar number of in-person attendees this year.

If you’re a marketer or work in a marketing operations capacity for a company or organization that’s on the Salesforce platform, then Salesforce Connections is a conference that can open doors for you. 

This conference is for anyone who supports marketing and commerce efforts using Salesforce tools like Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud (including all products under the Marketing Cloud umbrella, like Pardot), Customer Data Platform (CDP) Slack, and CRM Analytics (Tableau).

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How do I attend Salesforce Connections?

You have two ways to attend Salesforce Connections — in person or virtual.

In person in Chicago, IL

If you can attend the conference in person, then you (or your employer) will have to shell out $999 for the Full Conference Pass. (register here)

Attending the conference in person is the way to go if you can swing it (or get your company to send you). 

In-person attendees have access to: “the main show, luminary session, breakouts and theater sessions, hands-on workshops, Circles of Success roundtable discussions, and networking with your Community and Trailblazer Celebration event, as well as daily a.m. and p.m. breaks and lunch.” 

You have over 180 sessions to sort through and build your agenda. And don’t forget about the after parties!

Salesforce reserves a block of hotel rooms near the conference location, but you have to get on it before the May 13, 2022, deadline. You’ll see information about reserving a room when you complete the registration process.

Virtual from anywhere in the world

You still have access to high-impact content — even if you’re taking the low-stress/low-cost route by attending Salesforce Connections from home.

Tune into Salesforce+ June 8-9 to catch highlight videos from the event.

Salesforce Connections 2022 Agenda

Yeah, yeah. We know you want to attend Connections to learn and whatnot. But have you SEEN the parties and networking events?

You can sort through the 180+ session descriptions and filter by product, role, and industry. And here are a few highlights we’re looking forward to.

Marketing Cloud Innovation and Releases: Live

In 2022, marketers have more tools than ever to exceed customers’ sky-high expectations. Learn about the most impactful Marketing Cloud innovations to date, and see what’s coming next.

Thursday, Jun 9 | 2:00 PM – 2:20 PM CDT | Lake Erie Theater

Session Description

Build Marketing Integrations with Account Engagement V5 API

Account engagement has a new API built from the ground up with ease of integration in mind. Build marketing assets, manage your campaigns, and create custom activities easier than ever.

Thursday, Jun 9 | 11:00 AM – 11:20 AM CDT | Lake Michigan Theater

Session Description

The Party at Connections 2022 Musical Guest: OneRepublic

I usually have something to say about all the Salesforce musical guests, but this one is new to me. I’ll be tuning in with all of you to check them out. (It’s not them. I apparently don’t know any pop music made after 2005.)

In the past, Salesforce Connections has welcomed world-class musicians like Gwen Stefani, Train, and They Might Be Giants. And, I’m sure this will be one for the books!

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Into the Night: An After Party for Salesforce Marketers

If you’re attending Salesforce Connections 2022, then you have to get on the list for Into the Night: An After Party for Salesforce Marketers.

Taking place June 8 immediately following The Party at Connections, you can continue the party into the night with good vibes and new friends.

It’s taking place on the 22nd floor rooftop terrace of the VU Rooftop Bar, which is a few minutes’ walk from the convention center. Keep the party rolling with a live DJ, open bar featuring exclusive rooftop cocktails, breathtaking star-gazing over the Windy City, and a tapas menu developed by the James Beard-nominated restaurant group.

Space is limited and the party is a hot ticket. So, RSVP to secure your rooftop spot!

See you at Salesforce Connections!

While 2 days and $999 plus hotel costs may seem like a huge investment, the benefits you’ll get from attending Salesforce Connections extend far beyond the educational aspects.

Attending these Salesforce conferences is a great way to stake your claim as part of the greater Salesforce ecosystem and get to know your peers. We’re all very friendly. I promise.

Tell us if you’re going to Salesforce Connections this year in the comments!

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