Pro Tips Archives - Page 7 of 48

Data Management, Pro Tips
July 11, 2025

3 Tips for Optimizing Your Data Cloud Credit Usage

Mike Morris

Product Note: Marketing Cloud Growth and Advanced are editions of Marketing Cloud Next and have also been referred to as Agentforce Marketing.

Marketing Cloud Growth/Advanced (aka Next Gen Marketing Cloud) is built to leverage the power of Data Cloud, giving marketers key benefits like unified customer profiles, enhanced segmentation, cross-object personalization, and calculated insights. However, these capabilities come with a cost in the form of Data Cloud credit consumption. In this post, we’ll review several tips to help you maximize the benefits of Data Cloud without breaking the bank.

Introduction to Data Cloud Credits

Before we start talking about conserving credits, let’s take a look at what they are and what actions use them.

What Are Data Cloud Credits?

Salesforce defines Data Cloud Credits as “digital currency that you use to pay for Data Cloud services.” These credits are consumption-based, meaning you only pay for what you use. Use a little, pay a little. Use a lot, pay a lot.

Credit use is calculated by multiplying the number of units consumed for each usage type by the corresponding multiplier from the rate card. Usage types include Data Services, Data Storage, Einstein Requests, and Segment Activations. Usage can be monitored in the Digital Wallet included in your Salesforce org.

The key takeaway is that credits are a valuable resource, and every action comes with a related cost. The goal is not to scare marketers or discourage credit usage. It’s to encourage smart, intentional use to ensure that each credit delivers value.

Here are some great resources if you would like to learn more about these topics.

Tips for Optimizing Your Data Cloud Credit Usage

Tip #1 – Apply Filters to Data Streams

Identity resolution rules are one of the largest consumers of Data Cloud credits. They use Data Service credits to create the unified individual records required for Marketing Cloud Growth/Advanced. This process is essential and must be activated. But it can be optimized.

Save Credits with Filters

Identity resolution rules link data from multiple data sources into unified individual records. Credit consumption is based on the total number of records that Data Cloud reviews when unifying the records. Credits can be conserved by applying filters to the data streams to limit the number of records being used in the identity resolution process.

Example:

If your lead data stream contains 1M records and your contact data stream includes 500K records, 1.5M records will be used in the creation of the unified individual records. Data filters can be applied to limit the number of records used in the identity resolution process by focusing on only records that should be included in your marketing activities.

Applying Data Filters

Data filters can be applied in two ways:

When Ingesting: By adding a filter to the data streams
After Ingestion: By applying a filter to the data lake object (DLO) in the data space (Marketing Cloud uses the default data space)

The filters will impact the system processes like unification, segmentation, and CI, but will not impact the total number in the data stream.

Example:
There are 6,088 total records in the lead data stream (and let’s say that 2,500 are from the USA). If you apply a filter for Country = USA, the total record count in the data stream stays the same (6,088), but only the 2,500 records from the USA will be used in system processes (including identity resolution). This reduces the data being evaluated to only leads in the USA and will reduce credit consumption.

A screenshot of recently viewed data streams in Data Cloud.

A screenshot in Data Cloud showing how to edit the filter in a data stream to only include records whose country equals USA.

The great thing about filters is that they help save credits across multiple areas. They reduce credit usage in identity resolution and also limit the number of records evaluated in processes like segmentation and calculated insights. This saves you even more.

Tip #2 – Audit Refresh Schedules

Credits are consumed when data is refreshed in Data Cloud. This includes data streams, data graphs, calculated insights, identity resolution rules, and segments.

Data Streams
Data streams based on Salesforce data refresh every 15 minutes by default and upsert with new or changed records. Manual updates can also be triggered if needed. Data ingested from other sources can be scheduled to run hourly or daily, so it’s worth taking a look at their schedules.

If you find the data is being refreshed hourly, consider the frequency that the data is actually updating (in the data source being ingested) and the “freshness” that’s needed in your marketing activities. Hourly refreshes make sense for data that changes frequently and is used in time-sensitive communications. In other cases, daily refreshes might meet your business needs and they would save credits.

Data Graphs
Data graphs are used for personalization and dynamic content, and refresh daily by default. The refresh interval can be updated by navigating to the data graph in Data Cloud and selecting the “Schedule” option from the dropdown (under the ▼icon).

More frequent refresh intervals mean “fresher” data, but will use more credits. I recommend sticking with the daily refresh option and adjusting based on your needs. Remember, manual refreshes can also be triggered if needed.

A screenshot of the Refresh Interval drop down setting to set your Data Graph's refresh schedule.

Identity Resolution
Identity Resolution rules run daily and the schedule can’t be changed. The rules will run once every 24 hours and the time of day might vary based on your org and the amount of data being processed. Manual refreshes can be triggered by navigating to the rule and clicking the “Run Ruleset” button.

The only real optimization for identity resolution is limiting the number of records processed (by applying filters) as discussed in the first tip.

Segments
Segment refresh schedules are the primary way that marketing teams can reduce Data Cloud credit consumption. When creating a segment, the Standard Publish option offers the following refresh schedules:

Don’t refresh
12 hours
24 hours

I recommend choosing “Don’t refresh” unless there’s a defined need to refresh more frequently. This ensures segments aren’t needlessly refreshing—and burning credits unnecessarily.

Make sure your segments are still up to date before sending emails by selecting the “Immediately before running this flow” refresh option in your segment-triggered flow. This guarantees your email targets the most current segment population, without incurring extra credit usage from scheduled refreshes.

A screenshot showing toggling on "Immediately before running this flow" for the setting for "When do you want to republish this segment?"

Tip #3 – Be Selective

Data storage is another factor to consider when evaluating credit consumption. When ingesting data into Data Cloud, start with a minimalist mindset. Ask yourself the following questions when deciding which fields to include:

Is this field needed for identity resolution?
Is this field needed to support marketing efforts (ex. dynamic content, personalization, segmentation)?
Is this field used in calculated insights?

If the answer to these questions is “no,” hold off on ingesting the field to reduce unnecessary data storage. If a new use case arises later, the field can always be added to the data stream.

How to add a field to an existing data stream

Confirm the Data Cloud Salesforce Connector has read access to the field.
- Permission Sets > Data Cloud Salesforce Connector > Object Settings
  - Navigate to the object that contains the field and verify the “Read Access” box is checked
In Data Cloud, select the Data Streams tab and the data stream related to the object where the field is located.
Click the “Add Source Fields” button from the selected data stream.
Select the field (or fields) from the table and save.
Click the “Review” button in the Data Mapping section and map the fields from the data lake object to the data model object (you might need to create new custom fields).

Make the Most of Your Credits

Data Cloud credits are a valuable resource and should be managed accordingly. With a little bit of planning and some regular audits, you can make the most of your credits and take full advantage of the AI, calculated insights, personalization, and segmentation capabilities of Marketing Cloud Growth/Advanced.

If you have questions about Data Cloud or Marketing Cloud Growth/Advanced reach out to the Sercante team or leave us a comment.

Events, Pro Tips
July 10, 2025

Design Meets Agentforce: A Designer’s POV from the World Tour

Daniela Donato

I just got back from the Agentforce World Tour in Boston and my brain is full of ideas. I wasn’t totally sure what to expect, but I ended up walking away with a lot of thoughts on how this new wave of Salesforce tools is going to affect the way we design—and honestly, it’s already starting.

Here’s what stood out to me, what’s changing in marketing design, and what I think we need to start doing differently.

What Salesforce tech I learned about—and why designers should care

A picture of a slide from Agentforce World Tour that says Agents are the new primary UI...navigating apps is now a thing of the past and CX will never be static again.

The big thing right now is Agents. These are digital agents built into Salesforce that help you build campaigns, write copy, pass tasks between teams, and do all the repetitive stuff we usually get stuck with.

Here’s what stuck with me:

A Marketing Agent that helps write emails, build landing page briefs, and generate campaign ideas
Agents that pass work from marketing to sales to success without everything falling apart
A combo of Einstein and Data Cloud that makes personalization actually doable—not just a buzzword

The whole point is: this tech works in the background, which means the assets we make (emails, landing pages, chat flows) need to be flexible and fast to keep up. If the backend is getting smarter, the frontend has to match.

Why designers should be paying attention:

With marketers using agents to streamline content and campaign creation, we need to make sure that the designs on the frontend are just as easy to be flexible and scale. How can you templatize designs so they can be used for multiple variations and make assets a rinse and repeat process, so that marketing can continue to flow seamlessly to engage customers where they are?
As AI functionality + Data Cloud is making it easier to tailor campaigns on a 1:1 level, designers need to prep for modular, dynamic design solutions that can easily adapt to be used in tandem with these personalized experiences.

How design can make bots, emails, and landing pages better

A picture of a slide from Agentforce World Tour showing a web page from Fisher & Paykel.

A lot of chatbot flows feel like someone gave up halfway through. This tech is finally making them better, and as designers, we should be helping that along.

Things that stood out:

Keep bot messages short. Break things up.
Add little visual moments such as spacing, structure, and simple hierarchy

Same goes for emails and landing pages. If AI is helping create content, our layouts should be:

Modular and adaptable. Not every headline is going to be the same length
Built with personalization blocks in mind
Designed to include stuff like product recs, timers, or variations depending on the audience

It’s less about making something perfect once, and more about making something that works in a bunch of different ways.

Marketing tracking and data = smarter creative decisions

A picture of a slide from Agentforce World Tour showing dynamic blocks being used to personalize the email for recipients in two different locations, one in Boston and one in Brooklyn

I used to skip over the data talk. But now that I see how it connects to the creative side, I’m paying more attention.

Salesforce showed how live audience data helps trigger different campaign paths. And if we know who we’re designing for, we can make better choices.

Things I’m going to start doing:

Ask who we’re designing for before opening Figma
Build layouts that make A/B testing easy
Stop hanging onto designs that don’t perform, even if they look good

Key takeaways for fellow designers working in Salesforce-powered marketing

Design for flexibility. AI needs space to breathe, your layouts should anticipate variability.
Think like a builder. Modular, testable, scalable.
Keep it human. No matter how smart Agentforce gets, people still connect with thoughtful visuals, clear flows, and real emotion.
Ask for data early. It’s not just for reporting, it can inform design choices from the start.

If you’re a designer in the Salesforce space, this is your sign to get used to automation tools, AI agents, and your marketing team’s strategy. It’s not about being replaced, it’s about being empowered.

Marketing Cloud, Pro Tips, Strategy
July 10, 2025

Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (Pardot) & Person Accounts

Cate Godley

Person Accounts, an organizational feature of Salesforce, can be a powerful way to differentiate between a business contact (think Cate Godley who works at Sercante) and an individual you do business with that is not associated with a company (think Yuki Godley, shown below).

The reality is that Person Accounts are actually not that scary, but the fact that once they have been enabled they cannot be disabled is likely what causes a lot of that trepidation. This permanent enablement is also present when deciding to sync Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (Pardot) Prospects with Person Accounts in Salesforce, and there are definitely a few things that should be considered before enabling this option in your (or your clients’) Account Engagement organization. Read on to learn more about how to prepare for this setup.

Okay, but what’s a Person Account anyway?

Before we get into the things you’ll want to consider before enabling Person Accounts with ~~Pardot~~ Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (I’m a sucker for alliteration, always) let’s talk about what a Person Account in Salesforce actually is.

Person Accounts allow for a business to accurately track and manage relationships with customers if they’re in a B2C driven space, like education, health care, or non-profits. There are several considerations for Person Accounts inside the Salesforce platform, but here’s a quick summary:

Store information about individuals instead of businesses
Combines Account fields and Contact fields into one record and page layout – the Person Account
Takes up twice the Salesforce storage space due to having a backend Account and Contact record

Once Person Accounts are enabled, you’ll have the option to create a Business Account or a Person Account when creating a new Account from scratch in Salesforce. If you’re converting a lead using the standard Salesforce conversion process, you can create a Person Account by ensuring that the Company field on the lead is blank. No Company? Person Account. Company? Business Account.

The important thing to note here is that a Person Account is like two kids in a trenchcoat, Account & Contact, wearing a sign that says Person Account. In the backend of Salesforce, there is a Contact record and an Account record that are combined to show you the single Person Account record.

Great, but what about Marketing Cloud Account Engagement?

Now that we’ve got the initial details out of the way, it’s time to talk Person Accounts with Marketing Cloud Account Engagement. Just like in Salesforce, once you enable syncing with Person Accounts in Account Engagement you are not able to disable it. Additionally, when you sync a Person Account record with Account Engagement you’ll get a Prospect record and a Prospect Account record which will remain separate in Account Engagement (more on that later). The Prospect record will impact your mailable database number, but there are not any Prospect Account data limitations that you need to keep in mind.

Account Engagement Setup Options

When I first started out as a consultant, syncing Person Accounts with ~~Pardot~~ Account Engagement required reaching out to Salesforce Support to have the feature enabled. With recent updates to the Account Engagement Settings options, Admins are now able to turn on “Sync Prospects with Person Accounts” from within the setup menu.

Create Person Accounts on Assignment (instead of Leads)

In addition to enabling the option to sync Prospects with Person Accounts, you’re also able to tell the system to “Create Person Accounts Instead of Leads”. Turning this functionality on will tell the system to never create a lead when sending a Prospect to Salesforce and is irreversible. This is a good option if you never use leads, however if your organization does use leads or you are using both Business Accounts and Person Accounts you should leave this setting turned off.

Syncing Records Between Salesforce and Account Engagement

One of the biggest considerations with Person Accounts is how you set up your fields in Salesforce and in Account Engagement. Most of the Salesforce literature will tell you to create new custom fields on the Account record to have them added to the Person Account record and page layout. There’s nothing wrong with this setup, however if you’re going to be syncing Person Accounts with ~~Pardot~~ Account Engagement you should keep the Salesforce Connector sync directions in mind.

The Salesforce Connector for Account Engagement has Read & Write permissions for the Lead and Contact objects in Salesforce, and Read Only permissions for the Account object.

If you’re just starting out with Person Accounts in Salesforce, my recommendation is that you create any custom fields that you’ll want Account Engagement to be able to change on the Contact object in Salesforce. This will mean that when creating your custom field in Account Engagement, you’ll be able to do so on the Prospect object and use the standard Salesforce Connector sync options. If you have custom fields for the Person Account already created on the Account object in Salesforce, check out the section on automations below for how to keep these fields in sync.

In the Account Engagement system, the Prospect record that is synced with a Person Account will show the Prospect Name and Prospect Account as the same name. The Prospect record will have any Contact level fields you have added to Account Engagement showing, as well as a Record Type ID of a Person Account. The Prospect Account page will show you any Account level fields you have added to Account Engagement (remember, these are Read Only fields). Both the Prospect and Prospect Account records will show the owner as the Account Owner from Salesforce.

Other Gotchas to Know About

Person Accounts do not support scoring categories in Account Engagement, so if that’s a major player in your marketing strategy, you may need to think about other ways to achieve your goals. In addition to this, the Person Account will only sync to a single record type (the Person Account record type).

Finally, the Prospect Owner will always be the Account Owner in Salesforce. Crucially, this owner cannot be assigned from Account Engagement as we do not have write permissions to the Account record via the Salesforce connector.

Automations for Data Integrity

My earlier recommendation of creating any custom fields that you’d like to be updated by Account Engagement should be created on the Contact record in Salesforce. But what if you’ve already created custom fields on the Account level that you need to update and keep in sync in the Account Engagement system?

The best practice here is to create custom fields on the Prospect record in Account Engagement to hold this information, then create Automation Rules to keep it in sync with Salesforce. This will ensure that custom field information appears at the Account and Prospect levels and keeps bi-directional sync on the Prospect records active.

Enable Person Accounts without Fear

Did I write this entire blog post to get my dog’s photo online? Maybe, maybe not. But I did write this post after helping to answer questions about implementing Person Accounts in ~~Pardot~~ Marketing Cloud Account Engagement many, many times. I, too, used to be filled with trepidation at the idea of using Person Accounts both in Salesforce and in Account Engagement.

Once I understood the fundamentals of how this functionality works in both systems, I felt a lot more confident about getting this set up for clients in multiple business types. I hope this blog post helps you to feel more comfortable with this setup yourself! If you’ve still got questions, comment below or reach out to the team at Sercante and we’ll see how we can help.

Emails & Templates, Getting Started, Marketing Cloud, Pro Tips, Strategy, Technology
July 9, 2025

Why Real-Time Personalization in Email Works (and How We Did It)

Cara Weese

I don’t usually use the word transformational when discussing content blocks for an email, but this one deserves it. Recently, our team at Sercante had the opportunity to partner with one of our long-term automotive clients to find a solution to a big problem—overstocked inventory.

This project began like many others. An innovative, creative brand trying to bridge the gap between what customers want and what they can have. Buyers were spending time configuring their perfect vehicles, carefully choosing every option and detail, and then either abandoning their cart or waiting months for the car to be built.

What they didn’t realize was that their dream car, or something close to it, was already built. Already available for them. Already on the lot. It just wasn’t being shown to them.

The Problem: They Had the Cars, But No One Knew

The brand had a recommendation engine on their website, which enabled customers to browse their available inventory. However, this only happened if a customer actively sought it out. Meanwhile, their emails weren’t showing in-stock options, but rather driving them to the configurator to design their vehicle. The inbox experience focused on brand, features, and specs, but not on availability.

There was a disconnect between digital engagement and physical inventory. And it was costing time, resources, and ultimately, conversions. Through several brainstorming sessions and collaborative work, we had to ask ourselves what would happen if we started surfacing what customers could get today?

The Approach: Make the Data Work in Email and Web

Working with the brand’s Salesforce team, we built a dynamic content block that connects their existing vehicle recommendation API with Salesforce Marketing Cloud. At send time, the block pulls in the top two vehicles available near each subscriber’s zip code.

That means:

Real-time pricing and availability
Personalized images and trim-level specs
A “View Details” CTA that drives them to the inventory page
And dynamic scripting to auto-generate it all without a manual lift

The block works anywhere—in journeys, newsletters, promotions, event invitations, and more. We added fallback logic, Einstein Send Time Optimization, and throttling to ensure performance even for high-volume sends. We evaluated alternative approaches, such as daily lookup tables, but for this use case, true real-time was worth it. It wasn’t just about showing inventory, it was about giving the customer a path forward.

What Happened Next

This shift didn’t just make the email more useful. It changed how the brand saw its role in the customer journey and the results showed the impact:

Click-through rates on the monthly newsletter more than doubled from 1.02% to 2.26%.
Journey emails with the content block saw a 119% higher click-through rate in A/B testing.
Build time dropped from over 40 hours for their monthly newsletter campaign to 10 hours.
The time to purchase fell from 107 days to 5 days, and their inventory began to decline.

And, perhaps most importantly, the marketing team began thinking differently. The inbox became a place of momentum. Of relevance. Of action. As their marketing director put it, “This helped us rethink how we use email. Not just to inform, but to move customers forward in their journey.”

Check out the full case study related to this customer story here.

Going Beyond Automotive

This isn’t just a car story. If you’re in an industry with inventory, long buying cycles, or complex consideration paths, this kind of approach has ripple effects:

Are you surfacing what’s ready now or just what’s aspirational?
Are your marketing channels connected to real-time availability?
Are your emails helping customers act, not just learn?

We’re all sitting on data that can do more. It’s not about overwhelming customers. It’s about removing friction, aligning on timing, and making it easier to say yes.

This project reminded me that sometimes the most effective marketing move isn’t adding more. It’s making what you already have more visible. Your customers don’t need a better configurator. They need a clearly defined next step. Let’s give them one.
If you’d like an expert’s insights on how to maximize the data you have to build more personalized experiences for your audience, that result in clear next steps and impact on the funnel, reach out to Sercante. The team is all about helping you create seamless experiences for your team and your customers.

Data Management, Marketing Cloud, Pro Tips, Technology
June 25, 2025

Building Data Graphs in Marketing Cloud Growth and Advanced Edition

Cate Godley

Product Note: Marketing Cloud Growth and Advanced are editions of Marketing Cloud Next and have also been referred to as Agentforce Marketing.

Marketing Cloud Growth and Advanced Edition (aka Marketing Cloud on Core or just Marketing Cloud) offers incredible capabilities to marketers in so many areas. From AI powered segmentation, scheduling and sending SMS in a nurture campaign, and unprecedented abilities to tailor your marketing content to the audience viewing it, Marketing Cloud Growth and Advanced Edition can help marketing teams large and small automate their marketing efforts. All of these amazing capabilities rely on the power of one key feature of Data Cloud – the Data Graph.

Data Graphs allow you to combine and transform data from multiple Data Cloud Data Model Objects (DMOs) into a single view. This read-only Data Graph can then be used in a variety of ways through API, automations, and Salesforce applications, like Marketing Cloud. In fact, a Data Graph is a requirement for using personalization (and some automations) within Marketing Cloud – the objects and fields you select when creating this graph are the same objects and fields that you’ll have access to when adding personalization to your marketing content or powering your automations.

Your Data Graph needs to have a specific shape to successfully send your emails. If you have Marketing Cloud Advanced Edition, you’ll also need to ensure that Einstein Engagement Scoring and Einstein Engagement Frequency features have been enabled before building. This blog will help you understand the steps needed to take to create and edit your Data Graph for Marketing Cloud.

Things to Consider Before Building a Data Graph

Once upon a time editing a data graph wasn’t possible, which meant gathering all of the information you’d need to reference in your marketing efforts before building your first graph. Now it’s entirely possible to edit your data graph, but I’d still highly recommend you gather your requirements ahead of time, so let’s think about what you’ll need.

What fields do you need for personalization?

Personalized marketing content is the name of the game, so the first thing to consider is what fields you’ll want to reference in any personalized marketing content. This should include things like First Name, Last Name, Title, and Account but you should also consider what custom fields you may want to reference, like the name of a product or webinar they’ve attended.

Are there any fields you’ll need for segmentation?

The segmentation capabilities in Marketing Cloud rely on the fields that are included in your data graph, so next up it’s time to think about how you’re planning on segmenting your prospects for email, SMS, and/or WhatsApp sends and automations. Common things to include could be industry, region, and address data. Make note of the fields and the object that those fields are on. For example, if you want to pull in industry, that field is likely on the Account Object. Keep in mind that anything you include here must have some relationship to the individual included in the segment.

What will you need for your automations?

The last thing you’ll need to consider is any information you might need for your flows. What information will you be basing your automation decisions on? Things to consider include campaign membership or status, email engagement, and geographical information.

Have Advanced edition? Turn on Einstein Features (if applicable)

Marketing Cloud Advanced Edition includes Einstein Engagement Scoring and Einstein Engagement Frequency. Be sure to enable these features before building your data graph!

Confirm the fields are in Data Cloud

Now that you have your field requirements determined, the next step is to make sure all these fields are mapped to your Data Streams. These field mappings take the new information ingested in the data stream and map it to the appropriate fields and objects in the Data Model Object (DMO) to create or update the appropriate records. Head to the Data Streams tab in Data Cloud and confirm all the fields you listed earlier are mapped to the appropriate DMOs. Check out this help article for some data mapping best practices.

Be sure the Data Cloud Connector can View All fields

One of Salesforce’s core tenets is trust, and that extends across all layers of the Salesforce ecosystem. This means that the connector between Data Cloud and Sales Cloud has minimum access to information in your Salesforce system. Make sure all the fields you’re including in your data graph are visible to Data Cloud by going to the Data Cloud Salesforce Connector Permission Set and updating the object settings to include the View All and Read permissions for every object you’ve listed. This ensures that all objects and fields are able to be ingested into Data Cloud.

Building the Standard Data Graph for Marketing Cloud

We have a step by step blog on building a data graph for personalization, but as a quick refresher, here are the steps you’ll need to take and things to keep in mind.

Go to Salesforce Setup > Marketing Cloud > Assisted Setup > Reporting and Optimization > Customer Engagement
Click on “Go to Data Graphs”
Create a new data graph from scratch
Use the default data space
Select the Unified Individual as your Primary Data Model Object
Ensure your data graph has the following shape:

Unified Individual (Primary Data Model Object)
- Unified Link Individual
  - Individual
    - Contact Point Email
    - Contact Point Phone

Make sure all the objects and fields on your lists are included in the data graph
1. The following fields must be selected during the Data Graph setup:
  1. Individual ID from ‘Individual’
  2. Email Address from ‘Contact Point Email’
  3. Telephone Number from ‘Contact Point Phone’

But what if you have Advanced?

If you’re using Marketing Cloud Advanced Edition, be sure to include the Email Engagement Score (Unified Individual > Unified Link Individual > Contact Point Email) and Email Engagement Frequency (Contact Point Email & Contact Point Phone).

Add in SMS

By now, your data graph should look something like this, give or take the Email Engagement Score, Email Engagement Frequency, and SMS options. To include SMS in your Data Graph, be sure to include the Contact Point Phone and the Message Engagement options, as shown below.

Message Engagement gives you lots of options for monitoring how your SMS marketing is doing. Use this to monitor engagement with your SMS messages, the messages you’re sending, links, subscription information and more!

Bringing in Custom Fields and Objects

Okay, so we’ve covered adding in all the standard objects and fields you’ll need for your standard personalization and automation needs, but what about the custom objects that you may have in your organization? These may be objects from integrations, or ones you’ve created to help manage campaigns or customer orders.

To bring this information into your Data Graph for use in your marketing, you’ll need to ensure that there’s a connection to the Individual in some manner. What does that mean? An easy example is an Opportunity – Opportunities are connected to the Individual via their Account in Salesforce. Select the top level item in your Data Graph, then use the + option to drill down to the object you’re looking for. Once you’ve gotten your object added on the graph, use the right side of the screen to select the fields you want to include in the graph.

Deploy Your Data Graph

Now that you’ve built your graph, the next step is to save and build, then deploy your graph. Click on Save and Build then choose your refresh interval. Keep in mind that every refresh will consume credits! The right refresh interval will depend on how you’re planning on using the Data Graph, but typically the daily refresh rate works well for marketing needs.

Head Back to Setup to Deploy Your Graph

From Salesforce Setup, type Reporting and Optimization in the Quick Find box and navigate to the Customer Engagement option. In the Configure Basic Personalization section, use the drop down menu to select the Data Graph you just created.

If prompted, confirm that you want to update your data graph by clicking the Update button.

Get Personalizing with Your Data Graph!

Now that you’ve built and deployed your Data Graph, you’re able to use the information in your personalization and automation efforts across Marketing Cloud. This powerful tool combines information from across your Salesforce organization into a single place of reference for Marketing Cloud to use that will update automatically on a planned schedule.

Emails & Forms, Marketing Cloud, Pro Tips
April 16, 2025

Personalization with Marketing Cloud on Core: How to Use Dynamic Content & Expressions

Cara Weese

Product Note: Marketing Cloud on Core is now known as Marketing Cloud Next. Marketing Cloud Growth and Advanced are editions of Marketing Cloud Next and have also been referred to as Agentforce Marketing.

Your messages are doing their job, but are they working it?

If your campaigns are feeling a little too copy-paste, a little too “blah,” it might be time for a serious glow-up. You’ve got the data. You’ve got the content. Now it’s time to use the tools inside Marketing Cloud on Core (aka Growth and Advanced Edition) to turn that good-enough messaging into something that shines!

This blog will teach you how Dynamic Content and Expressions can transform your messages from basic to brilliant. You’ll learn what these new features are, how they work, and how to use them to make every send feel personal, polished, and powerful!

Let’s Start with the Basics

Before we dig into the tools, let’s talk about transformation. A glow-up for your marketing means:

Less copy-paste, more customization
Making use of the data you already have
Messages that speak directly to the recipient, not the crowd

Marketing Cloud on Core gives you two powerful tools to make it happen. Ready to transform your messages? Let’s learn how to master Dynamic Content and Expressions.

Introducing Your Email’s Style Squad

Give your emails a fresh look without starting from scratch. Think of Dynamic Content like your email’s glam squad; each part makes your email stand out. Consider giving your email different “outfits” based on who’s opening it.

Personalization Point: This is the part of your email where you give a mini makeover. It could be a subject line, preheat, hero image, or CTA – any element that could use extra sparkle.
Personalization Decision: This is the brains behind the beauty. It figures out who should see what based on the rules you set.
Targeting Rule: Your custom-fit formula. It defines “if this, then show that” logic. For example, “if account type = VIP, show gold banner.”

Pro Tip: Already built a variation you love? You can reuse it in other emails using recent Personalization Points.

How to Apply the Glow-Up: Creating Dynamic Content

Let’s walk through giving your content a dynamic makeover:

Open your email in the editor and select the content block you want to glam up.
Head to the Dynamic Content section and click Add Variation.
- You can use the Variation dropdown to access NewVariations if you’ve already got some variations.

When the Create or Reuse Personalization Settings window pops up, select New Variation.
Heads up: Your message has to save first, so give it 10-20 seconds.
Name your variation and create your Targeting Rule.
Click Save, then customize your content within that variation, like updating a header image or swapping out messaging for a specific audience.
Use the Variation dropdown to preview how your message looks for each version.

Pro Tip: Use dynamic blocks sparingly at first. Target high-impact spots like hero images or CTAs, and test frequently to ensure each variation shines.

The Finishing Touch for Personalized Flair

Once your content’s dressed to impress, it’s time to fine-tune the details, and that’s where Expressions come in. They’re like your behind-the-scenes styling tool that ensures every message feels personal, even when the data isn’t perfect. Here’s how Expressions keeps your messages looking polished:

Saved Expression: Think of this as your go-to styling shortcut. It’s a reusable logic block you create once and drop into multiple campaigns; it’s less work with the same wow factor.
Attribute Selection: This is where you tell the Expression what data to look at, such as PreferredName, LoyaltyStatus, or FavoriteProduct.
Fallback Value: No data? No problem. Expressions let you set a backup so your message stays smooth. Instead of “Hi,” you get “Hi there!”

Expressions ensure every message feels intentional and on-brand like you planned that way (because you did).

Adding the Ultimate Accessory: Creating Expressions

Here’s how to build your first Expression and set your messages up for consistent, reusable personalization:

Head to Content > Content Workspace in Marketing Cloud.
Click Add, then choose Content.
Select Expression, then click Create. (Yes, you’re about to create something fabulous.)
Give your Expression a name that clearly describes what it does (like “PreferredName Fallback” or “GoldMemberStatus”).
Use the Attribute field to choose the customer data you want to reference.
(Optional) Add a filter if you need to narrow down conditions, like only using this Expression when someone’s location is “US.”
Click Save.
Don’t forget to hit Publish to start using your Expression in your messages.

Pro tip: Once created, Expressions can be used repeatedly across campaigns, saving you time while keeping your personalization game strong.

Using Your Expression in a Message

Now that you’ve created your personalized shortcut, it’s time to drop it into your message for that final glow-up touch.

Open the email, SMS, or WhatsApp message where you want to use your Expression.
Select the content block where you want your personalization to appear.
Click the [] Add a merge field symbol.
Choose Saved Expressions from the dropdown menu.
Pick the Expression you created earlier.
Add a default value (like “there” or “friend”) in case your data field is empty.
Click Done and admire your work.

Pro Tip: This ensures your message always reads naturally, even if a customer’s name or info is missing the data.

Use Them Together for a Full-On Email Glow-Up

You’ve got the tools! Now it’s time to layer them like a pro stylist would. Dynamic Content and Expressions are great on their own, but when used together? That’s when the real transformation happens!

Think of Dynamic Content as your email’s wardrobe, changing outfits based on who’s reading. Then think of Expressions as the accessories, adding that personalized sparkle like someone’s name, product interest, or membership level.

Real-World Example

Let’s say you’re sending a promotional email:

You use Dynamic Content to show one banner for loyalty members and another for new subscribers.
Inside each banner block, you drop in an Expression to greet the user by name (with a fallback like “their” in case their name isn’t available).
You also use Expression to highlight their preferred product category, so the CTA feels totally tailored.

The result? An email that looks like you custom-designed it for every person without cloning templates or managing a million logic paths.

Why This Combo Works

You reduce manual work by creating fewer, smarter assets.
You create hyper-relevant emails without sacrificing time or scalability.
You build a customer experience that feels seamless, polished, and personal, even if you’re sending to thousands at once.

Using Dynamic Content and Expressions is the email marketing equivalent of putting on a fresh outfit, doing your hair, and finishing with the perfect accessory.

Ready to Give Your Emails a Glow-Up?

You don’t need a whole new wardrobe of emails, just the right tools to style them smarter. With Dynamic Content and Expressions in Marketing Cloud on Core, you can transform basic batch-and-blast messages into personalized, polished experiences that connect with your audience.

From targeting rules to fallback names, you have everything you need to bring out the best in your campaigns without doubling your workload. Whether you’re just dipping your toes into personalization or looking to scale with style, this glow-up is just the beginning.

Want help applying what you learned?

Book a consultation with Sercante’s Marketing Cloud experts to review your personalization strategy or sign up for one of our hands-on workshops. Let’s glow up your next campaign together!