Maintain your Marketing Cloud Email Specialist Certification for Spring ‘23.

Learning Objectives

After completing this module, you’ll be able to:

Import and export files with Microsoft Azure.
Trigger automations from Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, and Google Cloud Storage.
Test image assets with Einstein Content Testing.
Target customers in real time with Journey Builder entries for push notification and in-app message engagement.
Observe how repeatedly failing automations are automatically deactivated.

Maintain Your Certification and Improve Your Email Marketing

If you hold the Marketing Cloud Email Specialist credential, keep in mind that you need to complete this module by the due date to maintain your certification. Another important part of maintaining your credential is ensuring that your Trailhead and Webassessor accounts are linked.

Interested in learning more about getting certified? Check out the Salesforce Marketing Cloud Email Specialist credential. (While anyone can earn this badge, this module is designed for those who hold the Salesforce Marketing Cloud Email Specialist certification.)

Protect the Integrity of Your Certification

The quality of our certification exams and the value our credentials provide are our highest priority. Protecting the security and confidentiality of our exams is essential to providing our customers with credentials that are respected and industry-leading.

As a participant of the Salesforce Certification Program, you’re required to accept the terms of the Salesforce Credential and Certification Program Agreement. Please review the Salesforce certification exam-taking policies in the Salesforce Credential and Certification Program Agreement and Code of Conduct Trailhead Help article for more details.

Salesforce introduced a ton of great feature enhancements over the past year. Let’s take a look at some of the more important ones.

Import and Export Files with Microsoft Azure

Move both encrypted and unencrypted data between Marketing Cloud and a Microsoft Azure Blob Storage file location. Direct transfer from Microsoft Azure can be up to 10 times faster than the Marketing Cloud FTP.

How: Use Microsoft Azure Active Directory or Shared Access Signature to give Marketing Cloud access to move files. In Marketing Cloud, set up a file location for Azure Blob Storage. Then use the Automation Studio file transfer, import, or data extract activities with the Azure Blob Storage file location.

Trigger Automations from Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, and Google Cloud Storage

Start an automation by triggering an API request when a file is uploaded to Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, Google Cloud Storage, or another external location. Similar to a file drop automation, a triggered automation enriches data extensions by importing files stored in an external location, but it listens for API calls instead of the Enhanced SFTP.

How: Create or modify an automation. Click and drag the trigger starting source onto the automation canvas. Specify the file location and type of file that triggers the automation. Then start the automation by calling the Trigger API and passing your file’s details.

To trigger automations from Google Cloud Storage, opt into the Google Cloud Storage Beta.

Test Image Assets with Einstein Content Testing

Start testing engagement with the new Einstein Content Testing, now integrated with Content Builder blocks. You can quickly perform both manual and automated testing supported by real-time analytics. All users who have Einstein activated can use Einstein Content Testing.

Test images using automated or manual A/B/n testing in Einstein Content Testing. Run preliminary tests before a significant send or automate selection for images with the highest click-to-open rate in a large send.

Target Customers in Real Time with Journey Builder Entries for Push Notification and In-App Message Engagement

Easily retarget a contact when they open a push notification or engage with an in-app message. The Push Message Engagement and In-App Message Engagement Entry sources listen for engagement from the selected messages and enter contacts into a journey. You can listen to up to 10 separate messages at a time.

How: Drag the Push Message Engagement Entry Source or the In-App Message Engagement Entry Source onto the journey canvas and configure them. The Push Message Engagement Entry Source enters a contact into the journey when the contact opens the specified push notification. The In-App Message Engagement Entry Source enters a contact into the journey when the contact displays or dismisses a message or clicks a button.

Repeatedly Failing Automations Are Automatically Deactivated

When activities in an automation fail repeatedly over an extended time period, the automation is automatically deactivated to improve system stability and performance. When an automation is deactivated, you receive an email from Marketing Cloud. An inactive automation can’t run again until it’s fixed and reactivated. This feature is automatically turned on for all accounts and can’t be turned off.

How: An automation is deactivated when it meets all these criteria.

Fails at least 30 times.
Has a 100% failure rate for at least 30 days.
Failures caused by system errors don't count toward either of these metrics.

To identify the cause, locate the failed automation in the Overview section of Automation Studio. Errors are listed in the Progress column and appear in red. Hover over an error to view the cause.

After you fix the automation, go to the Workflow tab for that automation, and select Active to reactivate it.