Choose the Right Automation Tools in Pardot Lightning App
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Explain the differences between automation rules, segmentation rules, completion actions, and dynamic lists.
- Determine which automation tool to use in a given scenario.
Fit the Tool to the Job
It’s a good idea to match your rule requirements to the automation method that best meets your needs, without overdoing it. Just like it wouldn’t make sense to use a blowtorch to light a candle or a lit match to weld a piece of metal, you wouldn’t use an automation rule to adjust someone’s score when a completion action would be more efficient!
Do you have a hard time understanding when to use automation rules versus segmentation rules? What about completion actions and dynamic lists? If you ever need a refresher, use this decision tree to determine which automation tool to use and when.
[Alt text: This is a decision tree to help you choose the right automation tool. What is the rule based on? If it’s an action, you’ll use a completion action. If the rule is based on criteria and is one time only, you use a segmentation rule. If the rule is based on criteria but runs multiple times and needs to take action based on criteria, choose an automation rule. If the rule is based on criteria, runs multiple times, and the desired outcome is to maintain updated lists, choose the dynamic list.]
This can be tricky, so to help illustrate the difference between automation tools, let’s look at three scenarios that Leung wants to implement and decide which automation tool can best meet her needs.
Scenario 1:
Leung wants to create a new list to be used one time, based on a prospect’s location and job title.
Answer:
Leung’s list is based on multiple criteria and will be used one time, so she should use a segmentation rule.
Scenario 2:
Leung wants to create a list that updates continuously to only include prospects who are not a current customer and have expressed interest in Get Cloudy’s Marketing Cloud consulting package.
Answer:
Leung’s list is based on multiple criteria and will update continuously, so she should use a dynamic list.
Scenario 3:
Leung wants to send an autoresponder email to prospects who submit a form requesting the Get Cloudy Customer Case Study PDF.
Answer:
Leung’s rule is based on a prospect action, so she should use a completion action.
Scenario 4:
Leung wants to automatically assign prospects to the right sales team based on where they are located and if they satisfy her lead qualification model.
Answer:
Leung’s rule is based on multiple criteria and will run continuously, so she should use an automation rule.
Throughout this module, you’ve learned how to put automation tools to work for you in Pardot. Now you can start building more complex automation rules and patterns by combining all of the available automation tools into one strategy for your account.
