Marketing-Cloud-Consultant Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Consultant Exam (SP23) Questions and Answers

Two best practices that should be utilized for configuring customer data for long-term cleanliness and maintainability are:

• When using an external database of record, utilize that system’s identifier as the contact key. This will ensure that contacts can be identified and tracked across different channels and platforms using a consistent and persistent value.
• Define the subscriber key as a unique value that does not relate to a specific channel. This will allow contacts to change their email or mobile device without affecting their subscriber key or losing their tracking history.

Configuring Contact Builder to automatically generate a unique subscriber key is not recommended, as it may create duplicate or inconsistent records if contacts already have an identifier in another system. Regularly merging duplicate contacts is not a best practice, but rather a remedial action that should be avoided by using proper data hygiene techniques. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_subscriber_key.htm &type=5

Two options that would prevent the customer from duplicating records when implementing a Sales Cloud instance are:

• Get existing records updated with new Keys sourced from Sales Cloud instance. This option will allow the customer to update their existing records in Marketing Cloud with new keys that match their Sales Cloud records, such as Contact ID or Lead ID. This will ensure data consistency and avoid duplication across both systems.
• Continue as normal, as Marketing Cloud Contact Models will dedupe keys by Email Address. This option will allow the customer to continue using Email Address as their primary key in Marketing Cloud, and rely on Marketing Cloud Contact Models to dedupe keys by Email Address when syncing data from Sales Cloud. This will ensure data accuracy and avoid duplication within Marketing Cloud.

Uploading CSV with Migrated Subscriber Keys to All Subscribers will not prevent duplication, as it will create new records in Marketing Cloud with different keys than the existing records. Purging the current records and carrying on with new keys sourced from Sales Cloud will result in data loss and potential compliance issues. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_subscriber_key.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_contact_key.htm &type=5

An auto-suppression list populated with the known email addresses can be used to ensure none of these competitors receive their emails. An auto-suppression list is a type of exclusion list that prevents subscribers from receiving certain types of messages based on criteria such as email address, subscriber key, or domain. References: https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_es_auto_suppression_lists.htm &type=5

To send SMS messages to contacts located in the United States using a Salesforce entry event in a journey, NTO should format the phone field in Salesforce as +l[phonenumber], where +1 is the country code for the United States and [phonenumber] is the 10-digit phone number without any spaces or dashes. This format ensures that Marketing Cloud can correctly identify and validate the mobile numbers for SMS sending. Normalizing phone numbers in journey settings only applies to mobile numbers stored in MobileConnect or MobilePush demographics tables, not to mobile numbers from Salesforce entry events. Selecting ‘US’ as the sending country in SMS activity only affects how opt-out keywords are processed, not how mobile numbers are validated. Configuring the phone field in Salesforce as US locale only affects how phone numbers are displayed in Salesforce, not how they are formatted for Marketing Cloud. References: https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_rn_june_2020_moc_normalize_phone_number_journey_setting.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_moc_country_code_processing_for_opt_out_keywords.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=admin_phoneformat.htm &type=5

The Contact ID field name should be included in the report in addition to email address when using a Send Flow in Content Builder. The Contact ID is a unique identifier for each contact in Sales Cloud and Marketing Cloud. It is required for sending emails to contacts using a Send Flow. The other field names are not required for this purpose. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_send_flow.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_contact_id.htm &type=5

An auto-suppression list is a list of subscribers who should not receive any commercial emails from a sender. It can be applied to all sends or specific sends based on sender profile or delivery profile. It is useful for complying with legal or contractual obligations to avoid sending to certain email addresses. References: https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_es_auto_suppression_lists.htm &type=5

A contact is a person who interacts with a brand across one or more channels, such as email, mobile, web, etc. A contact is identified by a contact key, which is usually the same as the subscriber key in Marketing Cloud or the contact or lead ID in Sales Cloud. When users register with the mobile app, they will create new contacts in Marketing Cloud with their device IDs as contact keys. However, these contacts will not be associated with their contact keys in Sales Cloud until they are synchronized through Marketing Cloud Connect, which can take up to 24 hours. Therefore, newly registered users will create additional contacts in Marketing Cloud until they are matched with their existing contacts in Sales Cloud. References: https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_what_is_a_contact.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_implementing_contacts_in_the_marketing_cloud.htm &type=5

The API user created in Marketing Cloud for Marketing Cloud Connect should have the API User checkbox selected and the Administrator & Marketing Cloud Administrator roles applied. This ensures that the user has access to all features and functions in Marketing Cloud and can perform API calls between Marketing Cloud and Sales Cloud. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_create_a_marketing_cloud_api_user.htm &type=5

To take their built audience and serve personalized content based on a field in the data extension without coding experience, Northern Trail Outfitters should use Dynamic Content Blocks. Dynamic Content Blocks are blocks that allow marketers to create personalized content based on rules and filters without coding. Dynamic Content Blocks can use subscriber attributes or behaviors from data extensions, lists, or journeys as criteria for displaying different content blocks or images. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_ceb_dynamic_content_blocks.htm &type=5

To track clicks on Contact records in Salesforce, two requirements must be met:

• The subscriber key must match the ContactID field in Salesforce.
• The individual level tracking option must be selected in Marketing Cloud configuration.

If either of these requirements is not met, clicks will not show up on Contact records. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_marketing_cloud_connect_configuration.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_subscriber_key_guidelines_for_marketing_cloud_connect.htm &type=5

The file naming pattern is a setting in the import activity that specifies how to identify the file to import. If the file name changes every time, but has a consistent prefix, the %%BASEFILENAME_FROM_TRIGGER%% variable can be used to match the file name based on the prefix. For example, if the file naming pattern is set to thankyou_customers_%%BASEFILENAME_FROM_TRIGGER%%.csv, it will match any file that starts with thankyou_customers_ and ends with .csv. References: https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_as_import_file_naming_conventions.htm &type=5

Two potential reasons for SMS responses getting the default keyword response rather than the appropriate next keyword response are:

• Responses are not sent within the Conversation Window. The Conversation Window is a setting that defines how long MobileConnect waits for a response from a subscriber after sending an outbound message. If a subscriber responds after the Conversation Window expires, MobileConnect treats their response as a new inbound message rather than part of an ongoing conversation.
• Next keyword was not specified on the outbound message. The Next Keyword is a setting that defines what keyword MobileConnect expects from a subscriber after sending an outbound message. If a subscriber responds with a different keyword than what MobileConnect expects, MobileConnect treats their response as a new inbound message rather than part of an ongoing conversation.

Responses containing “stop” in the message content will not get the default keyword response, but rather an opt-out confirmation message. Responses sent with AMPscript in body will not affect how MobileConnect handles responses, as AMPscript is only evaluated at send time. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_moc_conversation_window.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_moc_next_keyword.htm &type=5

To process the correct subscribers who are added to a data extension via API for a monthly payment reminder journey, Northern Trail Outfitters should use Contact Evaluation > Evaluate new records only. Contact Evaluation is a setting that defines how contacts are evaluated for entry into a journey based on their entry source. Evaluate new records only is an option that allows only new records that are added to the entry source after the journey is activated to enter the journey. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_jb_contact_evaluation.htm &type=5

To automate a weekly SMS message to contacts who have a birthday that week, the Refresh Mobile Filtered List activity can be used to update the filtered list based on the birth date criteria. The Outbound Send activity can then be used to send the SMS message to the contacts in the filtered list. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_moc_refresh_mobile_filtered_list.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_moc_outbound_send.htm &type=5

Performing large-scale segmentation in Automation Studio before admitting contacts into Journey Builder can help reduce the amount of contacts admitted into the journey, thereby increasing the performance of the journey.

Creating prefiltered, sendable copies of data extensions for each journey instead of using the same entry source can also help optimize journey performance as it reduces the number of contacts that have to be processed for each journey. This can help with performance as the data extension is already filtered and therefore the journey has to do less work in terms of filtering the participants. For more information, see the Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Consultant Exam Study Guide[1] or the Salesforce documentation on Journey Performance[2].

[1] https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/certifications/marketing-cloud-consultant/marketing-cloud-consultant-exam-study-guide  [2] https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=mc_jb_improve_journey_performance.htm &type=5

Creating and enabling a BLOCKOUT window in MobileConnect can be used to prevent SMS messages from being sent during certain hours of the day. A BLOCKOUT window is a time period during which no messages are sent or received by MobileConnect, regardless of when they were scheduled or triggered. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_moc_blockout_window.htm &type=5

Datorama is a product that enables marketers to connect and unify their data sources, visualize and analyze their data, and optimize their marketing performance. Datorama can help NTO centralize their analytics data from Marketing Cloud, Sales Cloud, and other sources, and provide insights and recommendations to drive return on investment and growth via their marketing sends. References: https://www.salesforce.com/products/marketing-cloud/platform/datorama-marketing-intelligence/ https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_dtm_datorama.htm &type=5

To use Case data from Service Cloud as part of their current email messaging campaign, Northern Trail Outfitters should use Synchronized Data Extensions on the Case Object with a Boolean filter on the Contact Me field. Synchronized Data Extensions are data extensions that allow marketers to sync data from Sales Cloud or Service Cloud objects into Marketing Cloud using filters and schedules. Using Synchronized Data Extensions on the Case Object with a Boolean filter on the Contact Me field will allow Northern Trail Outfitters to import cases that indicate the customer wants someone to contact them after the case is closed. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_synchronized_data_sources.htm &type=5

To inject customers into journey B based on email engagement in journey A, Northern Trail Outfitters should use an engagement split followed by a contact activity in journey A. The engagement split can evaluate if customers opened or clicked the email in journey A. The contact activity can update a boolean field on an engagement data extension that indicates if customers are eligible for journey B. Then, an automation can run a query activity to select the customers who have the boolean field set to true and inject them into journey B. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_jb_engagement_split.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_jb_contact_activity.htm &type=5

The _ListSubscribers data view contains information about subscribers who belong to a specific list, including publication lists. It can be used to query subscribers based on their list ID, status, and date joined or unsubscribed. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_as_data_view_listsubscribers.htm &type=5

To make sure the decision splits reflect the correct tent for each customer, Northern Trail Outfitters should use Entry Data as the type of data in the decision splits. Entry Data is the data that is captured at the time of entry into a journey and remains static throughout the journey. Entry Data can include data from data extensions, Salesforce objects, or API events. Using Entry Data will ensure that the decision splits are based on the tent that each customer bought at the time of entry, and not affected by any subsequent purchases or data changes. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_jb_entry_data.htm &type=5

To connect relational data into their journey without overloading the entry data, Northern Trail Outfitters should use Data Designer. Data Designer is a tool that allows marketers to create attribute groups that link different data sources in Contact Builder. This way, they can access relational data in decision splits and other journey activities without having to include all the data in the entry source data extension. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_data_designer.htm &type=5

A File Drop Automation with a Verification Activity can be used to fulfill the requirement of sending an email to all contacts who have signed up for its newsletter, but have not joined its loyalty program. A File Drop Automation can be used to trigger an automation when a file is uploaded to the Marketing Cloud FTP. A Verification Activity can be used to check the number of records in the file and stop the automation if the file is empty. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_as_define_a_triggered_automation.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_as_verification_activity.htm &type=5

A send log is a data extension that captures information about each email send, such as subscriber key, email name, subject line, and send time. It can also capture custom fields that are populated at send time, such as email address or personalized content. A send log can be used to analyze which email addresses receive which emails and when. References: https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_es_send_logging.htm &type=5

To set up a real-time, API-driven way to be alerted when transactional messages fail to send out of Marketing Cloud, Northern Trail Outfitters should have an external system to receive and confirm callback and subscriptions. Callbacks are notifications that Marketing Cloud sends to an external system when certain events occur, such as message failures or bounces. Subscriptions are requests that specify which events and messages an external system wants to receive callbacks for. References: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.noversion.mc-apis.meta/mc-apis/transactional-messaging-api.htm

Two considerations that should be made about tokenized sending are:

• Personalization strings still allow PII to be displayed within an email. Tokenized sending does not encrypt or mask PII within an email, it only prevents it from being stored in Marketing Cloud. Therefore, personalization strings should be used with caution and only when necessary.
• Service Level Agreements for email sends are unsupported with the inclusion of outside servers. Tokenized sending relies on an external server to provide PII at send time, which may introduce latency or errors that affect the delivery time and performance of emails.

Journey Builder decision splits do not provide a method to access tokenized data natively, but they can be configured with custom activities or API calls to do so. Tokenized sending does not require field-level data encryption for additional security, as PII is never stored in Marketing Cloud. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_es_tokenized_sending.htm &type=5

Creating a new business unit for the new brand can be used to have different styles and identities for the emails and landing pages. A business unit is a logical grouping of Marketing Cloud features, settings, users, and data that allows for brand separation within an account. A business unit can have its own sender profile, delivery profile, content, domains, and SAP. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_business_units.htm &type=5

To provide near real-time data in a 30-day welcome journey, Northern Trail Outfitters should use contact data using synchronized data sources. This will allow them to access the most up-to-date data from their CRM system in decision splits and other journey activities. Journey data is static and based on the entry source data extension, which may not reflect recent changes in CRM. Contact data mapped through profile attributes or imported from CRM reports may not be as timely or accurate as synchronized data sources. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_synchronized_data_sources.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_jb_decision_split.htm &type=5

To troubleshoot why tracking details from Email Studio initiated sends are not being sent back to Sales Cloud, Northern Trail Outfitters should verify that required profile attributes are properly mapped. Required profile attributes are attributes that are needed for Marketing Cloud Connect to function properly and sync data between Marketing Cloud and Sales Cloud. These attributes include Email Address, Subscriber Key, First Name, Last Name, and Full Name. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_troubleshoot_marketing_cloud_connect_configuration_issues.htm &type=5

To know the number of contacts in their account and email it to their Chief Marketing Officer on a weekly basis, Northern Trail Outfitters should schedule the Contacts Counts Standard Report. This report shows how many contacts are in Marketing Cloud across different channels and platforms. The report can be scheduled to run at a recurring interval and emailed to one or more recipients. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_rn_contacts_count_report.htm &type=5

To send notifications to customers when their orders are ready for in-store pickup via SMS or email depending on their communications preference, Northern Trail Outfitters should use a Journey Builder multi-step journey with an API entry event and a decision split. A Journey Builder multi-step journey allows marketers to create personalized customer experiences across different channels and platforms. An API entry event allows marketers to inject contacts into a journey based on real-time events or data from external systems, such as order status updates. A decision split allows marketers to route contacts to different paths or activities based on their attributes or behaviors, such as communications preference. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_jb_journey_builder.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_jb_api_event.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_jb_decision_split.htm &type=5

The reason why the Journey does not inject customers when their order status is updated is that orders are not being updated from not meeting criteria to meeting criteria. A Salesforce Data Entry Source only injects records into a journey when they change from not meeting the entry criteria to meeting the entry criteria. For example, if the entry criteria is order status equals New, then only orders that change from a different status to New will be injected into the journey. Orders that are created with a status of New or change from New to another status will not be injected into the journey. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_jb_salesforce_data_event.htm &type=5

To export a data file to its SFTP containing all subscribers who did not receive their intended email in the last 24 hours, Northern Trail Outfitters should use a Data Extract Activity in their automation. A Data Extract Activity is an activity that allows marketers to extract data from Marketing Cloud and place it in a file on an Enhanced FTP location or an external SFTP location. The Data Extract Activity can use different extract types, such as Tracking Extract or Data Extension Extract, to export different types of data. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_as_data_extract_activity.htm &type=5

The number of business units that NTO needs to purchase depends on several factors, such as the number of brands or geographies they operate, the need for data or content segregation between them, and the number of Marketing Cloud users they have or plan to have. These factors affect the complexity, scalability, and cost of their account hierarchy and governance. The number of Sales Cloud sandboxes or testing/development business units are not directly related to the number of business units they need to purchase, but rather to their testing and deployment strategy. References: https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_overview_business_units.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_best_practices_for_creating_a_business_unit_structure.htm &type=5

An entry source filter is a filter that can be applied to an entry source in journey builder to limit which contacts are injected into a journey based on criteria such as field values or record types. A decision split is a journey builder activity that allows branching the journey based on attribute values or engagement behavior of each contact. By using an entry source filter on their order data extension, NTO can filter contacts whose status has changed to ‘shipped’ that day and inject them into their journey. By using a decision split within their journey, they can further segment contacts based on other criteria such as purchase amount or product category. References: https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_jb_entry_source_filter.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_jb_decision_split.htm &type=5

One of the considerations for upgrading Marketing Cloud Connect to Multi-Org is that once an account is upgraded to Multi-Org, it cannot be turned off. This means that the account will permanently have separate integrations for each business unit and Salesforce org, and some features may not work as expected in Multi-Org mode. References: https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_multi_org_account_considerations.htm &type=5

A Sender Authentication Package (SAP) is a set of features that authenticate an email sender’s identity and reputation, such as a private domain, a dedicated IP address, a link customization, and a reply mail management. By having an additional SAP for the new domain comms.nto.com.au, NTO can send emails from their new domain without impacting deliverability. An additional IP address is not required if they already have one for their SAP. An additional private domain is not enough to authenticate their sender identity and reputation. Registering the new domain in From Address Management is not necessary if they have an SAP for the new domain. References: https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_es_sender_authentication_package.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_es_from_address_management.htm &type=5

A synchronized data extension is a data extension that is automatically populated with data from Sales Cloud objects using Marketing Cloud Connect. A query activity is an automation studio activity that allows querying data from data extensions or data views using SQL statements. A Salesforce data extension is a type of data extension that stores data imported from Sales Cloud reports or campaigns using Marketing Cloud Connect. By querying synchronized data extensions using a query activity to a Salesforce data extension, the customer can segment contacts based on complex criteria without relying on Sales Cloud reports or campaigns. Then, by sending via Email Studio Send Flow to the Salesforce data extension, the customer can leverage tracking and reporting features of Marketing Cloud Connect. References: https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_data_integration_synchronized_data_sources.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_es_send_email_send_flow.htm &type=5

To enable data extensions for sending SMS messages from MobileConnect, Northern Trail Outfitters should add two fields to their data extensions: a field of Locale type containing the country code and a field of Phone type containing the mobile number. These fields are required for MobileConnect to identify and send messages to mobile subscribers. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_moc_create_a_data_extension_for_mobileconnect.htm &type=5

 To integrate Marketing Cloud with their existing point-of-sale system in order to email purchase receipts to their customers, Northern Trail Outfitters should use MuleSoft Anypoint Platform. MuleSoft Anypoint Platform is a tool that allows marketers to connect and integrate different systems and applications using APIs and connectors. MuleSoft Anypoint Platform can help transform and map data between different formats and protocols, such as JSON and SOAP. References: https://www.mulesoft.com/platform/anypoint-platform

A query activity is an automation studio activity that allows querying data from data extensions or data views using SQL statements. A data extension entry source is a journey builder entry source that allows injecting contacts into a journey based on a data extension. Journey activities are actions that occur within a journey, such as sending an email or updating a contact attribute. By using a query activity to filter contacts who have not made a purchase in the last six months from their order data extension, NTO can create a sendable data extension with those contacts and use it as a data extension entry source for their journey. Then, by using journey activities, they can communicate the same message across all channels to those contacts. References: https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_as_sql_query_activity.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_jb_data_extension_entry_source.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=sf.mc_jb_journey_activities.htm &type=5

To send an email confirming opt-in when someone signs up for their emails via a form on their website, a triggered send data extension can be used to capture the form data and deploy the email. The triggered send data extension can be linked to a triggered send definition that contains the email creative and settings. The developer can use the SOAP or REST API to trigger the email from the website form, and the marketing team can change the email creative without involving the developer. References: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_es_triggered_sends.htm &type=5 https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_es_create_triggered_send_data_extension.htm &type=5