Marketo Engage

What is Marketo Engage?

Marketo Engage is an enterprise marketing automation platform that enables organizations to engage customers across every touchpoint and stage of the buying journey. Now part of Adobe Experience Cloud following Adobe’s acquisition in 2018, Marketo has been a pioneer in the marketing automation space since its founding in 2006, helping define the category and serving as the platform of choice for sophisticated B2B marketing teams worldwide.

What distinguishes Marketo is its depth of capability for complex B2B marketing operations. The platform excels at lead management, email marketing, revenue attribution, and account-based marketing at enterprise scale. Its robust automation engine, extensive integration ecosystem, and powerful analytics make it the preferred choice for organizations with sophisticated marketing requirements and large-scale operations.

Marketo serves thousands of organizations globally, from growth-stage companies to Fortune 500 enterprises. As part of Adobe Experience Cloud, Marketo integrates seamlessly with Adobe’s broader suite of marketing and experience management tools, creating a comprehensive platform for customer experience orchestration across B2B and B2C use cases.

Key Features

• Lead Management: Comprehensive lead capture, scoring, nurturing, and routing capabilities that qualify and prioritize prospects for sales
• Email Marketing: Enterprise-grade email creation, personalization, deliverability, and analytics for sophisticated email programs
• Marketing Automation: Powerful workflow engine enabling complex multi-step campaigns triggered by behavior and attributes
• Account-Based Marketing: Native ABM capabilities for targeting, engaging, and measuring account-level marketing programs
• Revenue Attribution: Multi-touch attribution modeling connecting marketing activities to pipeline and revenue outcomes
• Landing Pages: Drag-and-drop builder for creating optimized landing pages with dynamic content and personalization
• Web Personalization: Real-time website personalization based on visitor behavior, firmographics, and engagement history
• Sales Insight: Provides sales teams visibility into lead engagement and marketing activities within CRM
• Analytics and Reporting: Comprehensive marketing analytics with customizable dashboards and program performance metrics
• Integration Ecosystem: Extensive library of native integrations and APIs for connecting with CRM, advertising, and other tools

Latest Updates

Marketo Engage continues to evolve with enhanced AI capabilities and deeper integration across Adobe Experience Cloud.

• Adobe Sensei AI: Advanced AI capabilities for predictive audiences, content optimization, and automated personalization
• Dynamic Chat: New conversational marketing capabilities for engaging prospects through intelligent chatbots
• Enhanced ABM: Improved account-based marketing features with better account scoring and orchestration
• Adobe Experience Platform Integration: Deeper connection with AEP for unified customer profiles and real-time activation
• Interactive Webinars: Native webinar capabilities for hosting engaging virtual events without third-party tools
• Improved Analytics: Enhanced reporting with revenue cycle analytics and advanced attribution modeling
• Privacy Compliance: Updated consent management and data handling for global privacy regulations
• Performance Improvements: Platform optimizations for faster processing and improved scalability

System Requirements

Web Application

• Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• Stable internet connection
• JavaScript enabled
• Munchkin tracking code on website

Integrations

• CRM: Salesforce (native), Microsoft Dynamics, SAP
• Adobe Experience Cloud products
• Advertising platforms for audience sync
• Analytics and BI tools

Email Sending

• Custom domain for email sending
• Proper DNS configuration (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
• Dedicated IP addresses for enterprise deployments

How to Install Marketo Engage

Platform Setup

1. Contact Adobe sales for Marketo Engage licensing
2. Complete enterprise agreement and provisioning
3. Configure instance settings and user roles
4. Set up email sending domain and deliverability
5. Install Munchkin tracking on website
6. Connect CRM integration (typically Salesforce)
7. Configure lead scoring and lifecycle stages
8. Train team on platform capabilities

Website Tracking (Munchkin)

// Add Munchkin tracking to website
<script type="text/javascript">
(function() {
  var didInit = false;
  function initMunchkin() {
    if(didInit === false) {
      didInit = true;
      Munchkin.init('YOUR-MUNCHKIN-ID');
    }
  }
  var s = document.createElement('script');
  s.type = 'text/javascript';
  s.async = true;
  s.src = '//munchkin.marketo.net/munchkin.js';
  s.onreadystatechange = function() {
    if (this.readyState == 'complete' || this.readyState == 'loaded') {
      initMunchkin();
    }
  };
  s.onload = initMunchkin;
  document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(s);
})();
</script>

Salesforce Integration

1. Install Marketo package from Salesforce AppExchange
2. Configure Marketo API user in Salesforce
3. Map lead and contact fields between systems
4. Set up sync rules and campaign association
5. Configure Sales Insight for sales visibility

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Enterprise Power: Industry-leading capabilities for complex B2B marketing operations at scale
• Deep Automation: Sophisticated workflow engine enabling highly complex multi-step nurture programs
• Salesforce Integration: Best-in-class native integration with Salesforce CRM for complete alignment
• Adobe Ecosystem: Seamless connection with Adobe Experience Cloud for comprehensive customer experience
• Revenue Attribution: Advanced multi-touch attribution connecting marketing to revenue outcomes
• Extensive Integrations: Largest ecosystem of partner integrations and marketplace apps
• Proven at Scale: Trusted by thousands of enterprises for mission-critical marketing operations

Cons

• Enterprise Pricing: High cost structure makes Marketo accessible primarily to larger organizations
• Complexity: Steep learning curve requires dedicated resources and significant training investment
• Implementation Time: Full deployment often takes months with extensive configuration required
• Dated Interface: User interface feels less modern compared to newer marketing automation platforms
• Support Experience: Enterprise support can be inconsistent and premium support adds cost

Marketo Engage vs Alternatives

Who Should Use Marketo Engage?

Marketo Engage is ideal for:

• Enterprise B2B Organizations: Large companies with complex marketing operations requiring sophisticated automation
• Salesforce Power Users: Organizations heavily invested in Salesforce seeking best-in-class marketing automation integration
• Adobe Customers: Companies using Adobe Experience Cloud wanting unified marketing and experience management
• Revenue-Focused Teams: Marketing organizations prioritizing pipeline and revenue attribution from campaigns
• Complex Nurture Programs: Teams running sophisticated multi-touch nurture journeys across segments
• Established Marketing Operations: Organizations with dedicated marketing ops resources to manage the platform

Marketo Engage may not be ideal for:

• Small Businesses: Enterprise pricing and complexity make Marketo unsuitable for small teams
• Resource-Constrained Teams: Organizations without dedicated marketing ops may struggle with platform complexity
• Simple Requirements: Companies with basic email needs would be better served by simpler, less costly tools
• Non-Salesforce Users: Organizations not using Salesforce may find other platforms better suited

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Marketo and HubSpot?

Marketo is designed for enterprise B2B organizations with complex marketing requirements, offering deeper automation and integration capabilities at higher price points. HubSpot provides an easier-to-use, more affordable solution better suited for SMB and mid-market companies. Marketo excels at sophisticated multi-touch nurturing and revenue attribution, while HubSpot offers broader functionality including CRM and service tools in one platform.

How much does Marketo Engage cost?

Marketo Engage uses tiered pricing based on database size and feature packages. Entry-level packages typically start around $50,000 annually for smaller implementations, with enterprise deployments often exceeding $100,000-200,000 per year. Pricing includes platform access, with additional costs for premium support, training, and professional services.

How long does Marketo implementation take?

Full Marketo implementation typically takes 2-4 months for mid-sized deployments and can extend to 6+ months for complex enterprise implementations. The timeline depends on factors including CRM complexity, data migration requirements, custom integrations, and program complexity. Organizations should plan for significant internal resource investment during implementation.

Does Marketo work with CRMs other than Salesforce?

While Marketo has the deepest native integration with Salesforce, it also offers integrations with Microsoft Dynamics and other CRM platforms. However, the Salesforce integration is significantly more mature with features like Sales Insight that aren’t available for other CRMs. Organizations using non-Salesforce CRMs should evaluate integration capabilities carefully.

What makes Marketo part of Adobe Experience Cloud?

Adobe acquired Marketo in 2018 and integrated it into Adobe Experience Cloud as the B2B marketing automation component. This enables Marketo to leverage Adobe Sensei AI, connect with Adobe Experience Platform for unified customer profiles, and integrate with other Adobe tools like Adobe Analytics and Adobe Target for comprehensive experience management.

Final Verdict

Marketo Engage remains the gold standard for enterprise B2B marketing automation, offering unmatched depth of capability for organizations with sophisticated marketing operations. The platform’s powerful automation engine, extensive integration ecosystem, and proven scalability make it the choice for marketing teams that need to orchestrate complex, multi-channel engagement at scale.

The platform’s strengths lie in its automation depth, Salesforce integration, and revenue attribution capabilities. As part of Adobe Experience Cloud, Marketo offers additional advantages for organizations seeking unified customer experience management across B2B and B2C touchpoints.

Enterprise B2B organizations with dedicated marketing operations resources should strongly consider Marketo Engage for their marketing automation needs. While the investment is significant in terms of both cost and implementation effort, the platform’s capabilities deliver measurable ROI through improved marketing efficiency, better sales alignment, and clearer revenue attribution. Organizations without enterprise budgets or dedicated ops resources may find better value in more accessible alternatives.