MCE-Admn-201 Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Engagement Administrator Questions and Answers

When a subscriber with a Bounced status clicks a link in a Marketing Cloud email:

Subscriber Status:Salesforce automatically updates their status to Active. This action confirms the email address is valid and re-engages the subscriber.

Bounce Count:The bounce count is reset to zero. According to Salesforce’s Bounce Mail Management documentation:

"If a subscriber clicks a link in an email, their status is updated to Active, and their bounce count is reset to zero."

This reset occurs because the click overrides previous bounce history, signaling renewed engagement and deliverability.

To ensure that users have access to Query Studio in Marketing Cloud, the admin should license all appropriate users within the installed package. This involves configuring user permissions and ensuring that licenses are assigned to users who need access to Query Studio. This approach ensures that only authorized users can use the tool, maintaining security and compliance within the organization.

To achieve faster send speeds for large volumes of emails, the functionality known as Burst Sending should be utilized. Burst Sending allows Marketing Cloud to process and send large batches of emails quickly, meeting high send speed goals by maximizing the throughput of the sending infrastructure.

To configure multiple business units in Marketing Cloud to use the same SFTP directory, the most efficient method is to copy the parent SFTP user credentials into each child business unit. This approach ensures all business units access the same SFTP directory for file transfers, maintaining consistency and simplifying management of file access across the business units. This setup avoids the complexity and maintenance of separate SFTP users for each business unit, streamlining operations.

To address the issue of accented characters appearing jumbled in a Tracking Extract, the correct settings to adjust are related to character encoding and output format.

Change Character Encoding to UTF-8: This setting ensures that the extracted file supports Unicode, which includes accented characters and other non-standard characters used globally. UTF-8 encoding is capable of representing any character in the applicable data set, making it ideal for global applications.

Select Unicode Output: This option should be enabled to ensure the file output correctly formats Unicode characters, preventing them from being displayed incorrectly.

The entry source types for Journey Builder include:

C. Data Extension, Email List, API Event, Date Based EventThese sources allow a marketing campaign to automatically start or transition contacts based on their interaction with various data sources:

Data Extension: Contacts can be injected into a journey based on records in a data extension.

Email List: Contacts from a specific email list can be used as an entry event.

API Event: This allows external systems to trigger entry into a journey.

Date Based Event: Contacts can enter a journey based on a specific date or a date attribute in a data extension.

To address the issue of Northern Trail Outfitters' employees not receiving emails due to spam filters, the Marketing Cloud admin should provide the IT team with a list of relevant IP addresses to whitelist in their spam filters. This action will help ensure that emails sent from Marketing Cloud do not get blocked by the company's email security systems, thereby improving deliverability and ensuring that internal communications reach their intended recipients.

When selecting "Send as Multipart MIME" during the email send process:

Activity Tracking: Both the HTML and text versions of the email allow for the tracking of opens and clicks, ensuring that engagement data is captured regardless of the version the recipient views.

Auto-generated Text Version: Alongside the HTML email, a text version is automatically generated and sent. This ensures that recipients whose email clients do not support HTML can still receive and read the email content.

To get the last 30 days of Bounce data in bulk and in a pre-defined format, a Marketing Cloud admin should use B. Automation Studio Tracking Extract. This tool allows the admin to extract detailed bounce data for a specified period, providing comprehensive insight into delivery issues. The Tracking Extract can output data in a CSV format, which can be imported into other systems for further analysis or reporting.

The best solution to reduce manual workloads and improve customer experience for Northern Trail Outfitters, given the increase in customer purchases, is to implement D. A triggered message to send an email as soon as a customer completes a purchase. This approach automates the process of sending order confirmations and ensures that customers receive timely and relevant communications immediately after their purchase, enhancing their experience and reducing the workload on the team.

Configure the business unit data retention setting to 12 months is the policy that the Marketing Cloud admin could configure in Setup. Business unit data retention setting is a setting that allows marketers to specify how long records in data extensions should be retained at the business unit level. By configuring the business unit data retention setting to 12 months, any inactive data that is older than 12 months will be automatically deleted from the data extensions in that business unit2

The best way to prevent duplicate records in Marketing Cloud is to strategically control the Contact Key values and tie records together across channels using this key. The Contact Key is a unique identifier for each contact in Marketing Cloud, and it can be set by the admin or automatically generated by Marketing Cloud. If the same Contact Key is used for a contact in both email and mobile push channels, then the contact will be unified and not duplicated.

To resolve the issue of a data extension not appearing for email sends, confirm:

Sendable Status: Ensure the data extension is marked as Sendable. This setting links the data extension to a subscriber attribute, allowing it to be used for email sends.

Configuration Check: Verify the send relationship within the data extension properties, ensuring it correctly relates to the subscriber key or another unique identifier used for email campaigns.

For Northern Trail Outfitters to include a Campaign Identifier (utm_campaign) to the links within a specific campaign message using Parameter Manager, the utm_campaign value should be configured at the Email level. This allows the specific campaign identifier to be applied to all links within that particular email campaign, ensuring consistent tracking and reporting across all links included in that email.

To append UTM tracking parameters to links in emails:

Use Parameter Manager: This functionality within Marketing Cloud allows for the addition of UTM parameters to links across emails systematically. It provides a centralized control over tracking parameters, making it easy to manage and apply consistent tracking across various campaigns.

Configuration: Set up the UTM parameters in the Parameter Manager and these will be automatically appended to all links in the emails sent.

The options that determine when a contact can enter a journey in Marketing Cloud's Journey Builder include:

A. Re-entry at any time: Contacts can re-enter the journey immediately after their previous participation ends.

D. No re-entry: Contacts are not allowed to re-enter the journey once they have entered it, regardless of whether they have completed it or not.

E. Re-entry only after exiting: Contacts can only re-enter the journey after they have fully exited, ensuring they complete all activities before re-entering.

When Northern Trail Outfitters imported a file into All Subscribers and received a results file indicating that admin@example.com could not be imported, the likely error code that would appear in the file is B. List Detective. List Detective is a built-in functionality of Marketing Cloud that prevents the addition of email addresses that do not meet certain criteria to ensure list quality and compliance. It automatically blocks common role-based emails or improperly formatted email addresses.

A functionality unique to Journey Builder that is not available in Automation Studio:

Wait Activities: Journey Builder provides the flexibility to configure wait times based not just on a fixed duration but also until a specific date or time, which is essential for personalizing the timing of customer interactions based on individual behaviors or milestones.

Synchronized Data Sources can use two types of filters: attribute filters and relationship filters. Attribute filters are based on the fields of the object being synced, such as email address or opt-out status. Relationship filters are based on the fields of a related object, such as account or campaign. Filtering by email open activity or subscriber status is not possible with Synchronized Data Sources.

For displaying content based on gender within an email:

Dynamic Content Wizard in Email Studio: This tool allows the creation of content blocks that change based on subscriber attributes directly within the email. It is user-friendly and does not require advanced technical skills.

Implementation: By using the Gender field in the sendable data extension, the Dynamic Content Wizard can automatically display different content such as men’s or women’s shoes based on the subscriber’s gender, ensuring that the email content is appropriate and targeted.

To effectively target high-value outdoor sports customers likely to respond to a deep product discount:

Lifetime Purchase Value: Identify customers who have demonstrated significant financial commitment to the brand over time.

Conversion Rate: Focus on customers with a higher likelihood of responding based on past conversion metrics.

Last Purchase Date: Include customers who have made recent purchases, indicating active engagement and potential interest in new offers.

To monitor whether all records are being added to the target data structure each day in a scenario like that of Northern Trail Outfitters (NTO), the feature "Run Completion" within the File Drop Automation is most relevant. This feature allows the admin to check the status and results of the file drop automation, which includes verifying if the automation successfully completed and how many records were processed and added to the data extension. Using this feature, NTO can monitor daily imports and identify any discrepancies in the number of records processed, which could explain why fewer subscribers than expected are being sent emails.

To confirm the theory that the CSV file has an invalid format causing the automation to fail, the Marketing Cloud admin should C. Update the Import definition to include a notification email address. This setting allows the admin to receive notifications and a file of bad data rows when the import process encounters issues, such as invalid data formats, helping to quickly identify and resolve the format errors.

Smart Capture is the feature that should be used to create a survey form. Smart Capture is a feature that allows marketers to create and insert forms within landing pages or emails, such as surveys, polls, or feedback requests. Smart Capture can be customized with different fields, labels, buttons, and actions. Smart Capture can capture subscriber responses and store them in a data extension or update existing records in Marketing Cloud.

To configure a journey using Path Optimizer with a holdback of 60% of the contacts until a winner has been selected, the Marketing Cloud admin needs to set:

A. Data Extension entry source: Ensures the journey is pulling contacts from a specific data extension which can be effectively managed and monitored for the experiment.

D. Winner evaluation: This setting allows the admin to specify how and when the winning path is determined, which is critical to managing the holdback and subsequent path optimization.

For handling a daily file drop that requires immediate processing:

File Drop Automation: Use File Drop Automation triggered by the presence of a new file on the SFTP. This automatically starts the import and subsequent data handling processes.

Workflow Details: Start with an Import File Activity to load data into the staging data extension, followed by SQL Query Activity 1 to segment the data into one target data extension and SQL Query Activity 2 for the other.

To append an Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) variable string to links in emails, the Marketing Cloud admin should use the Web Analytics Connector (WAC). This functionality automatically appends tracking parameters, such as UTM parameters, to all URLs in outgoing emails. This allows for detailed tracking of email effectiveness within analytics platforms like Google Analytics. The Web Analytics Connector can be configured within Email Studio to include specific UTM parameters as required by marketing strategies.

 Einstein Email Recommendations is a product that enables a Marketing Cloud admin to observe customer behavior, build performance profiles and deliver the next best content. This product uses predictive intelligence to recommend products or content based on each customer’s preferences and actions. The other products do not have this capability.

To automate the process of unsubscribing customers who request removal via email replies, the Marketing Cloud admin should first ensure that Reply Mail Management (RMM) is enabled in the account. This feature manages responses to emails sent from Marketing Cloud. Additionally, within RMM settings, the admin should select "Unsubscribe Manual requests." This setting enables the system to automatically process unsubscribe requests from customers who manually reply asking to be removed from mailing lists. This helps in maintaining compliance with customer preferences and email marketing laws.

When enabling Multi-Org in Marketing Cloud Connect, it's important to consider:

The Multi-Org configuration does not support using a standard profile and preference center across connected business units. Each business unit operates independently.

Admins must consider alternative strategies for managing subscriber preferences across multiple Salesforce orgs linked to different business units in Marketing Cloud.

For sending a promotional email to one million subscribers, a Data Extension is the most suitable data structure. Data Extensions offer robust data management capabilities, scalability, and flexibility for handling large volumes of data and complex segmentation, which is essential when dealing with a large audience size like one million subscribers. This setup allows for more detailed targeting and personalization strategies.

To enhance security against unauthorized API access, Northern Trail Outfitters should:

Enable IP Whitelisting: This security feature restricts API access to Marketing Cloud from only those IP addresses that are pre-approved. This method significantly reduces the risk of malicious access from unrecognized sources.

Configuration: Administrators can configure IP Whitelisting in the Setup area under Security Settings, specifying which IP ranges are allowed to initiate API calls to the account.

Synchronized Data Sources is the feature that would allow this functionality. Synchronized Data Sources are data sources that allow marketers to import and synchronize data from Salesforce CRM objects into Marketing Cloud data extensions. Synchronized Data Sources can be configured with different settings, such as sync frequency, field mapping, and filter criteria. Synchronized Data Sources enable marketers to use Sales Cloud data in their queries and other Marketing Cloud activities.

When setting up Distributed Marketing, several considerations are essential:

B. Default options can be set up for the greeting in the email: This allows customization of the greeting line within the email templates, providing a personalized touch for recipients.

C. A journey can be connected to one or more campaigns: This functionality supports the integration of Distributed Marketing journeys with multiple campaigns, enhancing targeting and segmentation capabilities.

E. Messages can be sent to Contacts, Leads, and Person Accounts: Distributed Marketing allows sending messages to a diverse range of recipient types, which expands the flexibility and reach of marketing efforts.

Journey Builder and Mobile Push are two products that would allow them to send push notifications to customers with their mobile app. Journey Builder is a product that allows marketers to create and execute cross-channel customer journeys based on events, activities, and goals. Journey Builder can be used to send push notifications to mobile app users as part of a journey. Mobile Push is a product that allows marketers to create, manage, and deliver push notifications to mobile app users. Mobile Push can be used to send push notifications as standalone messages or as part of a journey

To manage the operations of all North American Business Units in Marketing Cloud, including Email Studio, Mobile Connect, and Social Studio, the two roles suitable for the new hire are:

C. Marketing Cloud Regional or Local Administrator: This role provides administrative capabilities specific to regional operations, suitable for managing multiple business units within a geographic area.

D. Marketing Cloud Administrator: This standard role provides full administrative rights across the entire Marketing Cloud environment, ideal for overseeing operations across various channels and business units.

These roles ensure the new hire has the necessary permissions to effectively manage and oversee the various platforms and business units within North America.

To enhance mobile adoption strategies, Northern Trail Outfitters can leverage the following reports:

A. Email Performance by Device: This report provides insights into how subscribers are interacting with emails across different devices, which can help NTO understand device preferences and optimize their mobile content.

B. Time Between Send and Engagement: This report tracks the time it takes for recipients to engage with emails after they are sent, helping to determine the effectiveness of timing and content across different platforms, including mobile devices.

When creating custom roles in Marketing Cloud, it's important to consider that:

B. Custom roles are only available within the business unit in which they were created. This means that the scope of the custom roles is limited to the specific business unit, and they do not automatically apply to other business units within the same Marketing Cloud account.

In Salesforce Marketing Cloud, linking new data extensions in Data Designer to existing contact records requires using a "Unique Contact Identifier." This identifier ensures that each record in the data extension can be uniquely associated with a corresponding record in the contact database, thereby enabling accurate targeting, segmentation, and personalization. It is vital that this identifier is consistently used across data extensions to maintain data integrity and proper linkages.

 To clear inactive data stored in data extensions after 12 months, NTO should apply a row-based retention to each data extension as it is created, set to 12 months. This will delete any records that have not been modified in the last 12 months. Row-based retention can be applied to individual data extensions or data extension templates

The out-of-the-box Subscription center can display Publication Lists and Lists as options for subscribers to opt in or out of. Data Extensions and Groups are not supported by the default Subscription center.

For Northern Trail Outfitters to avoid storing sensitive information such as email addresses and phone numbers directly in Marketing Cloud, the recommended feature is:

Tokenized Sending: This method replaces sensitive data with tokens that can be used in communications without exposing actual data values. It helps in maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of personal data while still enabling personalized marketing communications.

Implementation: Set up Tokenized Sending by configuring the data relationships either through Marketing Cloud Connect or using an external token provider. This ensures that during the send process, the system uses tokens to retrieve and incorporate actual data temporarily without storing it in the database.

For a Membership Renewal drip campaign with a master audience updated in real-time:

Filter Activities: Use Filter Activities to segment the master data extension based on the renewal date criteria—one month prior, one week prior, and on the renewal date.

Send Activities: Follow each Filter Activity with a Send Activity targeting the specifically filtered audiences, ensuring that each email is sent at the correct time relative to the member's renewal date.

For the customer's needs involving Smart Capture forms, cross-referencing event registration data with email activities, and triggering follow-up emails based on specific actions (like clicking but not completing registration), SQL skills are essential. SQL would be used to query the data extensions to identify which customers clicked the registration link but did not complete the registration form. This information can then be used to target follow-up communications effectively.