There’s an art to managing multiple Marketing Cloud accounts, especially if they are for clients in various industries. If you’re the one who helped build the initial system, then you will have your methodology implemented. However, as a consultant, most of the time you are contracted to help manage a business unit built by a different company or resource.
You may have to reverse engineer this instance to understand how it was architected if the documentation is not accurate, but we will get into that later. Also note, that not every business unit will be the same – therefore, having a personal methodology to assist in managing all of the client’s instances will help you do so with precision. Here are a few tips to help you manage multiple Marketing Cloud accounts.
1. Organization
- Browsers: If you have to log into multiple accounts a day, dedicate browsers to each instance. This helps you be able to SSO via Azure or other methods without interrupting your company communication.
- Asset naming conventions: If you have the opportunity to name and create folder structures, email names, and various activities within a platform – try to use the same format for every instance. You’ll be able to find what you need quickly, and it will follow best practices. See an example in Account Engagement (Pardot) that could be applied to Marketing Cloud Engagement.
- Reporting: Make sure to include your email address on file imports, automation completions, etc. so that you are aware of what’s happening in real time. You can also set up reporting for all of your automations to notify you if there’s a file missing on the SFTP or a break in connectivity from an API.
2. Security
- Notifications: Always sign up for security notifications on trust.salesforce.com so that you are alerted if there’s an issue with your Marketing Cloud Account ID (MID), mostly from external systems like CDNs and sometimes during release rollouts.
- Data: Follow strict PII protocol where necessary and understand the implications of not adhering to data-sharing policies. Sticking with the same practice for each business you work on will ensure that you comply with all regulations.
- Centralizing MIDs: Make sure to have all of your MIDs in one spot for quick analysis if there’s a service interruption. You may need to shut down automations or pause campaigns in this instance.
3. Project Planning
- Business Requirements: Whether you have a Business Analyst or not, documenting and organizing business requirements in a digestible manner so that you can share across all teams involved with project work is crucial. Having a system established to collect requirements and estimate the work and time is critical. Using this same methodology for all projects will increase efficiency and minimize duplicity.
- Check Lists: To ensure that you are meeting all requirements without duplicating work, project plans should be well thought out and documented in a collaborative environment so that you can check off each step as you go.
- Communication: Having an organized way to share information with all stakeholders is imperative. Not every company has the same way to communicate and store information, however, you can create a personal system of asset management to help you with the speed and accuracy of your projects.
4. Documentation
It’s the thread that keeps all moving parts in order. Keeping your documentation of projects, asset changes, business rule changes and such should be added to the details fields within SFMC assets and your preferred archive.
Confluence, Google Sheets, BitBucket… Anything that you use which is collaborative and secure will do. Make sure that you update your documentation regularly and add screenshots where possible.
Summary
Overall, managing multiple accounts and instances of any tech will need process and organization from the start. The more you document, the better you’ll be when you have to start new projects with your client. There will be periods of time that you may not need to access the system, but when that time comes, you want to be prepared and ready to assist.
As a Salesforce Architect for many clients, my personal belief is to document and share this information with my clients so that they learn how their systems work. There should always be transparency and assistance with understanding the mechanisms of a well-developed Marketing Cloud instance. Whether you’re an internal team member or a consultant, developing your personal methodology to manage multiple SFMC instances is critical to maintain and optimize them effectively.