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Martech Modernization

Martech Modernization

Martech Modernization: The Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities A Snapshot of Martech Strategies and CDP Adoption According to research by Acxiom, 65% of companies with a defined martech strategy utilize a Customer Data Platform (CDP), compared to just 43% without one. This significant gap underscores the strategic role of CDPs in martech adoption. Additionally, nearly all businesses surveyed plan to revise their martech stack within the next 12 months, with 29% adding new tools and 15% consolidating existing ones. The Transformative Marketing Landscape Rapid technological advancements, changing customer expectations, and evolving identity ecosystems are fundamentally reshaping how brands engage their audiences. In this environment, modernizing martech has become essential for delivering the personalized experiences customers demand. However, modernization presents challenges such as siloed data, fragmented technologies, and gaps in expertise, complicating efforts to adapt. To gain insights into these dynamics, Acxiom surveyed 200 martech decision-makers from the US and UK about their modernization plans, motivations, and obstacles. The findings reveal a widespread push for martech updates, with brands seeking support to navigate this complex journey. SECTION ONE: A Martech Reset is Underway Martech Strategy Rises to the Top When asked to prioritize their marketing objectives, 34% of respondents listed developing a martech strategy among their top three goals. This places it alongside traditional objectives like increasing brand awareness and customer acquisition, reflecting its growing importance in achieving broader marketing goals. Even considering that survey respondents may prioritize martech more than the average business leader, the results highlight the industry’s dynamism and the pressing need for a martech reset. Widespread Stack Adjustments Nearly all surveyed businesses (99%) plan to adjust their martech stack in the next year. Key trends include: This widespread activity emphasizes the high priority placed on martech optimization. Streamlining and Experimentation Some organizations focus on refining their existing stacks, while others are piloting new platforms: C-Suite Engagement Martech modernization has also captured the attention of executive leadership. 60% of respondents noted that martech has become a higher priority for their C-suite in recent years, particularly in smaller companies leveraging technology to maximize resources and compete with larger rivals. Budget Increases Despite Economic Pressures In a challenging economic climate, 65% of respondents expect their martech budgets to grow over the next year, while only 10% foresee cuts. This trend reflects the recognition of martech as a strategic investment critical for maintaining competitiveness. SECTION TWO: Drivers of Martech Modernization Why Modernize? Modernization efforts are driven by a mix of goal-oriented and technical motivations. Key drivers include: Secondary motivations include streamlining integration, ensuring regulatory compliance, and reducing operational complexity. Key Takeaways As martech modernization accelerates, businesses must balance innovation with strategic planning to navigate this transformative era successfully. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more Top Ten Reasons Why Tectonic Loves the Cloud The Cloud is Good for Everyone – Why Tectonic loves the cloud You don’t need to worry about tracking licenses. Read more

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Transform Customer Experience

Transform Customer Experience

In today’s AI-driven business environment, customer experience (CX) has evolved from being a buzzword to a critical factor in determining success. It’s no longer enough for businesses to offer high-quality products or excellent service alone—today’s customers are always online, engaged, and seeking the most convenient, relevant, and enjoyable experiences. This is where Salesforce Data Cloud becomes a game-changer, providing the tools needed to meet modern customer expectations. Transforming Customer Experience with Salesforce Data Cloud Salesforce enables businesses to collect, integrate, and leverage critical customer information within its ecosystem, offering an all-encompassing view of each customer. This unified customer data allows organizations to forecast visitor trends, assess marketing impact, and predict customer behavior. As data-driven decision-making becomes increasingly central to business strategy, Salesforce Data Cloud and its Customer Data Platform (CDP) features provide a significant competitive edge—whether in e-commerce, fintech, or B2B industries. Data Cloud is more than just your traditional CDP. It’s the only data platform native to the world‘s #1 AI CRM. This means that marketers can quickly access and easily action on unified data – from across the entire business – to drive growth and increase customer lifetime value. Data Cloud’s Role in Enhancing CX By unifying data in one place, Salesforce Data Cloud enables organizations to access real-time customer insights. This empowers them to track customer activity across channels like email, social media, and online sales, facilitating targeted marketing strategies. Businesses can analyze customer behavior and deliver personalized messaging, aligning marketing, sales, and customer service efforts to ensure consistency. With these capabilities, Salesforce customers can elevate the CX by delivering the right content, at the right time, to the right audience, ultimately driving customer satisfaction and growth. New Features of Salesforce Data Cloud Salesforce continues to evolve, introducing cutting-edge features that reshape customer interaction: To fully maximize these features, partnering with a Salesforce Data Cloud consultant can help businesses unlock the platform’s full potential and refine their customer engagement strategies. Agentic AI Set to Supercharge Business Processes Salesforce’s vision extends beyond customer relationship management with the integration of Agentic AI through its Customer 360 platform. According to theCUBE Research analysts, this signals a shift toward using AI agents to automate complex business processes. These AI agents, built on Salesforce’s vast data resources, promise to revolutionize how companies operate, offering customized, AI-driven business tools. “If they can pull this off, where it becomes a more dynamic app platform, more personalized, really focused on those processes all the way back to the data, it’s going to be a clear win for them,” said Strechay. “They’re sitting on cloud; they’re sitting on IaaS. That’s a huge win from that perspective.” AI agents create a network of microservices that think and act independently, involving human intervention only when necessary. This division of labor allows businesses to capture expertise in routine tasks while freeing human workers to focus on more complex decision-making. However, the success of these AI agents depends on access to accurate and reliable data. As Gilbert explained, “Agents can call on other agents, and when they’re not confident of a step in a process or an outcome, they can then bounce up to an inbox for a human to supervise.” The goal isn’t to eliminate humans but to capture their expertise for simpler processes. Empowering Developers and Citizen Creators At the core of this AI-driven transformation is Salesforce’s focus on developers. The platform’s low-code tools allow businesses to easily customize AI agents and automate business processes, empowering both experienced developers and citizen creators. With simple language commands or goal-setting, companies can build and train these AI agents, streamlining operations. “It’s always going to be about good data—that’s the constant,” Bertrand said. “The second challenge is how to train agents and humans to work together effectively. While some entry-level jobs may be replaced, AI will continue to evolve, creating new opportunities in the future.” Is Salesforce Data Cloud the Right Fit for Your Business? Salesforce Data Cloud offers comprehensive capabilities for businesses of all sizes, but it’s essential to assess whether it aligns with your specific needs. The platform is particularly valuable for: For businesses that fit these scenarios, working with Salesforce’s partner ecosystem or a Data Cloud consultant can help ensure successful integration and optimization. What’s New in Salesforce’s Latest Release? The latest Salesforce Spring Release introduced several exciting features, further enhancing Salesforce Data Cloud: These updates reflect Salesforce’s commitment to providing innovative, data-driven solutions that enhance customer experiences and drive business success. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Oracle Advertising Sundown

Oracle Advertising Sundown

Oracle Shifts Focus to B2B CX, Introduces New Fusion Cloud Features Despite winding down its online advertising products, Oracle is doubling down on its investment in customer experience (CX) technology, particularly in enabling B2B buying and supporting subscription and consumption models. During the Oracle CloudWorld conference on Wednesday, the company unveiled new capabilities for its Fusion Cloud Customer Experience and Unity Customer Data Platform. These enhancements empower Oracle CX users to analyze customer profiles to assemble B2B buying teams, leverage generative AI tools like native analytics, and utilize industry-specific accelerators to speed up the adoption of customer data tools. Key features include the ability to create self-service sites for individual accounts, enabling customers to review and summarize contracts using generative AI, receive quotes, and renew subscriptions. Other features enhance “assisted buying experiences,” blending self-service and human interaction, while tools like account onboarding and AI-powered email drafting simplify full-service sales processes. Subscription models, though still in their early stages for B2B, offer a streamlined alternative to traditional procurement processes. As Liz Miller, an analyst at Constellation Research, noted, subscription-based buying is easier and quicker, avoiding the lengthy procurement cycles many B2B buyers are familiar with. “The pain of traditional B2B buying is still fresh in everyone’s mind,” she said. Oracle Advertising Shuts Down Oracle’s advertising product support will end on September 30, as confirmed by CEO Safra Catz during the company’s June earnings call. The Oracle Advertising Data Management Platform (DMP), built from its BlueKai acquisition, is being retired, following in the footsteps of Salesforce, which discontinued its Audience Studio in 2021. Despite Oracle winding down its ad platform, this move shouldn’t be seen as a shift away from customer experience. Oracle founder Larry Ellison remains deeply involved in shaping the company’s CX strategy, with a focus on marketing tools and Apex low-code platforms, said Rob Pinkerton, Oracle’s senior vice president. Oracle’s modernized CX suite, built on the Fusion Cloud platform, has evolved significantly in recent years, though questions remain about whether it’s too late to regain market share. “Oracle as a CX platform has fallen off the radar for many buyers,” said Miller, adding that customers are no longer debating between Oracle, Microsoft, and Salesforce in the CX space. New Industry-Specific Tools for CX Oracle has also expanded its CX platform with industry-specific tools designed to accelerate the adoption of its customer data platform (CDP) across sectors such as high tech, manufacturing, professional services, telecommunications, utilities, financial services, travel, and retail. According to Rebecca Wettemann, CEO of research firm Valoir, Oracle’s Fusion platform has matured significantly and now supports the complexity of modern customer needs. Wettemann highlighted how common components like customer interaction summaries can be adapted for multiple industries, delivering faster results than traditional applications. Oracle’s Clinical Digital Assistant is one such example of this approach, illustrating the platform’s versatility and AI-driven enhancements. With these developments, Oracle continues to refine its CX offerings to better meet the unique demands of B2B customers, providing tools that streamline operations and enhance customer experiences across various industries. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Changes in Advertising Changing CRMs

Changes in Advertising Changing CRMs

Oracle announced last week that it is exiting the advertising business and will sunset its adtech by September 30. While the announcement is not surprising given the massive layoffs in 2022 affecting Oracle Advertising teams, the rapidity of Oracle Advertising’s decline is a clear indicator of how swiftly the digital advertising landscape can evolve. This move is likely just the first of many significant Changes in Advertising Changing CRMs. What happened? Oracle Advertising faced challenges beginning in 2018 and never managed to recover. Several forces related to data deprecation adversely impacted the business: Changes in Advertising Changing CRMs Retooling its acquisitions to function in a consent-driven and regulated environment would have required significant investment from Oracle. Given its track record with privacy law compliance, this would have been a daunting task, necessitating both rapid innovation and market trust in its solutions. What does this mean for the advertising ecosystem? Oracle’s exit from adtech marks a significant shift in the advertising ecosystem. The sharp decline in advertising revenue from $2 billion in 2022 to $300 million in 2024 suggests a major miscalculation by Oracle. Without demand- or supply-side platforms (unlike Google, Microsoft, and Amazon) and lacking a large audience base (unlike Meta, Disney, and Netflix), Oracle’s benefits as an adtech partner or acquirer were unclear. The key question now is whether Oracle’s intellectual property will find new ownership and continue in some form. What does this mean for the marketing ecosystem? The broader marketing ecosystem is likely to see more shifts as major players adapt to the new landscape. Leading martech vendors like Adobe and Salesforce have already transitioned from DMPs to CDPs. Adobe Real-Time CDP and Salesforce Data Cloud for Marketing are gaining market share, while Oracle has struggled in the B2C martech space. Oracle’s decision to cut investments in martech and adtech has significantly impaired its B2C market efforts, with products like Responsys failing to gain the traction that Eloqua has in the B2B space. Oracle also announced it will sunset related B2C marketing products like Oracle Maxymiser in the coming months. These changes are just the beginning of a broader transformation in digital advertising, driven by evolving privacy standards, consumer expectations, and technological advancements. This marks the dawn of a new era in which agility and compliance will be key to success in the digital advertising and marketing landscapes. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Data Cloud Free Licenses

Data Cloud Free Licenses

Salesforce Announces Data Cloud Free Licenses at Dreamforce 2023 At Dreamforce 2023, Salesforce announced that free Data Cloud licenses are now included for all Enterprise Edition or above customers to help them familiarize themselves with new capabilities and develop use case ideas. Starting September 19th, 2023, Enterprise Edition and above customers can get started with Data Cloud Provisioning at no cost by signing up under Your Account. Data Cloud Provisioning includes: Unlimited Plus Edition customers will get access to 2,500,000 Data Service credits. Two Tableau Creator licenses are a separate line item and can be quoted by your Salesforce Account Executive. Salesforce has been focusing on large data and AI tools for several years, acquiring Tableau, accelerating their Einstein AI tools, and significantly extending the Data Cloud product. Data Cloud allows you to easily harmonize data, analyze it in Tableau, and make it actionable across marketing, sales, and service. What Can I Do with Data Cloud? Data Cloud enables customers to start with one of three use cases: Across these use cases, customers can ingest data from multiple sources, unify data with identity resolution, calculate insights, visualize data in Tableau (with the provisioning of the Tableau Cloud – Creator for Data Cloud SKU), and view consolidated data on the contact record. Differences Between Data Cloud and Data Cloud Provisioning Functionality: Data Cloud Provisioning includes all the features of the existing Data Cloud offerings, except Segmentation and Activation. Credits for Segmentation and Activation can be purchased as add-ons through Marketing Cloud account teams. Capacity: Both include 1 TB of data storage, 1 Data Cloud admin, 100 internal Data Cloud identity users, 1,000 Data Cloud PSL, and 5 integration users. Entitlement: Data Cloud Provisioning entitlement is the same for all Enterprise Edition and above customers. Additional Information Sandbox Availability: Data Cloud is not available in Sandbox orgs; it can only be provisioned to an existing production org. Professional Edition Access: Data Cloud Provisioning is not available to Professional Edition customers. Existing Data Cloud or CDP Customers: Those with an existing Data Cloud or CDP tenant cannot sign up for Data Cloud Provisioning. Unlimited Edition Plus Bundle Customers: Data Cloud Provisioning is not available, as the bundle includes a Data Cloud tenant. Edition Information: Check your Salesforce org’s edition in Setup > Company Information > Organization Edition. Government Cloud: Data Cloud Provisioning is not available. Non-Profit Customers: Data Cloud Provisioning is available. Industry Cloud Customers: Industry Cloud customers with Enterprise Edition and above are eligible. ISV Partners: Data Cloud Provisioning is not accessible via Your Account in ISV Enterprise Edition orgs. ISV Partners need to create a support case with the Partner Ops team to request provisioning. Existing Tableau Customers: Tableau Cloud – Creator for Data Cloud is intended to provision a new Tableau tenant (aka site). Multiple Instances: Only one Data Cloud Provisioning instance is allowed per account/tenant. Access to Tableau Cloud – Creator for Data Cloud: To get access, you must have or include on the same quote any of the following: Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Crucial Role of Data and Integration in AI at Dreamforce

The Crucial Role of Data and Integration in AI at Dreamforce

Understanding The Crucial Role of Data and Integration in AI at Dreamforce At this year’s Dreamforce, AI is the star of the show, but two essential supporting actors are data and integration. Enterprises are increasingly recognizing the importance of unifying their diverse data sources for effective analysis and swift action, and the race to harness AI makes this integration even more critical. Integration is key not only for merging data but also for automating end-to-end processes, enabling organizations to move faster and deliver better outcomes to customers. Crucial Role of Data and Integration in AI at Dreamforce. It’s no surprise that MuleSoft, acquired by Salesforce five years ago, is now a major contributor to Salesforce’s growth. Brian Millham, President and COO at Salesforce, highlighted this during the company’s recent Q2 earnings call: “In Q2, nearly half of our greater than $1 million deals included MuleSoft. As customers integrate data from all sources to drive efficiency, growth, and insights, MuleSoft has become mission-critical and was included in half of our top 10 deals.” Breaking Down Silos Param Kahlon, EVP and General Manager for Automation and Integration at Salesforce, recently discussed the investments customers are making in data and integration. He emphasized the importance of breaking down operational silos: “We are in the business of breaking silos across systems to ensure that data can travel seamlessly through multiple systems and people for processes like order-to-cash or procure-to-pay. Our technology connects these dots.” The surge in AI interest has increased the urgency to act, as Kahlon explained: “Creating data repositories for AI algorithms requires real-time data across silos, driving significant demand for our integration solutions.” Consolidating Data Enterprises have long struggled with data consolidation due to monolithic application stacks with separate data stores. This has been a challenge even within Salesforce’s own products. Last year, Salesforce introduced a Customer Data Platform (CDP) called Data Cloud, which includes a real-time data layer named Genie. Kahlon elaborated on its significance: “Data Cloud’s strength lies in its understanding and storage of Salesforce metadata. This native integration allows for real-time actions within Salesforce, enhancing the ability to aggregate, reason over, and act on data.” For example, when a customer contacts a bank, Data Cloud can compile their ATM usage, website interactions, and recent support cases, providing the agent with a comprehensive view to better assist the customer. Leveraging Metadata for AI Salesforce’s metadata layer, which has been fine-tuned over two decades, gives it a distinct advantage. Kahlon noted: “This metadata-based architecture allows us to create meaningful AI algorithms that are natively consumed within Salesforce, enabling visualization and action based on real-time data.” This is crucial for training the underlying Large Language Model (LLM) accurately, ensuring generated content is contextually grounded and trustworthy. Kahlon emphasized: “The trust layer is essential. We need to ensure no hallucination or toxicity in the LLM’s responses, and that communications align with our company’s values.” Real-Time Data and API Management Data Cloud’s ability to connect to other data sources like Snowflake without duplicating data is a significant benefit. Kahlon commented: “Duplicating data is not desirable. Customers need real-time access to the actual source of truth.” On the integration front, APIs have simplified connecting applications and data sources. However, managing API sprawl is crucial. Kahlon explained: “Standardizing API use and publishing them in a centralized portal is essential for reusability and consistency. Low-code platforms and connectors are becoming increasingly relevant, enabling business users to access data without relying on IT.” Automation and AI The demand for automation is growing, and low-code tools are vital. Instead of integration experts being overwhelmed, organizations should establish Centers for Excellence to focus on creating reusable connectors and automations. Kahlon added: “Companies need low-code tools to involve more business users in the transformation journey without slowing down due to legacy applications.” In the future, AI may further ease the workload on integration specialists. MuleSoft recently introduced an API Experience Hub to make APIs discoverable, and AI might eventually help monitor execution logs and manage APIs more effectively. Kahlon concluded: “AI could help developers find and use APIs efficiently, enhancing security and governance while simplifying access to data across the organization.” Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Salesforce CDP

Utilizing a CDP

In the current digital landscape, customer data stands as a pivotal asset for organizations aiming to craft personalized and targeted experiences. Yet, the primary challenge for utilizing a CDP lies in the aggregation and consolidation of this data, often dispersed across a multitude of sources. This is where the significance of Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) becomes evident. Configured for optimal use, your data is good to go. A CDP functions as a software system that integrates customer data from various sources, encompassing marketing automation, AdTech, commerce, service, analytics, procurement, production, logistics, compliance, and more. The consolidated data is housed within a unified platform for analysis and marketing purposes. By serving as a single source of truth, CDPs empower organizations to create more pertinent, real-time, contextual, and compliant experiences for their customers. Operating as a connector within existing tech stacks, CDPs play a crucial role in filtering and binding siloed and fragmented customer data from diverse teams. This results in actionable insights, more profitable interactions, and a foundation for the growth of customer value. CDPs extend their utility beyond marketing, offering advantages to sectors like healthcare, where they can unify patient data, eliminate data silos, and furnish timely information to enhance patient outcomes. By addressing prevalent challenges such as unconnected data, non-optimized work efforts, operational inefficiencies, and encumbered time-to-market, CDPs prove instrumental in fostering organizational success. It’s important to highlight that a CDP is not a substitute for a CRM solution, especially in large enterprise settings. Integration with critical data-source systems beyond the martech stack is essential for extracting hidden value from the organization’s data. Utilizing a CDP As the digital marketing industry navigates the transition to a cookieless future, and first-party data takes precedence, the value of CDPs is set to grow. However, to unlock their full potential, the adoption of CDPs should extend beyond marketers. CDPs must evolve into interconnected sources of truth across all departments and interactions, both physical and digital. By functioning as cohesive data aggregators, they enable organizations to harness vast volumes of customer-impacting data and insights, delivering optimized, hyper-personalized, and differentiating experiences. Like1 Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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The Evolution of Salesforce Data Cloud

The Evolution of Salesforce Data Cloud

The Evolution of Salesforce Data Cloud Salesforce’s journey to Data Cloud started with its acquisition of Krux in 2016, which was later rebranded as Salesforce DMP. This transformation gained momentum in 2019 when Salesforce introduced its customer data platform (CDP), incorporating Salesforce DMP. Subsequent acquisitions of Datorama, MuleSoft, Tableau, and Evergage (now Interaction Studio) enriched Salesforce CDP’s functionality, creating today’s robust Data Cloud. Understanding Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) A customer data platform (CDP) aggregates customer data from multiple channels to create a unified customer profile, enabling deeper insights and real-time personalization. A CDP serves as a centralized customer data repository, merging isolated databases from marketing, service, and ecommerce to enable easy access to customer insights. Salesforce’s “State of Marketing” report highlights the impact of CDPs, noting that 78% of high-performing businesses use CDPs, compared to 58% of underperformers. This analysis explores the evolution of CDPs and their role in transforming customer relationship management (CRM) and the broader tech ecosystem, turning customer data into real-time interactions. Key Functions of a Customer Data Platform (CDP) CDPs perform four main functions: data collection, data harmonization, data activation, and data insights. Origins of Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) CDPs evolved as the latest advancement in customer data management, driven by the need for a unified marketing data repository. Unlike earlier tools that were often limited to specific channels, CDPs enable real-time data synchronization and cross-platform engagement. Advances in AI, automation, and machine learning have made this level of segmentation and personalization attainable. The Future of Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) The next generation of CDPs, like Salesforce’s Data Cloud, supports real-time engagement across all organizational functions—sales, service, marketing, and commerce. Data Cloud continuously harmonizes and updates customer data, integrating seamlessly with Salesforce products to process over 100 billion records daily. With Data Cloud, organizations gain: Benefits of a Customer Data Platform (CDP) CDPs provide comprehensive insights into customer interactions, supporting personalization and cross-selling. Beyond segmentation, they serve as user-friendly platforms for audience analysis and data segmentation, simplifying day-to-day data management. Data Cloud allows organizations to transform customer data into personalized, seamless experiences across every customer touchpoint. Leading brands like Ford and L’Oréal utilize Data Cloud to deliver connected, real-time interactions that enhance customer engagement. The Need for Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) CDPs address critical data management challenges by unifying disjointed data sources, resolving customer identities, and enabling seamless segmentation. These capabilities empower companies to maximize the potential of their customer data. CDP vs. CRM CDPs are an evolution of traditional CRM, focusing on real-time, highly personalized interactions. While CRMs store known customer data, CDPs like Data Cloud enable real-time engagement, making it the world’s first real-time CRM by powering Salesforce’s Customer 360. Selecting the Right CDP When choosing a CDP, the focus often falls into two areas: insights and engagement. An insights-oriented CDP prioritizes data integration and management, while an engagement-focused CDP leverages data for real-time personalization. Data Cloud combines both, integrating real-time CDP capabilities to deliver unmatched insights and engagement across digital platforms. Content updated October 2024. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Salesforce Data Cloud Explained

Salesforce Data Cloud Explained

Salesforce Data Cloud, previously recognized as Salesforce CDP/Genie, made its debut at Dreamforce 2022, hailed by Salesforce as one of the most significant innovations in the company’s history. A hyperscale data platform built into Salesforce. Activate all your customer data across Salesforce applications with Data Cloud. Data Cloud facilitates the intake and storage of real-time data streams on a massive scale, empowering automated tasks that result in highly personalized experiences. Data can be sourced from diverse Salesforce data outlets, including Mulesoft, Marketing Cloud, and others, along with customers’ proprietary applications and data sources. Subsequently, it can dynamically respond to this real-time data by automating actions across Salesforce CRM, Marketing Cloud, Commerce, and more, inclusive of automating actions through Salesforce Flow. What is the Salesforce data cloud? Data Cloud is the fastest growing organically built product in Salesforce’s history (i.e. Salesforce built it themselves, not via acquisitions). Data Cloud could be described as the ‘Holy Grail of CRM’, meaning that the data problem that’s existed since the infancy of CRM is now finally solvable. Data Cloud is the foundation that speeds up the connectivity between different ‘clouds’ across the platform. However, Data Cloud is also a product that can be purchased. While not all Salesforce customers have licensed Data Cloud, being at the foundation means they are still taking advantage of Data Cloud to a degree – but this all becomes even stronger with Data Cloud as a personalization and data unification platform. What is the history of Data Cloud? Salesforce has gone through several iterations with naming its CDP product: Customer 360 Audiences → Salesforce CDP → Marketing Cloud Customer Data Platform → Salesforce Genie → Salesforce Data Cloud. In some instances, changes were made because the name just didn’t stick – but what’s more important to note, is that some of the name changes were to indicate the significant developments that happened to the product. Salesforce Data Cloud Differentiators Data Cloud, in itself, is impressive. While many organizations would consider it expensive, if you were to flip the argument on its head, by buying your own data warehouse, building the star schema, and paying for ongoing compute storage, you’d be looking to spend 5 to 10 times more than what Salesforce is charging for Data Cloud. Plus, data harmonization works best when your CRM data is front and center. There are other key differentiators that helps Data Cloud to stand out from the crowd: Is data cloud a data lakehouse? That means that Data Cloud is now not just a really good CDP, it’s now a data lake which will be used in sales and service use cases. But it also means that we can start to fundamentally move some of our higher-scale consumer products like Marketing and Commerce onto the platform. Is Snowflake a data Lakehouse? Snowflake offers customers the ability to ingest data to a managed repository, in what’s commonly referred to as a data warehouse architecture, but also gives customers the ability to read and write data in cloud object storage, functioning as a data lake query engine. What is the benefit of Salesforce data cloud? Data Cloud empowers Salesforce Sales Cloud with AI capabilities and automation that quickly closes deals and boosts productivity across every channel. It drives customer data from all the touchpoints and unifies it separately in individual customer profiles. Salesforce Data Cloud is a powerful data warehouse solution that allows companies to effectively manage and analyze their data. What is the difference between Salesforce CDP and data lake? Talking abut Salesforce CDP is a little bit like a history lesson. While a CDP provides a unified, structured view of customer data, a data lake, on the other hand, is more of a raw, unstructured storage repository that holds a vast amount of data (more than just customer data) in its native format until it’s needed. Like1 Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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data cloud and marketing cloud personalization

Data Cloud and Marketing Cloud Personalization

Choosing the correct Customer Data Platform (CDP) for your organization is crucial for adapting to challenges and capitalizing on opportunities in the evolving marketing technology landscape. While AI, behavioral patterns, and infrastructure play pivotal roles in this decision-making process, it’s essential to understand the landscape. However, the same factors, including AI, behavioral habits, and infrastructure, can influence this decision. Data Cloud and Marketing Cloud Personalization together capture and utilize customer data. Selecting the right tools makes it easier to know and cater to your prospects and customers. Without them, you are firing into the darkness. You must understand the necessary infrastructure for a marketing technology team to meet challenges and leverage new opportunities. It integrates four essential AdTech (Advertising Technology) principles applicable to MarTech in the evolving landscape. The external market poses challenges, notably the discontinuation of third-party cookies by major browsers like Google. This shift impacts prospecting and underscores the significance of first-party data. The rise of AI, exemplified by technologies like ChatGPT and integrated into platforms like Salesforce’s Einstein, further complicates the landscape. The AI era raises concerns about data usage and collection, employment risks, and the ethical consideratins. Organizations rush to incorporate AI, with Salesforce introducing Einstein GPT shortly after the emergence of ChatGPT. In this dynamic environment, organizations grapple with managing diverse data sources, implementing AI/ML, and ensuring privacy. AdTech principles become imperative in MarTech for effective targeting, personalization, and measurement. The focus shifts to the role of a Customer Data Platform (CDP) within the MarTech stack. Distinguishing between Data Management Platforms (DMPs), CDPs, Data Warehouses, and Data Lakes sets the stage. The article explores three CDP types: Enterprise, Event-Based, and Real-Time Personalization. The significance of a Customer Data Platform (CDP) like Salesforce’s Data Cloud cannot be stressed enough. Bear in mind there are differences between DMPs, CDPs, Data Warehouses, and Data Lakes, each with their own use cases. And for your situation a DMP, Data Warehouse, or Data Lake might be required. Salesforce’s CDP platform undergoes scrutiny, aligning its features with AdTech principles. Read more about Tectonic’s thoughts on Data Cloud here. The CDP’s contribution to targeting, personalization, and both deterministic and probabilistic measurement is detailed. Salesforce’s Data Cloud and Marketing Cloud Personalization (Interaction Studio) emerge as solutions catering to distinct needs. In conclusion we must underscore the criticality of choosing the right CDP for organizational resilience, superior customer experiences, and addressing privacy concerns. A robust infrastructure facilitates efficient data management, collaboration, and scalability, empowering organizations to make informed decisions with AI/ML and business intelligence. #data-cloud-and-marketing-cloud-personalization Like2 Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Salesforce Data Cloud

Key Components of Salesforce Data Cloud

Salesforce Data Cloud organizes and unifies data across Salesforce and other external data sources.  After ingestion, it can drive personalization and engagement. Components of Salesforce Data Cloud to explore. Data Cloud expands Salesforce capabilities by using the best pieces of the developer-friendly Salesforce Platform and adding a highly scalable infrastructure. Data Cloud is an evolution of Customer Data Platform—which was originally designed for marketers but now caters to broader use cases beyond marketing.  The magic of Data Cloud is in creating experiences that wow customers. Key features and components of Salesforce Data Cloud include: Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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Salesforce CDP

CDP Salesforce

What is a CDP in Salesforce? A customer data platform (CDP) is an application that gathers, organizes and enriches data from multiple sources, while being marketer-centric, versus sales/service-centric like a CRM. It is a key enabler to organizations that want to maximize return on all the data they have collected and own around their customers. The CDP combines all the data from all the sources in real time so you can make hyper-personalized offers and experiences that feel like magic. This means connecting all the customer data back to email engines, demand-side platforms, and content management systems. What is the difference between Salesforce Genie and CDP? SFDC CDP follows the audience segmentation + data activation protocols. Salesforce Genie allows for data unification and identity resolution. Is CDP same as data cloud? Data Cloud shares the same purpose and benefits that CDPs deliver – however Data Cloud is not the same as the technology that was formerly Salesforce CDP. Data Cloud takes CDP’s capabilities, and extends the benefits right across the “Customer 360” (i.e. Salesforce’s product portfolio). What can a Customer Data Platform do for your brand? CDPs connect customer data so every team has insight into how a customer interacts with you on every platform. Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. Read more The Salesforce Story In Marc Benioff’s own words How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world’s Read more Salesforce Jigsaw Salesforce.com, a prominent figure in cloud computing, has finalized a deal to acquire Jigsaw, a wiki-style business contact database, for Read more Health Cloud Brings Healthcare Transformation Following swiftly after last week’s successful launch of Financial Services Cloud, Salesforce has announced the second installment in its series Read more

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