Are you the kind of Eloquan who configures complex email campaigns using Campaign Canvas before you’ve downed your first cup of coffee, yet it would take a stiff shot of whiskey to get you to brave your way into Program Builder? You’re not alone. For some, Program Builder lives in the shadows of Oracle Eloqua, and it’s best to not disturb the beast unless you absolutely must.
From a distance, Program Builder may lack luster. Where’s the drag? Where’s the drop? But once you get to know it, it has its own shine. It’s a little like visiting Oz: once you’re there, the gray fades to a whole world of color. Campaign Canvas is ideal if you need to automate an email workflow. But, if you need to manage your data, then Program Builder is at the center of your automation.
Just like Dorothy’s traveling companions in Oz resembled her uncles in Kansas, you’ll find the building blocks in Program Builder look very similar to the building blocks on the Campaign Canvas: actions, decisions and segments/feeders.
Similar to Dorothy, you need to follow the Yellow Brick Road. So where to begin? Like any journey, it’s good to start by answering this two-part question: What is your goal, and why do you seek it? Once you answer it, determine the path that will deliver the results. To get you looking behind the curtain, below are five examples of when to explore a solution using Program Builder.
1) Of Course, Some Data Goes Both Ways (CRM Integration)
If you have a bi-directional standard integration (Salesforce, MS CRM or Oracle CRM OnDemand), your Oracle Eloqua-to-CRM updates are most likely running through Program Builder. For many, this is the most familiar use of Program Builder. The Run Integration Event is the action that results in the external calls to Create a Lead, Update a Lead or Update a Contact in CRM based on your business requirements.
What about other uses for the Run Integration Event? How about creating a Task or updating a Stage in your CRM to alert sales as part of an overall re-engagement campaign? If an Oracle Eloqua contact raises a hand to show current interest in your product or service, alert sales to follow up on this once dormant lead.
How about importing a “Do Not Email” value from your CRM into Oracle Eloqua? If that’s what you need to do, then you’re most likely running a program to change the Eloqua contact’s subscription status. This program runs the Unsubscribe from Campaign action to globally unsubscribe the Oracle Eloqua contact from future emails. You can also select this action to unsubscribe the contact at the Email Group level.
2) I’ll Fight You Both Together (Lead Assignments and Notifications)
Is your Oracle Eloqua instance self-contained but you still require leads to be assigned to sales reps or other owners? Or maybe you have a business requirement that is not met within the CRM logic. You can use Oracle Eloqua to assign contacts to an owner (like a sales rep) and then send a notification.
Configure the Ownership Rules to assign the Oracle Eloqua contact to a specific owner, execute a round robin rule, or map an owner based on a contact value (ex. Region). Once an owner is assigned, you can run the Send Process Member Report to Owner action and alert the rep of a new lead assignment.
3) If I Only Had Clean Data (Data Cleansing)
“We have dirty data,” clients will whisper to me. I assure them, while this is common, it doesn’t need to stay that way. Data cleansing programs allow you to map open text fields, such as Title, to a list of values that can be used for improved segmenting, nurturing and scoring results.
The labor-intensive part of data cleansing is identifying and mapping all the variations. For example, how many ways does Vice-President of Marketing show up in Eloqua: VP of Marketing, V.P. of Marketing, Vice Pres. Marketing…you get the picture. Once all the iterations are accounted for, the easy part is configuring Program Builder. Use the Run Update Rule Set referencing a Lookup Table to cleanse your data based on your definitions.
4) A Nurture Campaign of a Different Color (Custom Object Record Programs)
For every rule there is an exception. While Campaign Canvas is perfect for nurturing your Eloqua contacts, in some cases, you may choose to configure an email campaign in Program Builder.
Why? Let’s say you want to use a field merge in an email. The data is stored in a Custom Object, and the contacts may have more than one Custom Object Record. For example, I might have purchased three different products and have three records in a Product Custom Object. The email uses the value from a Product Name field for the field merge.
If you use the Campaign Canvas, the field merge value will be based on the most recently modified Custom Object Record. If that’s not your goal, then you can use Program Builder to select the specific Custom Object Record to ensure the correct data is merged.
Speaking of email campaigns, one of my favorite things about Program Builder is “Test Mode”. Not only can you select Allow re-send to the same address but, perhaps best of all, you can override the evaluation time of a Decision Rule. This means that, without copying the program or modifying settings, you can test a month-long campaign in a matter of hours. It’s pretty slick.
Not so sure? Would you still rather run your Custom Object Record program from your Campaign Canvas? Then check out our Custom Object Record Selector cloud connector.
5) Match and Dedupe and Validation. Oh, My!
And there’s more. You can also run Match/Deduplication or Validation rules and remove contacts from a Contact Group/Shared List in Program Builder. And, if you have Contact Level Security or CLR configured, you are using Program Builder.
From the words of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, “Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge…” So jump in! Program Builder might seem overwhelming at first, but once you get to know it, you’ll be surprised at how powerful it is.
And as far as scary flying monkeys hiding in the shadows, I haven’t seen any…yet.
If you have Eloqua and you need support with Program Builder, please contact us! We love helping companies transform their marketing automation.
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About the Author: Heidi Huffman
