# Distributed Marketing business units and content

*Marketing Cloud Engagement Administrator Study Guide · Setup · Last updated October 16, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/marketing-cloud-engagement-administrator/setup/distributed-marketing-business-units-and-content*

How Distributed Marketing lets corporate marketers build on-brand content in Marketing Cloud Engagement while advisers and partners personalize and send it from CRM, and how admins add up to 200 business units, share them with sharing rules, filter content marketplaces, keep the named principal OAuth connection alive and remove a business unit.

- Certification: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Engagement Administrator
- Exam section: Setup
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/marketing-cloud-engagement-administrator

**Official exam objective:**

> Describe Marketing Cloud extension products.

## What the exam expects

- Recognize Distributed Marketing from a requirement where advisers or partners send corporate content, and tell it apart from Marketing Cloud Connect.
- Describe the division of labour: corporate marketers build, distributed users personalize and send from CRM without their own Engagement login.
- Add business units (up to 200), share them per user or with everyone, and filter content marketplaces by business unit.
- Explain the named principal OAuth 2.0 connection, token refresh and reconnecting, and the conditions for removing a business unit.
- Key terms: **Distributed Marketing** (a managed package in CRM that sends Engagement content); **Quick Send** (a single personalized email or SMS from CRM); **content marketplace** (list-view-powered collections of assets); **named principal authentication** (one authenticated identity for the whole connection).

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds and who sends | Corporate marketers build in Engagement; distributed teams personalize and send from CRM | [Distributed Marketing](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_distributed_marketing.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Business user logins | No unique Marketing Cloud Engagement login needed | [Business Units with DM](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_business_unit_access.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Business unit limit | Up to 200 after installing the managed package | [Add Business Units](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_configure_account_authentication.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Authentication | Named principal, OAuth 2.0, in the context of the user who added the unit | [Add Business Units](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_configure_account_authentication.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Token refresh failure | Reconnect manually; can follow 30+ days without an authenticated call | [Refresh Authentication](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_refresh_authentication.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Access to business units | Sharing rules per user, or public read/write for everyone | [Share Business Units](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_working_bus_units.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Marketplace by business unit | Linked Business Unit filter on the list view | [Content Marketplace](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_bu_and_marketplace.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Removal conditions | No journey enabled as a Quick Send and none used by a campaign | [Remove Business Units](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_remove_business_unit.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Send engine | Journey Builder sends every message | [Distributed Marketing Setup](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_setup.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |

## Check yourself

- Why can a user granted a campaign still be unable to send it?
- When does an admin have to reconnect a business unit?
- How do you make a content marketplace show one business unit's Quick Sends?
- Why should the user who adds a business unit stay active?

## Sources

- [Use Business Units with Distributed Marketing](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_business_unit_access.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Distributed Marketing](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_distributed_marketing.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Using Cross-Cloud Products with Marketing Cloud Engagement](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_cross_cloud_products.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Distributed Marketing Setup](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_setup.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Add Business Units to Your Org](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_configure_account_authentication.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Share Business Units](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_working_bus_units.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Use Business Units with Content Marketplace](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_bu_and_marketplace.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Refresh Authentication](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_refresh_authentication.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Remove Business Units](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_dm_remove_business_unit.htm&language=en_US&type=5)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 11 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Marketing Cloud Engagement Administrator pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams