Email Marketing Best Practices10% of the exam
Opt-in acquisition and preference-based subscriber retention
Where opted-in subscribers come from (web, mobile, social, in-store, sales and service calls), why double opt-in and never buying lists protect the audience, and how preference design, opt-down, publication lists and the right preference center keep subscribers from unsubscribing from everything.
Given a customer scenario, demonstrate appropriate and effective subscriber acquisition and retention methodologies.
~7 min read · 9 practice questions ·
What the exam expects
- Recommend an opt-in acquisition channel (website, mobile app, social media, in-store, sales and service calls) for a given audience and staffing constraint.
- Choose double opt-in when address quality is the problem, and reject purchased, appended or scraped lists.
- Design preferences that retain subscribers: ask only for what you will use, explain the benefit, offer opt-down and category opt-outs through publication lists.
- Choose between the standard profile and subscription centers and a custom preference center based on how the account sends.
- Account for every way an unsubscribe is counted.
- Key terms: single opt-in (one response opts the person in); double opt-in (an affirmative response, then a confirmation of it); publication list (a category of sends a subscriber can opt out of on its own); opt-down (choosing fewer emails instead of none); custom preference center (a one-stop page for profile and subscription choices).
Key facts
Permission rule
- Detail
- Send only to opted-in subscribers; don't buy or append
Double opt-in
- Detail
- Respond, then confirm; validates the address and catches typos
Most effective channel in the module
- Detail
- Inbound sales calls, rated 71%
In-store plus mobile
- Detail
- Text a code for a coupon and send the email address
Preference questions
- Detail
- Connect each data point to a communication
Opt-down
- Detail
- Offer fewer emails and honor the choice
Standard centers
- Detail
- Branding via BrandBuilder only; content barely changeable
Data extension sending
- Detail
- CloudPages preference center plus publication lists
Unsubscribing
- Detail
- No login, no more than a single page
Unsubscribe count sources
- Detail
- Links, LogUnsubEvent, complaint delivery, replies
Sources for this section (5)
- Sender reputationhelp.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Acquire New Subscriberstrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Optimize Your Email Marketing Strategytrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Legal Email Compliance Guidelinestrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Unsubscribe Methods Explainedhelp.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Why is a popular acquisition channel not automatically the best one?
- When should a Marketing Cloud Connect sender decide its database of record?
- Which text-to-join flow is single opt-in?
- What does a standard subscription center list under Available Publications?
The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.
Keep reading with the Marketing Cloud Engagement Specialist pack
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