Marketo is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform for marketing automation. It allows organizations to streamline, measure, and automate marketing workflows and tasks across various digital channels. The software is built for both B2B and B2C marketers to manage leads, execute personalized campaigns, and connect marketing activities to revenue.
Marketo offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to manage every stage of the customer journey. These features help marketers engage with prospects, analyze campaign performance, and drive revenue. The platform's core capabilities include:
Marketo boosts operational efficiency by automating repetitive marketing tasks. This allows teams to streamline workflows like email campaigns and lead nurturing, saving valuable time. Marketers can then shift their focus from manual execution to higher-level strategy and creative work.
The platform helps drive revenue by improving lead quality and conversion rates. It enables businesses to build stronger customer relationships through personalized, automated campaigns. By understanding customer needs, marketers can deliver targeted messaging that nurtures leads through the sales funnel.
After its acquisition by Adobe, the platform evolved, leading to key distinctions between the original product and its successor.
Marketo is designed to be the central hub of a marketing tech stack, offering robust integration capabilities. It connects seamlessly with various third-party applications, allowing for a unified data flow and enhanced marketing operations across the entire customer journey.
To maximize Marketo's potential, start by implementing strategic lead scoring and nurturing to qualify prospects effectively. Ensure a seamless, bi-directional sync with your CRM to align sales and marketing teams. Continuously test and personalize campaigns, from email subject lines to web content, to boost engagement and drive better results.
Is Marketo suitable for small businesses?
While often associated with enterprises, Marketo is scalable for mid-market companies. Its robust feature set might be overkill for very small businesses, which may find simpler, more cost-effective solutions better suited to their needs. The original Marketo platform is a good fit for growing teams.
How complex is it to implement Marketo?
Implementation can be complex, often requiring technical expertise and a dedicated project plan. The process involves data migration, CRM integration, and team training. Many companies hire implementation specialists to ensure a smooth setup and to maximize the platform's capabilities from the start.
Can Marketo function effectively without a CRM?
Yes, Marketo can operate as a standalone marketing automation platform. However, its true power is unlocked when integrated with a CRM. This sync provides a unified view of the customer journey, aligning sales and marketing efforts for significantly better results and reporting.
Contact data is the set of details, like names, emails, and phone numbers, used to get in touch with a person or business for outreach.
A sales process is a structured set of steps that a sales team follows to move a prospect from an initial lead to a closed customer.
Learn about B2B leads, including identifying quality B2B leads, generating B2B leads effectively, & B2B leads vs. B2C leads: understanding the differences.
A firewall is a digital barrier that protects a network by monitoring and controlling traffic, blocking unauthorized access and malicious content.
A Statement of Work (SoW) is a document that outlines a project's scope, deliverables, and timeline. It acts as a contract between parties.
Edge locations are globally distributed data centers that cache content close to users, reducing latency and delivering web content much faster.
A Quarterly Business Review (QBR) is a recurring meeting to assess performance against goals and align on strategy for the next quarter.
Objection handling is the process of responding to a prospect's concerns or hesitations about a product or service to move a deal forward.
Referral marketing is a strategy that incentivizes existing customers to recommend a company's products or services to their personal network.
The Challenger Sales model is a methodology where reps teach prospects, tailor their pitch, and take control of the sales conversation.
Learn about B2B demand generation, including strategies for effective B2B demand generation, & key components of a demand generation program.
Content syndication is the process of republishing your web content on third-party sites to reach a much wider audience.
Sales Operations Management streamlines sales processes, tech, and data analysis to help sales teams sell more effectively and efficiently.
Sales velocity is a key metric measuring the speed at which your company makes money. It shows how fast deals move through your sales pipeline.
Sales enablement provides sales teams with the necessary tools, content, and information to help them sell more effectively and efficiently.
Digital contracts are legally binding agreements created, signed, and stored electronically, offering a faster, more secure alternative to paper.
Salesforce Object Query Language (SOQL) is a query language used to search your organization's Salesforce data for specific information.
Chatbots are AI-powered programs that simulate human conversation. They interact with users via text or voice, typically for customer support.
Learn about buyer intent data, including sourcing and interpreting buyer intent data, & key metrics in buyer intent analysis.
Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) is the predictable, recurring income a business expects to receive each month from all active subscriptions.
ClickFunnels is a popular online tool that lets entrepreneurs easily build sales funnels to guide potential customers through the buying process.
Account match rate is the percentage of target accounts successfully identified and matched against a specific database or data provider.
Lead generation software helps businesses automate finding and capturing potential customers' contact information to build sales pipelines.
A sales kickoff (SKO) is an annual event for a sales team to celebrate wins, align on goals, and get motivated for the upcoming year.
Fault tolerance is a system's ability to continue operating without interruption when one or more of its components fail.
LinkedIn InMail messages are a premium feature that lets you directly message any LinkedIn member, even if you're not connected to them.
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software application that manages your entire hiring and recruitment process from a single dashboard.
Customer Success is a business strategy focused on proactively helping customers achieve their goals with your product or service.
Marketing automation uses software to automate repetitive marketing tasks, such as email marketing, social media posting, and ad campaigns.
Solution selling is a sales approach focused on understanding a customer's pain points to offer a comprehensive solution, not just a product.
Voice broadcasting is an automated system that delivers a pre-recorded voice message to a large list of phone numbers simultaneously.
The decision stage is where a well-researched buyer chooses a vendor. They compare specific products and pricing before making their final purchase.
MOFU, or Middle of the Funnel, is the crucial evaluation stage in the buyer's journey where leads compare solutions to their known problem.
White labeling is when a company puts its own branding on a product or service that was actually produced by a different company.
Serviceable Available Market (SAM) is the segment of the total market that your business can realistically serve within its geographical reach.
A sales enablement platform centralizes content, training, and analytics to help sales teams engage buyers and effectively close deals.
Sales productivity is the measure of a sales team's efficiency, focusing on maximizing revenue generation while minimizing the resources spent.
Serverless computing is a cloud model where the provider manages servers, so developers can focus on code without worrying about infrastructure.
Account Click-Through Rate (CTR) is the percentage of individuals from a target account who click on a link in an ad, email, or on a webpage.
Data appending is the process of adding new data fields to your existing database records to enrich and complete your information.
A sales forecast is a projection of future sales revenue. It's a crucial tool for businesses to make informed decisions and allocate resources.
Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) is the predictable income a company expects to receive from its customers over a one-year period.
A System of Record (SoR) is the authoritative data source for a specific type of data. It acts as the single source of truth for an organization.
A field sales representative, or outside sales rep, travels to meet prospects in person, selling products or services directly within their territory.
A vertical market is a niche where businesses cater to a specific industry or group of customers with specialized needs, not the mass market.
Opportunity management is the process of tracking potential sales from first contact to a closed deal, helping teams prioritize and win more.
A Marketing Qualified Account (MQA) is a target company that has shown significant engagement, indicating it's ready for the sales team to pursue.
A Target Account List (TAL) is a focused list of high-value companies that a business specifically aims to convert into customers.
Funnel analysis is a method for understanding the steps users take to complete a goal, revealing where they drop off in the conversion process.
Discount strategies are pricing tactics used to attract customers and boost sales by temporarily reducing the price of products or services.
Cloud storage is a service model where data is stored on remote servers and accessed from the internet, rather than on a local drive.
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based model where affiliates earn a commission for promoting another company’s products or services.
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a system of distributed servers that deliver web content to users based on their geographic location.
A Subject Matter Expert (SME) is an individual with profound knowledge and authority in a particular area, topic, or industry.
Product-Led Growth (PLG) is a business strategy where the product itself drives user acquisition, conversion, and expansion.
Lead scoring models rank prospects by assigning points for their behaviors and demographics, helping sales teams prioritize their outreach.
Closing ratio is a key sales metric that shows the percentage of leads or proposals that result in a successful sale.
Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) measures the mean annual growth of an investment over a specified period of time longer than one year.
Lead generation is the process of identifying and cultivating potential customers for a business's products or services.
Scalability is a company's ability to handle increased workloads or market demands without a drop in performance or a spike in costs.
Sales forecast accuracy is a key metric that compares your predicted sales revenue against the actual sales revenue you ultimately achieve.
GPCTBA/C&I is a sales qualification framework for understanding a prospect's goals, plans, challenges, timeline, budget, and authority.
Affiliate networks are platforms that act as intermediaries between publishers (affiliates) and merchant affiliate programs.
A sales demonstration is a presentation showing a prospect how a product or service works and how it can solve their specific problems.
Learn about browser compatibility, including understanding the importance, common challenges, best practices, & tools for testing.
Data encryption translates data into another form, or code, so that only people with access to a secret key or password can read it.
Deal closing is the final step in a sales cycle. It's when a prospect signs a contract and officially converts into a paying customer.
Webhooks are automated messages sent by an app when a specific event occurs. They push real-time data to another app's unique URL.
Upselling is a sales tactic encouraging customers to purchase a higher-end version of a product or related add-ons to boost revenue.
Video selling uses personalized video messages to engage prospects, build rapport, and guide them through the sales funnel to close more deals.
Outbound sales is when reps proactively contact potential customers through cold calls or emails to generate leads and build a sales pipeline.
Customer Retention Rate (CRR) is the metric that measures the percentage of customers a company has kept over a specific period of time.
A nurture campaign is a series of automated messages designed to build relationships with potential customers and guide them toward a purchase.
Sales rep training is the process of equipping your sales team with the skills, knowledge, and tools to effectively sell and hit their targets.
Generic keywords are broad search terms that lack specific details like brand or location. They attract a wide audience with less specific intent.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a premium tool helping sales teams find and engage with the right leads and accounts on the LinkedIn network.
Market intelligence is the process of collecting and analyzing data about your target market, competitors, and industry to guide business strategy.
Learn about buyer, including identifying your ideal buyer, understanding buyer's journey, & evaluating buyer decision processes.
Programmatic advertising uses AI and real-time bidding to automate the buying and selling of digital ad space, targeting specific audiences.
A digital strategy outlines how your business will use online channels, data, and technology to achieve its goals and connect with customers.
An Account Development Representative (ADR) identifies and qualifies new business opportunities, creating a pipeline for account executives.
Kanban is a visual project management method that uses a board to visualize workflow, limit work-in-progress, and maximize team efficiency.
Dynamic territories are fluid sales assignments that adjust based on real-time data, ensuring reps can focus on the highest-value accounts.
Subscription models are a business strategy where customers pay a recurring fee at regular intervals for access to a product or service.
Warm outreach is contacting prospects with whom you have a pre-existing connection, like a mutual contact, making your message more personal and effective.
An Account Executive (AE) is a sales professional responsible for closing new business deals and managing existing client relationships to drive revenue.
The Challenger Sales Model is a sales approach where reps challenge a customer's thinking by teaching, tailoring, and taking control of the sale.
A Letter of Intent (LOI) is a document declaring the preliminary commitment of one party to do business with another, outlining the chief terms.
Closed opportunities are potential deals that have concluded. They are categorized as either 'closed-won' (a sale was made) or 'closed-lost'.
Intent data tracks a user's online behavior—like searches and site visits—to identify signals that they are ready to make a purchase.
A weighted pipeline forecasts sales revenue by assigning a closing probability to each deal based on its stage in the sales funnel.
Lead scraping is the process of automatically extracting contact information and other relevant data about potential customers from online sources.
Lead conversion is the process of turning a prospect into a customer by getting them to complete a desired action, such as making a purchase.
A dialer is software that automatically dials phone numbers for agents, boosting call efficiency and connecting them to live prospects faster.
Personalization is the practice of using data to tailor products, services, or content to an individual's specific needs and preferences.
Account View-Through Rate (AVTR) is the percentage of target accounts that see an ad and later visit your website without clicking on it.
A sales lead is a potential customer—an individual or organization that has shown interest in your company's products or services.
Time on site, or session duration, is a key web metric that tracks the total time a visitor spends on your website during a single visit.
User interaction is any action a user takes within a digital interface, like clicking a button, scrolling a page, or filling out a form.
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is a focused B2B strategy where marketing and sales collaborate to target and convert high-value accounts.