Quick win 6. Salesforce “email opt out” field synchronization behavior SFDC CRM — SFMC (Salesforce Sales, Service & Marketing Cloud)

There are multiple ways to unsubscribe a subscriber from receiving communications in SFMC.

Now, lets look at different permutations to understand how one can do this and how it results in synchronizing status across platforms.

For SFMC → SFDC

A. Standard unsubscription center:

• A subscriber opts out by clicking the link to the profile center included in each email. The user is unsubscribed in the Marketing Cloud and the Email Opt Out (hasOptedOutOfEmail) flag is checked in the CRM. As soon as the customer is unsubscribed in markeitng cloud , MC Connect product synchronizes the susbscriber status back in Salesforce CRM on contact /lead at email opt out field.

B. Custom unsubscription center:

• If you have designed a custom profile (unsubscription) center in Marketing cloud using micropages. A subscriber clicking unsusbcribe (opt in or out) from a custom profile center can be synchorized back in Salesforce CRM , to do this use → LogUnSubEvent.

Remember: LogUnsubEvent and the connector can be considered integrated. Every “real” marketing cloud unsubscription leverages LogUnsubEvent.

C. Manual unsubscribe in SFMC:

• A Marketing Cloud user can unsubscribe or opt out a subscriber manually in Marketing Cloud from all susbcribers list but doing this manually won’t sync. the status back in Salesforce CRM at email opt out field. Solution: for this you woukd need to create an atomation job to run at particular frequency , query unsubscribe data view and make an http callout to update the status in SFDC against a particular contact or lead.

For SFDC to SFMC

Standard options:

• A Salesforce user can unsubscribe or opt out a subscriber manually within the CRM. How: if you are using Marketing cloud connect package, it contains 2 custom actions a) Marketing cloud Unsubscribe and b) resubscribe which would do real time update in SFMC, when a user clicked on them from Salesforce CRM from contact & lead level.
• Also, checking the Email opt out field manually in Sales CRM won’t synchronize the respective subscriber’s status in Marketing cloud. This can only be done using those 2 standard custom actions explained above.
• If you want the change from SFDC CRM subscriber status (opt in/out) to flow into Marketing cloud (SFMC) automatically & in real time, you would need to make an “http callout” to update the same in SFMC. other option is to rely on markeitng cloud connect.
• Lastly, other option to make any consent change flow from SFDC → SFMC , you can also rely on marketing cloud connect to dump this under Synchronized salesforce data extension in marketing cloud and then use an automation to segregate the opt outs in another data extension and sync them to all suscribers list.

Remember : Marketing Cloud Connect does not support business unit-level unsubscribes for Enterprise 2.0 accounts. Subscribers are included in the All Subscribers list at the enterprise level and unsubscribed from all business units in the enterprise.

That’s on some of the important findings that i spent my time exploring and making myself aware.

Hope this consolidate list helps you ! thanks — Mohit