Pardot (Marketing Cloud Account Engagement) announced on September 1st that the Opted Out field that is syncing bi-directionally with Salesforce currently will require a change to all accounts before February 26, 2023.
Opted Out Field Sync Changes
As of today, the Opted Out field for Prospect records in Pardot syncs to both Leads and Contact records in Salesforce. If the field is updated in Pardot, it will update Salesforce and if the field is updated in Salesforce, it will update in Pardot.
The required update will change this dynamic as you will now have to set which system is the primary of the Opted Out data, your two options are:
- Use Pardot’s value as the primary
- Use Salesforce’s value as the primary
Pardot as the primary of Opted Out
If you set Pardot as the primary of the Opted Out field, Salesforce users will need to know that changes they make to this field may be overwritten by Pardot. It is essential that all updates to Opted Out on Contact and Lead Records be updated in the Prospect record in Pardot first, otherwise data discrepancies will occur.
Note: Unsubscribe options sent from Pardot emails have the ability to maintain the most up-to-date subscriber Opted in or Opted Out status. Keep this in mind as you navigate through your decision on which program should be the primary.
Option: You could make the Salesforce Opted Out field read-only in Contacts and/or Leads to prevent data discrepancies. This is just a suggested idea in order to prevent data discrepancies. If you’d prefer to have Salesforce users still update the Opted Out field, review below for more options.
Salesforce as the primary of Opted Out
If you set Salesforce as the primary of the Opted Out field, Pardot users will need to know that changes they make to this field may be overwritten by Salesforce. It is essential that all updates to Opted Out on Prospects be updated in Salesforce first, otherwise data discrepancies will occur.
What happens if you do not make this update?
If you do not make the selection of either Pardot or Salesforce as the primary of the Opted Out field before February 26, 2023, the field will stop syncing entirely and be managed independently in either program. This will mean that Pardot and Salesforce will have a completely different accounting of who has opted out of receiving emails from your organization, which could impact your GDPR and CAN-SPAM compliance.
Cloud for Good does recommend taking action and choosing a primary source of truth for opt outs. Data discrepancies and GDPR/CAN-SPAM compliance are crucial for marketing programs and the Pardot-Salesforce connector allows you to maintain a healthy database to deliver your marketing campaigns.
Considerations when choosing a sync behavior
There is a lot to consider when choosing this new sync behavior for Opted Out. You may not find it easy to choose one system over the other for the primary value. In some cases, you will need your Salesforce users to be able to update the Opted Out field and vice versa (your Pardot users to update Pardot). If you find that you cannot default to either Pardot or Salesforce, consider the following options:
Select Pardot as the primary, but sync it to a new Salesforce field
- Create a new Salesforce field and name it “Pardot Opted Out”
- In Pardot, map the Opted Out field to the new Salesforce field created
- Select “Use Pardot’s value” for sync behavior
- In Pardot, create a new custom field and name it “SF Email Opt Out” (map this field to the existing Opted Out field)
- In Pardot, create an Automation to update the Opted Out field to maintain the sync data
Select Salesforce as the primary, but sync it to a new Pardot field
- Create a new Pardot custom field and name it “Salesforce Opted Out” (map this field to the existing Opted Out field in Salesforce)
- In Pardot’s Opted Out field, select “Use Salesforce’s value” for sync behavior
- In Pardot, create an Automation to update the Opted Out field to maintain the sync data
Recap and Next Steps
It’s quite important for you to make these changes to your Pardot Account before February 26, 2023, otherwise the Opted Out field will stop syncing and will cause your data to be incorrect. If you need Cloud for Good’s assistance in helping you define what is the best approach for your organization, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! If you’d like further details from Salesforce, take a look at this knowledge article.
