When we start organizing ACCOUNT ENGAGEMENT MCAE/PARDOT for our clients, usually a question arises: whether to use one form for all Pardot marketing resources or instead duplicate the form for each new piece of content.
We are always looking for ways to streamline processes and therefore reduce the number of forms; but you have to weigh the pros and cons of each of the options, so that we find out what is the best solution for each instance of Pardot.
Use a single MCAE/Pardot Account Engagement form
To streamline processes and avoid clutter in Pardot, it may seem like the best option is to use a single Pardot form that can be used across multiple marketing assets.
If your marketing team produces a large volume of downloadable content – such as guides, success stories, white papers… – you can use a single form using techniques – such as UTM parameters within iframes – and adding the Google tag code to the content of ‘thank you form’ or landing pages.
Disadvantages of using a single MCAE/Pardot Account Engagement form
However, this has some disadvantages:
- It becomes more difficult to add custom completion actions for campaign attribution. From each form you can add an “add to CRM campaign” completion action, but when using the same form for multiple content associated with different campaigns, you have to use custom javascript code to add leads to multiple campaigns, based on the Form URL/landing page.
What may seem like a simple solution becomes a solution that is not sustainable to be managed directly from the marketing team, as the javascript has to be maintained and updated. - Form reports aggregate all form locations. Therefore, it is more complicated to understand the information than when using a multi-form solution.
- Even when the process is carefully documented, this option is more likely to result in human error. And, in this case, having a deep understanding of Salesforce and Pardot – both from the technical and marketing sides – is essential to ensure that it works correctly.
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Using Multiple MCAE/Pardot Account Engagement Forms
Having numerous forms in our Pardot account may seem like a bad practice, since if a change is required in fields, styles, completion actions… it is less operational to change it in 40 than in 1 form.
But if you organize it properly using Pardot’s ‘best practices’ folder creation, tagging, and documentation processes, those problems are minimized.
This solution allows us to take advantage of connected campaigns and reports, and it is also a more usable solution for the day-to-day operations of the marketing team, because it does not have to depend on the technical team.
Therefore, in most situations, it is advisable to go for a multi-form solution. However, the success of any of the form-based solutions depends entirely on the organization and documentation of the process. So, before choosing the option, review the capabilities of the team and the people who will be in charge of maintaining and organizing it.
And remember, if you need help organizing Pardot, don’t hesitate to contact us:
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