HomeMarketing CloudCertificationMarketing Cloud Administrator Certification

Marketing Cloud Administrator Certification

March 23, 2020

Please refer to the Exam Guide for Marketing Cloud Administrator on Trailhead for the latest updates on the modules as there may be changes based on new releases. The below inputs are based on what I have observed as of WI20. Please do go through Email Specialist first for common areas across both of these so that you understand the basics. Like I mentioned in the main Certification post, do try to get an org for hands-on or find a mentor who can help show you some of these important features – it’s much easier to grasp the areas when you see it in action.

Trailmixes and other references

Exam Modules

Setup – 38%

This is the main module to learn for this exam and has the maximum weightage. It’s best to go through the Setup page and the review each section within Marketing Cloud

Recommended Trailhead modules and references:

Focus Areas:

  1. Business Units (BU), Users, Roles and Permissions:
    • learn how to set up Users in Marketing Cloud especially across BUs – remember there’s no deletion of users, only disable
    • what are the standard Roles available in Marketing Cloud – learn how to set up roles and assign to users – need to know how to assign a role to a BU and impact of permissions for all users in that BU
    • explore the various permissions for Email Studio users – need to know how to assign custom permissions (Allow / Deny) for various features besides the Roles assigned to a user
    • how are BUs set up in Marketing Cloud (for Enterprise 2.0)
    • how would you import BU and user data into Marketing Cloud
    • explore how would you use subscriber filters for a BU
  2. Security Settings:
    • learn about the various security settings in Marketing Cloud Setup and recommended values for these (pay close attention to each of the setting values and configuration options) – need to also know which are applicable through API and UI
    • what is IP Whitelisting – and how is it useful
    • review how Identity Verification works for Marketing Cloud user
    • when would you use the Export Email Whitelist feature
    • how do you enable Audit Trail logging in Marketing Cloud – and what data can you view from these logs
  3. File based automation workflows:
    • learn where and how FTP Accounts and users are configured in Marketing cloud – especially user properties, number of FTP users allowed per BU, etc.
    • how do you use Enhanced FTP in Marketing Cloud – what are the various folders available for Import and Export
    • what are the various File Locations that can be configured in Marketing Cloud – Import, Export, Safehouse, external FTP locations, etc. – review when to use which location for File-based automations
    • learn how the various File-based automation studio activities work – File Transfer, Import File and Data Extract – review file naming patterns and substitution strings and scenarios where they may be useful
    • identify how to notify someone when an automation workflow or an activity (like Import) has completed or encountered an error
  4. API Integration:
  5. CRM Integration – Marketing Cloud Connect:
    • learn how to configure Marketing Cloud Connect – especially changes that need to be done in CRM and Marketing Cloud – you’ll need to know each of the steps as there may be questions on errors encountered because a step was missed
    • review contact data requirements when synching with CRM – what is the recommended values for Contact Key for synched records
    • what is a Salesforce Data Extension – and how is it used for sending Tracking data back to CRM
    • what is a Synchronized Data Extension – how and where do you configure Synchronized Data Sources – review filter options available when synching data from CRM to Marketing Cloud
    • what are the best practices to be followed when using a Multi-Org configuration
  6. Setup Menu:
  7. Extension Products:

Digital Marketing Proficiency – 13%

Recommended Trailhead modules and references:

Focus Areas:

  1. Governance and Compliance:
    • review CAN-SPAM and other Data Protection and privacy regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, PIPA, etc.
    • what is required for Commercial and Transactional emails to be compliant with CAN-SPAM
  2. Data Encryption and PII Security:
  3. Marketing Cloud Products:
    • review all the various Marketing Cloud studios, builders and integration packages available and what each one is used for (high level overview)

Subscriber Data Management – 18%

Recommended Trailhead modules and references:

Focus Areas:

  1. Contact Model:
  2. Data Quality:
    • what are the various data types supported in a Data Extension (DE) – pay attention to the length or restrictions for these
    • how do you set data retention policies for DEs
    • learn about the Contact Delete process – where does the data get deleted from and where contact data may still be left behind
  3. Preference and Profile Centers:

Channel Management – 16%

Recommended Trailhead modules and references:

Focus Areas:

  1. Mobile Studio:
  2. Email Studio:
  3. Social and Advertising Studio:
  4. Journey Builder:

Maintenance – 15%

Recommended Trailhead modules and references:

Focus Areas:

  1. Data Extracts and Reports:
  2. System Availability and Monitoring:
    • learn how to use the Salesforce Trust site to identify the status of the Marketing Cloud Account – use MID / DB instance
    • how do you get notified about Marketing Cloud database status changes
  3. Additional Marketing Cloud Products:
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About The Author

Shibu Abraham

Shibu Abraham is an IT Director with UST Global based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He is a Salesforce Certified Application Architect and a Marketing Champion. He is a big fan of Marketing Automation, programming in SFMC and blogging on SFMC topics. He believes in innovation, continuous learning and sharing knowledge about Salesforce and promotes various events for the Salesforce Trailblazer Community.