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Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement

B2B marketing automation on the Salesforce platform, working on CRM records rather than a separate list.

AI features

Einstein scores leads and behaviour, optimises send times, flags engagement frequency and surfaces campaign insights, and Einstein Content Creation drafts and iterates subject lines, email copy and landing page copy.

Starting price
From $1250 / org / month
API
Yes, a daily API call allowance that rises with the edition, plus an External Activity API and custom object integration with Salesforce CRM
Hosting
Cloud (SaaS)
Visit Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement

Overview

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement is the B2B marketing automation platform aimed at aligning marketing and sales around the same records; Salesforce states that Pardot is the legacy name for the same product. Lead capture runs through forms, form handlers and landing pages, nurture through Engagement Programs and automation rules, and qualification through lead scoring and grading. Because it shares the CRM database, Engagement History Dashboards are embedded on leads, contacts, accounts and opportunities. Pricing is per organisation rather than per seat, across four editions.

Our take

This is a product you buy for where it sits rather than for what it sends. If the sales team already lives in Salesforce, the shared record is the whole argument: scores, engagement history and attribution land on the objects sales already opens, with no connector to keep honest. If Salesforce is not the system of record, most of that advantage disappears and the price is hard to defend. Budget accordingly, because the per-organisation model means the entry cost is the same whether two people use it or twenty, and the contact allowance rather than the seat count is what drives the bill upward.

Key Facts

Category
Starting price From $1250 / org / month Growth+ is $1,250 per organisation and month with 10,000 contacts included, Plus+ $2,750, Advanced+ $4,400 and Premium+ $15,000 with 75,000 contacts. Extra contact blocks cost $100 per 10,000 contacts and month on Growth+, rising to $400 on Premium+. All per-month products require an annual contract.
API Yes, a daily API call allowance that rises with the edition, plus an External Activity API and custom object integration with Salesforce CRM
Hosting Cloud (SaaS)

Features

Campaign types
Unlimited email marketing, landing pages, forms and form handlers for existing forms, with an integrated marketing calendar and a CMS with approval workflows
Automation and journeys
Engagement Programs for nurture tracks plus automation rules, with lead scoring and grading, multiple scoring categories and rule-based account scoring deciding who moves on
Segmentation and personalisation
Prospect tracking across online campaigns feeds rule-based dynamic content and cross-object merge fields, so messages vary on data held against the CRM record; Einstein adds lead scoring, behaviour scoring and engagement frequency
Templates and editor
Drag-and-drop building with reusable repeater blocks and fully customisable URLs, and Einstein Content Creation drafts and iterates subject lines, email copy and landing page copy
Deliverability and testing
Email A/B testing and multivariate landing page testing, a dedicated IP address, Einstein Send Time Optimization, and advanced email analytics with email rendering and preview analysis
Ecommerce and CRM data
Built on the Salesforce CRM database: Engagement History Dashboards sit on leads, contacts, accounts and opportunities, with custom object integration, a Data Cloud connector and multi-touch attribution through B2B Marketing Analytics
Integrations and API
Daily API call allowance scaling by edition, an External Activity API with active extensions, custom object integration, and prebuilt Google Ads and Eventbrite integrations

Integrations

  • Salesforce CRM
  • Google Ads
  • Eventbrite
  • Salesforce Data Cloud
  • B2B Marketing Analytics

Deployment and Support

Deployment
  • Cloud (SaaS)
  • Browser-based
Onboarding
  • Documentation and knowledge base
  • Live online demos and webinars
Company size
  • Small and mid-sized
  • Enterprise

Pros and Cons

Strengths

  • Scores, engagement history and attribution sit directly on Salesforce CRM records, with no connector between marketing and sales
  • Multi-touch attribution models and B2B Marketing Analytics report campaign effect against pipeline rather than against opens alone
  • Einstein covers both sides of the job, scoring prospects and drafting email and landing page copy

Limitations

  • Priced per organisation from $1,250 a month billed annually, so the entry cost does not scale down for a small team
  • Contact allowances are the real cost driver, and extra blocks run from $100 to $400 per 10,000 contacts and month depending on edition
  • Business units cost $2,000 per unit and month on top of the edition price
  • The value rests on Salesforce being the system of record, which makes it a poor fit for companies running another CRM

Pricing

  • Growth+

    $1,250

    Per organisation and month, billed annually. 10,000 contacts included. Extra contacts $100 per 10,000 and month.

  • Plus+

    $2,750

    Per organisation and month, billed annually. 10,000 contacts included. Extra contacts $150 per 10,000 and month.

  • Advanced+

    $4,400

    Per organisation and month, billed annually. 10,000 contacts included. Extra contacts $300 per 10,000 and month.

  • Premium+

    $15,000

    Per organisation and month, billed annually. 75,000 contacts included. Extra contacts $400 per 10,000 and month.

Alternatives and Comparisons

FAQ

Is Account Engagement the same thing as Pardot?
Yes. Salesforce states in its own product FAQ that Pardot is the legacy name for Salesforce Account Engagement and that they are the same product.
Is it priced per user?
No. Editions are priced per organisation and month, billed annually, and the contact allowance rather than the seat count drives the cost. Growth+ starts at $1,250 with 10,000 contacts included.
What does an extra block of contacts cost?
Salesforce lists $100 per 10,000 additional contacts and month on Growth+, $150 on Plus+, $300 on Advanced+ and $400 on Premium+.

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