Why use segments instead of groups?
We don't recommend using Emma Groups in the context of the Salesforce integration. Audience members must be added and removed from individual groups manually or with automation for each add and remove action. This is hard to maintain or for non-admins to manage.
For this reason, we feel segments, which are automated and dynamic in nature, are a much better fit when working with Salesforce data.
Segments can be built using custom fields you add to your Emma audience. Once created you can create segment rules to dynamically group audience members.
Our import wizard feature allows you to map Salesforce data to Emma's custom fields and keep them up to date over time, with no added admin work.
Segments are typically a lot more efficient and easier to set up.
Example
You have checkboxes on contact:
- Group A
- Group B
- Group C
- Group D
Groups
- You would need to create four groups in Emma.
- Then you would need to create four Salesforce reports, one for each group.
- Finally, you would need to create four import wizard schedules based on the different reports.
- If a change needed to be made you would need to check eight different things (4 x report, 4 x import wizard schedules).
The more groups you want to work increase the number of reports and import wizard schedules you would need. It is also worth noting that the more import wizard schedules you have, the more Salesforce processing is required.
Segments
How to set up segments is described in detail on our Segmentation guide.
- Create one Salesforce report with each of the four segment-setting fields included as columns (A-D).
- Create one import wizard, mapping each segment-setting fields to a new Emma custom field that can be created in the wizard.
- Write a segmentation rules to use the new custom fields (A-D).
- If you need to make a change simply update one Salesforce report and the corresponding import wizard.
Summary
- Segments are dynamic.
- They can be a lot less maintenance.
- Having fewer import wizard schedules is much more efficient.
- Salesforce reports and list views are very similar to segments.
