A seamless connection between your Marketing Automation Platform (MAP) and your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is crucial for accurate reporting, efficient lead management, and effective marketing communication. However, deciding how to sync your data—whether every record should cross over or only a select few—can be complex. In this post, I’ll be referencing Marketo and Salesforce as the MAP and CRM, respectively, but similar principles can be applied to other platforms.
This guide breaks down the main synchronization strategies, their benefits, drawbacks, and the ideal scenarios for each.
Strategy 1: The 1:1 Sync (Full Synchronization)
The 1:1 Sync is the ideal, comprehensive approach where every record in Marketo is mirrored in Salesforce, and vice-versa. This enables the most complete visibility, attribution and reporting while minimizing the risk of duplicates or cross-communication between marketing and sales.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Strategy | 1:1 Sync |
| Tactic/Goal | All Marketo records are in Salesforce; All Salesforce records are in Marketo. |
| Pros | Reduces the risk of duplicates, ensures both systems are aligned for accurate reporting, provides the most complete and robust attribution tracking, and improves marketing communication. |
| Cons | Database size requirements can significantly drive up contract pricing. Poor data management can slow down system performance, especially with large databases. Requires a specific SFDC process for managing Leads and Contacts that haven’t yet reached MQL status to keep sales focused on sales-ready leads. |
| Best For | Companies that prioritize data completeness and alignment, and do not have budget concerns tied to database size, assuming their CRM data is clean. |
Strategy 2: Selective Sync
In a selective sync, not all records sync between the MAP and the CRM, meaning some records in the MAP don’t exist in the CRM and/or some records in the CRM don’t exist in the MAP.
Option A – Restricting Pre-MQL Records from CRM
This strategy involves only syncing records that have reached a certain sales-readiness threshold (usually MQL) from the MAP to the CRM.
This method uses an operational program to determine which records move from the MAP to the CRM.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Not 1:1 Sync |
| Tactic/Goal | Not all Marketo records are in Salesforce. |
| Managed By | Centralized sync program controls which records sync. |
| Pros | Unqualified records are not synced before they are ready for sales outreach. Keeps the sales database “clean” of pre-qualified records. |
| Cons | Increases the risk of duplicates and sync errors. Less robust/incomplete attribution reporting as any pre-qualified engagement won’t be synced in the CRM until the point of qualification and Campaign Members cannot be retroactively created. Marketo has to be configured very carefully to avoid accidentally syncing pre-qualified records. |
I generally do NOT recommend this method as I believe the main benefit—keeping sales views “clean” of unqualified records—is far outweighed by the drawbacks of having an incomplete reporting picture once records do become qualified. It also introduces additional opportunities for duplicate cross-communication between marketing and sales, since sales cannot see all records that marketing has.
In my opinion, keeping sales focused on qualified leads is better addressed through record assignment and a proper lifecycle model.
Option B – Custom Sync Filter
This technique uses a simple checkbox field to manage which Salesforce records sync over to Marketo. Marketo support will then filter the sync to only sync records where your checkbox is set to TRUE.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Not 1:1 Sync |
| Tactic/Goal | Not all Salesforce records are in Marketo. |
| Managed By | Custom Sync Filter (e.g., Checkbox field) |
| Pros | Keeps MAP database costs lower by not syncing legacy or disqualified records. Easy to configure and implement using a simple checkbox field. Easy to diagnose “why didn’t this record sync” questions. |
| Cons | Requires detailed documentation and Marketo Support to configure. Risk of sync errors and dirty data if the sync is disabled for certain records. There is a possibility that Marketo will create duplicate records, as it cannot “see” all records in Salesforce. |
>>Related: Beware Marketo<>Salesforce Parallel Processing with a Contact-Only Model<<
Option C – Salesforce Sharing Settings
This method utilizes native Salesforce (SFDC) security layers to limit which records are exposed to Marketo’s sync user. Your SFDC Admin will configure your org’s Organization-Wide Defaults and set up Sharing Rules to only expose records that should be synced with the MAP to the Integration User for Marketo.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Not 1:1 Sync |
| Tactic/Goal | Not all Salesforce records are in Marketo. |
| Managed By | Salesforce Sharing Rules. |
| Pros | Keeps MAP database costs lower by not syncing legacy or disqualified records. Easy to test and configure without needing support (Using Login As Integration User). Keeps the Marketo database focused on marketable records only. |
| Cons | Security settings limit access. Requires an advanced SFDC administrator who understands the layers of SFDC Security. There is a possibility that Marketo will create duplicate records, as it cannot “see” all records in Salesforce. Spending time investigating sync mystery errors. |
With either of these methods, you should definitely have a plan in place for potential duplicate records. Records that don’t exist in Marketo can and probably will eventually be created in Marketo if they engage with marketing assets, and you need to be able to account for that by either closely monitoring any sync errors as a result of potential duplicates and/or a process to merge the duplicates that are eventually created.
Conclusion
The selective sync strategies (Not 1:1 Sync) are generally best for companies with budget constraints related to database size or whose CRM contains a significant amount of non-marketable, legacy, or non-target data. For most other organizations seeking maximum data visibility and reduced duplicate risk, the 1:1 Sync remains the best default standard. Your final choice should weigh your budget constraints, operational complexity tolerance, and reporting needs.
FAQs
What is a Marketo Salesforce sync strategy?
It defines how and which data flows between Marketo and Salesforce.
What’s the difference between 1:1 sync and selective sync?
1:1 sync mirrors all records; selective sync only syncs chosen records.
Which sync strategy is best?
1:1 sync is ideal for full reporting; selective sync suits large or budget-limited databases.
Can selective sync cause duplicates?
Yes, selective sync can create duplicate records or sync errors.
How does sync affect reporting?
1:1 sync ensures complete reporting; selective sync may leave gaps.
