BrightTALK Connectors - Marketo Connector FAQs

Connector Setup:

What Marketo license do I need to setup the BrightTALK advanced connector?

Prior to 2016, a Standard, Select or Enterprise license was required to run APIs. Since then Marketo offers modified packaging solutions and API access may vary per your contract. Contact Marketo Support for more information.

Where can I find my client ID and secret?

You can find your client ID and secret by following Marketo user guide: Click here

Please note: In order for BrightTALK to create leads in your Marketo instance, you will first need to set up a custom web service to access our API.  Here's how:

Ensure you have an API only user role

Create a custom service

Obtain credentials for API Access

I have an existing integration with my BrightTALK channel. Will it continue to work or do I need to change anything on the Connectors tab?

If you have an existing integration with BrightTALK, all data syncs will continue to happen based on the original schedule you’ve created. BrightTALK will copy your existing mappings and sync schedule over to the new Connectors tab, so that you’re required to do.

Please note: If you decide to make any changes on your existing mappings, you will now need to map the field ‘Webcast Campaign Reference’. This field is a required field and needed to support the data sync into Marketo programs.

Why are some of the fields required to be mapped and how do I create a custom field in Marketo?

There are 4 mandatory BrightTALK fields required to be mapped in order to activate the connector:

Subscribers - Email

Subscribers - BrightTALK User ID

Webcast Activity - Activity Type

Webcast Activity - Webcast Campaign Reference

For how to create a corresponding custom field in Marketo, see here.

The BrightTALK field ‘Webcast Campaign Reference’ is a required field - I don’t know where to map it to.

‘Webcast Campaign Reference’ is a required field because it holds the name of the Marketo program you’ve connected your webinar to. This field helps BrightTALK to directly sync a lead into its corresponding Marketo program.

Do I need to create all of the Marketo fields recommended in the spreadsheet?

No, only the mandatory fields are required. Other fields can be mapped based on your individual tracking preferences. See here

I get an error “Data type doesn’t match” - what does it mean and how can i fix it? 

When you get the error “Data type doesn’t match”, it means that the data type on your Marketo field doesn’t match to the BrightTALK field you’ve mapped it to. Matching data types are required to ensure that the data flows properly between BrightTALK and Marketo, and that data can be processed by smart campaigns. See the full list of available BrightTALK fields here.

During setup I’m being asked “Which lead partition?” What does this mean and how can I fix it?

You’re being asked which lead partition the data should sync to, if we've detected multiple partitions in your Marketo instance. You will need to choose which partition the connector should sync the data to.

When I’m saving my field mappings I’m being asked, whether I need to clone my mappings to other channels - I don’t know what that means

We ask whether you need to clone your mappings to other channels, if we've detected multiple channels associated to your user account. This functionality will allow you to clone newly created mappings to your other channels without having to make those on each channel individually. Note: Changes on “Sync Settings” and “Marketo Programs” cannot be cloned to other channels and need to be created individually.

Connector Management:

What do you mean by "Scheduled Job"?

Each data sync from BrightTALK to Marketo is classified as a “Job”. We recommend to set these jobs up to run every 1 hour. This can be managed under “Sync Settings”.

Will my existing data get overwritten with each scheduled job? 

The connector will overwrite fields as new data is synced. For creating a record of all activity on a lead we recommend setting up interesting moments and tracking programs for your webinars.

What is a “One-time sync” and what do I use it for?

You can create a one-time sync to test the integration or to retroactively sync your Channel data at any time. An activated connector is not required to create a one time sync.

What lead source do the leads get attributed when the leads are passed through the connector?

Leads that are passed through the connector come in with the lead source being blank by default, but net new leads can easily be identified and tagged using our recommended setup. 

If I want to sync historical data, will it create any duplicates?

No, a historical sync won’t create duplicates in your data. But if there are already existing duplicates in your Marketo instance, the connector will not be able to update them. Please contact Marketo support for more details about removing them.

Marketo programs:

What are Marketo programs and how do I use them?

BrightTALK can push leads from a specific webinar directly to a Marketo program with the correct status based on the viewing (link to article). You can set this up in the ‘Marketo Programs” section on the connectors tab.

I don’t see one of my existing Marketo programs in the list, but I can see it in my Marketo instance? What am I doing wrong?

The BrightTALK connector was designed to support Marketo programs that were set up with the program type “Event.” Other configurations are currently not supported.

If I don’t use the new Marketo program sync, will I still receive all my data?

Yes, if you don’t use Marketo programs you will still receive all your lead data. In this case, data will be stored in your Marketo Lead Database, but the fields would be overwritten with new values as leads engage with different webinars. Therefore we highly recommend using Marketo programs for optimal attribution and tracking.

I have existing tracking programs using smart campaigns.  Will those still work if I start using Marketo programs on the connectors tab?

Yes, your smart campaigns will still work; however, if you plan on syncing those programs to webinars using the new Marketo program sync, you should disable those smart campaigns to avoid duplication and/or loss of leads.

I need to change the name on one of my Marketo Programs - is this recommended?

No, it is not recommended to change the name of your Marketo program. Changing the name may cause the data sync for this webinar to fail. If you need to connect a BrightTALK webinar to a different Marketo program, click “Manage” next to the webinar on the "Marketo Programs" page and then click “Connect to a different Marketo program”.