CloudROI – Extending Marketing Cloud Lifespan for Mall of America

Introduction: 

Mall of America, renowned as one of the largest shopping malls in the United States, faced a pivotal challenge in its digital marketing journey. With an ambitious goal to leverage Salesforce Marketing Cloud to its fullest potential, the organization found itself at a crossroads due to technical complexities and underperformance issues. This case study unveils how CloudROI’s Salesforce Medics not only revived Mall of America’s fading confidence in Salesforce Marketing Cloud but also transformed it into a cornerstone of their digital strategy.

Background:  

Initially, Mall of America embarked on its Salesforce Marketing Cloud journey with high hopes. The platform promised to revolutionize how the mall engaged with millions of visitors annually, offering personalized experiences and seamless communication channels. However, as time progressed, what was once a beacon of digital innovation became a source of frustration.

The challenges were multifaceted. The mall’s marketing team struggled with a highly customized Marketing Cloud environment that was intricately tied to the mall’s internal systems. This overemphasis on customization, driven by a talented team of developers, led to a significant buildup of technical debt. Instead of a streamlined and efficient marketing tool, the Salesforce Marketing Cloud became a tangled web of code and processes, difficult to navigate and nearly impossible to optimize.

Compounding the issue was the realization that the platform, in its current state, was not delivering the expected value to end-users. Marketing initiatives became cumbersome to execute, and the system’s lack of intuitive use and flexibility made even simple tasks daunting. With the Salesforce license renewal approaching, senior leadership began to question the platform’s ROI, contemplating whether continuing with Salesforce Marketing Cloud was a sustainable choice.

At this critical juncture, the decision to seek external expertise led Mall of America to partner with CloudROI. Known for their specialized Salesforce Medics approach, CloudROI was tasked with diagnosing and treating the ailments of the mall’s Salesforce Marketing Cloud environment. This partnership marked the beginning of a transformative journey, from the brink of cancellation to a renewed, strategic deployment of Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

The Challenge:

Mall of America’s journey with Salesforce Marketing Cloud was teetering on the edge of discontinuation. The primary challenges stemmed from an overly customized environment that lacked scalability and ease of use, making it increasingly difficult for the marketing team to launch and manage campaigns effectively. The intricacies of the custom-built system, while initially seen as a testament to the development team’s skill, had become a significant barrier to achieving the mall’s marketing objectives. The system’s complexity not only hampered operational efficiency but also obscured the path to meaningful engagement with the mall’s vast audience.

The impending Salesforce license renewal amplified the urgency for a solution. Senior leadership voiced concerns over the tangible benefits of the platform, given the mounting difficulties in executing even the most basic marketing strategies. The prospect of continuing to invest in a tool that seemed to detract from, rather than enhance, the mall’s marketing efforts brought Mall of America to a critical decision point.

Strategic Intervention: 

Recognizing the need for specialized expertise, Mall of America engaged CloudROI’s Salesforce Medics for a critical intervention aimed at revitalizing their Salesforce Marketing Cloud. This strategic effort unfolded through a meticulously planned eight-step process:

Triage: Began with a rapid assessment to identify the most critical issues, focusing on system malfunctions and user pain points for immediate attention.

Health Analysis: Conducted a comprehensive health check of the Marketing Cloud to diagnose underlying problems, from data integrity to workflow efficiency.

Revitalization Roadmap: Developed a detailed roadmap based on the diagnosis, outlining steps to rejuvenate the Marketing Cloud and align it with Mall of America’s marketing goals.

Stakeholder Alignment: Engaged key stakeholders to ensure the plan was in harmony with both immediate and long-term business objectives, securing necessary buy-in.

Efficiency Enhancements: Implemented targeted improvements to streamline operations, removing bottlenecks and simplifying processes for enhanced system performance and user experience.

Structural Overhaul and Integration Optimization: Undertook a comprehensive restructuring of the Marketing Cloud’s architecture to reduce complexity, alongside optimizing existing integrations and establishing new ones to ensure seamless data flow between systems.

Data Rehabilitation: Conducted a thorough cleanup and reorganization of the database to ensure data accuracy and usability, laying the foundation for effective marketing campaigns.

Ongoing Care: Established a framework for continuous improvement, including regular health checks and support mechanisms to adapt to evolving marketing needs and technological advancements.

This strategic intervention by CloudROI’s Salesforce Medics transformed Mall of America’s Salesforce Marketing Cloud from a point of contention into a powerful engagement tool, setting the stage for enhanced marketing success. The process not only addressed immediate issues but also laid a foundation for sustainable growth and ongoing optimization.

Solution Implementation and Execution

With a clear strategy in place, CloudROI’s Salesforce Medics embarked on the execution phase of the revitalization roadmap for Mall of America’s Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Each step of the intervention was designed not just to resolve existing issues but also to unlock the platform’s full potential, ensuring it could support the mall’s ambitious marketing strategies moving forward.

Efficiency Enhancements

The initial focus was on implementing efficiency enhancements. By streamlining workflows and automating repetitive tasks, CloudROI significantly reduced the manual effort required from the marketing team. This shift allowed for more strategic use of resources and improved campaign execution times.

Structural Overhaul

A critical component of the solution was the structural overhaul of the Salesforce Marketing Cloud. CloudROI simplified the previously complex customizations, removing unnecessary code that had contributed to system bloat and inefficiency. This reconfiguration not only improved system performance but also made it more user-friendly, encouraging broader adoption among the marketing staff.

Data Rehabilitation

Recognizing the importance of accurate and accessible data for effective marketing, CloudROI undertook a comprehensive data rehabilitation process. This involved cleaning up existing data sets, establishing clear data management protocols, and ensuring that data flowed seamlessly between Salesforce Marketing Cloud and other key business systems. The result was a more reliable database that empowered Mall of America to make data-driven marketing decisions.

Integration Optimization

To enhance the Marketing Cloud’s functionality, CloudROI optimized existing integrations and established new connections with critical business platforms. This ensured that Mall of America could leverage real-time data from its website, e-commerce systems, and customer feedback tools, creating a unified view of the customer journey and enabling personalized marketing at scale.

User Training and Adoption

A pivotal element of the Salesforce Medics approach was empowering users to fully leverage the capabilities of the revitalized Marketing Cloud. CloudROI developed and delivered comprehensive training sessions tailored to the needs of Mall of America’s marketing team. These sessions covered best practices, system navigation, and advanced features, significantly boosting user confidence and system utilization.

Ongoing Care

Finally, CloudROI established a framework for ongoing care, ensuring that Mall of America’s Salesforce Marketing Cloud would continue to evolve alongside the mall’s marketing needs. Regular health checks, system updates, and user support sessions were scheduled to maintain optimal system performance and address any emerging challenges promptly.

Through meticulous execution of the revitalization roadmap, CloudROI not only addressed the immediate challenges Mall of America faced with its Salesforce Marketing Cloud but also laid the groundwork for sustained marketing success.

Results and Impact

The revitalization of Mall of America’s Salesforce Marketing Cloud by CloudROI’s Salesforce Medics team led to transformative outcomes, not only in terms of system functionality but also in how the mall engages with its vast audience. The strategic intervention yielded significant results, marking a new chapter in Mall of America’s digital marketing journey.

Quantifiable Results

• Increased Subscriber Engagement: The newly implemented subscriber capture system now brings in 25,000 subscribers monthly, a testament to the platform’s enhanced reach and engagement capabilities.
• Successful Marketing Plan Execution: With the overhaul of marketing strategies and their integration into the Marketing Cloud, Mall of America has seen higher campaign success rates, increased foot traffic during promotions, and improved ROI on marketing spend.
• Compliance and Data Security: Ensuring compliance with legal standards has restored confidence in the Marketing Cloud’s ability to handle customer data responsibly, protecting the mall’s reputation and reducing legal risks.
• Seamless Integration: The optimization of integrations with the mall’s website and Looker.io has enabled a more holistic understanding of customer behavior, informing smarter, data-driven marketing decisions.

Results of the Intervention

The intervention led by CloudROI’s Salesforce Medics team fundamentally transformed Mall of America’s use of Salesforce Marketing Cloud. By capturing 25,000 subscribers a month, integrating new marketing plans, ensuring compliance, and optimizing system integrations, the mall saw a remarkable uplift in its digital marketing capabilities. The platform’s rejuvenation resulted in enhanced customer engagement, streamlined operations, and an empowered marketing team ready to leverage data-driven insights for decision-making. Thus extending the use of Marketing Cloud for 3 years.

Conclusion:

The journey of Mall of America with Salesforce Marketing Cloud, under the guidance of CloudROI’s Salesforce Medics, illustrates the transformative potential of expert-led system rejuvenation. The case study showcases how targeted interventions can revive an underperforming marketing platform, driving significant business benefits.