When to use Salesforce vs. Marketo

Overview

If you use both Salesforce and Marketo, Reachdesk keeps your gifting activity aligned by automatically syncing and updating statuses in Marketo Programs and Salesforce Campaigns.

This article explains where to run different types of Reachdesk sends when your Salesforce–Marketo campaign sync is enabled, and what to consider before you choose.

Note: For steps to enable sync between Salesforce and Marketo, refer to Marketo’s documentation here.

1-to-1 sends

Marketo supports triggered sends only, so 1-to-1 sends must be sent via one of the following:

Reachdesk Platform: You can log in to the Reachdesk web app directly to select a recipient and send a gift.
Reachdesk Chrome Extension: This allows you to send directly from within a Salesforce Lead or Contact record.

Automated sends

You can trigger Reachdesk campaigns from either system depending on your trigger logic and where your data lives.

Send automated campaigns from Salesforce when:

You want to trigger based on Salesforce-specific objects like Opportunity Stage, Lead Status, or Campaign Membership.
You want execution to happen “out of Reachdesk” via Salesforce context.

Send automated campaigns from Marketo when:

You want to use Marketo Webhooks for instant execution.
You want to trigger from any automation available in your Marketo instance (including triggers sourced from Salesforce activity, if configured in your environment).

Key considerations before you choose

Where does your target audience live?

Many clients only push leads into Salesforce once qualified, so your data flow matters.

If your Marketo Program includes members who do not exist in Salesforce, Marketo can create those people as Leads in Salesforce. If you do not want Marketo creating new Salesforce leads, do not sync the campaign with Salesforce.

What is the trigger that starts the campaign?

Website/form interaction → Marketo usually makes more sense.
Opportunity stage change → Salesforce is usually a better fit.

What reporting do you need?

While Marketo is great for engagement data, Salesforce typically offers stronger ROI and pipeline reporting.

If you need to see how gifting is influencing revenue, we recommend running the campaign from Salesforce.

In the Reachdesk platform, you can navigate to Account > Integrations > Salesforce Advanced Options and toggle “Apply item cost to total spend and ROI” to pull the Salesforce Opportunity ID directly into your reporting for a clear view of your gift-to-pipeline influence.

Summary Guidance

If you want to...	Use Salesforce	Use Marketo
Send a 1-to-1 gift	Yes (via Chrome Extension)	No
Trigger from a Web Form	No	Yes
Trigger from an Opportunity Stage	Yes	No
Track ROI against pipeline	Yes (best option)	Partial

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