5 Issues With Pardot & How To Avoid Them
You’re new to the Pardot platform and want to start connecting with potential clients, but you keep running into issues. Learning a new platform takes time and we’ve all been in that position before. Just a few months back, I was in that position myself but have since earned my Pardot certification. In this article, you’ll learn some of the top issues you’re likely to encounter when learning Pardot, and how to overcome them. Pardot.
the updates I make to my emails don’t save
Always avoid having 2 Pardot windows open at the same time. By far, the most frustrating experiences I’ve had with Pardot occurred because of this mistake.
When making updates to a list email, Pardot autosaves the work you’ve done. Normally, this is a good way to ensure you don’t lose any work you’ve done. With two windows open on the same email, however, any work you do will be overwritten, as Pardot saves the unedited email open in the second window.
how to solve this
I don’t want to admit how many times I made the same edits to an email over and over before realizing the problem. The moral of this story, make sure you only have one Pardot window open at a time!
my automation rule isn’t running
Automation is essential for managing leads in Pardot. Unique automation logic operates behind the scene ensuring prospects are placed in the right cadences and the correct fields are updated. One thing to note about Pardot automation that differs from some other marketing platforms is that it’s created in a paused state.
how to solve this issue
You must manually start the automation after it’s created in order for it to run. Even after an hour, you’ll find none of the prospects the automation rule should effect have been updated Always unpause your automation in order for it to run properly!
the test I’m doing on my automation rule isn’t working
Another issue around Pardot Automation that many newcomers may be unaware of is the time delay when testing. Pardot sends information to Salesforce every two minutes, meaning an automation rule will not run immediately after activation.
how to solve this issue
This is true when testing an automation rule as well. In order to accurately test your rule, you’ll need to wait a few minutes. Be patient when testing Pardot automation rules!
I can’t reference my Salesforce campaign in Pardot
Salesforce campaigns are essential when mapping prospect activity from Pardot. They connect your prospect’s information to their Salesforce record, ensuring completion actions are recorded.
how to solve this issue
Like Pardot automation rules, Salesforce campaigns default with a status of “Planned” and must be set to “In Progress” if you’d like to reference them in Pardot. Without doing so, you’re unable to use the Salesforce campaign statuses as a completion action for your Pardot list email. Always update the status of your Salesforce campaigns when you plan to use them!
I can’t find the completion actions for my Salesforce campaign
Another aspect of the Pardot-Salesforce connection that causes issues for those new to Pardot is completion actions. Completion actions let you track user activity and record it in a corresponding Salesforce campaign. A Salesforce campaign does not appear as an option in the Pardot dropdown menu if just recently created.
how to solve this issue
Even after refreshing the page, the campaign may still not be visible. To address this, perform a hard refresh on your device. Remember to wait for the campaign to appear or perform a hard refresh!
catching problems before they occur
Although we all make mistakes when starting out, it’s helpful to learn from others and improve our skills. These are just a handful of the nuances you’ll come across when working with Pardot. If there are any other mistakes you’ve made when getting started with the Platform, we’d love to hear them!
As you continue to work with your marketing automation process, you’ll eventually want to look into Account-Based Marketing. More and more teams are turning to it as an improved way to target and convert prospects. If you’re ready to take the leap and revolutionize your marketing process, we’ll be here!
