For many digital marketers, especially those of us who use Oracle Eloqua, automation is the name of the game. Maximum activity with minimum investment of time. After all, “set it and forget it” options are what make Oracle Eloqua such a powerful tool.
I remember when the Event Services Module (ESM) first piqued my interest: Configure a series of actions one time, and just add new event sessions as they come along? That sounds too good to be true. Well, it is absolutely true, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution.
Like any other marketing tactic, events are unique to each organization, and the best approach depends on the business process. Sometimes the hands-on nature of Oracle Eloqua’s Campaign Canvas is a better fit. Here are a few things to consider when deciding whether the ESM is right for you.
| Event Services Module | Campaign Canvas | |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration | Event actions, similar to form processing steps or custom data object services, can be configured once, then run automatically for all selected events. | A new canvas must be built for each event. Using a template will minimize the effort needed. |
| Email Communications | Re-use the same assets for each event session, merging in event-specific data from event record fields. The ESM assigns a unique ID to each registration, ensuring the correct session data is included in emails to registrants. | By default, emails are used only once. The team may decide to re-use assets, but will need to merge in field data from custom data objects or contact records, and select the email setting to allow for re-sending. |
| Forms | The same form can be used to register contacts for multiple sessions based on the Session ID. Only one processing step is needed. | More complex configuration is required to manage post-registration actions. This would require multiple forms and/or multiple form processing steps. |
| Timing | The timing for email notifications and other event actions is automatically set in relation to the session’s date and time.
If the team needs to include post-session information in the follow-up emails, such as the URL for a recording, that data must be in place before the automated action is executed. |
Campaign actions are specific to each event, requiring manual configuration but offering more customization.
The campaign can be deactivated, or wait steps can be used, to hold campaign members until attendance is collected and all of the information is ready for follow-up communications. This adds a degree of flexibility to the process. |
| Registrant Records | Attendees who did not initially register through Oracle Eloqua must be added via upload or form submission.
In an event with multiple sessions (or a parent event with many child events), it’s possible for a contact to register more than once for a single session. This can result in one contact receiving extra, potentially conflicting, communications. For example, one record shows the contact attended an event, the other record says he did not. The ESM sees those records as two individuals. |
Attendees who did not initially register through Oracle Eloqua can be added to the campaign using shared lists, custom object records or event vendor apps.
A contact may exist in only one place in a given campaign, eliminating the risk of multiple registrations and conflicting communications. |
| Reporting | Event record data can be sent to Insight, but there are no standard reports available in Insight. Reporting is found only via the ESM interface. | Insight has a variety of standard reports for campaigns run through the Campaign Canvas. |
| Visibility of Touches | A history of event actions is available through the ESM, but emails sent from the events module are not tracked on the contact record. This makes troubleshooting more difficult. | Campaign membership and email sends are visible on the contact record.
If a contact is excluded from an email, it’s indicated on the Campaign Canvas. |
| Sending to Excluded Contact | Events emails can be universally allowed for unsubscribed contacts and/or those on your Master Exclude list, ensuring transactional emails, such as confirmation and reminder emails, are sent. | Sending to unsubscribed or excluded contacts is defined in the settings of each email send step. |
| Integration | The ESM doesn’t have a native integration with external systems or applications. | Apps are available from third-party vendors to integrate their systems with Oracle Eloqua. |
If you have any questions on the Oracle Eloqua Event Services Module or the Campaign Canvas, please comment below or contact us at Relationship One.
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