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ExactTarget Brings B2B Marketing Automation to Facebook

Written by Allison Howen | May 23, 2013 5:00:00 AM

Cross-channel digital marketing provider ExactTarget has extended its B2B marketing automation service, Pardot, to Facebook. By doing this, marketers will be able to acquire new prospects on Facebook for lead nurturing campaigns.

The update integrates Pardot's technology into Facebook tabs that are built on ExactTarget's SocialPages. This enables marketers to obtain new leads by providing prospects the opportunity to register for contests or special offers via Facebook.

"Acquiring and nurturing leads is the lifeblood of b-to-b marketing automation," said Scott Dorsey, ExactTarget chairman and chief executive officer. "By extending Pardot to Facebook, we are bringing our expertise in B-to-C marketing automation to B-to-B, making it easier for marketers to create a true cross-channel experience that delights customers and prospects and ultimately accelerates sales."

With this integration, marketers can drag and drop Pardot's lead capture connector into their Facebook Page and publish it. Then, customers and prospects who register on the Facebook Page can be automatically placed into a lead nurturing program that is designed to not only deliver relevant content throughout the buying lifecycle, but also accelerate the sales process. It is also important to note that Parot's integration with ExactTarget's SocialPages works with native Pardot CRM integrations as well, including salesforce.com, Microsoft Dynamics, SugarCRM and Netsuite.

In addition to Pardot's integration with SocialPages, ExactTarget announced other updates for its social products, including 

Country, Language and Age Targeting - This feature allows brands to manage their global Facebook presence by targeting tab content to specific countries, optimizing for language and segmenting for different age groups.

Device Optimization - This feature recognizes devices, which allows it to properly display content from Facebook Tabs to desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet devices.

Absolute Positioning Editor - This feature provides an expanded drag and drop interface for SocialPages that includes snap-to-grid capabilities.