What Modules Make Up Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC)?
Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a connected suite for data, orchestration, messaging, personalization, and measurement. Below is a clear map of the core modules—what they do, when to use them, and how they fit together to power lifecycle growth.
The main SFMC modules include Journey Builder (cross-channel orchestration), Email Studio, Mobile Studio (SMS/push), Advertising Studio, Personalization (formerly Interaction Studio, 1:1 web/app), Automation Studio, Content Builder, Contact/Audience Builder, Data Cloud for Marketing (CDP), Marketing Cloud Intelligence (formerly Datorama, analytics), Einstein for Marketing (AI), and Account Engagement (Pardot) for B2B. Together they connect first-party data, automate journeys, personalize experiences, and attribute impact to revenue.
SFMC at a Glance: What Each Module Does
How These Modules Work Together
Use this sequence to connect data → build audiences → personalize → orchestrate messages → measure outcomes.
Data → Audience → Personalize → Orchestrate → Message → Measure
- Unify data (Data Cloud): Resolve identities, create golden profiles, define calculated insights.
- Build audiences (Audience/Contact Builder): Segment by lifecycle stage, behavior, consent, and value.
- Personalize (Personalization + Einstein): Trigger web/app experiences and product/content recommendations.
- Orchestrate (Journey Builder): Event-driven journeys with decisioning, goals, and exit criteria.
- Message (Email/Mobile/Advertising): Content Builder assets across email, SMS/push, and paid media.
- Automate & transform (Automation Studio): Imports, SQL queries, and schedules to keep data fresh.
- Measure (Marketing Cloud Intelligence): Normalize channel/CRM data; attribute to pipeline and revenue.
SFMC Module-to-Outcome Matrix
| Module | Primary Use | Key Inputs | Outputs | Primary KPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Cloud | Identity & audience unification | CRM, web/app, commerce, offline | Unified profiles, activatable segments | Reachable 1P audience |
| Journey Builder | Lifecycle orchestration | Events, segments, preferences | Cross-channel journeys | Conversion/activation rate |
| Email Studio | Email messaging | Content & audiences | Campaigns/triggered sends | CTR/Revenue per send |
| Mobile Studio | SMS/push engagement | Opt-ins, events | Texts, push notifications | Opt-in → action rate |
| Advertising Studio | Paid media activation | CRM audiences | Suppression/lookalikes | CAC/ROAS lift |
| Personalization | Real-time 1:1 web/app | Behavioral & catalog feeds | Dynamic content/recs | On-site CVR, AOV |
| Automation Studio | Data & send automation | SFTP, APIs, SQL | Refreshed DEs, scheduled sends | Data freshness SLA |
| Marketing Cloud Intelligence | Analytics & dashboards | Media + CRM + channel | Dashboards, harmonized metrics | ROMI/Revenue attribution |
| Account Engagement (Pardot) | B2B lead lifecycle | Forms, scoring, Sales Cloud | Nurtures, MQLs, alerts | MQL→SQL rate |
Snapshot: From Disparate Tools to Unified Journeys
By consolidating messaging into SFMC and activating a Data Cloud audience strategy, brands commonly reduce list fatigue, lift activation, and improve paid media efficiency through CRM-based suppression and lookalikes. Explore our results: Comcast Business · Broadridge
Tie modules to The Loop™ and govern enablement with RM6™ for outcomes that sales and finance trust.
SFMC Modules: Frequently Asked Questions
Plan Your SFMC Module Roadmap
We’ll align use cases to the right modules, design quick-win journeys, and build a measurement layer that proves impact.
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