Integration with Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC)
This guide will walk you through the process of integrating MessageFlow with Salesforce Marketing Cloud, allowing you to efficiently manage SMS sending directly from your marketing environment.
Introduction
Integrating MessageFlow with Salesforce Marketing Cloud allows you to enrich your communication strategy with SMS messages, fully synchronized with your customer data and marketing automations. This enables you to send personalized and contextual SMS messages directly from Journey Builder or Automation Studio, as well as monitor message delivery statuses.
Prerequisites
Before you begin the integration, ensure you have the following:
API Keys from your MessageFlow account. These will be required to log in to the integration panel. If you don't have them yet, generate them in the main MessageFlow panel:
Go to the Account -> Settings -> API section.
Enter a name for the new key (e.g., SFMC_Integration_Key) and click Generate API key.
The system will generate two values: Authorization and Application-Key. Copy them and store them in a safe place.
An active Salesforce Marketing Cloud account with administrator permissions or a role that allows creating and managing Installed Packages and access to Setup.
Access to the separate integration panel for Salesforce Marketing Cloud, located at: https://salesforce.messageflow.com/panel/login.
Configuration Process
Step 1: Configuration in Salesforce Marketing Cloud
The first step is to create an Installed Package in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, which will contain the components necessary for communication with MessageFlow.
Log in to Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
In the top right corner of the screen, click your profile/user icon and select Setup from the dropdown menu.
In the left navigation menu, go to: Platform Tools -> Apps -> Installed Packages.
Click the New button.
Enter a Name for the package (e.g., MessageFlow_Integration) and an optional description. Click Save.
Adding the API Integration Component (Authentication)
On the details page of the newly created package, click the Add Component button.
Select the component type: API Integration, and the integration type: Server-to-Server. Click Next.
Grant the necessary permissions (Scope) for this package. The recommended minimum is:
In the Channels -> SMS section: Check Read and Send.
In the Data -> Data Extensions section: Check Read and Write.
In the Contacts -> List and Subscribers section: Check Read and Write.
In the Webhooks section: Check Read and Write.
Click Save. After saving the permissions, copy and save the following values – they will be needed in the next step:
Client ID
Client Secret
Authentication Base URI
Adding the Journey Builder Activity Component (SMS Activity)
While on the details page of the same package, click Add Component again.
This time, select Journey Builder Activity as the component type.
Fill in the configuration fields for the new activity:
Name: Enter a name that will be visible in Journey Builder (e.g.,
MessageFlow SMS).Category: Choose the category where the activity should appear (e.g.,
Messages).Endpoint URL: Paste the unique URL that was generated for you in the MessageFlow integration panel (you will find it in Step 2).
Click Save.
Step 2: Configuration in the MessageFlow Integration Panel
Now, you need to enter the data from SFMC into the MessageFlow integration panel and generate keys specific to this integration.
Log in to the MessageFlow integration panel for Salesforce Marketing Cloud at: https://salesforce.messageflow.com/panel/login.
Go to the Settings section.
Fill in the fields for the connection to Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC):
ClientID: Paste the Client ID value copied from SFMC.
ClientSecret: Paste the Client Secret value copied from SFMC.
Base auth URL: Paste the Authentication Base URI value copied from SFMC.
Generate the MessageFlow keys and URL:
Webhook token: Click the Generate button and copy the generated token.
Key: Click the "Generate" button and copy the generated key.
(Note down both of these keys and the generated "URL for SFMC," which you will need to paste into the "Endpoint URL" for Journey Builder).
Select the default Sender ID from the dropdown list. This will be used as the default sender name for your SMS messages. More info: Sender IDs
Click the Save button to save all settings.
Step 3: First Steps in Journey Builder
After successful configuration, a new custom activity, e.g., "MessageFlow SMS", will appear in the Journey Builder activity palette in your Salesforce Marketing Cloud environment. Here’s how to use it:
Go to Journey Builder to create a new journey. You will typically choose the Multi-Step Journey option.
Define the Entry Source: Every journey must have a defined data source, which is the list of contacts that will start it. In Salesforce Marketing Cloud, you use the Contact Builder tool to manage contact data, where you create and manage data tables called Data Extensions.
Drag the Data Extension tile from the Entry Sources panel on the left onto the journey canvas.
Click the added tile, then click the Select Data Extension button.
From the list, select the Data Extension that contains the contacts who should enter your journey, and confirm your choice.
Add and Configure the MessageFlow Activity:
In the activities panel on the left, find the icon for your custom activity (e.g., "MessageFlow SMS") and drag it onto the canvas after the entry source.
Click the added activity to open its configuration window. Here you will find options to define the SMS message content, select the Sender ID, and map the recipient's phone number from the appropriate column in your Data Extension.
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