Marketo

Use this article when

• You want Marketo lead, campaign, and program data to appear in Avid reports.
• You want to send an Avid audience into Marketo through a Pathway (an automated way to send an audience into another system).
• You want to deploy an Avid playbook (a saved outreach sequence) to Marketo as an email program, landing page, or automation sequence.
• You are setting up the Marketo connection for the first time, or reconnecting after a credential change.

What connecting Marketo does

Connecting Marketo enables three capabilities in Avid:

• Reporting sync (Marketo to Avid). Avid syncs your leads, lists, campaigns, and programs from Marketo into Avid. Syncing continues automatically after you connect.
• Pathways (Avid to Marketo). Avid sends an Avid audience into Marketo as leads and adds them to a Marketo static list. See Push Avid audiences into Marketo.
• Playbook deployment (Avid to Marketo). Avid creates Marketo programs from your Avid playbooks. See Deploy Avid playbooks to Marketo.

Avid connects with a Marketo custom service (a Client ID and Client Secret), not a personal login.

The connection keeps working without anyone signing back in.

Before you start

Have the following ready:

• Marketo admin access, so you can create an API-only role, an API-only user, and a LaunchPoint custom service inside Marketo.
• Client ID and Client Secret from that Marketo custom service.
• Your Marketo Domain URL (for example, https://000-AAA-000.mktorest.com), without a trailing /rest.
• Avid access to Settings → Connections → Systems.

Marketo permissions you need

Avid authenticates with one Marketo custom service assigned to an API-only role.

Marketo's exact permission checkbox names vary by version and edition.

Use Marketo's API-only role docs (linked from the Add a System window) with this table.

If your organization uses IP Restriction in Marketo, also allowlist Avid's IP addresses. See Connect Marketo to Avid.

Connect Marketo to Avid

1. In Avid, go to Settings.
2. Open the Connections tab, then the Systems sub-tab.
3. Click Add System. The Add a System window opens.
4. Filter by the Email Marketing category and select the Marketo tile.
5. Enter your Client ID and Client Secret from your Marketo custom service.
6. Enter your Domain URL, for example https://000-AAA-000.mktorest.com, without a trailing /rest. Avid adds https:// for you if you leave it off, and removes a trailing slash.
7. Optional: enter a Pathway list folder ID (optional). Leave it blank unless you need Avid to create Pathway lists in a specific Marketo folder. Most teams leave this blank so Avid uses Lead Database → Group Lists → Avid.
8. Click Save.

What you will see: Avid names the connection Marketo: {slug} and starts the first sync.

The slug is your Domain URL without https:// and .mktorest.com.

If the credentials are wrong, you see this message:

The credentials entered were not able to successfully connect to a Marketo instance. Please check your entry and try again.

35.184.153.118
35.238.235.148
35.225.16.95

Test and verify the connection

After you click Save, confirm the connection succeeded:

• The Marketo connection appears in the Systems sub-tab with a connected status.
• No error message displays.

Reporting sync starts automatically.

While you wait for Marketo data in Avid reports, invite your team and review your existing benchmarks.

Push Avid audiences into Marketo (Pathways)

A Pathway sends an Avid audience into Marketo through Marketo's bulk lead import.

Marketo Pathways support one destination: Lead & Static List, using mirror sync.

Avid imports the audience as leads and adds them to a static list named AVID - {segment name}.

When Pathway list folder ID is blank, Avid uses Lead Database → Group Lists → Avid.

In the Pathway mapping screen, Avid describes mirror sync this way:

Mirror - Records will added, updated, and removed to keep the sources in full sync

Each completed Pathway run also prunes the list.

Avid removes any member whose lookup value (email by default) is no longer in the audience.

Members with a blank lookup value stay on the list.

If Marketo reports the bulk import as Complete, Avid marks the Pathway sync completed even when some rows failed.

Failed rows are counted separately.

Open Manage Pathways to download the results. The failure download includes an Import Failure Reason column.

For step-by-step Pathway setup instructions, see Set up a Pathway.

Deploy Avid playbooks to Marketo

When you deploy an Avid playbook to Marketo, Avid creates programs from the playbook's touchpoints:

• Email touchpoints create a Marketo Email program.
• Landing Page touchpoints create a Marketo program using the Default program type.
• Automation touchpoints create a Marketo Email program plus a Smart Campaign named Send automation sequence.

During deployment, fill in:

• Parent Folder for Program
• Program Channel
• Email Template or Landing Page Template, depending on the touchpoint type
• From Email Address and Reply To Email Address
• Approve Email: choose No (keep as draft) (the default) or Yes (approve after deploy)
• URL Tracking Parameters: Avid pre-fills a default UTM string that you can edit

Troubleshooting

The connection will not save (credential error)

Symptom: After you click Save, you see:

The credentials entered were not able to successfully connect to a Marketo instance. Please check your entry and try again.

Cause: The Client ID, Client Secret, or Domain URL is wrong, or the Marketo custom service is disabled.

Fix:

1. Re-copy the Client ID and Client Secret from Marketo Admin → LaunchPoint and paste them again.
2. Confirm the Domain URL looks like https://000-AAA-000.mktorest.com with no trailing /rest.
3. Confirm the custom service is enabled in Marketo LaunchPoint.
4. If IP Restriction is on in Marketo, confirm Avid's three IP addresses are allowlisted (see Connect Marketo to Avid).

Playbook deployment fails with an access-token error

Symptom: Deployment fails with one of these messages:

• Failed to obtain Marketo access token. Please check your connection settings.
• Marketo did not return an access token.

Cause: The stored credentials are no longer valid or were revoked in Marketo.

Fix: Edit the Marketo connection in Settings → Connections → Systems and re-enter a fresh Client ID and Client Secret.

Deployment is blocked because a field is missing

Symptom: Deployment does not start and you see one of these messages:

• Please select a Marketo folder before deploying.
• Please select a program channel before deploying.
• Please select an email template before deploying.
• Please select a landing page template before deploying.
• Please provide a valid From email address before deploying.
• Please provide a valid Reply-To email address before deploying.
• Please select at least one form field.

Fix: Complete the field named in the message, then deploy again.

A Pathway cannot create its static list

Symptom: A Pathway using Lead & Static List fails, and you see:

Marketo pathway list folder ID {id} cannot hold a static list (need a Lead Database Group Lists folder, folderType "List", or a Program). Leave the field blank to auto-create an "Avid" folder under Group Lists.

Cause: The Pathway list folder ID points to a folder that cannot hold a static list, such as Marketing Activities.

Fix: Edit the Marketo connection in Settings → Connections → Systems.

Clear the Pathway list folder ID field, or set a valid Group Lists folder ID.

A Pathway fails because the audience file is too large

Symptom: A Pathway export fails, and you see:

Exported CSV ({N} MB) exceeds Marketo bulk import limit (~10 MB).

Cause: The audience produces a file larger than Marketo's bulk import limit.

Fix: Split the audience into smaller segments and run a separate Pathway for each.

Known limitations

• Smart Campaign Smart List and Flow steps, and Email program Audience and Schedule, cannot be set through Marketo's API. Configure them in Marketo before launch. This is a Marketo limit, not Avid.
• Marketo's bulk import accepts files up to about 10 MB. Larger audiences fail; split the segment. This is a Marketo limit, not Avid.
• Marketing Activities folders cannot hold static lists. Use a Group Lists folder ID, or leave the field blank. This is a Marketo limit, not Avid.
• The Pathway destination picker offers only Lead & Static List. Other destination types are not available for new Pathways.
• Reporting sync does not include a separate historical deep-sync option. If you need older Marketo data reconciled in Avid, contact Avid support.

When to contact Avid support

Contact Avid support if you cannot resolve an issue with the steps above. Collect this information first:

• Connection name, shown in Settings → Connections → Systems (for example Marketo: 824-mht-304).
• Marketo Domain URL, for example https://000-AAA-000.mktorest.com.
• The exact error text, copied as text (not only a screenshot).
• Which capability is affected: reporting sync, Pathways, or playbook deployment.
• Date and time (with time zone) when the issue happened.
• Audience or playbook name, if the issue is tied to a specific Pathway or deployment.

Related articles

• What are Pathways?
• Set up a Pathway
• What integrations work with Pathways?