Salesforce Account Engagement (formerly Pardot) is Salesforce's B2B marketing automation platform, designed for teams that need lead nurturing, scoring, and attribution tightly integrated with the Salesforce CRM. It is the natural marketing automation choice for enterprises already standardised on Salesforce, offering native data sync and a shared contact record across sales and marketing.
Product Overview
Account Engagement's core strength is its Salesforce-native architecture: all prospect activity, email engagement, form fills, and scoring data lives natively in Salesforce objects — not in a separate database connected by integration. This means marketing and sales work from the same record, with complete visibility into every touchpoint. Its Engagement Studio drag-and-drop automation builder handles complex if/then nurture logic, while Account-Based Marketing features allow targeting by company and buying committee rather than individual contacts.
Key Features
- Engagement Studio: Visual drag-and-drop automation builder for complex B2B nurture programmes with multi-branch if/then logic.
- Lead Scoring & Grading: Score prospects by behavioural engagement (score) and ICP fit (grade) — combined for sales-ready qualification.
- Salesforce Native Sync: All prospect and activity data lives natively in Salesforce — no integration or data lag between systems.
- Account-Based Marketing: Target and personalise campaigns at the account level for buying committee engagement — not just individual leads.
- B2B Analytics: Multi-touch attribution and campaign influence reporting connecting marketing activity to Salesforce pipeline.
Best For
Enterprise B2B marketing teams standardised on Salesforce CRM who need a tightly integrated marketing automation platform — particularly those with complex lead scoring and nurture requirements.
Pricing
Growth at $1,250/month (10K contacts); Plus at $2,500/month; Advanced at $4,000/month; Premium at $15,000/month. Annual contracts.
Key Integrations
Salesforce CRM, Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Webex, Zoom, Eventbrite, Google Analytics, Slack
Pros
- Deepest Salesforce CRM integration of any marketing automation platform
- Native data model eliminates sync lag and data mismatch
- Engagement Studio handles complex B2B nurture logic
- Account-based features suit enterprise buying committee motions
Cons
- Very expensive — entry point is $1,250/month
- Slower product innovation than Marketo or HubSpot
- UI less modern than newer marketing automation tools
- Requires Salesforce — no standalone value
