Marketing Cloud Stories #02: Inside the Marketing Cloud Connect Toolbox

I had the pleasure of hosting the second episode of Marketing Cloud Stories with Matt Robison. We talked about his Salesforce journey, his views on Data Cloud and AI and his amazing app: MC Connect Toolbox. Watch the video below or read the summarized transcript.

Mounir:

Hello everyone. I’m Mounir Nejjaï, the CEO and founder of Cezium. We are a Salesforce ISV partner: we have an appexchange that allows you to push audiences to TikTok Ads from Salesforce Marketing Cloud. My guest today is Matt Robison, the CTO and founder of Lightbox Logic. Matt, please introduce yourself.

Matt Robison:
Hi, I’m Matt Robison, the CTO and founder of Lightbox Logic. We have been an ISV partner with Salesforce for about a year and a half, with 20 years of experience in IT software development and architecture, and seven years in the Salesforce ecosystem. Happy to be here and talk all things Salesforce.

Mounir Nejjaï:
How did you end up in the Salesforce ecosystem?

Matt Robison:
I was intentionally brought into Salesforce through a startup that got acquired by a large public US company that used Salesforce. Initially, I found it challenging but was later convinced of its potential and pursued a career in Salesforce from a core CRM perspective.

Mounir Nejjaï:
Can you tell us about your journey from core CRM to Marketing Cloud?

Matt Robison:
I started with core CRM but soon got involved with Marketing Cloud projects due to my development background. My first big project involved a large Marketing Cloud reimplementation, which provided a lot of insights into how these platforms should work together. Over time, I continued to work on both CRM and Marketing Cloud projects, solving integration challenges.

Mounir Nejjaï:
What do you think about Salesforce’s current vision with Data Cloud and AI?

Matt Robison:
Salesforce’s Data Cloud and AI are exciting developments. Data Cloud allows advanced data integration and activation, essential for AI use cases. However, there are still gaps and evolving definitions, making it crucial to understand its value and use it effectively in combination with other Salesforce products.

Mounir Nejjaï:
How would you define Salesforce Data Cloud today, and why is it important?

Matt Robison:
Salesforce Data Cloud is evolving, currently focusing on data harmonization and activation. It’s crucial for enabling AI capabilities and providing a unified view of customer data across various sources. Its value lies in handling large amounts of data and integrating it seamlessly with core Salesforce and Marketing Cloud.

Mounir Nejjaï:
What advice would you give to someone new to the Marketing Cloud ecosystem?

Matt Robison:
I recommend focusing on Data Cloud due to its potential and the investment Salesforce is making in it. Understanding data modeling and SQL can be advantageous. As Salesforce continues to develop Data Cloud, being skilled in this area will be increasingly valuable.

Mounir Nejjaï:
Can you tell us about your product, MC Connect Toolbox?

Matt Robison:
MC Connect Toolbox was developed to address gaps in integrating core Salesforce and Marketing Cloud, especially with data visibility and compliance. It provides real-time insights and data management capabilities, improving the connection between Salesforce and Marketing Cloud.

Mounir Nejjaï:
How do you see your product evolving with the growth of Data Cloud?

Matt Robison:
As Data Cloud evolves, MC Connect Toolbox will integrate more closely with it. We’re already looking at components to work with Data Cloud, such as segment visibility and dynamic segment management. The goal is to provide seamless integration and enhanced data capabilities across Salesforce products.