Sharing in Business Units

What is Business Unit Sharing in SFMC?

Business unit sharing enables different teams or departments within an organization to share assets, data, and configurations while maintaining control over their own marketing activities. This feature is particularly beneficial for organizations with decentralized teams or regional offices, ensuring both consistency and localized flexibility.

Key Components of Business Unit Sharing

1. Content Sharing

• Shared Folders in Content Builder: Shared folders allow business units (BUs) to access common templates, images, and content blocks. This ensures a cohesive brand message across all campaigns.

• Locking Mechanism: Content in shared folders can be locked by the central team to prevent editing by individual BUs, safeguarding brand integrity.

2. Data Sharing

• Shared Data Extensions: Data extensions can be made available to multiple business units, providing consistent data for segmentation and personalization.

• Synchronized Data Sources: Centralized data sources synchronized through Contact Builder ensure uniform data availability across business units.

3. Subscriber Management

• Enterprise Subscriber Sharing: Subscribers can be shared across business units, with centralized tracking of preferences and unsubscribe actions.

• Data Sharing Rules: Define clear rules for sharing subscriber data to maintain compliance and privacy standards.

4. Journey Builder and Automation Sharing

• Shared journeys and automations enable a consistent approach to customer engagement.

• Permissions control whether BUs can edit, copy, or only execute shared journeys.

5. Custom Roles and Permissions

• Specific roles and permissions can be assigned to users within business units to govern access to shared resources.

• Permissions can be applied at both the folder and asset level for fine-grained control.

  
  

Benefits of Business Unit Sharing

1. Efficiency

• Eliminates duplication of efforts by sharing reusable assets like templates and automations.

2. Consistency

• Ensures a unified customer experience with shared branding and messaging.

3. Compliance

• Centralized governance over data sharing and access prevents unauthorized use of customer data.

4. Flexibility

• Local teams can operate independently while leveraging shared resources for faster execution.

  
  

Practical Use Cases

1. Global Campaigns A global marketing team designs a master campaign in the parent BU. Regional teams customize this campaign for local audiences while adhering to the original framework.

2. Centralized Branding Shared templates and content blocks ensure that all communication aligns with the organization's brand guidelines.

3. Shared Customer Data Centralized customer profiles in shared data extensions enable cross-BU segmentation and targeting.

   
   

Configuring Business Unit Sharing

Parent-Child Hierarchy

SFMC employs a parent-child hierarchy where the parent business unit governs shared resources. Configurations like data sharing and subscriber rules are set at the parent level, trickling down to child units as needed.

Steps to Configure:

1. Create shared folders in Content Builder for templates, images, and content blocks.

2. Set up shared data extensions and define access rules in Contact Builder.

3. Use role-based permissions to control access at the BU level.

4. Configure enterprise subscriber sharing settings for centralized management of preferences and unsubscribes.

   
   

Best Practices for Business Unit Sharing

1. Define Governance Policies Establish clear rules for asset usage, editing permissions, and data sharing to prevent misuse.

2. Regularly Audit Shared Resources Ensure that shared assets and data extensions are up-to-date and relevant.

3. Train Your Teams Provide training to business unit users on how to leverage shared resources effectively.

4. Leverage Reporting Tools Use SFMC's reporting capabilities to monitor usage and performance of shared assets and campaigns.

   
   

Conclusion

Business unit sharing in Salesforce Marketing Cloud empowers organizations to operate efficiently while maintaining control over branding and compliance. By leveraging this feature, marketing teams can enhance collaboration, streamline operations, and deliver a cohesive customer experience.

Ready to unlock the potential of business unit sharing in SFMC? Start configuring shared resources today and watch your marketing operations transform!