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Marketo Zapier integrationAutomate Marketo with Zapier.

Marketo Zapier integration: 5 triggers, 6 actions, 3 searches. Marketo can start a Zap when a form is submitted, a lead appears or changes, or a program is created. It can also receive leads, companies, list members and programs, and find leads or companies by email, name or any field.

Premium app Zapier reserves this app to its paid plans.

See the 14 operations

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Overview

What the Marketo Zapier integration does for you

The Marketo Zapier integration links Marketo, a marketing automation platform built to reach customers and prospects, to the rest of your tools. Zapier works in both directions here: what happens in Marketo can start an automation elsewhere, and what happens elsewhere can write leads, companies or programs into Marketo. It is a premium app, so it needs a paid plan or a free trial.

Sales hears about new leads without opening Marketo. New Lead or New Form Submission starts the Zap, and the next step posts the lead wherever your team already works. Updated Lead does the same when a record changes.

Leads from other tools, in the right list. Create or Update Lead writes a person into Marketo, then Add Lead to List drops that same lead into a list, using the ID the first step returned.

No duplicate companies. Find Company looks for a company by name before anything is written. Its find-or-create variant creates the company only when the search comes back empty.

The tip that changes the page. Of the five triggers, New Self-Service Flow Action (SSFS) is the only instant one. Marketo tells Zapier the moment that flow action delivers leads, whatever your plan. The four others wait for the polling interval of your plan, so when speed matters, build on SSFS.

What Zapier does not do here. There is no action to delete a lead, and the ready-made list stops at the operations below. For anything outside the list, API Request (Beta) is the advanced way out. To weigh Zapier against other tools, see our Make vs Zapier comparison.

Vocabulary

Zapier words, in plain English

Eight terms carry this page. Here they are once, so the notes below read easily.

Zap
The automation you build on Zapier: one trigger, then one or more actions that run each time the trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event in an app that starts the Zap, such as a new lead in Marketo. Once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for it.
Action
What the Zap does once it has started: the step that writes, sends or moves something for you.
Task
The unit Zapier bills. One task is one action your Zap completes successfully, and your plan counts those.
Polling vs instant
A polling trigger is checked by Zapier at a fixed interval. An instant trigger is reported by the app itself the moment the event happens.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap go on only when what arrived meets a condition you set, and stops it otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something that already exists in an app, so the steps after it can use what it found.
Premium app
An app Zapier reserves for paid plans and free trials. Marketo is one, so the free plan cannot use it.
Cost

What a Marketo Zap really costs

Marketo is a premium app on Zapier: it only runs on a paid plan or during a free trial.

  • Premium appYes, paid plan or free trial only
  • What is billedEach action that succeeds
  • Instant triggerNew Self-Service Flow Action (SSFS) only

The trigger never costs a task, and neither do Zapier's checks for new leads. Each action that succeeds counts as one task, and one that fails is not counted. A few apps and actions take more than one task. Adding a second action, a filter or a search makes a multi-step Zap, which is a Zap beyond one trigger and one action. The grid below applies to the four polling triggers. It does not apply to New Self-Service Flow Action (SSFS), which is instant. Since Marketo is not available on the Free plan, the paid rows are the ones that matter.

Connect

Connect Marketo to Zapier in 3 steps

  1. 01

    Open Apps and add a connection

    In your Zapier account, open the Apps page and click + Add connection. A connection is your Marketo account linked once, then reused by every Marketo step of every Zap.

  2. 02

    Pick Marketo

    Type Marketo in the search box of the dialog, select it, then click Add connection. A new tab then opens, so you can sign in to your own Marketo account.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    Sign in to Marketo in that tab and grant Zapier access to the account. You need a Marketo account, plus read or write access to the lists, folders and programs you do not own but want the Zap to touch.

First Zap

Your first Zap: new Marketo leads, filtered, in your team chat

GoalEach new lead created in Marketo that passes your filter is announced in your team chat, so the right person can follow up without opening Marketo.

  1. 01

    Build: pick the trigger

    Start a new Zap, choose Marketo, then New Lead. The trigger always comes first: a Zap is one trigger followed by its actions.

  2. 02

    Test the trigger

    Run the test. Zapier brings back the three most recent items of the connected account, so you build the next steps on real Marketo leads, not on empty boxes.

  3. 03

    Add the filter

    From the plus icon, add a Filter and set its three boxes: the field to look at, the rule, and the value. A text rule only works on text, a number rule only on numbers.

  4. 04

    Add the chat message

    Pick your team chat and its send-message action, then write the message with the lead fields the test brought back. Test the step and read the message it posted.

  5. 05

    Publish

    When each step returns what you expect, click Publish. New Lead is a polling trigger, so Zapier checks for new leads at the interval of your plan.

Triggers

The 5 Marketo triggers

5 events start a Zap when something happens in Marketo, and one of them is instant: the app calls Zapier straight away, whatever your plan.

1

New Form Submission

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new form is submitted.”

Starts the Zap each time someone fills in one of your Marketo forms, so the person who just raised a hand reaches your other tools without an export.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your paid plan: every 2 minutes on Professional, every minute on Team and Enterprise
When to use it
a request made through a Marketo form should alert the person who follows up, outside Marketo.
Watch out
the Zap only sees submissions made after it is switched on. Forms filled in before that stay where they are, and moving them is a separate job.
2

New Lead

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new lead is created.”

Reacts to every lead created in Marketo, whatever brought it in, so nobody has to watch the lead database for newcomers.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your paid plan: every 2 minutes on Professional, every minute on Team and Enterprise
When to use it
you want each new person in Marketo copied into a spreadsheet or announced in your team chat.
Watch out
a bulk import can create a huge batch of leads at once, and Zapier's flood protection may hold such a batch back. Add a filter if only some leads matter.
3

New Program

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new program is created.”

Fires when a program is created in Marketo, which is the right moment to tell the people who will work on it.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your paid plan: every 2 minutes on Professional, every minute on Team and Enterprise
When to use it
every new program should open a matching row in your planning spreadsheet.
Watch out
if the same Zap also runs Create Program, it writes where its own trigger watches and can set itself off again. Keep those two in separate Zaps.
4

New Self-Service Flow Action (SSFS)

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a configured Self-service Flow Action delivers leads.”

Kicks off the Zap when a Self-Service Flow Action that you configured in Marketo delivers leads, so a flow step in Marketo can hand people straight to another app.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
a Marketo campaign should push its leads to another tool at the exact step you choose.
Watch out
four yes-or-no settings are required, saying whether Program, Campaign, Trigger and Program Member Context travel with the delivered leads. Decide before testing.
5

Updated Lead

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a lead is updated.”

Catches leads that change in Marketo, so a change made in Marketo does not stay inside one tool.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your paid plan: every 2 minutes on Professional, every minute on Team and Enterprise
When to use it
your CRM or a shared sheet must reflect what Marketo now holds about a person.
Watch out
a Zap that writes leads back into Marketo after this trigger can update them again and start itself in a loop. Write elsewhere, or filter tightly.
Actions

The 6 Marketo actions

Marketo gives you 6 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Add Lead to List

Action

In Zapier“Adds a lead to a list.”

Puts an existing lead into one of your Marketo lists, ready for the campaigns that work from it.

When to use it
people who came in through another tool should join a specific nurture list.
Watch out
List and Lead are required, and Lead wants the lead's ID. Take it from a Create or Update Lead step through Use a Custom Value, or insert a search with Add a Search Step.
2

Create or Update Company

Action

In Zapier“Creates or Updates a company.”

Writes a company into Marketo, or updates it when it is already there, so account data comes from your source of truth.

When to use it
a customer account opened in another tool should exist in Marketo too.
Watch out
External Company ID is required. Map a stable identifier from your source, never a name that can change.
3

Create or Update Lead

Action

In Zapier“Creates or Updates a lead.”

Creates a lead in Marketo or updates the existing one, and returns its ID for the steps that follow in the same Zap.

When to use it
sign-ups collected outside Marketo, in a spreadsheet or another app, need to become Marketo leads.
Watch out
no field is listed as remarkable for this action, so run the test and read which fields the editor asks for before mapping.
4

Create Program

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new program in Marketo.”

Opens a new program in Marketo, in the folder you choose, without anyone building it by hand.

When to use it
each event or campaign approved in your planning tool should get its Marketo program straight away.
Watch out
Folder, Name, Program type and Channel are all required. The channel defines how the program tracks success, so pick it with care.
5

Update Program

Action

In Zapier“Updates an existing program in Marketo.”

Changes a program that already exists in Marketo, picked from your programs in the step.

When to use it
a date or a name changes in your planning tool and the Marketo program should follow.
Watch out
Program is the only required field. It points at one existing program, so a Zap that should update different programs needs a way to choose the right one each time.
6

API Request (Beta)

Action

In Zapier“This is an advanced action which makes a raw HTTP request that includes this integration's authentication.”

The advanced exit: it sends a raw request to Marketo using the connection you already set up, for anything the other operations do not cover.

When to use it
you need a Marketo operation that is not in this list and you know exactly which request to send.
Watch out
HTTP Method, URL and Stop on error are required, and the URL can only target domains tied to Marketo. With Stop on error set to No, the step runs even when Marketo returns an error.
Searches

The 3 Marketo searches, and their settings

3 search steps look for data that already exists in Marketo, so a later step can use it.

A search step changes nothing: it finds a lead or a company so the next steps can use it. In the editor, the Marketo searches sit at the bottom of the Action event list, under SEARCH. Some action fields also offer + Add search step, which inserts one just before. Three settings decide what happens when the result is not one clean match.

1

Find Company

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Finds a company whose name matches the search criteria.”

Looks for a Marketo company by its name and hands it to the next steps.

When to use it
before writing a lead, you want to know whether its company is already in Marketo.
Watch out
Company Name is required. The editor also lists Find or Create Company: it is this same search with the create box ticked, not a separate operation.
2

Find Lead

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Finds a lead whose e-mail address matches the search criteria.”

Finds the Marketo lead that matches an email address, the quickest way to get a lead's ID from an outside tool.

When to use it
a spreadsheet row carries an email, and the next step needs that person's Marketo lead.
Watch out
E-Mail Address is required. Find or Create Lead, shown as a second line in the editor, is this same search with the create box ticked.
3

Find Lead by Field

Search

In Zapier“Finds a lead based on a specified field and value.”

Searches leads on the field you pick and the value you give, when an email is not the right key.

When to use it
your source holds a value that Marketo keeps in a custom field, not the email.
Watch out
Field to search and Search value are required. On a custom field, only text, email and integer types work.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left on its default, a search that finds nothing stops the Zap there, and the steps that needed its result are skipped. Switched on, the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    Ticking this box turns the search into a find-or-create. The setting above disappears and the step asks for the fields needed to create the missing item. Find Company and Find Lead offer it.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Three ways out when several items match: keep the first one, which is the default, stop the Zap, or hand all of them on at once.
When it breaks

When a Marketo Zap breaks

Zapier keeps two help articles for this app: Common Problems with Marketo on Zapier and How to get started with Marketo on Zapier. Beyond them, six cases are worth knowing.

Most of them are not specific to Marketo; they are how Zapier works. For deeper digging, see our Zapier troubleshooting guide.

  • The past stays out

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after it is switched on. Leads and forms that existed before never start it; moving that backlog is a separate job.

  • A loop on lead updates

    A Zap that writes into the very place its own trigger watches can start itself again and again, and burn through your task count. Watch Updated Lead in particular.

  • A bulk import held back

    When a trigger suddenly returns a huge batch, after a bulk import or a migration, Zapier's flood protection can hold those items back instead of running them all.

  • No double runs on polling

    On the four polling triggers, Zapier keeps track of the items it has already seen, so the same lead or form does not start the Zap twice.

  • A search that finds nothing

    By default, a Find Lead or Find Company that comes back empty stops the Zap, and the steps after it are skipped. Switch the setting on, or use find-or-create.

  • Errors on API Request (Beta)

    With Stop on error set to Yes, the step stops when Marketo returns an error and the sign-in can refresh itself. Set to No, the Zap goes on regardless.
Need help

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FAQ

Marketo and Zapier: common questions

01Is the Marketo Zapier integration free?
No. Marketo is a premium app on Zapier, which means it is reserved for paid plans and for the free trial. The free plan, with its 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps, cannot use it at all. On a paid plan, Zaps can also go beyond two steps, which the Marketo patterns on this page often need: create a lead, then add it to a list, is already two actions. Count your Zaps before choosing a plan.
02How many tasks does a Marketo Zap use?
One task for each action that succeeds, and nothing for the rest. The Marketo trigger is free, and so are Zapier's checks for new leads, however often they run. A Zap that runs Create or Update Lead and then Add Lead to List uses two tasks per lead. An action that fails is not counted against your plan. Zapier notes that a few apps and actions take more than one task, so read the task count after your first runs.
03Does Marketo work in real time with Zapier?
One trigger does. New Self-Service Flow Action (SSFS) is instant: Marketo tells Zapier as soon as the flow action delivers leads, whatever your plan, and the editor shows a lightning bolt on it. The four others, New Form Submission, New Lead, New Program and Updated Lead, are polling triggers. Zapier checks them every 2 minutes on Professional and every minute on Team and Enterprise. On paid plans, a check can also be run by hand from the editor.
04What do you need to connect Marketo to Zapier?
A Marketo account, a paid Zapier plan or a trial since Marketo is premium, and read or write access to anything you do not own and want the Zap to touch. Then open the Apps page of your Zapier account, click + Add connection, search for Marketo and pick it, click Add connection, sign in in the tab that opens and grant access. Zapier keeps an article titled How to get started with Marketo on Zapier for the setup itself.
05How do you get the lead ID for Add Lead to List in Marketo?
Two ways, both given by the field itself. If the same Zap creates the lead first, choose Use a Custom Value in the Lead field and insert the ID returned by the Create or Update Lead step. If the lead already exists, use the Add a Search Step button: it inserts Find Lead just before and wires the ID it finds into the field. Either way, List is also required, so pick the target list in that field too. Test the step before publishing.
06What if the Marketo operation you need is not in Zapier?
Check API Request (Beta) first. It is an advanced action that sends a raw request to Marketo with the connection you already have, limited to domains tied to Marketo. It suits someone who knows exactly which request to send. Otherwise, work with what is there: five triggers, six actions and three searches, with nothing to delete a lead. The Marketo page on zapier.com shows the current list, so check it before planning around a gap.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for Marketo?
Compare them on criteria, not on a ranking. Coverage: Zapier offers fourteen operations for Marketo, one of them a raw request action, so check whether the others cover the same ground for your use. Where your other apps live: if the tools around Marketo are already connected to Zapier, one more connection there is the shortest route. Speed: only one Zapier trigger is instant, so if most of your flows depend on lead updates, factor in the polling interval.
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