Resources
Grab-and-go resources 🗂
Checklists, cheat sheets, snippet libraries, and reference material for SFMC practitioners. All free, all copy-ready.
Checklist
Pre-send checklist
Run through this before every campaign send.
Content
-
☐ Subject line is finalised and tested for personalisation errors
-
☐ Preheader text is set and not left blank
-
☐ All images have alt text
-
☐ All links tested and go to correct URLs
-
☐ Unsubscribe link is present and working
-
☐ Physical mailing address is in the footer
Personalisation
-
☐ Previewed as 5+ different subscriber profiles
-
☐ AMPscript fallbacks set for all personalised fields
-
☐ Dynamic content blocks tested for each variant
-
☐ Test send sent to real inbox (check mobile + desktop)
Audience
-
☐ Correct audience DE selected (double-check!)
-
☐ Audience count is as expected (not 0, not unusually large)
-
☐ Suppression lists applied (unsubscribes, bounces, competitors)
-
☐ Correct Business Unit selected
-
☐ Correct send classification (Commercial vs Transactional)
Send settings
-
☐ From Name is brand-consistent
-
☐ From Address is authenticated (SPF/DKIM)
-
☐ Send time accounts for the audience's timezone
-
☐ Stakeholder approval received (if required)
Code library
AMPscript quick-reference snippets
Common patterns ready to copy into your emails.
%%[ SET @fn = IIF(Empty(AttributeValue("FirstName")), "there", AttributeValue("FirstName")) ]%%
Hi %%=v(@fn)=%%,
%%[ SET @country = AttributeValue("Country") ]%%
%%[ IF @country == "UK" THEN ]%%
<p>Call us: 0800 123 456</p>
%%[ ELSEIF @country == "US" THEN ]%%
<p>Call us: 1-800-123-456</p>
%%[ ELSE ]%%
<p>Visit our website for your local number.</p>
%%[ ENDIF ]%%
%%[
SET @rawDate = AttributeValue("ExpiryDate")
SET @niceDate = FormatDate(@rawDate, "d MMMM yyyy")
]%%
Offer expires: %%=v(@niceDate)=%%
%%[
SET @sk = AttributeValue("SubscriberKey")
SET @tier = Lookup("LoyaltyDE", "Tier", "SubscriberKey", @sk)
IF Empty(@tier) THEN
SET @tier = "Standard"
ENDIF
]%%
Your tier: %%=v(@tier)=%%
→ Full AMPscript guide with 20+ examples
Code library
SQL quick-reference queries
Copy-paste queries for common SFMC use cases.
SELECT DISTINCT s.SubscriberKey, s.EmailAddress, s.FirstName
FROM [Master_Subscribers] s
INNER JOIN [_Open] o ON s.SubscriberKey = o.SubscriberKey
AND o.EventDate >= DATEADD(day, -90, GETDATE())
WHERE s.OptInStatus = 'Subscribed'
SELECT SubscriberKey, EmailAddress, FirstName, JoinDate
FROM [Master_Subscribers]
WHERE JoinDate >= DATEADD(hour, -24, GETDATE())
AND OptInStatus = 'Subscribed'
SELECT s.SubscriberKey, s.EmailAddress
FROM [Master_Subscribers] s
WHERE s.OptInStatus = 'Subscribed'
AND s.SubscriberKey NOT IN (
SELECT DISTINCT SubscriberKey FROM [_Open] WHERE EventDate >= DATEADD(day,-180,GETDATE())
UNION
SELECT DISTINCT SubscriberKey FROM [_Click] WHERE EventDate >= DATEADD(day,-180,GETDATE())
)
SELECT SubscriberKey, EmailAddress, FirstName, DateOfBirth
FROM [Master_Subscribers]
WHERE
DATEPART(month, DateOfBirth) = DATEPART(month, DATEADD(day,1,GETDATE()))
AND DATEPART(day, DateOfBirth) = DATEPART(day, DATEADD(day,1,GETDATE()))
AND OptInStatus = 'Subscribed'
→ Full SQL reference guide with 15+ queries
Reference guide
Deliverability quick reference
The most important deliverability concepts at a glance.
Authentication records
| SPF | Authorises sending IPs for your domain. DNS TXT record. |
| DKIM | Signs messages cryptographically. Configured in SAP + DNS. |
| DMARC | Policy for auth failures. Start with p=none, progress to quarantine/reject. |
Healthy metrics benchmarks
| Delivered rate | >98% |
| Bounce rate | <2% |
| Spam complaints | <0.08% |
| Unsubscribe rate | <0.5% |
Bounce types
| Hard | Permanent failure — mark as Bounced immediately |
| Soft | Temporary — retry; moves to Held after threshold |
| Technical | Infrastructure issue — retry |
IP warming milestones
| Week 1 | ~5,000 emails/day to best-engaged subscribers |
| Week 2 | ~20,000/day |
| Week 3 | ~50,000/day |
| Week 4+ | Scale gradually toward full volume |
Reference
SFMC architecture overview
Key components and how they relate to each other.
| Component | Role | Talks to |
| Contact Builder |
Defines the contact data model and DE relationships |
All studios, Journey Builder, Einstein |
| Email Studio |
Batch email sends, subscriber management, tracking |
Content Builder, DEs, Automation Studio |
| Content Builder |
Centralised asset library (emails, templates, images) |
Email Studio, Journey Builder, Mobile Studio |
| Journey Builder |
Automated multi-step customer journeys |
Email Studio, Mobile Studio, Salesforce CRM, APIs |
| Automation Studio |
Scheduled backend tasks (SQL, imports, exports) |
DEs, SFTP, Email Studio, Cloud Pages |
| Analytics Builder |
Cross-send reporting and dashboards |
System Data Views, DEs |
| Mobile Studio |
SMS, push notifications, group messaging |
Journey Builder, DEs |
| MC Connect |
Integration bridge between SFMC and Salesforce CRM |
Salesforce CRM, Journey Builder, Email Studio |
| Cloud Pages |
SFMC-hosted landing pages and microsites |
DEs, AMPscript, SSJS, Automation Studio |
| REST/SOAP API |
Programmatic access to all SFMC functionality |
Everything — the integration layer |
External links
Official Salesforce resources
These links go to Salesforce documentation and tools.