I attended several sessions and came away with three main takeaways from the Agentforce World Tour.

Data 360 Was The Hidden Main Theme

On my train ride up to New York, I scanned the Salesforce events app. I did my usual routine of looking for every session related to Marketing Cloud.

I added Marketing Cloud-related sessions to my favorites so I can attend them if I do nothing else.  To be honest, all the Marketing Cloud sessions had Data 360 in the session description and focused on Marketing Cloud Next.

From the Marketing Cloud sessions I attended, Data 360 plays a major role.  From the keynote speech to everywhere I looked at the Agentforce World Tour, Data 360 played a pivotal role in the Salesforce ecosystem.

Agentforce Is All Grown Up

Let me be specific, Agentforce is here to stay.

The one thing that I noticed is that the Agentforce documentation is more mature. 

In 2025, speakers often mentioned that the Agentforce documentation was still changing. This year, that was not the focus. The message felt clearer: Agentforce is ready for prime time.

Agentforce is all grown up and reached a level of maturity in 2026.

Agentic Marketing Is The Future

According to Salesforce, “Agentforce Marketing uses autonomous AI agents to transform traditional channels into two-way conversations, and to be an always-on collaborator behind the scenes¹.”

That message came through clearly across multiple sessions.

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Next, Data 360, and Agentic Marketing appear to be a major part of where the platform is heading.

Final Thoughts

In closing, the Agentforce World Tour NYC 2026 reaffirmed my decision to continue learning Agentforce and Data 360 this year.  Also, if you highly recommend you attend an Agentforce World Tour this year, if not, watch some of the sessions on Salesforce+.

Thanks for listening,
Ivan Hurt
SFMC Professional

¹Source: Salesforce. (n.d.). Agentic Marketing Platform: Next-Gen Marketing Cloud. Salesforce. Retrieved from https://www.salesforce.com/marketing/agentic-marketing/

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However, after I passed the certification, Salesforce doesn’t let the certification go stale. You are required to do maintenance modules to keep your certification active. These modules are designed to help you stay current with important product updates to keep your certification active.

You are given a deadline to complete the maintenance module or lose your certification. After the countless hours I took to pass the exam, I am not going to let my certification lapse.

I wrote this blog post, so you don’t let your certification lapse either.

Here are the steps to maintain your Salesforce Marketing Cloud Email Specialist certification or any other Salesforce certification.

1. Do a web search for Salesforce Certification Maintenance Schedule
2. Verify when the due date for the maintenance module for your certification is due
3. Log in to Trailhead
4. Search Marketing Cloud Email Specialist Certification Maintenance
   • You should see 2 or 3 badges
5. Complete each badge to be on the safe side
6. Review the resources that are with each module
7. You should receive an email stating that your account is still valid

Bonus Points: Read the release notes for the product you work with daily.

So follow this advice and keep your certification active.

Thanks for listening,
Ivan Hurt, Email Developer

The post How To Keep Your SFMC Email Specialist Certification Active? appeared first on IvanHurt.dev.

As an experienced email developer working in Salesforce Marketing Cloud Engagement, I wanted to know how Salesforce’s latest announcements would affect the future of the platform, workflows, and roles in the age of AI.

Theme of Dreamforce 2025

The overall theme of Dreamforce 2025 is the emergence of age Agentic Enterprise – a world where AI agents help human productivity instead of replacing it.

In the news, most companies are using AI to reduce headcount. Salesforce is going on another route: AI agents collaborate with people to make work faster, smarter, and more trustworthy.

For Marketing Cloud professionals, this is the beginning of the age of Agentic Marketing. Salesforce is integrating AI agents in the platform to help marketers and developers create personalized and automate customer journeys with real-time intelligence.

Marketing Cloud already has strong AI features, including Einstein Copy Insights, Einstein Recommends, and Einstein Send Time Optimization.

Salesforce is taking another step forward with the Agentforce 360 platform. Agentforce 360 introduces AI agents to help with data segmentation, send-time decisions, and contextual journey triggers. Built on top of Einstein, these agents allow us to send the right message at the right time with greater accuracy.

Data Is Key

Speaking of data, Data Cloud is rebranded as Data 360.  Data 360 unified customer data in real-time that every application, including Marketing Cloud Engagement, can use.

For email developers, this means the traditional model of nightly batch imports is getting a huge glow-up. With Data 360’s connected pipelines, journeys, and automations will eventually trigger directly from live data instead of waiting for a batch sync.

This will require new technical skillsets of understanding data models, integrations, and APIs that move information instantly between Salesforce CRM, Data 360, and Marketing Cloud.

People & Governance

Trust has always been the foundation of Salesforce and Salesforce Marketing Cloud. With AI and AI agents playing a larger role in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, people are still the key.

As Marketing Cloud professionals, we’ll need to keep performing manual QA checks, monitor how AI handles data, and ensure it operates within legal and compliance frameworks like GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and CASL.

AI can help us work faster, but it’s our professional responsibility to keep it accurate, ethical, and permission-based.

New Role of Email Developer

Salesforce Marketing Cloud is ushering in a new age of email developers. No longer will email developers be building email templates and managing the CRM.

Email developers will need to:

• Understand how data flows across the CRM and Data 360
• Design HTML templates ready for AI-driven personalization
• Work confidently with REST and SOAP APIs
• Collaborate with AI-powered tools and agents across the Salesforce ecosystem

The role of email developer isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, only evolving.

My Next 360 Days

After watching Dreamforce 2025, here’s my plan to adapt as an email developer:

• Expanding my knowledge of Data 360 (formerly Data Cloud)
• Learning more about AI agents and Agentforce 360
• Deepen my understanding of Marketing Cloud APIs (REST and SOAP)
• Pursue the Salesforce Marketing Cloud Developer certification

I plan on growing alongside the platform. Dreamforce made it clear that the next evolution of Marketing Cloud iso build on real-time data and AI collaboration.

Recommended Dreamforce 2025 Sessions on Salesforce Plus

I highly recommend that you watch the following sessions:

• Dreamforce Main Keynote 2025
• Marketing Keynote: Marketing That Sparks a Conversation
• Data Cloud Keynote: Activate Trusted Data Everywhere
• Key Data 36O Innovations to Unlock Your Data’s Full Value
• Your Marketing Maturity Model: What AI to Use When
• Unlock the Agentic Enterprise with Agentforce Marketing

Each session highlights how Salesforce is blending data, trust, and AI to empower marketers and developers alike.

Final Thoughts

Dreamforce 2025 was about a mindset shift. AI isn’t going to replace us; it will enhance what we already do well. As an email developer, the challenge is to keep learning and embrace tools so we can focus on strategy and creativity – not just code.

Thanks for listening,
Ivan Hurt, Email Developer

The post Dreamforce 2025 Takeaways for Email Developers: What’s Next for Salesforce Marketing Cloud appeared first on IvanHurt.dev.

The client has recently switched to a new email service provider and domain. The client wanted me to resolve the issue before they started a major email marketing campaign.

I agreed to help the client for a small fee, of course.

I performed the following steps to start troubleshooting the issue:

• Verified the DKIM signature TXT record was set up correctly on the hosting service
• Sent a test email from the ESP to my test Gmail and Outlook accounts
• Verified the DKIM signature is passing in the email header

Interestingly, the DKIM signature for the hosting service passed. However, the DKIM signature for the ESP was missing from the email header. This indicated that the ESP’s DKIM key wasn’t being used for the email signing.

From my experience with this particular ESP, you need to set up a separate DKIM signature TXT record for the ESP, in addition to the one for the hosting service. This allows the ESP’s DKIM signature to sign emails using their specific DKIM key.

Side Note: Please consult with your ESP to see if you need to add an additional TXT record for your ESP DKIM signature and the correct settings.

I consulted with the ESP for the correct DNS setting for the ESP DKIM signature. After ensuring the proper settings were set up, I waited 24 hours for the DNS settings to propagate. However, the time-to-live (TTL) setting varies.

After propagation was complete, I sent another email through the ESP to verify that both DKIM signatures were present in the email header. Both DKIM signatures passed, and the client’s sender authentication check passed.

In conclusion, if you are using an ESP, please verify whether an additional TXT record is required in the ESP DKIM signature, ensure all DNS settings are correct, and allow sufficient time for the DNS to propagate fully.

Thanks for listening,
Ivan Hurt, Email Developer

The post How To Quickly Fix DKIM Signature Issues If You Are Using An ESP? appeared first on IvanHurt.dev.

Moving Away From Webassessor

One of the main changes is that your certifications are moving away from Webassessor to Trailhead Academy. Anyone currently holding the Salesforce Marketing Cloud certification must move from Webassessor to Trailhead Academy.

Salesforce will email you to walk you through transferring your profile to Trailhead. The process is easy and takes less than 5 minutes.

New Testing Experience

In July, Salesforce Marketing Cloud exams will move from Webassessor to Pearson VUE. The change starts on July 21, 2025. The last day you must register for an exam on Webassessor is June 30, 2025.

SFMC Certification Title Changes

Salesforce Marketing Cloud is aligning its certifications with the new product names. Marketing Cloud is now called Marketing Cloud Engagement, and Pardot is now called Marketing Cloud Account Engagement.

The titles might sound confusing, but just remember that Pardot has “Account” in the title. That’s how I remember the difference between the two.

Here’s a list of all the Salesforce Marketing Cloud certification title changes you must know.

• Salesforce Certified Marketing Associate is now the Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Engagement Foundations certification (MC)
• Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Specialist is now the Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Foundations certification (Pardot)
• Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Email Specialist has no name change (MC)
• Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Administrator is now the Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Engagement Administrator certification (MC)
• Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Consultant is now the Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Engagement Consultant certification (MC)
• Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Consultant has no change (Pardot)
• Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Developer is now the Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Engagement Developer certification (MC)

Important Dates

• June 30, 2025: Last day to register for SFMC exam with Webassessor
• July 13, 2025: Last day to take exam on Webassessor (Use any vouchers by this date)
• July 21, 2025: Take exams using Pearson VUE

Conclusion

These are the upcoming changes affecting newbies and experienced email developers in the Salesforce Marketing Cloud ecosystem.

The post SFMC Certification Changes Every Email Developer Needs To Know In 2025 appeared first on IvanHurt.dev.

Tell me more about your background?

Tell me something I don’t already know from your resume?

During an interview as an email developer with no experience, those were among the most terrifying questions I had to answer. I rambled off some random facts from my tech resume during my first few interviews.

Bad idea!

Use an elevator pitch instead.

What is an elevator pitch?

The elevator pitch combines your career summary with a recent challenge or problem you solved about email development or as an email developer. For example, how did you figure out why email templates weren’t working or why you were volunteering at a non-profit?

How do you create an elevator pitch?

First, you write to write a career summary. 

Second, think about a recent challenge you solved as an email developer.

Here is a sample elevator pitch:

Interviewer: Tell me about yourself?

You: I’m an email developer with knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. In the past few weeks, I’ve been freelancing at Joe’s Coffee Café to help his business automate his email newsletter. The owner, Joe, told me a few days ago that the newsletter template I created for him boosted sales by 7%. I applied for this position because I believe my skills were a good fit for the job requirements.

Interviewer: Let me tell you more about the position.

Conclusion

Take a few minutes to write an elevator pitch for your upcoming interview. The elevator pitch will showcase your skills and boost your chances of landing your next email developer role.

The post Email Developer Interview Advice I Wish I Knew Years Ago appeared first on IvanHurt.dev.

Parcel Unpacked 2025 is the place for email developers to network with other email developers or stay ahead of the curve. This two virtual conference is the essential for hands-on experience with the most innovative email development frameworks, discover best practices in email marketing, and unlock new ways to optimize your workflows for better results.

What to Expect at Parcel Unpacked 2025:

• Cutting-edge Email Development Tools: Learn about the latest frameworks, libraries, and automation techniques that will enhance your email development process.
• Industry Insights: Gain valuable knowledge from top-tier email developers and industry experts who will share trends and tips for success in 2025.
• Networking Opportunities: Meet fellow email developers, marketing professionals, and potential collaborators.
• Exclusive Workshops & Demos: Get hands-on with the tools and strategies that are shaping the future of email marketing.

Don’t miss the chance to network and advance your email developer skills at Parcel Unpacked 2025—register today to secure your spot!

You can register at https://www.crowdcast.io/c/unpacked2025.

The post Parcel Unpacked Is Back in 2025 appeared first on IvanHurt.dev.

Google/Yahoo Email Changes Were A Good Thing

81% of people don’t answer a phone call from an unknown number (Pew Research)

Day one of Email Camp 2024 focused on email deliverability and the Google/Yahoo 2024 email changes. The Google and Yahoo email changes were intended to make email more secure and improve deliverability.

If Google and Yahoo didn’t change this to improve email deliverability, email would become the next telephone industry.

Email would have the same statistics as the above quote.

With no one opening emails, email marketing would lose a lot of its financial luster.

Email marketing has an overall ROI of 4,200% (Luisa Zhou)

No one would open emails from anyone unless you knew them personally.

When I started managing the nonprofits’ email marketing programs, I implemented the SPF, DKIM, and DMARC policies because I knew deliverability was important.

Email Camp only reinforced that the Google/Yahoo update was significant for emails overall.

Refresh Your Email Designs

I will be the first to admit that I hated it when we would have to implement a new email design.

However, after attending Email Camp 2024, I have a new respect for refreshing your email template designs.

By bringing various parties together, including non-marketing folks, the email design process can significantly improve with new ideas and voices.

With a templating system, new email designs can be quickly implemented, reducing the time needed to update the email template design.

In closing, Email Camp 2024 was a blast and well worth attending.

SMS Is The Future

When I started working as an email developer, SMS marketing began taking shape.  Now, SMS marketing is coming into its own.

On day three, several presentations showcased the powerful marketing tool SMS. SMS is a technology that email developers should look into further.

SMS is a secure, reliable marketing channel governed by government regulations.

This makes SMS a technology that I’ll be looking further into over the next few months.

Thanks for listening,
Ivan Hurt, Email Developer

The post 3 Things I Learned From Email Camp 2024 appeared first on IvanHurt.dev.

In May 2024, Google launched its Gemini update that summarizes the email contents for a single email or across an email thread.

In June 2024, Apple followed suit during their Apple World Developer Conference (WWDC). With the release of iOS 18, Apple allows AI to summarize an email.

Ivan, what happens to the preview text that email developers have been using sense forever?

In all honesty, I am not 100% sure how this will affect the preview text. For the time being, I will continue to use preview text for any emails that I create.

However, AI has forced me to learn more about email marketing. I am solid on creating emails, making emails work across multiple devices and clients, and email development in general.

With AI enhancing emails, I’m glad I doubled down six months ago on learning email marketing.

The Google and Apple updates will not change email development in my opinion. Instead of relying on the preview text, good email marketers will continue to do what they’ve done for years: send quality content with a strong call to action (CTA).

The Google and the Apple updates do raise several questions for the future:

• How accurate will the AI email summaries bear the AI email summaries?
• Will user’s opt-in or opt-out of these and future AI features?
• What other updates Google and Apple had planning in the future>

In all honesty, I’m embracing AI, email marketing, and email development. I can wait to see how this affects emails of the future as I embrace AI.

Thanks for listening,
Ivan Hurt 
Email Developer specializing in Salesforce Marketing Cloud

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This year, my trip was cut short because I tripped up the steps in Penn Center. By the time I walked to the Javis Center, my knee was throbbing in pain. Fortunately, my knee was fine by the time I got back home.

Salesforce and Salesforce Marketing Cloud are going all in on AI and Data Cloud.

Throughout the day, I saw multiple presentations about the power of generative AI and Data Cloud.

Data Cloud is an awesome tool that ties in the data and opens up a world of opportunities for marketers.  Salesforce generative AI and Privacy Center are great tools to allow companies to use generative AI, provide privacy, and stay compliant with US and international laws.

The overall theme of Spring 2024 Salesforce World Tour NYC is that AI is a tool for email developers to embrace not fear. Salesforce is making AI a tool to help everyone on the Salesforce platform to be more productive.

Unfortunately, I was only able to stay for a few presentations because the throbbing in my knee got worse.

In conclusion, the Spring Salesforce World Tour 2024 was a huge success because I look forward to working more with AI and Data Cloud in the near future.

Thanks for listening,
Ivan Hurt 
Email Developer specializing in Salesforce Marketing Cloud

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