| Marketo | |
|---|---|
| Their stated threshold | Marketo's guidance and Adobe's deliverability practice point at bounce rates under 2%, with dedicated support for accounts managing their own IP reputation. |
| What happens if you cross it | Adobe provides deliverability consulting for Marketo accounts and manages IP reputation. Enforcement is a managed relationship rather than a suspension, consistent with enterprise contracts. |
| Where the bounce data lives | Email performance reports for the aggregate, and the Email Invalid and Email Invalid Cause fields on the lead record for the individual reason. Smart lists can filter on both. |
| How bounces are classified | Marketo sets Email Invalid to true on a hard bounce and records the reason in Email Invalid Cause, which carries the receiving server's message and is the most useful field on the record for diagnosis. |
Bringing the rate down
Each step is an action inside Marketo, in the order worth taking them.
Build a smart list on Email Invalid
Filter leads where Email Invalid is true and add Email Invalid Cause as a column. The causes cluster, and the cluster identifies the source.
Check the lead source on the invalid leads
Form fills, list imports and CRM syncs produce different bounce patterns. Marketo records the source, and this single grouping usually answers the question.
Look at your form validation rules
Marketo forms accept anything format-valid. Blocked domain rules and a bot check remove most of the junk before it becomes a lead.
Decide what the CRM sync should do
Email Invalid syncing to the CRM means sales sees it. Agree whether that should trigger a data cleanup task or just be visible, before it causes an argument.
Verify at form submission for a real fix
A check at the form stops the bad address becoming a lead, which is worth more than any downstream cleanup in a system that syncs both ways.
The mistake people make here
A bounce report mixes two causes that need opposite responses: addresses that do not exist, and receivers refusing mail they could have delivered. The first is fixed by checking the list. The second is a sending problem and no amount of cleaning will move it.
Questions people ask
What is Email Invalid in Marketo?
A field Marketo sets to true when an address hard bounces, with the receiving server's reason in Email Invalid Cause. It stops marketing email to that lead and syncs to your CRM.
Should I clear Email Invalid after verifying a list?
Only for individual leads where you know the mailbox was recreated. Clearing it in bulk re-enables sending to addresses that already failed permanently.
Why do sales colleagues see marketing bounces?
Because Email Invalid syncs to the CRM. That is useful, and it means a marketing data problem becomes visible to the sales team the same day.