If you’re running sales or marketing and want more revenue (who doesn’t?), you’ve probably already got Salesforce handling your leads. But your emails keep landing in spam, or maybe your nurture campaigns just fizzle. Enter Folderly, a tool that promises to help you land in inboxes, not junk folders.
Now, what if you could hook Folderly and Salesforce together, so your lead nurturing actually works—without a ton of manual fiddling? This guide is for you if you want practical steps, not vague promises. We’ll walk through what’s possible, what isn’t, and how to avoid wasting your time.
Why bother integrating Folderly and Salesforce?
Let’s be clear: Salesforce is a beast at managing leads, but it’s not great at making sure your emails actually get seen. Folderly, on the other hand, is built to improve deliverability—essentially, it tries to keep your emails out of spam.
Integrating the two means you can: - Trigger nurture emails from Salesforce, and have Folderly help make sure they’re delivered. - Track which leads are actually seeing your emails (not just which ones are sent). - Automate follow-ups and adjust campaigns based on real engagement. - **Save your team from endless manual exports, imports, and “did they get it?” guesswork.
But let’s not oversell it: Folderly isn’t a magic bullet. It can’t fix terrible lists, bad content, or a broken sales process. And Salesforce automations can get messy fast if you don’t keep them simple.
Step 1: Get your basics sorted
Before you dive into integrations, get your house in order:
- Is your Salesforce instance clean? If your data’s a mess, automation just makes it worse. Dedupe, clean up, and standardize your lead fields.
- Do you have Folderly set up? You’ll need an active Folderly account, with at least one connected mailbox (usually the one sending your nurture emails).
- Are your email domains authenticated? SPF, DKIM, and DMARC should be properly configured. If you’re not sure what these are, pause here and ask your IT person for help.
Pro tip: If your emails are already flagged as spam, fix that before automating. Automation will just send more bad emails, faster.
Step 2: Decide what you actually want to automate
Don’t start with “everything.” Pick one or two clear workflows, like:
- Move new Salesforce leads into a nurture sequence.
- Send follow-up emails automatically if a lead hasn’t replied.
- Update lead status in Salesforce when someone opens or replies to an email.
Write out your workflows on paper first. It sounds old-school, but it’ll save you tons of headaches later.
Step 3: Connecting Folderly and Salesforce (the real talk)
Here’s the tricky part: as of mid-2024, Folderly doesn’t offer a direct, out-of-the-box Salesforce integration. You can’t just click “connect” and watch the magic happen. But you do have options:
Option 1: Use Zapier or Make (formerly Integromat)
This is the most common route. Both Zapier and Make let you connect apps without code.
- Folderly’s API: You’ll need to use Folderly’s API for most integrations, as it’s not a built-in Zapier app. Request API access from Folderly support if you don’t see it in your account.
- Salesforce’s API: Zapier and Make both support Salesforce triggers and actions.
How it works: 1. Trigger: A new lead or a field update in Salesforce. 2. Action: Send the lead’s info to Folderly for email assessment or warming, or trigger sending a nurture email. 3. Optional: Folderly can send back a webhook to update Salesforce with deliverability results or engagement (opens, replies).
What this gets you: Automated workflows without writing code—but it does require some technical setup.
Watch out for: - Zapier and Make can get expensive if your volume is high. - API limitations: Folderly’s API isn’t exhaustive; check documentation for what’s possible. - You’ll need someone who’s comfortable with APIs and webhooks. This isn’t pure plug-and-play.
Option 2: Custom integration using Folderly and Salesforce APIs
If you’ve got access to a developer (or you’re handy with code), this gives you full control.
- Use Salesforce’s REST API to catch lead updates or new records.
- Use Folderly’s API to trigger email checks, warming, or send actions.
- Handle responses and update Salesforce records accordingly.
What this gets you: Maximum flexibility, but at the cost of more setup and maintenance.
Watch out for: - API limits on both platforms. - Error handling—if either API goes down, your workflow breaks. - You’ll need to keep up with API updates and authentication changes.
Option 3: Manual CSV exports/imports
If all of this sounds like overkill, you can always export leads from Salesforce, run them through Folderly, and re-import results. It’s clunky, but for small teams or one-off campaigns, it sometimes makes more sense.
Step 4: Build your first automation
Assuming you’re going with Option 1 (Zapier/Make), here’s a practical walkthrough:
Example: Auto-enroll new Salesforce leads into a nurture campaign with Folderly deliverability checks
1. Set up your trigger in Zapier/Make
- Choose Salesforce as the trigger app.
- Pick “New Lead” (or “Lead Updated”) as your trigger event.
- Connect your Salesforce account and test the connection.
2. Add a Folderly API step
- Use a “Webhooks by Zapier” or HTTP module in Make.
- Set up a POST request to Folderly’s API endpoint (check your Folderly docs for the right URL and parameters).
- Send the lead’s email and any other relevant data.
- This can trigger Folderly to check deliverability, start warming, or send an email (if supported).
3. Handle Folderly’s response
- Parse the response. If it’s good (e.g., “deliverable”), move to the next step.
- If not, maybe flag the lead in Salesforce for manual review.
4. Update Salesforce
- Add a note or custom field in Salesforce: “Nurture campaign started,” or “Deliverability failed.”
- Optionally, trigger a Salesforce workflow rule to adjust lead status.
5. Monitor and refine
- Check your logs. Zaps and Scenarios (in Make) sometimes break silently.
- Start small; test with a few leads before rolling out to everyone.
Pro tip: Don’t fire off hundreds of nurture emails on day one. Warm up your sending reputation gradually, or you’ll tank your deliverability (and Folderly won’t save you).
Step 5: Track what actually matters
It’s easy to get lost in the weeds here. Focus on:
- Open and reply rates: If these don’t improve, your emails probably aren’t getting through or aren’t compelling.
- Lead status changes: Are leads moving down the funnel after nurturing, or just sitting there?
- Spam complaint rate: If you see this go up, pause and fix your content or targeting.
Ignore vanity metrics like “emails sent” or “total automations run.” If the leads don’t convert, who cares?
Step 6: Maintain and iterate
Automations aren’t “set it and forget it.” Every few weeks:
- Review logs for errors or failures.
- Spot-check a few leads—did they get the right emails? Did Salesforce update correctly?
- Ask your sales team if the new process is helping or just making more noise.
Pro tip: Document your workflow somewhere simple (Google Doc, Notion, whatever) so you remember how it works, and someone else can fix it if you’re out.
What works, what doesn’t, and what to skip
What works: - Automating basic nurture sequences and deliverability checks saves time and catches issues early. - Folderly’s reporting helps you spot deliverability problems before they blow up your campaigns.
What doesn’t: - Overcomplicating things. If you automate every little step, you’ll spend more time fixing automations than selling. - Relying on Folderly to “fix” bad messaging or targeting. Deliverability helps, but content is king.
Skip: - Buying email lists and loading them into this workflow. You’ll just burn your reputation faster. - Automating without proper opt-in or permission. You’ll annoy people and risk compliance headaches.
Keep it simple, and don’t overthink it
Getting Folderly and Salesforce talking isn’t rocket science, but it’s also not a magic button. Start with one workflow, make sure it works, and expand from there.
Focus on real results: Are more leads actually engaging? Are your sales team happier? If not, tweak or turn it off. The best automations are the ones you don’t have to think about—until they break.
And remember: the goal isn’t more automation for its own sake. It’s better results, less busywork, and emails that actually get read. That’s worth doing right.