Looking to actually make your Salesforce lead tracking more useful—without getting lost in a maze of pointless integrations? This guide is for sales and marketing folks, admins, and anyone tired of copying data between tools. We'll walk through connecting Salesforce and Storydoc so that you can see who’s engaging with your content, track leads properly, and (finally) have your data in one place.
No hot air, no “digital transformation” talk—just straight steps, caveats, and what to skip.
Why bother integrating Salesforce and Storydoc?
Let’s be honest: sales teams drown in tools, and most of them don’t talk to each other. Storydoc creates interactive sales decks and presentations, but unless the data lands in Salesforce, your reps are flying blind.
Here’s why connecting the two actually matters: - Real-time lead insights: See which leads interacted with your deck, how long they spent, and what they cared about. - No more manual entry: Avoid the “copy-paste” nightmare and reduce errors. - Better follow-up: Trigger workflows and alerts in Salesforce based on Storydoc engagement.
Bottom line: If you rely on Salesforce for lead tracking and use Storydoc to send decks, this integration keeps your team focused on selling—not fiddling with spreadsheets.
What you’ll need before you start
Don’t waste time halfway through just to realize you’re missing access. Here’s your pre-flight checklist:
- Salesforce account with admin rights (or someone who can approve app installs)
- Storydoc account (on a plan that supports integrations)
- Access to Salesforce AppExchange
- Basic understanding of Salesforce objects (Leads, Contacts, Opportunities)
Pro tip: If you’re not the Salesforce admin, loop them in early. Nothing kills momentum like waiting days for approvals.
Step 1: Decide What You Want to Track
Before you start clicking, be clear about your actual goals. Otherwise, you’ll end up drowning in data you never use.
Ask yourself: - Do I want to create new leads in Salesforce when someone views a Storydoc deck? - Or just update existing records with engagement data? - Which fields matter: Opened? Time spent? Slide-by-slide stats?
Reality check: More data isn’t better if nobody acts on it. Stick to what your team will actually use for follow-up.
Step 2: Set Up Storydoc for Salesforce Integration
Storydoc doesn’t connect to Salesforce out of the box. You’ll either need their native integration (if available on your plan) or you’ll use a connector like Zapier or Make.
Option A: Native Integration
- Check your Storydoc plan. Log in and head to Integrations or Settings. Look for Salesforce integration in the list.
- Enable the integration. Usually it’s a toggle or button—click to connect.
- Authenticate Salesforce. You’ll be taken to a Salesforce login page. Use an admin account.
- Grant permissions. Approve access for Storydoc to read/write lead/contact data.
- Map fields. Most integrations let you choose what info from Storydoc goes into which Salesforce field.
Option B: Use a Connector (Zapier, Make)
If native support isn’t available or doesn’t do what you want, use an automation tool:
- Create a Zap (or scenario in Make).
- Choose Storydoc as the trigger app. Example: “New Deck View” or “Lead Engaged.”
- Set Salesforce as the action. Example: “Create Lead,” “Update Contact,” etc.
- Map data fields. Be specific—don’t just dump everything into Salesforce.
- Test the workflow. Run a real Storydoc deck to make sure it works.
Heads up: Connectors like Zapier usually have usage limits—if you’re getting lots of leads, check your plan.
Step 3: Connect Salesforce and Test Permissions
This is where most folks get stuck. If Storydoc can’t talk to Salesforce, nothing else matters.
What to do: - Use a dedicated Salesforce integration user if possible. Don’t use a personal account—you’ll regret it when someone leaves the company. - Make sure OAuth permissions are set to allow API access for Storydoc or your connector tool. - Test the connection by sending a test deck view. Check Salesforce to see if a new lead appears (or the right record is updated).
If it fails: Double-check permissions, API limits, and field-level security in Salesforce. Admins love to lock things down.
Step 4: Set Up Lead Tracking Rules
Don’t just dump all activity into Salesforce—set up rules so only useful data comes through.
Examples: - Only create a new lead if someone fills out a specific form in Storydoc, not just views the deck. - Update a lead’s “Last Engaged” date when they click a key link. - Flag “Hot” leads based on engagement score (e.g., time spent > 3 minutes).
How to do it: - Use filters in Storydoc’s integration settings or in your connector (Zapier, Make). - In Salesforce, create custom fields if you want to track things like “Storydoc Engagement Score.” - Set up validation rules to prevent duplicates or spam.
Pro tip: Keep it simple at first. It’s better to have a few reliable signals than a mess of half-baked data.
Step 5: Map Storydoc Data to Salesforce Fields
Integration tools love to dump data wherever. Take the time to map Storydoc engagement data to the right fields in Salesforce.
Common mappings: - Name, Email → Standard Lead/Contact fields - Deck Title → Custom field (e.g., “Last Deck Viewed”) - Engagement Score → Custom field - Time Spent → Custom field or Notes
Don’t bother with: - Slide-by-slide analytics (unless your sales team swears they’ll use it) - Every single click—summaries are usually enough
How to do it: - In Storydoc or your connector tool, match each piece of data to its destination field. - Test with a real deck and a test lead before rolling out to the whole team.
Step 6: Automate Follow-Up in Salesforce
Now that data is flowing, put it to work. Set up Salesforce workflows or automation so reps can actually use Storydoc insights.
Ideas: - Task creation: When a lead spends > 2 minutes in a deck, auto-create a follow-up task. - Lead scoring: Add points to a lead’s score based on engagement. - Notifications: Ping reps when a hot lead engages with a deck.
How to do it: - Use Salesforce Process Builder or Flow to trigger actions when Storydoc data changes. - Don’t overdo it—too many alerts = ignored alerts.
Step 7: Test, Tweak, and Train the Team
Don’t assume it’ll work perfectly from day one. Test the integration end-to-end:
- Send a Storydoc deck to yourself or a test contact.
- Go through the recipient’s journey—view, interact, maybe fill out a form.
- Check Salesforce: Did the right record get created/updated? Are engagement fields populated?
- Fix any mapping or automation issues.
Train your reps: Show them where to find Storydoc data in Salesforce and how to use it. Most will ignore new fields unless you show them why it matters.
What works, what doesn’t, and what to ignore
What actually works
- Tracking who engaged and when—this is gold for follow-up.
- Simple engagement scores or “Last Deck Viewed” fields.
- Automating follow-up tasks based on real engagement, not just email opens.
What to skip
- Overly granular data—your team doesn’t need to know someone spent 7 seconds on slide 3.
- Dozens of custom fields—keep it lean.
- Overcomplicated workflows. If it takes 10 minutes to figure out, nobody will use it.
Pitfalls to avoid
- Forgetting about Salesforce API limits. Lots of activity can eat up your quota.
- Not checking for duplicate leads. Use email as a unique key where possible.
- Relying on manual triggers—automation is the whole point.
Keep it Simple and Iterate
You don’t need a perfect system from day one. Start with the basics: get Storydoc engagement data into Salesforce, automate a few key workflows, and see what your team actually uses. Skip the bells and whistles until you know they’re worth it.
Integration is supposed to make life easier, not add another layer of busywork. Get the essentials working, see what breaks, and improve from there. That’s how you get results—and keep your sanity.