The process of migrating your Marketo Engage instance is no small feat. Like many transformative tasks in life, planning the work and working the plan is the ideal way to tackle a migration. Smooth the transition to a new instance by putting in most of the work ahead of time.
Today, many organizations treat migrations as an opportunity to re-architect their martech stack rather than simply replicate it. With the rise of API-first tools and more flexible architectures, teams are streamlining data models, improving integrations, and building more scalable systems for the future.
Before diving into these best practices, first make sure you and your colleagues verbalize and agree upon exactly what’s to be accomplished, discuss scenarios, and allocate adequate time and resources.
Now, let’s get into the best practices.
Best Practice #1: Evaluate what you want to migrate and plan accordingly
Depending on the volume of items, migrating an instance can be very time-consuming. Many teams now use this stage to simplify and modernize their instance rather than carry forward unnecessary complexity.
Best Practice #2: Backup your prioritized data before starting the migration process
More often than not, there are plenty of assets that can most likely be sunset before the migration. Evaluate what’s truly needed to save time and to not clutter your new instance.
Best Practice #3: Test your assets and migration before migrating your entire instance
Testing all assets will ensure that the migration process doesn’t include broken items. If issues surface during testing, make the necessary adjustments beforehand.
Best Practice #4: Coordinate with your team
Ensure your team has a clear set of naming conventions in use before and after the migration and ensure it’s followed consistently. Keep teams informed of the migration process.
Best Practice #5: Review your integrations
Review all your integrations and ensure they are set up correctly and in sync with your new instance. This is also a good opportunity to evaluate newer integrations and data flows across your broader tech stack.
Best Practice #6: Monitor the migration
Keep an eye on the migration process to ensure everything is going smoothly.
Best Practice #7: Verify data, then test everything again
Verify that all your data has been migrated correctly and that there is no missing or incorrect data.
Best Practice #8: Update your documentation
Update your internal documentation to reflect the new instance. This is a great time to make any updates for workflows that have changed to create any missing documentation.
Best Practice #9: Provide training
Provide training for your team on the new instance and ensure they are familiar with any new features or changes.
These best practices are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to migrating your Marketo instance. We at Marvel Marketers know just how overwhelming a migration can be, and our team can help you migrate a mature, scalable, and efficient instance. Contact us for more information.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January 2023 and was updated in January 2026 to include new information, updated statistics, and relevant resources.
