main logo 2

Blog

Supercharge SFMC Journeys: Advanced Custom Activities & Best Practices

SFMC 040825

Why Custom Activities Are the Secret Weapon for Advanced SFMC Journeys?

Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) Journey Builder is already a powerhouse for orchestrating customer experiences. But what if your business needs go beyond the standard “Send Email” or “Wait” activities? Enter Custom Activities—the ultimate toolkit for brands seeking to break the mold and deliver truly differentiated, automated customer journeys.

Custom activities are applications that extend Journey Builder’s native capabilities, enabling you to connect with external systems, execute complex business logic, and create specialized touchpoints that reflect your brand’s unique needs. For enterprise marketers and MarTech leaders, custom activities are the key to unlocking innovation and operational efficiency at scale.

When Should You Build a Custom Activity?

If you’re facing any of these scenarios, it’s time to consider custom activities:

  • Integrating with existing CRM or e-commerce systems for seamless data flow.
  • Routing customers based on external business rules or real-time data.
  • Triggering actions in third-party systems (think: loyalty platforms, insurance verification, or custom messaging channels).
  • Automating manual, repetitive processes that slow down your marketing operations.
SFMC Blog 290725 updated

Technical Architecture & Prerequisites: What You Need to Succeed

Building robust custom activities requires a blend of technical expertise and platform know-how. Here’s what your team needs:

Essential Skills:

  • Proficiency in JavaScript (for UI and communication logic),
  • HTML/CSS (for configuration interfaces),
  • REST APIs (HTTP methods, JSON), and familiarity with jQuery & RequireJS (Salesforce’s preferred libraries).

Salesforce Environment:

A Marketing Cloud org with Journey Builder enabled, proper permissions for creating installed packages, and a sandbox for safe development and testing.

Hosting Requirements:

Your custom activity must be hosted on a secure, highly available, and publicly accessible HTTPS endpoint (SSL on port 443). Salesforce servers need to reach your endpoints 24/7.

Recommended File Structure:

  • index.html
  • config.json
  • customactivity.js
  • images/ folder
SFMC Custom Journey V1

Hosting & Deployment: Why Heroku Is the Go-To Platform

For most Salesforce-centric organizations, Heroku is the recommended hosting platform:

  • Seamless integration with Salesforce ecosystem
  • Automatic SSL (HTTPS) configuration
  • Git-based deployment for CI/CD workflows
  • Built-in monitoring and logging

Alternatives:

AWS (for maximum customization), Azure (for Microsoft-centric stacks), or Google Cloud (for data-heavy applications).

Pro Tip:

Always ensure your endpoints are publicly accessible and test them with tools like Postman or curl before connecting to SFMC.

Packaging & Configuring Your Custom Activity

1. Create an Installed Package:
Navigate to Setup > Apps > Installed Packages in SFMC, create a new package, and add the Journey Builder Activity component.

2. Configure the Component:

  • Name: Use a clear, descriptive name.
  • Description: Explain the activity’s functionality for end users.
  • Endpoint URL: Your HTTPS-hosted application.
  • Category: Typically “Custom.”
  • Icon: 40×40 pixel image for easy identification.
ASD SFMC Blog 3+4 220725

Real-World Use Cases: Custom Activities in Action

1. Journey Trigger Activity

Automatically move customers between journey segments. For example, after completing a “Welcome Series,” customers are seamlessly entered into a “Product Education” journey—no manual intervention required.

2. External API Integration

Verify insurance eligibility in real time during a patient journey, or connect to additional messaging channels like Viber or WeChat. Custom activities can record responses, log status, and route contacts based on external data.

3. Personalized Product Recommendations

Leverage browsing history and purchase data to call an external recommendation engine API. Use the returned product list to personalize email content within the journey, driving higher engagement and conversion.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

  • Invalid config.json Syntax:
    Activities may fail to load. Always validate your JSON with tools like jsonlint.com.

  • Incorrect Endpoint URLs:
    Activities might appear but fail during execution. Use only HTTPS URLs and test endpoints thoroughly.

  • Data Flow Mismatches:
    Ensure inArguments in your config.json match the data extraction logic in your execute endpoint.
Recent Posts
AgileSpace Digital
Services
Teams
Resources
Partners
Work
Careers
About Us
whitelogo
Services
Teams
Resources
Partners
Work
Careers
About Us

Privacy Policy      

Linkedin Youtube-square Facebook-square Pinterest-square

© 2025 AgileSpace Digital