Enabling Marketing Cloud Next
The setup order Salesforce recommends, in plain words.
Last checked against Spring '26 · 1 Oct 2026
Marketing Cloud Next is switched on in your Salesforce org, not in a separate Marketing Cloud account. The Marketing setup area walks through a fixed order, and skipping ahead is the most common reason the first send fails.
The order that works
- Assign permission sets to the people who will set things up.
- Install and deploy the data streams Marketing Cloud Next needs, then configure identity resolution.
- Set up channels: email first, then SMS, WhatsApp or mobile app messaging if you bought them.
- Configure consent: communication subscriptions and the default preference page.
- Turn on web tracking and reporting last.
What to check first
Make sure Data Cloud is provisioned in the same org and that you have admin access to it. Most later steps assume it.
Menu labels move between releases. If a step is not where this page says, search Setup for the feature name.