Marketo — Folder Rules (root-only)

Short Description When pushing Hive9 tactics into Marketo, you configure destination folders at the Plan level. Marketo's folder rules are different from Eloqua's — folders must be in the root Marketing Activities folder, no nesting.

What this article answers

• The Marketo folder constraint.
• How to set folders at the Plan level.
• Naming patterns that work well.

The constraint

Marketo's integration with Hive9 requires destination folders to be in the root Marketing Activities folder. This means:

• ✅ Allowed: 2026 New Plan
• ❌ Not allowed: EMEA/2026 New Plan (nested)
• ❌ Not allowed: Marketing Activities/Subfolder/2026 (deep nesting)

The folder you specify must exist as a direct child of Marketing Activities in Marketo.

If your Marketo workspace requires nested folder structures internally, you can't replicate that nesting via Hive9 push. You can move campaigns into nested folders within Marketo after they're pushed, but Hive9's push always targets a root-level folder.

Where to set folders

Like Eloqua, Marketo folder configuration is at the Plan level:

1. Open the Plan's Inspection Window.
2. Find the Marketo folder field (visible only if Marketo integration is enabled).
3. Enter the folder name (no slashes — it's a flat folder name).
4. Save.

All Tactics under this Plan that push to Marketo will land in that folder.

Naming patterns that work well

Because you can't nest folders via push, encode hierarchy into the folder name:

• FY26-Q3-NA (year-quarter-region)
• 2026 NewPlan (year + plan type)
• EMEA-Demand (region + function)

Use a separator (dash, underscore, space) that your Marketo team can scan visually. Maintain consistency across Plans.

Common pitfalls

Folder doesn't exist in Marketo. Push fails. Create the folder in Marketo first.

Folder name has special characters. Marketo allows letters, numbers, spaces, dashes, underscores. Avoid /, \, :, *, ?, <, >, |.

Folder name too long. Marketo enforces character limits on folder names. Keep folder names under ~30 characters as a guideline.

Renaming the folder in Marketo after push. Renamed folders may break Hive9's reference. If you must rename, also update the Hive9 Plan-level configuration.

Workflow for setting up a new Plan in Marketo

1. Marketo admin creates the destination folder in Marketo's Marketing Activities root.
2. Hive9 admin sets the folder name on the Plan in Hive9.
3. Test push — submit a single test tactic from the Plan and confirm it lands in the right folder.
4. Scale up — proceed with the rest of the Plan's tactics.

Common questions

Can I change a Plan's Marketo folder after tactics have been pushed? Future pushes go to the new folder. Existing Marketo campaigns stay in their original folder unless re-pushed via admin intervention.

Can two Plans share the same Marketo folder? Yes — multiple Plans can target the same folder. Marketo distinguishes individual campaigns by name.

What if my organization needs nested folder structures in Marketo? Push to root-level folders, then have your Marketo team move campaigns into nested folders as part of their workflow. The nesting won't be reflected back to Hive9.

Why don't I see the Marketo folder field on my Plan? The field appears only if Marketo integration is enabled for your instance.
 

Related articles

• Adding an integration — the general flow
• Eloqua — folder rules (hierarchical)
• External Name editor
• My integration isn't syncing data into Hive9