Connect Lead Capture and Consent Management to Enable Scalable Marketing Operations with Make.com, Mailchimp, and Kentico
Challenge
BDO Italy faced persistent challenges managing lead and consent data across a fragmented marketing ecosystem. Leads entered through Kentico website forms and LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms, while campaigns were executed in Mailchimp. Because these systems were not connected, the marketing team relied on manual processes to sync data, check consent status, and keep lead lists current. This manual handling consumed significant time and often required daily and weekly reconciliation of records, duplicate removal, and data validation. The lack of a unified system created inconsistent information, increased the risk of errors, and reduced visibility into consent status. That made GDPR compliance harder to maintain and audit. As BDO Italy’s marketing activity expanded, these operational bottlenecks became more pronounced. They limited the ability to scale campaigns, improve productivity, and build a reliable foundation for future marketing automation. The result was unnecessary administrative overhead and increased compliance risk, making it clear that a more structured and scalable approach was needed.
Solution
To address these challenges, BDO Italy implemented a centralized marketing automation architecture using Make.com as the integration and orchestration layer. The solution established a governed central data repository using Make Data Stores, connecting Kentico website forms, LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms, and Mailchimp into a single operating system for lead and consent data. Automated workflows were built to capture, validate, synchronize, and update lead and consent data in near real time across the connected platforms. Data structures were standardized, and consent management was automated to ensure consistent handling and reduce manual intervention. Alternatives such as Airtable were considered for the central repository. Concerns around data residency, governance, and compliance led to selecting Make.com’s native Data Store, which provided the required control and reduced architectural complexity. More comprehensive marketing automation platforms such as Marketo were also evaluated, but their advanced features exceeded BDO Italy’s immediate needs and would have introduced unnecessary complexity and cost. The chosen approach was practical and operationally credible. It leveraged existing tools, minimized disruption, and established a scalable foundation that can evolve as BDO Italy’s marketing operations grow. By embedding governance, integration, and automation from the outset, the architecture addressed current pain points while creating a platform for future expansion.
Impact
The new architecture delivered immediate and measurable value for BDO Italy. Manual effort required for lead and consent data management was significantly reduced, saving an estimated 1 to 2 hours per review cycle and freeing the marketing team to focus on higher-value activities. Data consistency and quality improved across all systems, while real-time synchronization reduced the risk of duplicate records and outdated consent information. GDPR compliance was strengthened through standardized, auditable processes. The impact extended beyond operations. Within six months, the primary marketing audience grew by 68%, and overall Mailchimp audiences increased by 37%. The centralized data store now provides visibility into more than 3,000 lead records, including prospects not yet subscribed, enabling better segmentation and future nurturing. Most importantly, BDO Italy now has a scalable, governed foundation that supports ongoing growth, new channel integration, and more sophisticated marketing automation without a proportional increase in administrative burden.