By Brad Hemze, bhemze@lessitermedia.com
Technology Director, Lessiter Media
Today, there are over 8,000 technology services available to support your marketing activities. With so many choices how does one begin to sort through the “shiny new objects” with their promises of “fame and glory” and blissful “happily ever after” outcomes?
Answer: The Marketing Technology Stack Visualization.
What is a Marketing Technology (MarTech) Stack?"A marketing technology stack is a grouping of technologies that marketers leverage to conduct and improve their marketing activities. Often, the focus of marketing technologies is to make difficult processes easier, and to measure the impact of marketing activities and drive more efficient spending." (Source: Optimizely)
Do I have a MarTech Stack?
Yes you do! Whether or not you know what it is called. Do you have a website? A blog? Do you collect information from your customers, prospects – your market audience? Do you send email newsletters? Direct Mail pieces to their door? Do you track the results? Measure the impact? Chances are you have a collection of software applications and software services in “the cloud” helping you perform these interactions with your market audience. This grouping of tools is your MarTech Stack.
Every MarTech stack is as unique as your company. It is custom to your business. But every stack has basic elements. Here is an example list of some components and a representative product that might make up a basic MarTech Stack:
- Website WordPress
- Email MailChimp
- Database MySQL
- Forms JotForm
- Ad Server Google Ad Manager
- Social Facebook
- Analytics Google Analytics
- CRM Salesforce
- SEO SEMrush
Strategy first, then technology
But is your MarTech stack working to meet your business objectives? And how do you know? There is no one-size-fits-all piece of technology, there is not one “magic bullet” software service to make your marketing efforts successful. Technology is a tool to support your strategy. Technology is not the strategy. First identify your strategy, then identify the many tools and map where the tools support the strategy.
For example let’s use a simple three step strategy of Attract, Engage, and Analyze & Optimize. And then start mapping our tools to the steps:
- Attract: Website, SEO, Social, Ads
- Engage: Email Newsletters, Landing Pages with Offers and Forms
- Analyze & Optimize: Analytics, A/B Testing, Database
The Benefits of MarTech Stack Visualization
A MarTech stack visualization is a one screen illustration to see the “location” of your technology tools (as logos) on your strategy “map.” The vizualization can be simple to complex and unique to your business. (See some fascinating examples here!) The exercise of creating the visualization gives clarity to your team and leadership. See the list of 9 benefits of a MarTech Stack Visualization in the info graphic below.
Have you done the exercise of creating a MarTech Stack Visualization? How has it worked for you? Drop me a line to let me know how you’re using it.
Reference: Marketing Direct.