Modern marketing relies on data analysis and automation to drive performance. To process large amounts of information and make data-driven decisions, marketers rely heavily on technology software. Marketing operations require processing large amounts of information and performing repetitive tasks.
Marktech, or marketing technology, is an umbrella term that refers to the tools, software, and technologies used to meet modern marketing needs. MarTech tools assist marketers in collecting information, analyzing and making sense of data, and automating marketing operations.
Everyone in the industry has interacted with MarTech, sometimes without even knowing. If you’ve used a CRM, a website analytics tool, or any software for marketing campaigns you have an example of MarTech.
Let’s take a look at what technologies form part of the MarTech ecosystem; then we’ll discuss which of these technologies your business needs to use.
MarTech: technologies to strategize and optimize marketing operations
MarTech is used to support marketing in achieving its goals and improving performance. These technologies can be classified into five categories, corresponding to the main functions of marketing:
Content marketing, social media, automation, sales enablement, and advertising.
1.Content marketing tools
One of the primary functions of marketing is to educate and attract customers using relevant and innovative content. Blogs are built for longevity, and people still like to read good quality content. The following tools and software allow marketers to create, distribute and keep this marketing content up to date.
| Technology | Function |
|---|---|
| Content Management System (CMS) | Publish and manage content on the web |
| Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | Gather keyword and competitor data, improve ranking on search engines |
| Landing Pages and A/B Testing | Low code platform to build landing pages autonomously and test their efficiency |
| Content Marketing Platforms | Strategize, distribute and analyse content marketing activities |
| Digital Asset Management (DAM) | Store and share content across the organization seamlessly |
2.Social media tools
It’s commonly accepted that social media presence is essential for all types of businesses. Social media MarTech helps marketers optimize and gain insights from social media activities. Learn more about the tools and metrics that matter in social media.
| Technology | Function |
|---|---|
| Social Media Management Systems | Manage, automate and analyze data for social media platforms |
| Influencer Marketing Platforms | Connect with influencers and thought leaders in your field |
3. Marketing automation
Marketing automation is a broad term to describe the use of software technology to automate marketing tasks. They simplify and accelerate activities such as automating emails, personalizing content, or creating target segments.
| Technology | Function |
|---|---|
| Marketing Automation Software | Eliminate repetitive tasks and streamline processes |
| Email Marketing Software | Manage, personalize and analyze email campaigns |
| Mobile Marketing Platforms | Send push notifications and track behaviors in apps |
4.Sales Enablement Tools
Sales Enablement is a process at the junction of sales and marketing. These tools are used to manage customer information that should be passed on to the sales team at a future stage. Sales Enablement creates a bridge between sales and marketing activities.
| Technology | Function |
|---|---|
| Customer Relationship Management (CRM) | Manage customer information throughout the sales cycle |
| Lead Management Tools | Capture and nurture leads until they are ready for sales handoff |
5. Advertising Tools
Marketers are also in charge of running online ads. Advertising tools are used to run and measure these ad campaigns. AdTech is the specific name for marketing technologies intended for advertising. The difference between MarTech and AdTech lies in its objective: AdTech is used to promote sales offers while MarTech assists in communicating and educating the audience.
Here are a few examples of AdTech tools:
| Technology | Function |
|---|---|
| Social Media Advertising | Display targeted ads on social media platforms |
| Programmatic Advertising | Buy advertising space over the web |
| Search Engine Marketing (SEM) | Manage advertising campaigns on search engines |
How to choose the technologies you need and build your MarTech stack?
A MarTeck stack is a set of software and technologies a specific company relies on to conduct marketing operations. Different marketing organizations have different priorities, therefore each company might use a different set of software or methodologies.
From an operation standpoint, your MarTech stack should enable you to research, execute, strategize and optimize your marketing actions. A modern and efficient MarTech stack must cover all the areas of your marketing funnel. From raising awareness, to nurturing leads you must be able to collect data digitally and ensure your efforts are going in the right direction.
To build your MarTech stack, analyze your marketing objectives and the technology you currently use helps you achieve these goals. You should focus on topics such as:
- Are there any repetitive tasks that are time-consuming and could be automated?
- Can I benefit from content personalization to generate more leads?
- Do I collect and analyze prospect data properly?
- Is there any critical data that is not tracked or integrated for analysis?
- Do I get insights from the data I collect?
To start building your MarTech stack, focus on a few essential technologies that fit your objectives. A very basic stack should at least include these core tools:
- A correctly implemented CRM
- A content management system
- Google Analytics -Read more on how to properly set-up Google Analytics for your website-.
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Another key to a well-functioning MarTech stack is integration. Make sure the technologies you use can be integrated together. Smooth exchange of information between your platforms will simplify data integration and analysis.
Get all the benefits from MarTech
MarTech assists marketers in all the steps of their operations. Modern organizations use technology to automate repetitive tasks, get insights from their data, and eventually improve the effectiveness of their operations.
You might not be making the most of free and available tools that could improve your marketing performance. If you need help updating your marketing technologies, we’d love to help. Reach out to our team!
