{"id":23166,"date":"2022-12-13T19:47:13","date_gmt":"2022-12-13T19:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/13\/3-steps-to-building-an-effective-martech-stack\/"},"modified":"2022-12-13T19:47:13","modified_gmt":"2022-12-13T19:47:13","slug":"3-steps-to-building-an-effective-martech-stack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/13\/3-steps-to-building-an-effective-martech-stack\/","title":{"rendered":"3 steps to building an effective martech stack"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Marketers don\u2019t have to be overwhelmed by technology if they stick to basic principles when assembling their marketing technology stack. These three steps will come in handy when navigating the complicated landscape of over 10,000 martech companies.<\/p>\n

Bad stack features to avoid<\/h2>\n

But first, what does a bad stack look like?<\/p>\n

\u201cNumber one, an ineffective martech stack is incomplete,\u201d said Darrell Alfonso, global marketing operations for Amazon Web Services \u00a0at The MarTech Conference<\/a>. \u201dYou don\u2019t have the tools and you don\u2019t have the services to actually achieve the objectives that you\u2019re trying to hit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or, you have several tools that are used for the same task, making your martech stack cluttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cA martech stack that has multiple tools that do the exact same thing is ineffective,\u201d said Alfonso. \u201cIt\u2019s extremely costly, and to be honest, can cause chaos within the marketing organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lastly, a bad martech stack has tools in it that are underutilized. They might have been acquired by well-intentioned executives but were never fully implemented in marketing processes and strategies.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrganizations all over the world buy tools and they sit on the shelf,\u201d Alfonso explained. \u201cIt\u2019s sometimes called shelf wear because these tools are not being properly utilized, again causing waste and chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n

1: Start with the customer journey<\/h2>\n

So how does your organization get on the right path? Start with who matters most \u2014 the customer. Begin to think about all the important actions that the customer takes when interacting with your company.<\/p>\n

\u201cStart with the customer journey,\u201d Alfonso said. \u201cWhat does their experience look like? What are the different types of touchpoints that they\u2019re experiencing with your business?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dig deeper: What is digital transformation?<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

He added, \u201cAnd then from there, map it out to the specific solutions that you need to support the customer experience that you want. That\u2019s why starting with the customer journey and the overall customer experience is the most important part.\u201d<\/p>\n

2: Identify core business needs<\/h2>\n

The martech stack needs to conform to the specific needs of your business. It shouldn\u2019t include solutions that look good on paper but don\u2019t support core business operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany marketers make the mistake of building their martech stack like they\u2019re building a set of golf clubs,\u201d said Alfonso. You don\u2019t need to add a putter or a driver just for the sake of checking off those boxes.<\/p>\n

Instead, map out your core business needs and make sure you have platforms that fit.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor any marketing team, there are some jobs that really need to be done,\u201d said Alfonso. \u201cWe need to engage the customer, we need to get in alignment with sales, whether that\u2019s from a B2B perspective, or whether that\u2019s capturing their credit card information.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dig deeper: <\/em><\/strong>More than 60% of B2B marketers say martech stack is too complex<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Often these core functions are carried out by a marketing automation platform (MAP) or email service provider, in addition to some kind of customer relationship management (CRM) system. A work management platform will help teams collaborate and carry out marketing-related projects.<\/p>\n

Then, to serve business intelligence functions, the stack should include an analytics platform. Data visualization tools also help team members gain insights and make informed business decisions.<\/p>\n

Understanding the core needs behind these tools is a top priority before picking out the right solution for your company.<\/p>\n

3: Make sure data is unified<\/h2>\n

As your organization assembles the stack make sure that marketing data is accessible by all these different tools.<\/p>\n

This goes back to customer experience. If different parts of a campaign help move a customer smoothly through their journey, that\u2019s because data like customer preferences and personalization are also unified to help power the experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to send you that perfect email, we first need to know who you are, what your preferences are,\u201d said Alfonso. \u201cThis is where demographic and behavioral information comes in\u2026We can make better decisions, update our segments and then improve the process once again in a sort of cyclical fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alfonso added, \u201cGreat marketing feels like magic, but in reality it\u2019s great martech and great marketing operations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mapping out core customer and business needs, while making sure your data is unified, will help you build out an effective martech stack, and closer to making your own marketing magic.<\/p>\n

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