Is your current MarTech stack ready to grow with you? As your team and your marketing objectives grow or change, your tech stack must grow with you.
A marketing technology (MarTech) stack consists of all your team's software and technology to achieve marketing objectives. CRM platforms, marketing automation, website and SEO tools, and content creation assistants are all examples of applications within a MarTech stack.
Your tech stack can make a big impact when utilized correctly, from helping streamline processes and saving time for your team to providing valuable insights. Use these tips to build a scalable marketing tech stack for your team.
Identify Your Primary Goals
Before choosing which tools to add to your MarTech stack, you’ll need to understand your organization’s goals, current marketing initiatives, and strategy moving forward.
Understanding your organization’s goals will help you establish a strong foundation for building a MarTech stack that enables better decision-making, increases communication across departments, and helps your organization grow.>
Ask yourself the following questions to establish how your team can measure success:
- What will our goals be in 6 months to a year?
- How will our organization meet those goals?
- Which KPIs will be measured?
- How frequently will we need to evaluate KPIs?
Understand How Your Team Uses Technology
It’s likely your team is already utilizing tools such as project management software, email platforms, and content creation tools within their daily workflows. Assess current platforms and how they contribute to your team’s success and overall ROI.
Identify any challenges or bottlenecks your team is currently facing. Does your team struggle to report on specific metrics? Are there communication issues across departments? By understanding your team’s challenges and areas of success with your current tech stack, you will realize which platforms facilitate success and which platforms may be missing the mark.
Establish Your Budget
What will it take to build your dream MarTech stack? Consider how much your organization is willing to invest in a platform.
Some platforms may not list their pricing outright and will require you to schedule a product demo. Don’t get caught up in a shiny sales pitch! Be sure to come prepared with your list of requirements and understand what it will take to crush your organization’s goals.
Understand if the platform operates on a subscription basis, how many users will need access, and which features are essential. Platforms often offer a tiered pricing model and charge more for additional user access and enhanced product features. If your team can share a single subscription or you only need basic features, your organization could save money in the long run by only upgrading as needed.
Research Tools Needed For Your MarTech Stack
After establishing goals, understanding your team’s needs, and outlining a budget, it’s time to research products to fit within your MarTech stack.
Need any ideas on where to start? Begin by determining which platforms your team will need to communicate and share information effectively. Platforms such as GoogleDrive or Microsoft’s OneDrive can help your team quickly collaborate and easily access files across departments. Additionally, project management systems such as ActiveCollab, Asana, or Monday can help your team stay organized, meet deadlines, and quickly share updates.
Increase efficiency by finding the right marketing automation platform. Platforms such as HubSpot, Omnisend, and Marketo can help your team automate marketing processes to spend more time focusing on strategy.
Evaluate how software can integrate to maximize productivity. For example, HubSpot can increase efficiency by acting both as a CRM platform and a marketing automation tool. Hubspot offers features such as email marketing while still integrating with popular tools such as Google Ads and WordPress. Identifying platforms that can support your team in multiple areas can help you stay within budget, streamline employee onboarding, and break down silos.
Streamline Processes
Identify clear processes for how your team will use your new tech stack. By streamlining processes and getting the entire team up to speed, you will minimize frustrations and increase overall efficiency. Be sure to account for any time needed to onboard and train employees with the new software.
Communicate with your team to understand how they are utilizing new tools. Document your team’s processes and any issues to work through bottlenecks quickly. After establishing your tech stack and streamlining processes, evaluate the ROI of each platform regularly to ensure these tools are supporting your primary goals.
Ready to crush KPIs and build your dream MarTech stack? Contact the GROWL team!