Most marketing leaders are tired of fragmented marketing tools that cause silos. Every CMO and marketing operations leader asks only one question in this regard, which tools will truly simplify their work? What combinations promote efficiency rather than complexity? The solution is to approach your marketing tech stack strategy as an operating system for growth, rather than a shopping list.
In this article, we’ll discuss the roadmap to simplify your MarTech stack and turn your technology into the streamlined engine of growth it was always meant to be.
Why marketing technology matters
When you prioritize integrated marketing tools that work seamlessly, reporting becomes easier. In fact, it also helps your team to concentrate on driving results rather than managing technology. Without a clear MarTech stack strategy, even the most advanced tools fail.
So, the key is to simplify your MarTech stack rather than fragmenting it so that it promotes collaboration.
Key principles to simplify your MarTech stack
- Purpose served: Every single tool in your MarTech stack strategy should address a specific issue or provide measurable value
- Ease of use: Choose marketing platforms that are intuitive and, thus, encourage adoption
- Break down silos: Prioritize integrated marketing tools that eliminate silos and redundant apps, as modern multifunctional tools can be more effective than single-purpose ones
- Scalability: Choose marketing technology that is future-ready, i.e. can scale with your company and adapt to new data requirements
Audit, analyze: the roadmap to a simpler MarTech stack
You must first understand your current MarTech stack before you can put together a better one. This is where a marketing technology audit comes in. Think of it as a Marie Kondo-esque decluttering exercise that will reveal what is truly useful and what is simply taking up space.
Here is how you can go about it:
Step 1: Take inventory
List all the platforms and software that your marketing team uses. You can expect this to be eye-opening, revealing overlapping functionalities and subscriptions for solutions that no one even remembers using
Step 2: Document the workflow
Map out your current marketing workflow and make sure it's end-to-end. The goal here is to gain insight into how things currently work, so be super realistic about how you currently do things.
Documenting each step will help you quickly identify where tools overlap and gaps exist. It will also determine where handoffs between platforms cause friction. This clarity will be the foundation for deciding which tools to keep or replace.
Step 3: Map tools to the workflow
Now take the inventory and overlay it on the workflow you have already documented. This will allow you to see which tools fit neatly into each stage. Where are the gaps? Most importantly, where are the redundancies? Redundancies provide excellent opportunities to consolidate your MarTech stack.
Step 4: Eliminate friction
Finally, rope in the stakeholders and your team. Ask them about the source of their greatest frustrations. Identifying and eliminating these pain points will allow you to not only create a more efficient workflow, but also significantly increase the productivity of your team.
How to evaluate marketing technology tools
Audit current stack
Start the evaluation by compiling a comprehensive list of every platform, tool, and software that your team uses. This audit's goal is to identify two critical issues: overlapping tools and unused tools. Both kind of tools are unnecessary expenses.
This exercise also unravels what you already have so you can put together a more efficient stack.
Must haves vs. nice to haves
It is imperative to get clarity on what is non-negotiable first. To that end, define the core features your team needs to function or provide client reporting. These features should be compatible with your workflows.
Regard everything else as a luxury. This simple framework allows you to focus solely on what will add tangible value to your business.
Integration capabilities
Prioritizing integration is fundamental to the endeavor of developing a simple, yet powerful, MarTech stack. After you've determined a given tool's primary utility, assess its integration capabilities. A great tool that does not integrate with your existing systems and analytics dashboards is just another silo in waiting.
To sum it up, a truly integrated marketing project management tool will alleviate friction while also enhancing team efficiency.
Calculate ROI
Before you consider adding new marketing software to your stack, run an ROI calculation. This would mean considering factors such as possible reduction in current costs, access to previously unavailable insights, etc. upon the addition of the said software.
Unless you can confidently forecast a clear ROI in terms of time savings, cost savings, or increased revenue, the tool is decidedly not worth it.
“More is more” is not the solution
Many of the problems that your marketing team may be facing likely stem from the "more is more" philosophy. Imagine your current marketing technology stack as a spider web. Each new piece of software added, whether for social media or analytics, is usually a quick fix to a specific need.
Before investing in a new tool, it’s important to consider how the new tool will fit into the existing ecosystem. Otherwise, the result is a disorganized web of platforms that makes it impossible to get a clear picture of your customer's journey.
This fragmentation leads to some serious pain points, including but not limited to, data silos and slowed down decision making.
Simplify, audit, evaluate: The path to smarter marketing technology
Building your marketing technology arsenal does not automatically mean creating the largest MarTech stack. The most profound impact of a simplified stack extends beyond a cleaner dashboard and a lower subscription bill.
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