You've heard of different job titles, like frontend developer, backend developer, full-stack developer, etc. Have you heard of MarTech developer?
MarTech is not something new, it's here for quite some time, but the way it exploded and grow over the past few years is phenomenal.
I haven't heard of it, until working before in a growth marketing agency, where I learn marketing concepts and principles and how a developer can play a part in marketing.
What is Martech?
Any tool or software that can help you to automate, optimize, or even enable you to do your marketing efforts is Martech or Marketing Technology.
Martech rides on the back of any technological advancement, whether it's artificial intelligence or blockchain, every technology effects and opens new doors of opportunity in martech.
Before becoming a martech developer you should know why to become a martech developer?
Why Martech?
Due to the boom of martech, marketing, and advertising agencies around the world are hiring developers to automate their existing processes and build automation tools.
Not just that Martech jobs are ranked #3 in Linkedin's 2020 emerging jobs report. This clearly shows how Martech landscape is growing and there is an enormous need for developers.
Now let's discuss what you exactly need to become a martech developer.
Marketing Knowledge
Most developers think that martech is only for marketeers, but that's not true. You don't have to be a marketeer to become a martech developer.
Marketing knowledge totally depends on the job you're looking for. For example, if a company wants to automate Facebook or Google Ads reporting or advertising then you need to learn Google Ads and Facebook Ads APIs.
It's all about how familiar you're with the marketing tools and their APIs.
However, most companies give starter training but it's still good to have good basic knowledge before going for a job.
I will explain below which basic APIs and tools you need to learn to get started.
Which programming language I need to learn?
There is no perfect or preferred programming language you need to learn to become a martech developer.
A language that can be used for anything is what you need.
Having a good command of a general purpose language like JavaScript, Python, PHP, etc is all you need.
I would prefer Javascript, because whether you want to create a web app or a mobile app, or even a desktop application, JS is all you need to know.
Of course strong skills in HTML, CSS is also required, if you're aiming to build tools for the web.
Tools you should know
The martech landscape is growing like never before every day new tools are coming, but don't worry you don't need to learn every single tool.
Get yourself familiar with popular tools that are used by marketing agencies every day. Beginner to intermediate knowledge is enough to build solutions on top of these tools.
I am listing down the categories of tools with some examples, all you need is to search for top tools in these categories to get yourself familiar with them.
- Ads Manager (Facebook Business Manager, Google Ads Manager)
- Analytics (Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel)
- Email Marketing tools (MailChimp, Aweber, HubSpot)
- Integrations tools (Zapier)
- CRM (Hubspot, Salesforce)
Keeping in mind that these tools are made for marketeers, that's why your focus should be to have a technical understanding of the tool and its APIs. As a martech developer, you'll be making solutions on top of these tools to make things easier for marketeers.
From where should I learn all these things?
Well, that's simple, Youtube!
Whenever I want to learn something new, youtube is the best way to get some basics to get started.
But that's not enough always to give some time to official documentation or tutorials of the tools for a complete in-depth understanding of concepts.
Facebook and Google have official resources where you can get started.
Final Thought
Marketing agencies need developers who are creative and agile enough to play with data and pull out results and reports to empower the marketing teams to make effective strategies.
Now marketeers are exploring technologies like Machine Learning, Blockchain, Virtual Reality, etc to come up with out of the box ideas for their clients, and that's where a martech developer comes to help them to find the right technology.
If you're planning to give your career a shift in 2021 then martech is definitely an option to think about.
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