How to create the perfect marketing technology stack in 2023
| November 10, 2022
Wondering what a marketing technology stack, or MarTech stack, is exactly? And which tools you should be considering for your marketing stack as your organization heads into 2023?
You’re not alone. According to research by Gartner, average marketing budget spending went up from 6.4% in 2021 to 9.5% in 2022 across industries, which is a great sign. However, spending is still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels.
That means marketers have to be extra picky when choosing marketing tools.
While marketing operations was in the top three areas for spending from CMOs in 2022, 22% of CMOs stated they still lack the marketing technology to get the job done.
The solution: Maximize the impact of MarTech investments by focusing spending on tools that streamline marketing operations.
Below, we have compiled an overview of the top marketing technologies to consider as you build your marketing tech stack, and why digital asset management should be at the top of your list.
What is a marketing technology stack?
A marketing technology stack, or MarTech stack, is a specific collection of solutions and tools that create automation through data and process integrations. MarTech stacks make your operation run smoothly and generate revenue by improving business processes such as sales enablement, product launches, eCommerce automation, email marketing, and social channel workflow management.
In other words, streamlining your marketing stack makes your team more productive and improves business results.
How does a marketing stack work?
Marketing technology works together to generate better business outcomes by using built-in integrations or application programming interfaces (APIs). These automated touch points create bridges between tools for data to flow freely in your tech stack.
In other words, data can move between applications without manual processes from your team to intervene.
After all, you want your team focused on core business processes instead of moving files from A to B, right?
For example, instead of a social media manager communicating with a designer for a specific file for the latest social media campaign, an optimized marketing technology stack could automatically and seamlessly sync the asset required directly inside the social management solution.
Now, your social media manager is equipped to move faster and produce better results.
What to consider as you build out your marketing tool stack
Getting the right business technology to power your marketing operations isn’t something you should piece together lightly. After all, this technology needs to power your teams and drive actual growth toward revenue goals, not just improve productivity.
Here are a few tips as you start researching which types of tools to consider for your marketing budget in 2023:
Aligns with your strategy
The tools you choose shouldn’t necessarily follow the next trend or be the favorite tool of new executives coming in the door. Every tool needs to meet specific business and team needs head on to be the most effective.
For example, while one marketing automation tool may be a preferred tool in the industry and amongst executives at your organization, an emerging tool in automation may have exactly the features and capabilities your sales and demand generation teams need to compete in the market at a better price.
Meets team pain points head on
Ensure that the tools you select meet current pain points that teams are experiencing. Sit down and talk with managers and sole contributors in different marketing departments to find out where the headaches are (and which tools are causing them).
Once you have a list, identify common themes and tools listed, and see which marketing technologies might be able to solve both.
Integrates with current marketing tool stack
Don’t forget to check integration compatibility between the tools you are researching and your current marketing tech stack. It would be a complete disaster to onboard a new work management solution only to find out that the tool doesn’t integrate with your creative or storage solutions.
Optimize your marketing operations by ensuring as many of your tools in your stack integrate as possible.
What is the perfect marketing stack?
Deciding on the perfect stack isn’t easy. From work management and digital asset management solutions all the way to marketing automation or social management tools, there are a plethora of options available in each category.
Here are the platforms you should consider adding to your marketing tool stack in 2023:
Digital asset management solutions
Digital asset management (DAM) platforms, such as Canto, provide a place for all files for your marketing campaigns to be stored, organized, and distributed. DAM software creates a single source of truth for all your digital assets across the content lifecycle because all teams are working from the same approved content in your library. DAM platforms sync with your work management, content management system, marketing automation, and social media management solutions, to name a few. Integration within your marketing tool stack allows all digital assets to appear at the right time, in the right place, with the right team.
Work management solutions
Work management tools, such as Wrike and Adobe WorkFront, are crucial for ensuring your projects and tasks are managed efficiently and completed on time, within scope, and even on budget. You need to ensure data integrates across your marketing stack using integrations, or manual processes from your creative and project management teams will slow down creative workflows.
Productivity solutions
Your production and copywriting teams need a place to get the actual task work done noted in your projects, which is where Microsoft tools such as Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Teams really shine. Teams can get together quickly to brainstorm in Teams, and then move seamlessly into collaborative task work. And the real magic happens when work management and productivity solutions sync files and assets through integration in your marketing technology stack.
Asset creation solutions
Your creative team needs a place where they can create and design assets such as animations, custom graphics, image editing, or landing page layouts. That’s where free tools like Canva and premium solutions such as Figma or Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro are useful. Designers often struggle to find the right asset across file storage solutions or keep the most up-to-date content version correct in the work management tool, which is why integration with other tools in the stack is a must.
Search engine optimization solutions
Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential for small and large organizations alike. You may be handling SEO services in-house using SEO software, or you could be working with an SEO agency that handles site auditing, on-page and off-page optimization recommendations, and new SEO content for you. Regardless, SEO must be part of your tool stack if you are going to take market share from competitors, own specific keywords in your industry, and generate more leads without upping your PPC or paid social spend.
Content management system (CMS) solutions
Content management system (CMS) tools such as WordPress and Drupal bring your finished digital assets onto your website for viewing. CMS tools populate incredibly important pages such as product pages, landing pages, blogs, and more. There are both open source and proprietary software versions of CMS to choose from.
CMS tools and DAM solutions are not the same thing. When comparing DAM vs CMS, note that CMS distributes only finalized assets ready for consumers to your site, whereas your DAM holds all digital assets and metadata surrounding them. Both marketing stack platforms are essential for marketing success.
Marketing automation solutions
If your organization is going to scale outbound marketing to prospects and customers effectively, you must automate processes for your team with marketing automation tools. Tools such as Mailchimp allow marketing teams to easily pair customer or lead contact lists with personalized and scheduled emails in order to increase conversions and push products.
Social management solutions
Brands must be present and engaged on social media channels in order to build followers and brand loyalty. But with the growing number of social platforms and social media assets required to engage visitors, organizations struggle to keep a consistent and on-brand publishing and engagement cadences. Marketing stack tools such as Hootsuite allow businesses to schedule content easily, see engagement on their posts, and collaborate with their teammates quickly.
Why DAM should be a part of your MarTech stack
You need to store all your new marketing content that your demand generation, social management, sales, and product teams are using daily. Digital asset management platforms are a hub for your technology ecosystem, streamlining all operations that require digital assets to power them.
You might currently be using a basic cloud storage service such as Google Drive or Dropbox. But ask yourself: are all your teams able to find and use the right files when they need them? And do you know what marketing content is being used the most?
Digital asset management solutions are more sophisticated and better suited to organize, find, and share files of all types. That means on-brand files are ready for every team member right when they need them, leading to better campaign results, more customers, and a more powerful brand.
And according to research conducted by Ascend2, DAM users are more than 2X more likely to be highly satisfied with how their digital content is currently managed and stored compared to those who use other tools for content storage.
Why you should choose Canto in your marketing stack
Canto is a leading digital asset management platform that makes organizing, finding, and sharing digital assets a breeze. Canto integrates with the tools you are already using today, making adoption for your teams and data migration a cinch. Plus, Canto has the most straightforward pricing in the industry — making it easy to factor into your 2023 tech stack planning.