What is MarTech: Defined, explored, and streamlined

Canto PIM
Hands placing marketing technology icons onto a laptop, including documents, search, videos, images, graphs, and workflows on an orange background.

What is MarTech?

MarTech, short for marketing technology, is a category of specialized tools that enable marketers to plan, execute, and measure campaigns. Connected marketing technologies integrate data, automation, and collaboration to enable faster, smarter, and more scalable marketing operations.

For modern marketing teams, MarTech is more than just software — it’s a framework that connects every part of the go-to-market ecosystem. From managing digital content to automating workflows and analyzing performance, MarTech solutions ensure teams can deliver consistent customer experiences across every channel.

Marketing technology helps unify teams, improve efficiency, and align marketing activities with business goals — all while reducing manual tasks and siloed processes.

What are the benefits of MarTech?

MarTech enables teams to work more efficiently, improve collaboration, and make data-driven decisions. The most significant advantages include:

  1. Operational efficiency: MarTech breaks down information silos between teams and improves team efficiency
  2. Faster content delivery: Automated content workflows reduce delays and bottlenecks
  3. Improved collaboration: Centralized platforms allow marketing, creative, and sales teams to work together smoothly
  4. Data-backed insights: Analytics platforms turn campaign metrics into actionable strategies and inform future plans
  5. Scalability: MarTech platforms, like cloud-based DAM solutions, grow with an organization, adapting to new channels and technologies

Together, these benefits drive operational maturity, helping marketing teams operate with agility and focus their efforts on strategic initiatives rather than repetitive tasks.

Learn how operational maturity supports long-term marketing success.

What are examples of MarTech?

MarTech is a broad category that spans dozens of specialized tools. Below are key examples that define a modern marketing technology stack.

Digital asset management (DAM)

Digital asset management software manages, stores, and distributes all brand assets — images, videos, decks, documents, and more. For marketing teams, DAM software is a foundational technology that ensures that the right files are always available, accurate, and on brand.

DAM platforms offer capabilities such as automatic sorting and tagging, metadata suggestions, AI-driven brand templates, AI-powered search, and even content distribution automation. AI helps marketers save time, improve accuracy, and minimize manual metadata management.

Product information management (PIM)

Product information management software centralizes all product data, including dimensions, descriptions, and pricing. Purpose-built product information platforms provide marketers with a single source of truth, enabling them to create compelling campaigns.

Some modern platforms, like Canto PIM, connect product data directly with marketing assets, enabling product-driven brands to maintain consistency across e-commerce, social, and print channels. Unifying DAM and PIM in one system creates a streamlined workflow that reduces duplication and accelerates go-to-market efforts.

Work management

Work management tools and workflow automation enable teams to plan, assign, and track campaign progress effectively. Fast-moving marketing teams managing dozens of content streams require visibility and quick feedback loops into in-progress assets. When you integrate DAM and work management tools, marketers can access the latest on-brand content without breaking their stride, eliminating those pesky versioning issues entirely.

Search engine optimization (SEO)

SEO tools improve visibility by analyzing content performance and search intent. They help marketing teams identify opportunities, refine messaging, and attract web traffic. The latest SEO tools are also analyzing generative engine optimization (GEO), allowing marketers to maintain and track brand visibility within LLM search.

Productivity and collaboration

Collaboration and productivity tools connect marketing, creative, and sales teams in real time for task work. Collaborative marketing improves speed-to-market and supports brand consistency across campaigns. A unified MarTech workspace enables teams to share updates, comment on in-progress content, and maintain transparency while accelerating content lifecycle management.

Asset creation

Tools for asset creation, such as design and video editing software, form the creative backbone of MarTech stacks. When you integrate content creation tools with a DAM platform, asset handoffs, version control, organization, and delivery are streamlined, resulting in enhanced efficiency.

Read more about AI content creation.

Generative AI

AI marketing is transforming how teams create and distribute content. Generative AI assists with ideation, copywriting, and image generation, while machine learning enhances personalization and predictive targeting.

Content management system (CMS)

CMS powers websites and stores, helping teams manage and publish digital content. While CMS platforms handle the front-end experience, connecting them with a DAM ensures that approved, on-brand assets appear everywhere content is published.

Explore the differences between DAM vs. CMS.

Analytics and e-commerce insights

Analytics platforms measure performance across campaigns, channels, and customer journeys. E-commerce analytics, in particular, reveal how product content impacts sales and engagement. By linking analytics with PIM and DAM software, marketing teams gain a better view of how creative and product information drive conversions.

Marketing automation

Marketing automation software enables marketers to manage email campaigns, lead scoring, and customer journeys efficiently at scale. When connected to centralized content systems, such as DAM software, automation tools can help deliver segmented, on-brand experiences.

Social media management

Social media asset management platforms activate digital marketing strategies for social channels. Scheduling, monitoring, and analytics tools give teams control over their presence and brand reputation. Integrating social media management tools with DAM software ensures that the right creative assets are always available for campaigns.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP)

Enterprise resource planning systems connect financial, supply chain, and operational data. Integrating ERP and PIM software enables a smooth data flow between marketing, sales, and operational teams, supporting consistent product launches, pricing updates, and better forecasting.

Read more about the differences between PIM vs. ERP.

Customer relationship management (CRM)

CRM systems centralize all your customer data and interactions. They can be a game changer for enabling meaningful customer engagement, ensuring consistency in messaging and approach, and driving sales success. When linked with DAM software, CRM systems can keep marketing, business development, and account executives and managers on point and on brand during live calls and interactions.

Advertising

Digital advertising platforms use data to target and optimize campaigns, enhancing ad placement and creative performance. Modern ad platforms automate tasks that previously required manual input.

Learn more about AI advertising and how it’s redefining ad efficiency.

How to choose the best marketing technology

Selecting the right MarTech depends on your team’s goals, existing infrastructure, and growth stage. For marketing teams, the focus should be on tooling integration, scalability, and intuitive technologies.

Consider these key factors when evaluating MarTech platforms:

  1. Integration: Choose systems that connect your marketing toolkit for streamlined end-to-end content workflows
  2. Intuitive use: Prioritize tools with simple yet powerful interfaces that reduce time to value
  3. Scalability: Ensure the MarTech has a future-proof roadmap
  4. Automation: Select tools that eliminate repetitive manual tasks
  5. Proven AI capabilities: Adopt platforms that enhance productivity and keep your teams focused on strategic work

A unified approach, where content, product data, and workflows reside in one ecosystem, provides the greatest efficiency for marketing operations. Explore this philosophy further in Canto’s webinar: Hack Your MarTech Stack: Reimagining Your Technology and Workflows for Smarter Marketing.

Why Canto PIM is foundational marketing technology

As MarTech continues to evolve, marketing teams are shifting toward all-in-one platforms and unified operations. That’s why leading product-driven organizations use next-generation marketing technology like Canto PIM.

Canto PIM combines DAM and PIM functionality within an AI-embedded platform, enabling marketing teams to find and deliver product and brand content more efficiently. With these capabilities, marketing teams can:

  • Centralize operations for regional and global content teams
  • Maintain brand consistency across every channel
  • Accelerate time-to-market with AI-powered organization and automation
  • Scale content production with streamlined workflows

In 2026 and beyond, unified marketing technology platforms like Canto PIM will define how marketing teams operate — combining intelligence, collaboration, and control to deliver exceptional customer experiences at scale.