The Ultimate Marketing Tech Stack

As a marketer, you know how crucial software is to the growth of your business. The market is rife with different types of software, and choosing from among them can be intimidating. Sometimes, even the many software reviews available don’t do much to help you make the right decision.

The best tech stack you choose for your company should meet the specific needs of your business. However, there are some types of software that every marketer should strive to leverage. The foundational marketing tech stack comprises the following:

  • Content management systems
  • Customer relationship management
  • Marketing automation software

Here’s a look at some of these software platforms, what they entail, and some examples.

 

Related: Introduction to Tech Stack

 

  • Content Management Systems

Any enterprise that wants to succeed in today’s competitive market must have a website. It’s the first content management system you should have on your list of tools to enhance your marketing efforts. Your website should be well-laid-out and clean to help you execute a strong marketing strategy.

Some top Content Management Systems you can consider using are as follows.

  • HubSpot: which it’s a one-stop-shop for all your marketing, sales, and service needs. It’s a flexible platform that allows you to work with a variety of themes and content structures. With it, you can create and edit pages on your own.
  • WordPress: it’s one of the standout CMS that comes with the benefits of being extremely user-friendly. On its downside, WordPress has frequent updates that cause changes without notice.

 

  • Customer Relationship Management Software

CRM software is a lot better than tracking your leads through an Excel spreadsheet. The right stack of CRMs will help you manage relationships with customers and prospects. The following are some CRMs that’ll help you simplify the outreach methods through reminders and workflows.

  • HubSpot is user-friendly and easy to integrate with other tools in the tech stack. The platform caters to all types of business enterprises, from small to large.
  • Salesforce has been in the front line in the cloud-based CRM industry for its ability to tailor and individualize reports. However, it has a lengthy implementation process and is better suited for corporations.
  • Microsoft Dynamics is a platform that offers more profound insights into business intelligence. Its only shortcoming is that it’s only optimized for integration with Microsoft products.
  • Zoho is a more appropriate option for companies with little experience with CRM software. It comes cheap but lacks a good share of the advancements in other CRMs.

 

Related: What is Evergreen Content? 

 

  • Marketing Automation Software

Marketing automation platforms have a pivotal role to play in campaign execution. They’re the critical drivers of growth and are flexible enough to host email marketing campaigns, social media campaigns, and nurture campaigns. Some recommendable software for this purpose include

  • HubSpot: by now, you can tell that this platform can help you achieve a lot in your marketing efforts. The user-friendly platform allows blogging, SEO, social media monitoring, email marketing, and analytics.
  • Pardot, which integrates seamlessly with CRM software; however, it’s not the most user-friendly marketing automation platform.
  • Mailchimp: It’s less noticeable but an excellent choice for companies with little experience with marketing automation. It’s affordable, has a variety of templates, but unfortunately provides little flexibility.

These three levels of marketing software should form the foundation of your marketing tech stack. CMS, CRM, and marketing automation should be your top priority.

If you’re looking to expand the marketing tech stack further, consider adding the following platforms.

  • Conversational Marketing Software

Conversational marketing has increased in leaps and bounds over the years. It can shorten sales cycles and improve customer experience; some channels to help implement the strategy include Drift, HubSpot, and Conversia.

Conversia is known for its ability to engage with leads without the need for human interaction. This may be a blessing or a curse depending on the importance you place on social interaction.

  • Video Hosting Software

Video marketing is a must-have for all companies. Leveraging can be hard without the right tools for video production and software for the finished product. Some platforms to get you started are HubSpot, Vidyard, Wistia, and YouTube.

  • Reporting and Analytics Software

You need to generate reports and analyze how your target audience is responding to your marketing efforts. A few popular platforms for this task include HubSpot, InsightSquared, and Grow.

  • Sales Enablement

After executing the marketing strategies, you need to ensure the sales team is set up for success. Sales enablement and acceleration tools will come in handy for the team when working on the database. Some suitable tools include HubSpot, SalesLoft, Gong, Outreach, and Crystal.

  • Search Engine Optimization Software

Organic traffic is crucial for your lead generation efforts. Align your website content with a reliable SEO platform to make it known to more people. Consider using SEMrush, Moz, and Google.

  • Paid Search

You may take a while to gain some traffic to your site, even when you have SEO software. Some paid advertising will help you gain some quick wins as you work toward improving your organic search. Google Ads, Bing Ads, WordStream, and SEMrush will help you on that end.

  • Paid Social

Placing ads on social media sites will also boost your marketing efforts. Facebook has, by far, the largest social network. Ads on the platform reach audiences within a vast network for better engagement. Other platforms are Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

  • Account-Based Marketing

ABM focuses on identifying companies that are a good fit before identifying their interest. This approach works well for companies with a customer base in a particular niche. Achieve your ABM strategy by using software like Terminus, Madison Logic, and Demandbase.

  • Project Management Software

A marketer has many roles to play, and sometimes, it can be challenging to keep up with all of them. Project Management Software will keep you up to date with ongoing projects. Platforms like Accelo, Basecamp, Asana, and Mavenlink are ideal for this task.

  • Content Creation and Collaboration Software

Content marketing is the pillar of a successful inbound marketing strategy. A strong plan sets a company apart from the rest of the competition. Some ideas for content creation and collaboration software are GatherContent, Google Docs, and Ceros, among others.

  • Graphic Design

Content creation doesn’t end at putting words together to pass a message across. Ensure the content is designed with visual appeal and is readable to improve its effectiveness. Use tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, Sketch, and Canva.

Although you don’t need all these platforms in your marketing tech stack, they can improve effectiveness. Carefully consider putting together those that your company needs the most to achieve its marketing goals.

Takeaway

The software platforms mentioned above are just a few of the many that exist out there. Most, if not all, can be an added resource to your business.

Ultimately, the best combination of marketing software depends on your needs. Do your research and figure out which stack best works for your various teams and business model.