Marketing Stack: Discover what a Marketing Stack is and how to organize yours
Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2025 9:00 am
Marketing is, without a doubt, one of the areas in which the impacts of digital transformation are most easily felt.
With the popularization of the Internet and the enormous possibilities of this new consumer environment, technology has become a determining factor for the success of companies.
In just over a decade, the market has been invaded by literally why choose vk database thousands of research, monitoring, analysis and campaign development tools .
There are several software and services called MarTechs, a territory that also includes AdTechs, solutions focused on advertising .
In the extremely competitive landscape that companies find themselves in today, any organization that seeks to stand out in the market needs a good Marketing Technology Stack .
That is why in this article we will talk about every detail of this topic so that you can understand it thoroughly.
Keep reading!
What is a Marketing Technology Stack?
It is a set of technological tools and services that a company uses to carry out its marketing activities .
These resources, however, are not limited to research, promotion and customer relations actions , but are also necessary to optimize the organization's internal collaboration.
In Digital Marketing , whose very nature dictates the use of such instruments, CMS , CRM and advertising services such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads are very common, which are probably the main examples of MarTech and Adtechs today.
However, this is just a small part of a huge universe of tools .
The number of MarTech vendors has grown from 150 in 2011 to more than 8,000 in 2020, a growth tracked year-over-year by Scott Brinker, co-founder of Ion Interactive and editor of the Chief Marketing Technologist blog .
Although many tools were not continued in 2019, the creation – or discovery – of MarTechs carried out by him and his team exceeded the lost numbers.
His famous illustrative map Marketing Technology Landscape , which shows the global MarTechs scene, has never been so abundant, a true “metropolis” of solutions for the most diverse Marketing needs .
It is really up to marketers to identify the technologies that are needed across this vast landscape of services and then build their Marketing Technology Stack, or simply MarTech Stack.
We must not make the mistake of understanding this set as a simple grouping of tools.
It is necessary to adopt a dynamic approach in which the different contracted services work in an integrated way, so you must always remember: your Marketing Technology Stack must function as a large body capable of creating, monitoring and executing strategies .
Why invest in MarTechs?
As Brinker's map showed, the MarTech market is huge and its share is increasing in terms of investment by companies.
The latest survey conducted by Gartner revealed that, on average, 26% of organizations' marketing budget is already allocated to technological resources.
The digitalization of processes that is taking place on a global scale, as well as the consolidation of different online platforms, are leading to a gradual expansion , in the words of Philip Kotler , from the traditional to the digital.
However, this phenomenon goes beyond a cultural transition. Technology makes marketing operations extremely precise, which attracts talents in the field and leaders because of the possibility of optimizing results.
Below, we will discuss the main factors that justify the growing demand for MarTechs. Keep reading!
Optimizing results
Since its inception, marketing has been seen as an empirical work, although creative aspects are indispensable.
Today, with the help of a wealth of data and sophisticated analytical tools, we are witnessing unprecedented precision in different spheres of its activity.
Among many other aspects, this provides greater security, whether for the professionals who execute the strategies or for the companies that invest resources in this task.
As all actions are continuously tested, monitored and improved, return on investment tends to be significantly enhanced.
Integration between different work teams
Marketing operations are increasingly close to information technology, making dialogue with this area as important as with the sales team .
In this way, we return to the vision of the company as a large body with interdependent functions , in which the Marketing Technologies Set provides the necessary structure so that collaboration between the different areas of the business occurs in the most productive way possible.
Innovation in working models
Automation technologies have allowed professionals in numerous areas to free themselves from basic tasks that were detrimental to their performance ; this phenomenon is known as Industry 4.0 .
And more and more people are occupying creative, intelligence and strategy positions in companies, which pleases managers and employees.
However, its benefits go further, with Marketing activities and other areas focused on the use of software , companies have the opportunity to offer different working models.
This includes, for example, home office , a strong trend that was anticipated by the new Coronavirus pandemic .
Geographical freedom
Since a considerable part of a company's activities are carried out via the Internet, geographical barriers are overcome .
Professionals from different geographic locations can actively contribute to business decisions and operations , enriching knowledge and diversity in the work environment, even if it is virtual.
Many companies with teams spread across multiple locations already benefit from this capability.
Planning, communication and management platforms allow for the integration of strategies carried out by teams from different regions of the country or the world.
Market innovation
We are in a time of rapid change, in which trends become market rules in a very short time.
In this scenario, companies cannot stand still, even if their results are satisfactory. Innovation is essential to remain relevant .
New technologies and advertising and business models are announced every year.
In this context, several of these innovations may represent opportunities to improve the company's performance , whether in its operations, its reputation or its ability to attract and retain customers.
It is necessary to remain alert to changes.
How to build a Marketing Technology Stack?
In a landscape of over 8,000 marketing tools, how do you choose the best solutions to create an effective Marketing Technology Stack?
In addition to being located in this vast territory of digital solutions, we need to be able to choose the best options available for each demand of our company.
Below, we will tell you some points that you should take into account when making your decisions.
1. Focus on simplifying
Don't forget that one of the main goals of all these tools is to simplify your company's operations. This means that any excess can be more annoying than helpful.
Hiring too many services, especially tools that don't integrate easily, can make your job more complex, reduce your accuracy, and lead to unnecessary costs.
The design and operation of platforms needs to be analysed to ensure that they are truly capable of fulfilling their purpose.
2. Consider your goals
Although many MarTechs have very complete functions, each one of them presents a proposition that must be in line with the needs of your business. Therefore, strategically clarify your objectives and then look for the solutions that best meet them.
While this position seems obvious, it is important to highlight it, since the great push for innovation addressed in various events and ongoing works can lead managers to invest in expendable resources.
Technology is not an end in itself, it is a vehicle for you to achieve a certain result. It is in your marketing plan that you should focus.
Marketing Plan for 2022
3. Perform benchmarking
The best tools tend to stand out in the market. The practice of analyzing the results and tools of the competition is valid in all business categories , but it is especially relevant in the B2B market .
Looking at the experience of other companies with certain MarTechs, we can attest not only to their technical attributes, but also to their quality of service and support, which are equally important factors.
4. Check the impacts on your operation
Technology can save a company and its professionals from having to perform a variety of repetitive and stressful tasks, as well as providing greater dynamism and agility in complex jobs.
However, it can also create demands that managers must take into account.
By choosing, for example, a tool that does not connect with the essential services of your MarTech Stack, you will have to change vendors immediately , which will increase your acquisition costs .
5. Evaluate costs and benefits
Naturally, building your Marketing Technology Stack will also be affected by your budget and the company’s management priorities, which is one of the main “filters” for choosing tools.
It is worth noting that in addition to technical adjustments, training will be required for employees to learn how to use the resources .
Depending on the characteristics of the platform and the services provided by your provider, hiring specialized professionals may also be a necessity.
What are the main types of tools on the market?
As we have already explained, there are very wide-ranging tools, but there are also very specific solutions focused on market niches .
However, within the current panorama of Digital Marketing , there are some categories of services that can already be considered essential for the development, management and measurement of strategies.
We will talk about them below!
Content creation and management
CMS (Content Management Systems) gained notoriety with the popularization of websites, but it was Content Marketing that was responsible for making the public see these software as true corporate management and communication centers.
WordPress is already one of the most acclaimed open source software in the world and powers most of the websites on the Internet.
In this area, we also have DAM (Digital Asset Management). This system focuses on the storage, organization and access control of digital assets, a need that has gained prominence with the growing use of data in the different spheres of business.
Customer Base Management
Those who work with Digital Marketing are used to hearing about the importance of lead generation . However, what really drives results is the way in which these contacts are worked .
This is where the famous CRM (Customer Relationship Management) comes in, software that orchestrates all communication with your audience.
The functionality of these services can vary widely depending on the provider. There are solutions equipped with email marketing systems , customer support and even online chats, as well as segmentation and evaluation resources.
It is up to the responsible manager to choose between an all-in-one platform or outsourcing these functions to separate MarTechs.
Social media management
Social media has changed the relationship between brands and consumers on the Internet, becoming one of the main channels for generating authority and customer loyalty.
However, the performance of companies in these environments also depends on well-established strategies and active monitoring , since users expect quick responses.
In this area, we have tools to discover mentions, schedule posts, trigger automatic messages based on keywords in comments, and much more.
Data analysis (analytics)
The sheer volume of data marketers use would be worthless without a sufficient means of collecting, organizing, and presenting it in a comprehensible and usable manner.
The platforms that do this work are DMPs (Data Management Platforms) and CDPs (Customer Data Platforms).
In general, companies that already have a data-driven infrastructure work with 1st, 2nd and 3rd-party data sets to perform market analysis and automate communication and sales operations.
Advertising and SEO
Internet advertising tools such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads are widely known and are at the heart of today's paid advertising strategies . These Adtechs help advertisers create, publish and measure the results of specific campaigns.
At the other extreme, we have the tools to generate organic traffic oriented to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) practices .
In both fields, the set of tools available is huge: from platforms for planning keywords to solutions for carrying out conversion tests .
seo guide
Project Management
The MarTechs market also offers a generous range of solutions to facilitate collaboration and increase the productivity of work teams.
The idea behind these platforms is to concentrate the company's various tasks in a shared and multipurpose environment , as well as enabling communication between the professionals involved in a practical and organized way.
The great advantage of these tools is that they simulate a virtual office where the progress of projects can be followed very clearly, even if the people involved are far away. An essential tool, especially for coordinating home office teams.
How to map my Marketing Technology Stack?
To help managers navigate the extremely rich and growing MarTechs market, Gartner annually updates its interactive “traffic map,” The Digital Marketing Transit Map .
There are several reference points there to make it easy to identify the best technologies available for our business, including illustrating those that work best together.
By accessing the interactive content —filling out the Gartner form —we were able to highlight the different “paths” (search, customer experience , mobile, analytics, among others) in which the technologies are integrated and check the relationships between them, as well as the connections between marketing and IT functions.
Gartner's material is valuable and provides information for different companies and professionals to have a broad vision of the current technological panorama of Marketing.
However, you can also map your own Marketing Technology Stack to illustrate the tools used in your business specifically.
Its construction can be done as a conceptual map . Feel free to create its visual format, but make sure it is clear and well structured.
Although their purpose sounds abstract, these representations help us understand operations, identify bottlenecks, and gain valuable insights to improve strategies.
Follow the guidelines below to make your marketing technology roadmap truly effective.
Set a goal for your map
The essential purpose of your map is to clearly show the various marketing operations that involve your business.
However, when faced with a given result, we can provide more elements to help us make decisions about it.
Your company may, for example, want to:
Increase business productivity: detail all business activities and processes to identify areas that can be optimized.
Improve customer experience: Document the entire customer journey and highlight the lowest performing areas to provide improvements.
Reduce costs: Clarify the functions and outcomes of each technology used in the business to identify duplicate or redundant services.
With the popularization of the Internet and the enormous possibilities of this new consumer environment, technology has become a determining factor for the success of companies.
In just over a decade, the market has been invaded by literally why choose vk database thousands of research, monitoring, analysis and campaign development tools .
There are several software and services called MarTechs, a territory that also includes AdTechs, solutions focused on advertising .
In the extremely competitive landscape that companies find themselves in today, any organization that seeks to stand out in the market needs a good Marketing Technology Stack .
That is why in this article we will talk about every detail of this topic so that you can understand it thoroughly.
Keep reading!
What is a Marketing Technology Stack?
It is a set of technological tools and services that a company uses to carry out its marketing activities .
These resources, however, are not limited to research, promotion and customer relations actions , but are also necessary to optimize the organization's internal collaboration.
In Digital Marketing , whose very nature dictates the use of such instruments, CMS , CRM and advertising services such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads are very common, which are probably the main examples of MarTech and Adtechs today.
However, this is just a small part of a huge universe of tools .
The number of MarTech vendors has grown from 150 in 2011 to more than 8,000 in 2020, a growth tracked year-over-year by Scott Brinker, co-founder of Ion Interactive and editor of the Chief Marketing Technologist blog .
Although many tools were not continued in 2019, the creation – or discovery – of MarTechs carried out by him and his team exceeded the lost numbers.
His famous illustrative map Marketing Technology Landscape , which shows the global MarTechs scene, has never been so abundant, a true “metropolis” of solutions for the most diverse Marketing needs .
It is really up to marketers to identify the technologies that are needed across this vast landscape of services and then build their Marketing Technology Stack, or simply MarTech Stack.
We must not make the mistake of understanding this set as a simple grouping of tools.
It is necessary to adopt a dynamic approach in which the different contracted services work in an integrated way, so you must always remember: your Marketing Technology Stack must function as a large body capable of creating, monitoring and executing strategies .
Why invest in MarTechs?
As Brinker's map showed, the MarTech market is huge and its share is increasing in terms of investment by companies.
The latest survey conducted by Gartner revealed that, on average, 26% of organizations' marketing budget is already allocated to technological resources.
The digitalization of processes that is taking place on a global scale, as well as the consolidation of different online platforms, are leading to a gradual expansion , in the words of Philip Kotler , from the traditional to the digital.
However, this phenomenon goes beyond a cultural transition. Technology makes marketing operations extremely precise, which attracts talents in the field and leaders because of the possibility of optimizing results.
Below, we will discuss the main factors that justify the growing demand for MarTechs. Keep reading!
Optimizing results
Since its inception, marketing has been seen as an empirical work, although creative aspects are indispensable.
Today, with the help of a wealth of data and sophisticated analytical tools, we are witnessing unprecedented precision in different spheres of its activity.
Among many other aspects, this provides greater security, whether for the professionals who execute the strategies or for the companies that invest resources in this task.
As all actions are continuously tested, monitored and improved, return on investment tends to be significantly enhanced.
Integration between different work teams
Marketing operations are increasingly close to information technology, making dialogue with this area as important as with the sales team .
In this way, we return to the vision of the company as a large body with interdependent functions , in which the Marketing Technologies Set provides the necessary structure so that collaboration between the different areas of the business occurs in the most productive way possible.
Innovation in working models
Automation technologies have allowed professionals in numerous areas to free themselves from basic tasks that were detrimental to their performance ; this phenomenon is known as Industry 4.0 .
And more and more people are occupying creative, intelligence and strategy positions in companies, which pleases managers and employees.
However, its benefits go further, with Marketing activities and other areas focused on the use of software , companies have the opportunity to offer different working models.
This includes, for example, home office , a strong trend that was anticipated by the new Coronavirus pandemic .
Geographical freedom
Since a considerable part of a company's activities are carried out via the Internet, geographical barriers are overcome .
Professionals from different geographic locations can actively contribute to business decisions and operations , enriching knowledge and diversity in the work environment, even if it is virtual.
Many companies with teams spread across multiple locations already benefit from this capability.
Planning, communication and management platforms allow for the integration of strategies carried out by teams from different regions of the country or the world.
Market innovation
We are in a time of rapid change, in which trends become market rules in a very short time.
In this scenario, companies cannot stand still, even if their results are satisfactory. Innovation is essential to remain relevant .
New technologies and advertising and business models are announced every year.
In this context, several of these innovations may represent opportunities to improve the company's performance , whether in its operations, its reputation or its ability to attract and retain customers.
It is necessary to remain alert to changes.
How to build a Marketing Technology Stack?
In a landscape of over 8,000 marketing tools, how do you choose the best solutions to create an effective Marketing Technology Stack?
In addition to being located in this vast territory of digital solutions, we need to be able to choose the best options available for each demand of our company.
Below, we will tell you some points that you should take into account when making your decisions.
1. Focus on simplifying
Don't forget that one of the main goals of all these tools is to simplify your company's operations. This means that any excess can be more annoying than helpful.
Hiring too many services, especially tools that don't integrate easily, can make your job more complex, reduce your accuracy, and lead to unnecessary costs.
The design and operation of platforms needs to be analysed to ensure that they are truly capable of fulfilling their purpose.
2. Consider your goals
Although many MarTechs have very complete functions, each one of them presents a proposition that must be in line with the needs of your business. Therefore, strategically clarify your objectives and then look for the solutions that best meet them.
While this position seems obvious, it is important to highlight it, since the great push for innovation addressed in various events and ongoing works can lead managers to invest in expendable resources.
Technology is not an end in itself, it is a vehicle for you to achieve a certain result. It is in your marketing plan that you should focus.
Marketing Plan for 2022
3. Perform benchmarking
The best tools tend to stand out in the market. The practice of analyzing the results and tools of the competition is valid in all business categories , but it is especially relevant in the B2B market .
Looking at the experience of other companies with certain MarTechs, we can attest not only to their technical attributes, but also to their quality of service and support, which are equally important factors.
4. Check the impacts on your operation
Technology can save a company and its professionals from having to perform a variety of repetitive and stressful tasks, as well as providing greater dynamism and agility in complex jobs.
However, it can also create demands that managers must take into account.
By choosing, for example, a tool that does not connect with the essential services of your MarTech Stack, you will have to change vendors immediately , which will increase your acquisition costs .
5. Evaluate costs and benefits
Naturally, building your Marketing Technology Stack will also be affected by your budget and the company’s management priorities, which is one of the main “filters” for choosing tools.
It is worth noting that in addition to technical adjustments, training will be required for employees to learn how to use the resources .
Depending on the characteristics of the platform and the services provided by your provider, hiring specialized professionals may also be a necessity.
What are the main types of tools on the market?
As we have already explained, there are very wide-ranging tools, but there are also very specific solutions focused on market niches .
However, within the current panorama of Digital Marketing , there are some categories of services that can already be considered essential for the development, management and measurement of strategies.
We will talk about them below!
Content creation and management
CMS (Content Management Systems) gained notoriety with the popularization of websites, but it was Content Marketing that was responsible for making the public see these software as true corporate management and communication centers.
WordPress is already one of the most acclaimed open source software in the world and powers most of the websites on the Internet.
In this area, we also have DAM (Digital Asset Management). This system focuses on the storage, organization and access control of digital assets, a need that has gained prominence with the growing use of data in the different spheres of business.
Customer Base Management
Those who work with Digital Marketing are used to hearing about the importance of lead generation . However, what really drives results is the way in which these contacts are worked .
This is where the famous CRM (Customer Relationship Management) comes in, software that orchestrates all communication with your audience.
The functionality of these services can vary widely depending on the provider. There are solutions equipped with email marketing systems , customer support and even online chats, as well as segmentation and evaluation resources.
It is up to the responsible manager to choose between an all-in-one platform or outsourcing these functions to separate MarTechs.
Social media management
Social media has changed the relationship between brands and consumers on the Internet, becoming one of the main channels for generating authority and customer loyalty.
However, the performance of companies in these environments also depends on well-established strategies and active monitoring , since users expect quick responses.
In this area, we have tools to discover mentions, schedule posts, trigger automatic messages based on keywords in comments, and much more.
Data analysis (analytics)
The sheer volume of data marketers use would be worthless without a sufficient means of collecting, organizing, and presenting it in a comprehensible and usable manner.
The platforms that do this work are DMPs (Data Management Platforms) and CDPs (Customer Data Platforms).
In general, companies that already have a data-driven infrastructure work with 1st, 2nd and 3rd-party data sets to perform market analysis and automate communication and sales operations.
Advertising and SEO
Internet advertising tools such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads are widely known and are at the heart of today's paid advertising strategies . These Adtechs help advertisers create, publish and measure the results of specific campaigns.
At the other extreme, we have the tools to generate organic traffic oriented to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) practices .
In both fields, the set of tools available is huge: from platforms for planning keywords to solutions for carrying out conversion tests .
seo guide
Project Management
The MarTechs market also offers a generous range of solutions to facilitate collaboration and increase the productivity of work teams.
The idea behind these platforms is to concentrate the company's various tasks in a shared and multipurpose environment , as well as enabling communication between the professionals involved in a practical and organized way.
The great advantage of these tools is that they simulate a virtual office where the progress of projects can be followed very clearly, even if the people involved are far away. An essential tool, especially for coordinating home office teams.
How to map my Marketing Technology Stack?
To help managers navigate the extremely rich and growing MarTechs market, Gartner annually updates its interactive “traffic map,” The Digital Marketing Transit Map .
There are several reference points there to make it easy to identify the best technologies available for our business, including illustrating those that work best together.
By accessing the interactive content —filling out the Gartner form —we were able to highlight the different “paths” (search, customer experience , mobile, analytics, among others) in which the technologies are integrated and check the relationships between them, as well as the connections between marketing and IT functions.
Gartner's material is valuable and provides information for different companies and professionals to have a broad vision of the current technological panorama of Marketing.
However, you can also map your own Marketing Technology Stack to illustrate the tools used in your business specifically.
Its construction can be done as a conceptual map . Feel free to create its visual format, but make sure it is clear and well structured.
Although their purpose sounds abstract, these representations help us understand operations, identify bottlenecks, and gain valuable insights to improve strategies.
Follow the guidelines below to make your marketing technology roadmap truly effective.
Set a goal for your map
The essential purpose of your map is to clearly show the various marketing operations that involve your business.
However, when faced with a given result, we can provide more elements to help us make decisions about it.
Your company may, for example, want to:
Increase business productivity: detail all business activities and processes to identify areas that can be optimized.
Improve customer experience: Document the entire customer journey and highlight the lowest performing areas to provide improvements.
Reduce costs: Clarify the functions and outcomes of each technology used in the business to identify duplicate or redundant services.