The Marketing Technology Landscape: Everything You Need to Know About Different Marketing Technologies

The market is flooded with tools and they cover almost every need imaginable. You can harness these marketing technologies to power operations, customer experiences, and everything in between.

This is a good thing, but picking the right solution is harder than it may seem. Many don’t even know where to start in this sprawling maze.

If you’re already feeling overwhelmed too, don’t fret. Here is the functional overview to clear the path ahead.

Exploring the Main Avenues

Creating great marketing experiences is the focal point of many platforms.

These (for the most part) specialized solutions, directly affect customers over the whole lifecycle. We call this the “front office” of digital marketing.

It’s composed of the following areas:

• Advertising
• Email marketing
• SEO
• A/B Testing
• CRM
• Content marketing

Analytics and data platforms are mainstays of the “back office”. They have to operate in the background to keep our efforts together.

We’re going to cover both of these facets.

A/B Testing

A/B is the key to optimizing them for maximum conversions.

As you probably know, conversions translate into higher sale and revenue. That’s why this testing practice tends to focus on landing pages.  You basically experiment with different versions of pages and their main elements.

In terms of concrete solutions, Optimizely is our top pick.

Email Marketing

Email campaigns still offer unparalleled ROI and useful tools abound.

To narrow the choice down, you should prioritize those with automation features. They save a lot of time and lay the groundwork for precise list targeting. Namely, you’re able to segment the list and come up with customized messages.

Such a data-backed approach leads to better open and click-through rates. You’re able to stand out in overflowing, spam-laden inboxes.

Content Marketing

Content remains the king of digital marketing.

It adds value to consumers’ lives in a way ads cannot. Therefore, it sets the foundations for meaningful, long-term relationships.

Ideally, you pinpoint tools that combine content management and production. CRM and other marketing features aren’t must-have— they come as a plus.

Once you reach an informed decision, work out a content schedule. Produce a steady stream of videos, images, blog posts, and infographics.

Advertising

Advertising is a major traffic lane for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

The good news is there’s no shortage of platforms for keywords, ad copy, offers, and web forms. To fuel remarketing campaigns, for example, you can use AdRoll and Perfect Audience.

Facebook Ads makes a lot of sense if your audience spends time on this major hub. Otherwise, you want to stick to search ads.

In both cases, allocate funds to ads that get clicked the most or spur most revenue.

CRM

CRM forms the backbone of modern marketing.

Adding a suitable tool to your arsenal is a must, as it streamlines technical support and sales prospecting. You also get one central database with all relevant customer information. 

Salesforce is a no-brainer, being one of the most popular CRM tools in existence. This versatile platform is sure to expand your customer base and bring more brand exposure.

SEO

Search engine marketing encompasses various on-page and off-page SEO techniques.

They increase the visibility of your business on the busiest highway of the internet. So, you have to utilize keyword planners. The goal is to find the most profitable terms to bid for.

In our opinion, Google AdWords is a top-notch choice. But, you can cover your SEO needs with site crawling, rank checking, and backlink analysis tools as well.

Pave your way to the Promised Land, the first page of SERP.

Analytics

Analytic tools provide a holistic view of marketing performance.

In this tech area, you cannot go wrong with Google Analytics. Around 80% of small and mid-market websites use it. On the other hand, Adobe Analytics is better suited for enterprises with bigger budgets.

Analytic platforms work hand in hand with infrastructure services. We’re talking about big data management, cloud computing, and software development tools. Seamless integration is paramount.

All-in-One, After All?

Finally, we have all-in-one marketing suits in the league of Hubspot.

They pack everything from analytics to email marketing into one place. Choosing this kind of suite is a smart tactic to reduce the immense complexity of tech infrastructure.
However, bear in mind it can also be overkill SMBs. To avoid this risk, steer away from bulkier products like Marketo.

Making the Most of Marketing Technologies

There are no one-size-fits-all solutions and silver bullets out there.

It all depends on your business needs, target audience, budget, and goals. So, put together a tech roadmap and align your aspirations with your business strategy.

Start with simpler and scalable tools. Minimize wastage, overlap, fragmentation, and duplication.

Remember you have to successfully integrate marketing technologies to unlock true value. The best way to go about this is to tap into ongoing adaption, learning, and customization. Contact us in case you need further marketing and branding insights. It’s time to kick your marketing game into overdrive.