The ability to choose is a blessing and a curse. In 2011, there were just 150 software tools available to marketers. But their ability to boost productivity and results for marketing teams created a higher demand and market opportunity.
Now, there are nearly 8,000 marketing technology (martech) tools to choose from. The most recent martech landscape “supergraphic” is overwhelming, to say the least. Check it out:
Understanding marketing technologies and how they work together is now a central part of any marketer’s job, but the industry’s explosive growth makes it more difficult to determine which solutions to invest in.
If you’re reevaluating your company’s martech stack — or are just beginning to build one — use the following categories as a guide:
- Content Management System (CMS)
- Customer Relationship Manager (CRM)
- Content Marketing Platform (CMP)
- Social Media Management (SMM)
- Marketing Automation Platform (MAP)
By choosing tools in these categories, you will begin to build an integrated martech stack to connect all functions of your marketing program. This will help cut confusion and an abundance of tools that create more headaches than solutions.
Use this infographic to cut through the clutter and focus on the most essential elements of a martech stack, with suggested brands and ways each tool will benefit your marketing activities.
Similar articles:
Marketers’ Favorite Social Media Tools
11 Social Media Monitoring Tools for PR and Marketing Pros
Three Costly Problems Caused By Using the Wrong Content Marketing Tools
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in October 2016 and has been updated for relevancy.
