So, what’s the deal with martech? It’s a major buzzword among digital marketers. For those not familiar with the jargon, it can be embarrassing to ask questions like “What is martech?” and “What can martech do for my business?”
Martech is a portmanteau of the words “marketing technology.” It is a term for many types of software that digital marketers use in their marketing strategies. All digital marketers use different forms of martech to do their jobs.
Is Martech the Same as Adtech?
Though they have similar names, they are not the same. Sometimes the names get used interchangeably, but it is important to know the differences. The difference between adtech and martech is that martech is the technology used to manage marketing campaigns. Adtech is technology that gets your advertisements viewed.
Examples of Martech
While martech could refer to any software used in marketing, most people use it to mean the software used in executing the marketing strategy. Martech helps marketers create, organize, analyze, and manage campaigns. Some of the most commonly used martech tools include:
- Automated email marketing software
- CRM (customer-relationship management) tools
- Social media optimization tools
- Project management software
- Analytic software
Examples of Adtech
Adtech is software dedicated to getting your message in front of eyeballs. Adtech companies have different roles from martech companies, as well as different billing methods. Some examples of adtech tools are:
- Digital banners and personalized ads
- Demand and Supply-Side Platforms (DSP and SSP)
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM) platforms
- Ad Forecasting software
For the beginning business owner who can’t afford both martech and adtech, martech is a superior investment. Martech will give you, as a business owner, far greater knowledge and creative control over your business’s marketing campaign than adtech can offer.
What Can Martech Do?
Now that we’ve learned why martech is superior to adtech, let’s take a look at what each type of martech can let us do.
Email Marketing Software
According to Forbes.com, email marketing campaigns are still the most effective way for small businesses to promote themselves. Email campaigns have an incredible ROI; the average email campaign generates $42 for every dollar spent. If you have a small business, you cannot afford to overlook your email campaign.
Email marketing software can help you build an effective grassroots campaign. It can help you manage contact lists, design newsletters, automate personalized emails, and track who opens them. Some martech companies that offer email services include Campaigner, HubSpot, and Mailchimp.
CRM Tools
CRM stands for customer-relationship management. We all know that a small business lives or dies by the business relationships it makes. CRM software is designed to streamline the building of customer relations. A good CRM tool will help you find leads, generate new leads via referrals from existing customers, improve customer support, and overall improve your bottom line.
Salesforce offers a cloud-based CRM, so you can access your databases from anywhere.
Social Media Management Tools
Social media is a great way to build brand loyalty through organic engagement. Especially if you offer a service to a community, creating a Facebook group can generate engagement around your business. However, when it comes to social media campaigns, consistency is key!
Most social media marketers do not wait for the perfect moment to post. They use social media management software like Hootsuite, Buffer, or BuzzSumo to create a queue of posts which are released at set times. Most social media management software also allows the user to track social conversations and review social analytics.
Project Management Software
If you are working with more than one person, you need an effective method to communicate. Project management software is designed to keep all team members on the same page.
Popular examples like Trello and ClickUp streamline projects by creating easy-to-understand visual representations of timelines. The popular app Slack makes it easy for teams to communicate via private and group channels.
Analytic Software
Of course, we can’t forget analytics! No marketing campaign is complete without data. Analytics can give you information on the effectiveness of all other martech tools on the list. Proper data generated from analytics tools can give you an accurate picture of what works and what doesn’t. A simple A/B test can help you determine which graphics and taglines generate more conversions.
I have great news for you: one of the best pieces of analytic martech available is free! Google Analytics gives you both prescriptive and predictive analytics. That means it doesn’t just tell you what’s happening; it makes data-based predictions of future market trends.
Create an Optimized Martech Stack
A martech stack is a fancy term for the different tools used in a marketing campaign. For example, a small business might use a martech stack consisting of Clickup to keep track of projects, Hootsuite for social media management, and Mailchimp to automate personalized emails. When creating a martech stack, consider your tech budget and how well the tools work with each other. Many martech services offer free plans for small businesses but can be quite costly if you wish to scale up your business. By creating an effective martech stack, your small business can thrive!
I’m is an owner of Venostech.com, blogger, Android and technology enthusiast. Individual who are educated in the IT and like to write according my scope.
