An effective marketing technology stack: key steps in selecting one

How to properly build a marketing technology stack and evaluate vendors

Marketing technology plays a key role in modern business. Organisations use a variety of platforms to manage customer data, automate processes and personalise interactions. An effective marketing technology stack must be created to ensure that these tools work together smoothly. This requires a comprehensive approach. 

Defining needs and strategy

Before selecting technology, it’s necessary to define business objectives clearly. Companies need to understand what they want CRM, ESP, CDP or DAM to do for them. Key questions include:

• What marketing processes need automation?
• What is the role of AI in handling customer data?
• What are the requirements for customer journey personalisation?

The answers to these questions will help shape the strategy and narrow down the possible solutions.

The right approach to a request for a proposal

A request for proposal (RFP) is a formal document that an organisation uses to inform potential suppliers of its needs for goods or services. It is also necessary to obtain proposals from them. The RFP details the requirements and selection criteria. 

To avoid rash decisions and disappointment, it is crucial to define a strategy in advance. You need to be clear about how the new tool or service will fit into the overall business picture. It is inappropriate to ask for a CRM system or a marketing platform simply. You need to specify exactly what features the company needs, for example, if the system must offer email newsletter automation, chatbot support or the ability to integrate with an existing customer base. This will help to avoid proposals that are either too complex and expensive or, on the contrary, do not meet the objectives.

Building an effective technology stack

Building a marketing stack involves integrating multiple platforms. It is important that the solutions fit together and work seamlessly. The key elements of the stack are:

1. CRM — customer relationship management and personalisation.
2. ESP (Email Service Provider) — email communication automation.
3. CDP (Customer Data Platform) — customer data collection and analysis.
4. DAM (Digital Asset Management) — managing digital assets.
5. Analytical tools — measuring campaign effectiveness.

In addition, the selected solutions should meet the company’s requirements and be easily scalable.

Vendor selection process

Selecting a vendor requires a detailed analysis. As part of the RFP, companies evaluate platform functionality, cost, support levels and compliance. It is essential to consider:

• flexibility to integrate with existing systems;
• level of automation and AI solutions;
• user feedback and experience with the platform;
• data reliability and security.

It’s significant to remember that an effective request for proposal process mitigates risk and helps you select a vendor that will provide maximum value and long-term collaboration.