My Previous Tech Stack (Traditional)
My most recent stack that I managed was fairly standard for a mid-size organization. Combined with processes to execute at scale, we ran an efficient ops organization. We also tried to maximize the capabilities from each piece of technology. However, the reality is, this is very difficult for many reasons:
- Most martech wants to be the "platform", therefore they have sprawling capabilities which overlap with other tech
- Even if an Ops team was overlay staffed, they could never leverage all the features, in all the tools, in use
- Ops teams run with thin resources, therefore keeping the "core funnel" working, eats up most of the time
Composable, Plug-N-Play Is The Future
Going forward, a new type of architecture is emerging, providing operators a lot more flexibility to add/remove capabilities as needed. There are several shifts in the market that are still needed to enable this, but with the advancement of AI and focus on integration, this looks to be an inevitable evolution. Below, I outline the process I'd follow to start shifting a traditional, monolithic MarTech stack, to a flexible system for marketing innovation. Why make this change?
Orgs that can smartly activate their data to orchestrate the buyers lifecycle will have a competitive advantage
- Teams only use ~30% of the features they are paying for in MarTech today. We're paying for stuff we will never use.
- AI needs the right data to analyze and take actions on behalf of the buyer, a challenge today with silo'd data.
- Modern point solutions are built to share data and easily integrate, knowing that a "closed box" will not work in today's MarTech ecosystems.
- Point solutions are very good at what they do versus massive platforms that have a litany of so-so features.
- With the market is changing faster than ever, orgs need the flexibility to add/remove capabilities quickly to take advantage of new developments.
