There have always been buzzwords in marketing, and the one making waves in marketing and tech circles at the moment is ‘martech’. This article will explain this new term, and also look at the related marketing platforms that your business will need to survive and succeed in the modern age.
What is Martech?
Many marketing gurus and experts, argue that martech is simply a fancy way of describing the marketing technology that is used and integrated into a business, to market and promote its brand and products or services. This technology is required from the outset, from planning, to implementation and monitoring processes, that are intrinsic for a good marketing campaign.
Many have therefore argued that martech is also the very intersection of the people, processes, planning and platforms, that make up a business’s marketing systems. It is more than marketing and technology – it includes all the people and products involved in each of these processes, and how they interact with the technological platforms that are used to engage with customers and build brands.
The Martech Platforms you simply Must Use
There can be no modern marketing without the internet, and as such, one of the very first aspects of Martech that your business needs, is a seamless and stable internet connection. It is also worth exploring the potential of 5G, as this spreads and becomes more readily available.
Once online, a business will need a hub for both shopping, socializing and brand building. This hub has become social media networks – these are additional platforms that simply must be part of any modern marketing process. The modern platforms that people use, such as email, multi-channel marketing automation, ecommerce and more, will all depend on what you intend to achieve through your marketing process.
Your aim must be clear from this process. It’s essentially to promote and advertise your business, products or services, to provide a great experience for the customer, and to gather data. You must also be able to competently manage and monitor the marketing system, and here is where the modern tech comes into its own…
The tech
Technology has changed more rapidly over the last ten years, than in the preceding 50 years. It will be the businesses that are able to either keep up with this tech – or at least be able to implement the very best/most appropriate technological solutions at the right time – that come up trumps. Marketing technology must however, be firmly based on thorough research and planning.
Whether it’s by using SMS services such as Tatango to raise awareness, fundraise for a social need, or simply focus on social media to sell products and services, you need to ensure that all materials and products are easily accessible based on the tech that your clients and customers have at their disposal.
Lastly, if the business attempts to keep pace with tech changes, it will have to use software as a service and hardware as a service to keep costs down and ensure access and the ability to keep up with and use the latest technology for marketing.
Martech may indeed be the latest business buzzword, but there is indeed some value in using the notion of an intersection between the people, planning processes and platforms (marketing and technology) to understand and professionalize your business marketing for improved results. This article provided the starting point in this regard.