(True Story)
The last time I started a new job, it took me 3 whole days just to figure out the technology stack that the marketing team used. Not to get hands-on on it, just to figure out what the hell was going on. It turned out to be so convoluted that I closed my eyes in horror. Many battles later, the company decided to continue with the same tech- over priced, under utilised, limp as a frozen carrot thawed out in a microwave oven [I expressed my opinion as honestly as I possibly could, using similar terminology whenever I could, without being chucked out in week 1].
The reason I wanted to break the stack:
I, like any other marketer, get excited as I discover new tools, adjacent functionalities, and the incremental power I receive from a slightly more expensive tool/ plan. Hubspot has made us all so hooked to martech in our life that I cringe everytime I come across a tool that has less than slick UI. This tendency to get the best for yourself does exist. That means every marketer wants their own technology stack- never mind what is currently in use. The caveat remains that no tech is perfect- nobody does everything well, and not for an extended period of time. So it is usually a selfish, oh-I -want-everything-perfect syndrome, rather than a solid plan to scale as-you-go.
BTW, no tool scales as you go. Your priorities change. The f***ing tool remains the same.
How then, does one build a marketing tech stack from scratch- practically & pragmatically? You might be running a small business, an agency, or a consultancy. What features are available (reliably), and what is a fair price to pay for shiny new Bugattis and Embraers?
The Story of a Crab: Or How I learned to stop cribbing and start loving the Tracked Click
Have you heard the joke where the comedian shouts at people for cribbing about the experience in an airplane? That’s the expression I have now. Every click is being tracked for you, while you set up alerts and peacefully sit back doing other sh** on your computer. Seriously? Don’t crib about the tech you have. Enjoy it, learn from it. Scale or replace it if the RoI starts dipping. For genuine reasons. Not before, not after.
And that’s how you build a functional, relevant, and contemporary tech stack.
Not in leaps, but in baby steps.
