6 tips for maintaining focus in a fragmented MarTech landscape

In recent years, marketers have witnessed an unprecedented explosion in the number of available marketing technology (MarTech) tools. From a modest 150 tools in 2011, the landscape has grown to an overwhelming 14,106 tools in 2024 - an astonishing growth of 9304% in just 12 years.

The recent rise of generative AI has further accelerated this growth. This explosive growth has led to a fragmented landscape, driving up costs, overlapping functionalities, and leaving marketers unable to see the wood for the trees. Navigating through this jungle is no easy task.

As the number of tools increases, paradoxically, we see the actual use of these tools decreasing. Complexity is increasing, adoption is declining, and organisations are struggling to keep up with rapidly changing technological capabilities. In this fragmented landscape, it is more crucial than ever for marketing leaders to maintain focus and build an effective MarTech stack.

Here are 6 essential tips to help you do just that:

1. Make choices based on a clear strategy

Before you purchase any tool, it is crucial to have a clear digital strategy. Define your objectives and map out the processes linked to them. Every tool in your stack must directly or indirectly contribute to this strategy. This could mean improving your marketing performance, automating an internal or external process, or enabling your employees to enhance their capabilities. A well-thought-out MarTech stack is agile enough to bring these worlds together and generate business value from there.

2. Define and prioritise core components

In the current landscape, it is tempting to acquire a specialised tool for every small task. Resist this temptation. In the short term, your team may experience a productivity boost, but in the long term, you encourage fragmentation in your digital landscape.

Instead, focus on the core components that form the centre of your MarTech stack. For B2B organisations, these are usually a CRM and Marketing Analytics Platform, while B2C organisations typically centralise the CDP, Data Warehouse, and MAP. These form the backbone of your digital marketing operations, around which you build your tool stack. This creates clarity for the adoption of AI tooling.

Source: MartechMap

3. Centralise data flows

Data is central in the current MarTech landscape. We also see this reflected in the core components that organisations choose. Therefore, not only map out your MarTech stack architecture but do the same for your data flows.

Develop an integrated data ecosystem where all tools can seamlessly exchange and communicate data. Composable solutions with open APIs are the foundation for good integration with surrounding systems. Such an architecture enhances your digital agility and allows you to extract data to feed (future) AI tooling and functionalities to automate processes. This enables you to measure the results of your marketing operations and quantify the impact made with different MarTech components.

4. Continuously evaluate and don't be afraid to consolidate

The MarTech landscape is evolving at lightning speed. Functionalities can overlap, the adoption rate of your employees may lag, and costs can rise. Therefore, implement a process of continuous evaluation. Assess the performance and usage of your tools every quarter. Don't be afraid to part with tools that are underutilised or no longer align with your strategy. Consolidation not only creates a more efficient stack but also saves costs and improves the profitability of your marketing initiatives.

Source: Gartner

5. Keep AI in sight, but stay critical

Generative AI is undoubtedly a game-changer in the MarTech landscape. Adoption of Gen-AI offers unprecedented opportunities for personalisation, process optimisation, and scalable content creation. However, be critical in your adoption of new AI tools. Focus on use cases that genuinely add value to your objectives, internal processes, or CX.

The technological heavyweights in the MarTech landscape are already forcing the adoption of AI by incorporating functionalities into their existing technology and acquiring smaller developers. This means your existing MarTech components already form an ‘AI-infused MarTech stack’. Remember, AI is a means to an end, not an end in itself.

6. Invest in human capital

Technology is only as good as the people who use it. Invest in training and development for your team. Ensure they not only know how to use the tools but also understand how these tools contribute to the objectives. By bringing teams closer to technology, you create a feedback loop with insights that allow you to further develop your stack and increase the adoption rate.

AI will further motivate the fusion between marketing and IT, especially in combination with the automation possibilities of low-code and no-code tooling. Therefore, do not let the AI transition be driven solely by IT, but also appoint marketers to drive such projects, develop new processes, and train employees.

In conclusion

In a fragmented MarTech landscape, focus is key. By going back to basics - a clear strategy, core components and functionalities, and a centralised data strategy - you can build a MarTech stack that is not only efficient but also flexible enough to evolve with the rapidly changing digital world.

Remember: it’s not about having the most tools, but about using the right tools most effectively. By following these tips, you can navigate the complexity of the current MarTech landscape and create a stack that truly contributes to your marketing success.