10+ overlooked tools to improve your MarTech stack

Building the ideal content marketing tech stack remains a pipe dream for most marketers.

So we asked the experts who presented below Content marketing world 2024 What tools should be included in these tech stacks but usually aren’t?

As usual, some rejected this premise and offered sage advice on why one should take a break before moving forward with a new tool. Others went into more detail about the categories of tools every content marketing team needs.

Combine their tips to develop a thoughtful approach to updating your content and martech strategy.

Retro Ideas: Don’t buy new martech before doing these things

Before the age of digital marketing technology, marketers relied on strategies and other tools to reach audiences and deliver results for their brands. Some of this work should be done today, as several experts advised:

Create a measurement plan before investing in new technology

It may not be a dedicated tool, but most content marketers lack a measurement strategy and plan. Developing a measurement strategy and tagging implementation are important steps that serve as the basis for future content and marketing decisions and optimizations. Marketers need to document business goals and engagement goals that highlight where and how content supports the customer journey. — Jill RobersonSenior Vice President, Digital Marketing, Velir

Pick up the phone

The model invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. It is also one that we all carry in our pocket or wallet. The proliferation of AI tools in marketing creates a level of abstraction that, in my opinion, distances me further from our customers. So yes, use the phone and have meaningful conversations to understand your customers better. Using Zoom with webcams on is fine, but I prefer old-fashioned audio. — Dennis ShiaoFounder, attention retention

Invest in people first

I would say that many content marketers probably try to use too many tools. Instead of adding more tools, I’d take stock of what you’re paying for now and how (if?) you use them. If I had extra budget, I would invest it in talent, either as a full-time employee or as a consultant/contractor. — Michelle GarrettConsultant and Author, Garrett Public Relations

Use your noggin

There are many wonderful tools, but I think the biggest missing tool is the brain. Without taking any offense: your customer or your company should be as individual as a person. Tools can’t capture the humanity of your brand. — Michael Bonfilsglobal managing director, Digital International Group

With that in mind, get some new tools

With your plans in place and your teams well-trained, it’s time to dive into martech tools and categories. Here is some advice to consider:

Pay for generative AI

Tools are less important than the process. You can have a great process and be successful without tools. And you can have many tools without a process and not be successful.

Still, I think most content marketers lack paid versions of generative AI tools and training on how to best use them to support their workflows and processes.

This technology can make us much more efficient and effective and is still not used by the marketing teams at most institutions I work with. — Brian Piper, Director of Content Strategy and Assessment, University of Rochester

Buy for internal communications

An internal communication tool (beyond email/Slack) can organize ideas, concerns, suggestions, etc.

Sometimes content marketing’s problems in quantifying its value inside and outside the company stem from a lack of communication. — Troy SandidgeFounder, Strategy Hackers

Get a keyword research tool (and training)

Every web content marketer needs ready access to a keyword research tool and knowledge of how to use it. Fewer walls between SEO optimization tools and content marketing execution speed up the build-measure-learn process. — Haley CollinsOperations Manager, GPO

Choose a solution that goes beyond basic measurement technology

Today, marketing tech stacks are siled by functionality. This is why many content marketers focus on vanity metrics like downloads, page views, etc. What’s missing are sophisticated measurement tools that show not only how many downloads your content has generated, but also whether the content is resonating with your target audience. We also need data to capture where and how content is consumed in the customer journey. — Royna Sharifi, Senior marketing campaign mAnnouncer, Amazon Web Services

Unify management

True omnichannel content platforms instead of simple web CMS (content management systems) and DAM (digital asset management) platforms that do not really manage component data, text and media in an object-oriented manner. — Tony ByrneFounder of Real Story Group

Get a comprehensive DAM

Many organizations try to save costs by using one platform for multiple purposes that may not be intended. Many SaaS providers like to try to sell companies more features or functionality that they may not need or be suitable for. The one technology that is present in most SaaS platforms but is more of an afterthought than a strategic advantage is Digital Asset Management (DAM). While most project management, social media, and campaign management platforms have a built-in DAM, that doesn’t mean it should be used as an enterprise-wide DAM. Most companies lack a true, full-featured DAM with the appropriate functionality to effectively manage all of their content. — Andy RobinsonContent Strategist, Hijinx Marketing

Listen to your customers on social media

Many organizations don’t have this a tool for social listening or understanding their customer behavior and preferences, which is crucial to improving their strategy and delivering personalized content. Social media can provide a wealth of insight about your customers and what they want from their content. Social media also provides a snapshot of the everyday language people use to talk about your topic, including specific pain points, adding color to your qualitative audience research. — Erika HealdFounder and Chief Content Officer, Erika Heald Marketing Consulting

Invest in listening, despite the cost

Social listening tools! I’m amazed at how expensive social listening tools are – making them difficult to access for content marketers without the right financial resources. This may be more of an accessibility issue than a personal issue. However, I believe that social listening tools should be made more equitable so that all content marketers can benefit from each other’s successes. — Beth ElderkinContent Marketing Manager, Informa Connect

Project management tools for monitor Upcycled content

Most content marketers’ tech stack lacks sufficient tools to track content usage and reuse. Digital asset management platforms may be good at storing and cataloging content, but they may not be able to track its usage. Social media platforms are usually a poor place to store content. To solve this problem, marketers need tools that allow them to store content and track its usage so it doesn’t get used once and forgotten. This could be a project management tool that integrates with both DAM and social media distribution platforms. — A. Lee JudgeCo-founder and CMO, Content Monsta

Tools for bottom-of-funnel insights

Content marketing teams need a tool to easily understand their audiences’ interests, behaviors, activities, and intent signals. With insights like these, you can create the content your audiences need and want.

A wealth of content these days focuses on top-of-funnel education, but audiences need more. Greater insight into buyer-level intent, interests, and needs allows content marketers to dig deeper and understand why their buyers buy and what challenges or concerns they face along the way.

This allows content marketers to create content that directly addresses these needs and position themselves and their brand as trusted companions throughout the buying journey. — Josh BaezSenior Manager, Demand Generation, NetLine

Search for SEO research and website information

SEO platforms related to website optimization and intelligence. Without this in their tech stack, it is extremely difficult for content marketers to conduct the research necessary to improve their content and monitor its performance. — Zack KadishSenior SEO Strategy Director, Conductor

Ask about search query trackers

Dashboards to track organic searches. There are tools that can help you identify the sentiment and search terms surrounding user search, but many organizations don’t utilize them to their full potential, from content ideation to creation and distribution. — Mariah Obiedzinski TangAssistant Vice President of Content Marketing, Stamats

Keep asking about what may not (yet) exist

The unicorn of marketing remains elusive: true multi-touch attribution. — Jenn VandeZandeEditor-in-Chief, SAP CX + Industries

Build a martech stack you’ll actually use

Yes, this famous martech chart now includes over 14,000 tools. But you don’t need every single one of them.

Start building and editing your company’s martech stack by assessing existing resources (people, processes, and technology). Then customize your tech stack to provide what you need to build a content marketing program that delivers big results.

All tools mentioned in the article are mentioned by the source. If you would like to suggest a tool, tag Content Marketing Institute or @CMIContent on social media.

MORE ADVICE FROM CONTENT MARKETING WORLD REFERENCES:

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute