Think about this: you’re elbow deep in a severe advertising marketing campaign, your tech stack scattered throughout ten completely different tabs. There are shopper analysis instruments, technique docs, your CRM, analytics… the listing goes on. Every instrument guarantees the world, however all you’re feeling is a rising sense of overwhelm. Sound acquainted? Should you’re nodding alongside, you’re not alone.
Regardless of their guarantees of effectivity, these instruments can create an ‘app lure’, the place too many choices find yourself being extra of a hindrance than a assist. With workers spending about 9% of their time simply switching between apps, it’s no surprise productiveness takes a success. After which there’s the associated fee. Managing a large number of subscriptions can put a pressure in your assets, particularly should you’re not utilizing the instruments successfully.
Fortunately, there’s a easy technique to clear up the litter: tech stack consolidation. On this article, we’ll present you easy methods to strip again your setup and make your tech stack work tougher. Right here’s what we’ll cowl:
What’s a tech stack?
A tech stack is a group of instruments, applied sciences and SaaS purposes that workers use to do their jobs.
This contains every part from shopper analysis platforms like GWI, to CRM techniques like Salesforce, to mission administration instruments like Asana. As of 2024, the common group has greater than 125 completely different SaaS apps of their tech stack. Yikes.
What are the advantages of consolidating your tech stack?
Decluttering your digital workspace does greater than you would possibly suppose. On high of simplifying your every day actions, it additionally:
Will increase effectivity
We’ve already touched on the time wasted switching between completely different instruments, and because the outdated saying goes, time is cash. With fewer instruments to ping-pong between, your staff can spend extra time specializing in what actually issues; delivering outcomes. This enhance in effectivity results in higher efficiency and a more healthy backside line for your online business.
Reduces prices
With out realizing it, you is likely to be spending an enormous portion of your funds on instruments that your staff doesn’t use. Our knowledge reveals that 28% of firms sometimes spend $10K-20K per yr on their tech stack, whereas over 1 / 4 spend $20K-50K. That’s a considerable funding for instruments that may not be pulling their weight.
A key step in consolidating your tech stack is performing an audit to pinpoint the techniques you is likely to be losing beneficial funds on – however extra on this later.
Improves knowledge safety
Every new instrument you add to your tech stack will increase the danger of an information breach, particularly if it handles delicate data like buyer knowledge. By consolidating your tech stack, you narrow down the variety of platforms with entry to this knowledge, making it tougher for breaches to occur.
Streamlines workflows
Making massive groups work collectively in concord is not any simple feat. Suppose again to the instance in the beginning of this text. To drag off a showstopper of a advertising marketing campaign, you’ve received to get your content material staff, design staff, demand gen staff, social staff, and PR staff all on the identical web page. When every staff has its personal set of instruments and workflows, issues can rapidly turn out to be chaotic. However by consolidating your tech stack, you may guarantee everybody makes use of the identical platforms, streamlining workflows and making collaboration a breeze.
Tech stack examples in apply
Once we discuss a tech stack, it’s essential to visualise how all of the instruments work collectively to realize an finish consequence. To carry this to life, we’ve crafted an instance of a tech stack in motion:
Meet Rochelle, a senior advertising supervisor working in-house at a journey firm. Her objective? Attracting luxurious vacation makers. She’s received some fairly steep targets to hit and must squeeze each little bit of effectivity out of her day.
As soon as sufficiently caffeinated, Rochelle begins the morning by syncing up together with her mission supervisor and content material supervisor on Slack. They’re brainstorming potential campaigns however maintain going spherical in circles, so that they hop on a Google Meet name to work issues out extra successfully. On the decision, they decide to working a sequence of paid adverts alongside a compelling weblog put up to seize their viewers’s consideration.
The mission supervisor schedules the adverts and weblog put up in Asana, assigning duties to the copywriters and design staff. In the meantime, Rochelle dives into GWI to establish essentially the most related social media channels for his or her adverts and to know the type of content material that’ll finest have interaction their viewers.
By way of GWI’s shopper analysis platform, she learns that luxurious vacation goers are 11% extra possible than the common shopper to make use of the web to search out new concepts and inspiration. They’re additionally 35% extra possible than the common social media consumer to comply with journey writers and corporations. Digging a bit deeper, she finds that Instagram is the popular social media platform for his or her viewers (excluding China, the place it’s unavailable) and decides to tailor nearly all of the adverts to that platform.
Relating to the content material itself, Rochelle learns from GWI’s shopper analysis that luxurious holiday-goers have clear preferences. They need manufacturers to be unique (157% extra so than the common shopper), daring (125% extra), and younger (124% extra), leaving Rochelle with a a lot clearer path of easy methods to tailor her messaging. She now is aware of precisely easy methods to seize her viewers’s consideration, specializing in daring adverts that create a way of FOMO (hey exclusivity) and are completely optimized for Instagram.
With these new insights, Rochelle briefs the copywriters to get began on the adverts, that are later designed in Figma. On the similar time, the search engine optimization supervisor makes a begin on the weblog put up temporary. He makes use of Ahrefs for key phrase analysis and performs round on ChatGPT+ to brainstorm a couple of partaking weblog titles, selecting his high three after which including these choices to the briefing doc in Google Docs.
As soon as the copywriter finishes the weblog put up, she arms it over to the content material supervisor for an in depth proofreading. After it’s accredited, it’s uploaded to WordPress, the place a HubSpot type is embedded to encourage guests to subscribe to their journey e-newsletter.
Whereas this is happening, the adverts are finalized and launched by way of Meta Adverts Supervisor, making them seen on Instagram and Fb. With the marketing campaign now reside, the staff makes use of a spread of instruments to trace the way it’s performing, together with HubSpot, HotJar and Google Analytics.
This instance is only a glimpse of what a tech stack can seem like, with particular instruments various primarily based in your trade, staff, and function. For instance, HubSpot knowledge reveals that in relation to startup firms, the go-to instruments for knowledge and analytics are Google Search Console, Typeform, and Stripe, whereas Intercom, Salesforce, and Zendesk are favorites for gross sales and customer support.
The right way to consolidate your tech stack for streamlined groups and cost-effective workflows
As we’ve talked about, consolidating your tech stack could make your staff extra environment friendly and assist reduce prices. Right here’s a easy step-by-step information that can assist you create a extra streamlined setup:
1. Define your course of
Earlier than diving headfirst into consolidating your tech stack, take a step again and map out a plan. Consider it like constructing a home: you wouldn’t begin hammering nails and not using a blueprint (hopefully). By fastidiously outlining your course of, you’ll guarantee that your tech stack correctly helps your online business objectives. Begin with the core parts, your basis, and steadily construct upon it. This methodical method will prevent time and frustration in the long term.
2. Conduct a tech stack audit
Understanding your tech panorama is step one to consolidating it.
A tech stack audit includes an intensive evaluate of all of the instruments and software program your staff presently makes use of; consider it as taking stock.
As you perform your tech stack audit, contemplate your stack from two views: what your staff must do their jobs successfully, and the way nicely your present instruments are supporting these wants. As you do that, it’s useful to align your tech stack along with your buyer journey to establish any gaps or overlaps.
Whereas working your means by way of your audit, you may additionally discover you could categorize your tech stack into teams, for instance, instruments for insights (similar to GWI) and instruments for execution (like HubSpot or WordPress). Splitting up your tech stack this manner will help to establish overlapping instruments, supplying you with a clearer view of the place to streamline your software program.
3. Survey your groups to find their challenges
To get an actual really feel for the way your tech stack is working, you should hear straight from the folks utilizing it each day: your colleagues. Ship out a survey to collect insights into their every day challenges and frustrations.
And don’t restrict your survey to only one division. Involving everybody from advertising to gross sales to operations will provide you with a complete view of your tech stack’s strengths and weaknesses. By understanding the wants and preferences of your staff, you may establish areas the place instruments simply may not be working.
4. Spotlight instrument redundancies
Your surveys and discussions are more likely to reveal the instruments which might be gathering digital mud. You would possibly uncover software program that’s not getting used however nonetheless has an energetic subscription, and even worse, instruments nobody ever knew about within the first place. These ‘ghost instruments’ are prime candidates for elimination.
5. Determine and prioritize cross-functional instruments
That is your alternative to establish multi-purpose instruments that can be utilized by completely different groups for various causes. Consider it like a Swiss Military knife to your tech stack. Not solely will this method make issues run smoother between groups, however it’ll additionally assist you squeeze each final drop of worth out of your tech instruments.
An ideal instance of such a instrument is (drumroll please) GWI. Sure, in fact we’re biased, however as a worldwide shopper analysis platform, GWI can be utilized throughout quite a lot of groups – from advertising to product growth to advert gross sales – for an enormous vary of functions. Listed here are completely different ways in which groups can leverage GWI:
Content material advertising: Content material entrepreneurs depend on viewers insights to develop content material advertising methods that actually join with their audience. Utilizing knowledge from GWI, they will create tailor-made content material for each stage of the client journey.
Product growth: Growing merchandise for people requires perception into stated people. Product builders flip to GWI to collect insights about particular areas, audiences, and classes. This data helps with the product growth course of as manufacturers can higher meet the wants of their goal market.
Model well being: With GWI, firms can maintain an in depth eye on their model’s well being. By monitoring issues like buy intent, buyer sentiment, and model loyalty, companies can perceive how their model is perceived out there.
Pitching: Gross sales groups use GWI to craft standout pitches which might be backed by stable knowledge. This helps them impress new prospects, retain loyal shoppers, and shut extra offers.
Media planning: Companies use GWI to profit from their digital promoting budgets. By tapping into GWI’s insights, they will pinpoint the most effective platforms and techniques for his or her adverts, guaranteeing they attain the correct folks in the simplest means.
Partnerships and sponsorships: Partnerships groups use GWI to establish potential model companions, each domestically and globally, who will help develop their attain. With GWI’s insights, they will establish companions or sponsors that match their audience and enterprise goals.
Market sizing: Firms flip to GWI once they wish to break into new markets. By understanding shopper numbers and spending patterns in particular areas, companies could make knowledgeable choices about the place to focus their efforts.
6. Perceive how potential integrations might work
Understanding how your instruments work collectively (or don’t) is a key think about optimizing your tech stack. Take a step again and visualize the way you need every part to attach. Which instruments are already speaking to one another? Which of them have the potential to combine, however don’t presently? Are there any ‘lonely islands’ in your tech stack that could possibly be changed by cross-functional choices as an alternative? By mapping out these connections, you’ll establish alternatives to streamline workflows and remove redundant instruments.
7. Map out your tech stack consolidation plan
That is the place the true enjoyable begins. Now that you simply’ve received a transparent image of your tech stack, it’s time to resolve what to maintain, what to toss out, and easy methods to join the dots. There are other ways you may deal with this, and numerous it is going to rely in your funds and wider enterprise goals, however listed here are the choices companies have a tendency to think about:
Eradicate non-essential instruments: One method is to strip your tech stack all the way down to solely essentially the most crucial instruments. This might imply utilizing fundamental spreadsheets as an alternative of a CRM, or counting on handbook processes moderately than automation. Whereas this would possibly lower your expenses upfront, it’s in all probability not the best choice to your staff’s productiveness.
Lower single-purpose instruments: An alternative choice is to take away all single-purpose instruments and solely put money into complete platforms that may deal with a number of duties, for instance, HubSpot, which lets you create touchdown pages, ship emails, and section your viewers, vs a instrument that may solely carry out one in every of these duties. Whereas this method can simplify issues and prevent cash, you would possibly find yourself sacrificing specialised options that solely sure single-purpose instruments provide.
Spend money on multi-function instruments: A well-liked go-to technique is to put money into a couple of versatile instruments that may carry out a number of capabilities, then combine them so that they function as one system. This balanced method permits you to retain important options whereas benefiting from streamlined workflows, and also you’ll possible save sufficient cash to afford any single-purpose specialised instruments you would possibly nonetheless want.
Whichever method you select, our largest piece of recommendation is to get visible. Don’t be afraid to go old fashioned; seize a whiteboard, some sticky notes, or perhaps a massive sheet of paper and begin mapping out your new tech stack. Seeing your plan laid out like this will help you notice potential issues and discover inventive options.
8. Get worker suggestions in your tech stack consolidation plan
When you’ve mapped out your best new tech stack, share it along with your colleagues to get their opinions. They’re those who’ll be utilizing it on the every day, so their buy-in is crucial. Encourage suggestions, and be open to creating changes primarily based on their insights.
9. Put your plan into motion
With everybody on board and your plan now finalized, it’s time to begin making adjustments. Cancel these unused subscriptions, be cautious of any auto-renews looming within the not-so-distant future, kickstart conversations with new suppliers (the place wanted), and implement every other changes you’ve selected. As you do that, ensure to doc every part. This can be a lifesaver to your staff as they get used to the brand new methods of working.
As soon as every part is up and working, schedule common check-ins along with your staff. It is a likelihood to see how issues are going, deal with any points, and make any crucial tweaks.
Tech stack consolidation FAQs
What’s a advertising tech stack?
A advertising tech stack (or martech stack) is a group of instruments and platforms utilized by advertising groups to plan, execute, and measure their campaigns. It sometimes contains instruments for electronic mail advertising, social media administration, content material creation, search engine optimization, analytics, and buyer relationship administration.
How do you select the correct advertising tech stack?
Constructing the proper advertising tech stack begins with understanding your objectives and viewers. Think about what you wish to obtain, who you’re making an attempt to succeed in, and the way a lot you may spend. Search for instruments that work collectively seamlessly and provide sturdy knowledge safety.
What are the advantages of working common tech stack audits?
Common tech stack audits prevent money and time by surfacing pointless instruments and highlighting alternatives for higher collaboration.
Closing ideas
A cluttered tech stack is a productiveness killer. Overlook the times of countless tab toggling, it’s time to optimize your tech stack. By consolidating your instruments, you may streamline your workflows, enhance effectivity inside the staff, and – right here’s the biggie – save extra money.
A shopper analysis instrument (like GWI) is the proper technique to maximize your tech stack by offering actionable insights to tell each side of your online business, from advertising and product growth to gross sales and customer support.
