MARKETING TECHNOLOGY
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A Strategic Approach to Driving Business Value
LENATI
2412 7th Avenue West #101
Seattle, WA 98119
In partnership with Scott Brinker, chiefmartec.com
COMPANIES NOW SPEND MORE ON MARKETING TECHNOLOGY (MARTECH) THAN
ON ADVERTISING.
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Source: chiefmartec.com
96% OF B2B MARKETING EXECUTIVES BELIEVE THAT THE PACE OF CHANGE IN MARTECH WILL KEEP ACCELERATING.
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Source: toprightpartners.com
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Lenati and chiefmartec.com spoke with leading senior marketing executives across industries and at different growth
stages to understand how they take a strategic approach to marketing technology. Select learnings from these interviews are
shared in this presentation.
FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS
KEY THEMES
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Four steps help lay a foundation to get the most from marketing technology:
1. THINK BIGGER 2. PLAN YOUR
APPROACH
3. GET YOUR
TEAM READY
4. STAY ONE
STEP AHEAD
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1. THINK BIGGER2. PLAN YOUR
APPROACH
3. GET YOUR
TEAM READY
4. STAY ONE
STEP AHEAD
MARTECH IS PART OF YOUR STRATEGY –NOT A SET OF TOOLS.
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WE WERE HEAVILY FOCUSED ON OPERATIONAL KPIs IN THE PAST. GOING
FORWARD AS OUR STACK MATURES, THE DOMINANT CONSIDERATION FOR NEW
TOOLS IS: DOES THIS IMPROVE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE?
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Jenn Chick, VP of Marketing, Hilton
“
LOOK AT YOUR MARTECH STACK HOLISTICALLY.
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Make MarTech part of your strategy by taking an end-to-end look at how it influences, and is influenced by, your business. Consider:
Organizational GoalsHow does MarTech support higher-
level company goals, like creating
more personalized sales
relationships?Team Agility
What is the appetite for change? How
long and rigorous is the decision-
making process?
Customer ExperienceHow will your customers be
impacted? Will they be receptive to
change?
BUILD YOUR MARTECH STACK LIKE AN INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO.
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WE CONTINUOUSLY REVIEW OUR MARTECH STACK AND REMOVE ELEMENTS THAT DO
NOT WORK OR SCALE.
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Rishi Dave, CMO, Dun & Bradstreet
“
PLAN SIMULTANEOUSLY FOR STABILITY AND INNOVATION.
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You can achieve both by viewing your MarTech stack as a portfolio of core components and point solutions, then investing accordingly.
Core Components
Highly integrated solutions that
provide foundational marketing
capabilities. Focus on:
• Stability
• Scalability
• Strategic vendor partnerships
Point Solutions
Solve specific challenges. Focus on:
• Experimentation
• Innovation
Consider Xerox Chief Marketing
Technologist Duane Schulz’s 70/20/10
approach, which balances these needs
through an intentional mix of MarTech
investment dollars:*
• Core platforms (70%)
• Adjacent solutions integrated with
core platforms (20%)
• Edge point solutions (10%)
Notably, the number of investments is
the inverse of dollars spent, with 70%
in point solutions and 10% in core
platforms.*Source: chiefmartec.com
70/20/10 Investing
PREPARE TO PLAY THE LONG GAME.
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IN OUR RAPIDLY CHANGING ENVIRONMENT IT’S HARD NOT TO SEE THAT THE SINGLE
MOST VALUABLE MARKETING CAPABILITY IS AGILITY.
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Scott Brinker, Editor, chiefmartec.com
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DON’T LET VENDOR CHOICES LOCK YOU IN.
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You’ll likely need to change each component in your stack at some point. As you consider vendors, think about:
How flexible are vendor contracts?
How easily can each solution be removed or replaced?
Who owns the data flowing through each solution?
If you removed or replaced any solution, what would be
the effect on other components in the MarTech stack?
FLEXIBILITY
IMPACT
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1. THINK BIGGER2. PLAN
YOUR
APPROACH
3. GET YOUR
TEAM READY
4. STAY ONE
STEP AHEAD
A SMOOTH ROLLOUT DOESN’T HAPPEN BY CHANCE.
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[IMPLEMENTATION] CAN’T TAKE A QUARTER, AND WE HAVE TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE
PEOPLE READY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TOOL.
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Geeta Sachdev, CMO, VMTurbo
“
DON’T ASSUME ROLLOUT WILL GO SMOOTHLY.
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DiscoveryBusiness
RequirementsRFP
Proof of
ConceptRollout
• Outline high-level
workflows
• Document all
impacted systems,
teams, processes
• Identify necessary
resource
adjustments,
including personnel
• Identify vendor
shortlist
• High-level vendor
demos
• Build rollout plan
• Map out detailed
workflows
• Review rollout plan
with stakeholders
• In-depth vendor
walkthroughs based
on unique workflows
and requirements
ILLUSTRATIVE KEY TASKS IN EARLY PLANNING AND PROJECT PHASES INCLUDE:
Even if you’ve been promised an easy rollout, think through how a tool will be used. Early identification of dependencies and impacted teams, systems, and workflows will help you foresee risks and create an approach that works for your organization.
INVEST IN CHANGE MANAGEMENT.
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IF THE PEOPLE IN THE ORGANIZATION DON’T BELIEVE IN THE VISION, THE TECHNOLOGY IS
USELESS. INTERNAL COMMUNICATION SHOULD BE THE BIGGEST PRIORITY WHEN NAVIGATING
CHANGE INTERNALLY.
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Maggie Fox, Global SVP of Marketing, SAP
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Having a deliberate approach to change management helps build project momentum and ensure people can and will use new tools.
TECHNOLOGY IS WASTED IF NOBODY USES IT.
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Build an approach that includes at least these four key components:
1Craft a Vision
A motivating vision inspires
people into action and
provides direction.
2Engage Stakeholders
and Build Momentum
Stakeholders not only
provide input on project
direction, but can also build
momentum within their own
teams and departments.
3Clear Barriers
Large rollouts will almost
always face internal
resistance. You may need to
work with people 1-to-1 to
negotiate and address their
concerns.
4Focus on Measurable
Results
Establish quick,
measurable wins to help
prove the value of your
project and buy time to
complete it.
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1. THINK BIGGER 2. PLAN YOUR
APPROACH3. GET YOUR
TEAM READY
4. STAY ONE
STEP AHEAD
STOP LOOKING FOR MARKETING UNICORNS.
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OUR TWO BIGGEST CRITERIA ARE: ARE YOU A MARKETER BY BACKGROUND, AND DO YOU
UNDERSTAND TECHNOLOGY?
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Steve O’Brian, VP of Marketing, Chronus
“
If you’re hiring for the long-term, don’t overemphasize experience with a collection of specific tools you use today. Those skills can often be readily taught, and you may be using different tools next year. Instead, focus on hiring employees who are:
HIRE FOR ADAPTABILITY AND A HUNGER TO LEARN.
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Avid Learners
Modern marketing requires
constantly building skills in new
channels, technologies and
techniques. This makes the ability
to learn more valuable than the
tactical skills a new hire has when
she starts.
Marketers often need to wear many
hats – look for team members who
are able to jump in and contribute in
a variety of ways.
Adaptable
Those with a passion for
marketing and technology won’t
settle for the status quo, and will
push your team to do more.
Hungry
A TEAM IS LIKE A PUZZLE – IT LOOKS MUCH BETTER WHEN THE PIECES FIT TOGETHER.
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MARKETING ISN’T JUST A MACHINE. YOU NEED A MECHANIC, BUT IT’S THE SOUL OF
THE PRODUCT THAT CONNECTS WITH PEOPLE AND EVOKES EMOTION AND
REACTION. AND HOW DO YOU DO THAT THROUGH THE STORY THAT YOU’RE
TELLING IN YOUR MARKETING? THAT TO ME IS THE PIECE THAT’S HARDER TO COME BY,
BECAUSE THERE’S NO FORMULA.
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Bridget Perry, VP of Enterprise Marketing, Adobe
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Include technical skills in your hiring plans, but don’t ignore other important areas.
BUILD A TEAM THAT BALANCES TECHNOLOGY SAVVY WITH CLASSIC MARKETING SKILLS LIKE STRATEGY AND STORYTELLING.
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Nobody has all the skills you need, so focus on blending individual areas of expertise to build a high-performing marketing organization.
Representative modern marketer skillsets may include:
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1. THINK BIGGER 2. PLAN YOUR
APPROACH
3. GET YOUR
TEAM READY4. STAY ONE
STEP AHEAD
MARKETING NEVER STOPS CHANGING –KNOW HOW TO STAY AHEAD.
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Grad Conn, General Manager for US CMO, Microsoft
THE ONE THING YOU KNOW IS YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A PLAN IN
PLACE TO ITERATE AND LEARN.
“
FIND CREATIVE WAYS TO KEEP UP WITH MARTECH.
Our interviewees have developed innovative approaches to staying on top of MarTech advances, including:
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Has organized peer exchange
trips with similar, non-
competing companies to
understand how they approach
MarTech challenges.
Stefan GassVeeam
Regularly speaks with VCs to
get advice on which companies
coming out of the startup scene
are most promising.
Rishi DaveDun & Bradstreet
Sends his team to conferences
not only to learn, but also to
validate their approaches
against what others are doing.
Steve O’BrianChronus
SUMMARY
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To get the most out of marketing technology follow these four steps:
1. THINK BIGGERThink of your marketing stack holistically and balance innovation with long-term stability
and flexibility.
2. PLAN YOUR APPROACHActive and deliberate planning helps ensure a higher likelihood of rollout success.
3. GET YOUR TEAM READYCreate a balanced team of marketers who have a hunger to learn, an adaptive nature,
and a balance of technical, strategic and creative skills.
4. STAY ONE STEP AHEADExpect that technologies will be constantly changing. Work to build flexible systems and
find ways to keep up with marketing technology to stay ahead of the curve.
WANT MORE?
Download the full report:
Marketing Technology as a Strategic Asset
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