In today’s market, savvy marketing professionals are empowered to make their own technology choices and, therefore, have the ability to deliver marketing solutions specifically designed for their business needs. A solid, well-engineered marketing stack creates a seamless, meaningful and relevant experience for consumers and provides the marketer deep insight into those experiences and interactions, along with the ability to analyze and optimize each at a granular level.
I’ve said before that the strongest marketing stack begins with the right partner, and that criteria for selecting that partner should be based as much on culture as technology. To dive a little bit deeper into that piece of the evaluation process, here are few questions you should be asking as you consider potential partners:
What’s the history of the company you’re considering? What was the original vision for their organization? In marketing and advertising technology, we see a lot of fly-by-nights, and a lot companies that pivot away from their vision to follow consumer demand, rather than being focused on scalable innovation for the future. Because the foundation of your marketing stack is so critical to your future success, make sure the partner you choose is one with both vision and integrity. You’ll want a team and a technology that’s in it for the long haul, just like you.
What’s the company’s vision for the future? Where are they headed? Does this vision match with what you are trying to achieve from a marketing and business perspective? As stated above, you’ll want a partner whose goals are in lockstep with your own. For example, if your ultimate goal is to be the leader in omni-channel, make sure your partner is on the same page – do they offer access to programmatic media across all addressable media, like MediaMath? If not, that could indicate a poor fit and the painful transition to a new partner sooner than you’d like. Be sure to confirm that you and your partner are aligned business-wise.
Along these lines, find out if your prospective partner offers and open or closed platform. If you’re limited to the components your partner offers under their umbrella, you may be sacrificing ease of integration for flexibility and scalability. Determine how important that is to your business. If your selected partner maintains an open platform, you’ll have increased control over the technology in the long-term, and how you choose to customize it.
Evaluation of course continues even after the stack is built, so the next question must be: How well does your partner support their technology? If something doesn’t function or deliver as expected, will your partner be there to deliver guidance or technical support as needed? To find out, check references. Read reviews. Speak to current clients. Your marketing technology partner should be able, willing, and even excited to supply the technology as well asthe people and knowledge that went into building it to ensure client success.
Evaluating your marketing technology stack is no easy feat, and not a task to be taken lightly. Take your time, ask lots of questions, and again — do your due diligence. Keep your technology team in the loop from day one, and if needed, consult (or become) a marketing engineer. You’ll never regret the time you invested once you have the right platform for your digital marketing efforts.
This post is the tenth in a series for marketers with an understanding of programmatic technology who are looking to step it up. Keep up with this series by following the Step It Up Series on the blog.
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