Some things are better together: peanut butter + jelly, flowers + the vase your grandmother gave you, Instagram + puppy Reels…you get it. 

Some things are great compromisers and know how to meet in the middle: lunch + breakfast. Pssst. Did someone say brunch?

And others don’t bring out the best in each other, think…sardines + vanilla ice cream…Or the Kardashians. 

But, based on the title, this blog promised to be about tech stacks. So, what exactly does your tech stack have in common with PBJs, daffodils, or #PuppiesofInstagram? Simple, the technologies your team chooses can be more impactful together (as long as they’re the right tech-partners). We’ll cover what tech stacks are, and why we as marketers should care. 

So, What Is a Tech Stack?

Think of your tech stack as a group of friends trying to plan their epic 2019-style winter vacation (remember what traveling was like?). Destination: Morocco. We know that fun groups with clear communication and synergy are dream travel companions. They share what they want to do with transparency. They set their non-negotiable priorities for the trip (visit a hammam, take a cooking class, and check out the photography museum), research travel logistics and experiences, accommodate the group’s agreed upon budget, and when they arrive they don’t forget to enjoy their time together (hello, rooftop dining). In short, like any good team, they’re trustworthy, innovative, and constantly choose “we” over “me.” 

In contrast, imagine a travel group where one person refuses to get a passport, but still insist on going (how?), another person expects their companions to be mind-readers about what they want to do on the trip and then is upset when they don’t go see the palace, a third person books group accommodations only they can afford and is then offended when no one wants to stay there. The trip is full of friction, and everyone goes home both frustrated and disappointed. No thanks!

The good news is just like choosing the right travel companions, you get to select your own tech team. A tech stack is composed of all the technologies your sales and marketing team uses. Multifamily, self storage, and senior living tech stacks vary by company, but they typically include accounting, a property management system (PMS), storage management software or a customer relationship management platform (CRM), and marketing. As illustrated in the diagram below, each of these technology categories have subcategories, too. Each piece of the tech stack carries out specific tasks, and they all depend on information shared between one another. Illustration of a tech stack

Tech Stack + MarTech 

As marketers, we’re most familiar with the marketing technologies, also known as MarTech, we use every day. These may include: website, search engine optimization, Google My Business, review response, Internet Listing Sites, social media, content, and a virtual sales assistant or chatbot.

And, in your team’s day-to-day it probably includes something like: email, Slack, social media, Canva (or another design platform)…and the list goes on. From email marketing to customer analytics dashboards, there are now over 8,000 MarTech, partners to choose from — that’s 13.6% more than 2019. In 2011, there were just 150 MarTech partners on the scene. It can be overwhelming for a marketer to wade through these options to find the right partners. 

illustration showing all martech providers in 2020
Image courtesy of Chiefmartec.com

Adding a Tech Partner

Adding a partner to your tech stack can be simple, like downloading a new app or software. Or it can be complex, requiring shared data and an Application Programming Interface (API). Regardless of complexity, the bottom line is, the technology you choose changes the way your team works, and how effective you’re able to execute your marketing tactics. Best-in-class MarTech partners integrate to make your technology stack more effective and efficient, and they empower your business to keep up with — and even surpass — the competition. The technologies you choose are integral to your company, and once you select a vendor it can be difficult to make a change.

You want to know that a tech vendor is going to grow with your business, think ahead of the changing market, and innovate to solve problems that have yet to arise. Selecting best-in-class partners provide you with long-term advantages, allowing your business to scale and advance your capabilities as your partner continues to innovate. In addition, it can often be overwhelming to compare tech partners. Beyond upfront costs and timelines, you have to think about the implications to your on-site teams, including onboarding and ongoing training, providing technical support, data privacy and compliance, and making sure that all components of your tech stack play nicely with each other.

Team Tech

As a MarTech provider, we believe that your tech team is better together. To learn more about the intersection of technology and marketing, read our most recent report in the G5 MarTech Series: Part 3.