Marketing is no longer about releasing just a television commercial, followed by a print ad or a radio commercial, or a display ad on digital. And there is now serious involvement of technology, which not only allows advertisers to have access to user data but also allows personalisation of messages.
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From customer relationship management (CRM) systems to data analytics and automation platforms, among others, it is believed that these tools help companies streamline marketing, right from driving return-on-investment, targeting the right audience, and optimising campaigns for maximum impact. Marketing Technology (MarTech) tools not only save time and resources but also provide valuable insights which further enables data-driven decision-making.
As 2023 nears an end, BrandWagon Online takes a look at some of these tools. It is to be noted that BrandWagon Online doesn’t claim any kind of sequencing. The tools and platforms quoted below are based on observation and industry trends:
Customer relationship management (CRM)
CRM is a technology to analyse, manage and centralise customer interaction data throughout its lifecycle. CRM tools streamline operations, enhance customer service, and optimise marketing. This allows a comprehensive view of customer interactions and manages the company’s relationship with customers. The use of chatbots and virtual assistants has gained popularity this year, some of the popular CRM MarTech tools are:
Salesforce, a CRM platform, launched Einstein GPT earlier this year to help businesses get lead scoring and predictive analysis using generative AI. Einstein GPT can generate personalised emails for sales professionals to send to customers, generate specific responses for customer service professionals to more quickly answer customer questions, target content for marketers to increase campaign response rates, and auto-generate code for developers.
HubSpot, a CRM software provider, introduced HubSpot Conversation Inbox this year which integrates email, live chat, social media messages, Facebook Messenger, and phone calls into a single platform, eliminating the need to switch between different tools. It also utilises AI-powered chatbots to handle basic inquiries, qualify leads, and schedule appointments.
MuleSoft, an integration platform runs the MuleSoft Anypoint Platform which helps to integrate apps, data, and application programming interface (APIs) to automate workflows, manage APIs, build custom apps, and unlock data insights.
Marketing automation
To improve efficiency and productivity, using technology to automate monotonous and repetitive tasks is essential in this competitive market. Businesses use martech tools and data to automate such tasks for efficiency.
Pardot B2B marketing analytics which holds both Salesforce and Pardot’s data provides campaign insights. It provides a view of marketing performance and provides a solution to the challenge of analysing and optimising B2B (business-to-business) marketing efforts by delivering actionable insights into campaign effectiveness, enabling data-driven decision-making for enhanced RoI and strategic planning.
Adobe Marketo Engage, functions as a marketing automation platform that emphasises on customer attraction, segmentation, and nurturing. It provides a seamless customer journey from discovery to engagement without relying on indiscriminate outreach.
Content management system (CMS)
A CMS is essential for businesses and individuals who seek efficient website management. It helps users, regardless of technical expertise, to effortlessly create, update, and organise digital content, ensuring a seamless online presence and user experience.
WordPress Gutenberg, an editor within WordPress, facilitates content creation using customisable blocks. It simplifies the process of building layouts with multimedia integration by providing a practical and straightforward interface for content editing and management.
Drupal’s Paragraphs module tool helps to simplify content creation by allowing site builders to organise and structure content more effectively. It provides flexibility to end-users by enabling them to choose from predefined paragraph types, such as text blocks or slideshows, for modular content building. The module includes a user-friendly ‘paragraphs’ field type for easy integration into various content types, allowing users to add and rearrange paragraph items effortlessly.
Search engine optimisation (SEO)
SEO is vital for businesses as it improves online visibility, making it easier for potential customers to find products or services. A strong SEO strategy enhances website ranking on search engines, driving organic traffic and increasing the chances of converting leads into customers.
Some of the SEO tools are Ahrefs Content Gap for competitor research, SEMrush Backlink Analytics for competitor link analysis, Moz Pro Tools for advanced keyword research, Ahrefs Rank Tracker for keyword monitoring and Moz Local SEO for optimising local searches.
Social media management
Social media can be an effective medium for businesses to connect with its audience, build brand awareness, and foster customer engagement. It allows businesses to share content, gather feedback, and establish a direct line of communication with customers. This presence enhances brand visibility, drives website traffic, and contributes to a positive online reputation.
To manage social media platforms businesses need to leverage martech tools for content curation, scheduling, campaign analysing and brand reputation monitoring.
One of the social media management tools include Hootsuite Streams, which function as feeds showcasing content from connected social accounts. Users monitor activity across all accounts and engage with its audience. The tool allows the creation of streams to track personal posts, engagement, social topics, trends, and profiles. Buffer Analyze provides a unified dashboard for social media analytics and reporting. Users track and generate reports on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn performance seamlessly on this platform.
Sprout Social’s Social Listening feature facilitates brand reputation monitoring. It allows users to track and analyse online conversations, mentions, and sentiments about their brand, enabling proactive engagement and strategic decision-making based on real-time insights.
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