Ideal Marketing Technology Stack: SaaS and High Tech

When we think about the world of high tech and SaaS, it’s hard not to imagine ourselves in a scene from “Fast & Furious“. Today’s world is moving fast, with tough competition around every curve. As an increasing number of companies shift gears for remote workforces, the demand for rapid cloud-based solutions that cater to all aspects of enterprise go-to-market teams is accelerating. 

As a SaaS provider, you probably feel more like “Guardians of the Galaxy“, working hard to protect and serve customers while maintaining your position in the universe or market. With ever-changing demands, GTM strategy and operations must adapt quickly. This often results in a significant increase in the marketing technology (martech) required to support evolving strategies and drive customer engagement.

Definition: Martech Stack – Marketing Technology Stack is the integrated set of software applications used to drive demand, execute tactics, manage leads, orchestrate programs, and measure results of marketing activities 

In this blog post, we will delve into various marketing technologies that mid to large SaaS companies, like yours, can utilize to create a pipeline, personalize their approach, and stand out in today’s competitive market.

Top Challenges for Your Customers in 2023:

Above we touched on a couple of the pressures on SaaS companies today.  Like you, your customers are feeling the heat as well. Beyond the obvious of rapid innovation and value-add solutions, here are a few challenges that come to mind:

• Security: In today’s digital world, cyberattacks and fraud have become more prevalent. Customers are understandably worried about the safety of their data, as well as the data of their clients. Hence, SaaS companies must prioritize the implementation of all essential measures to safeguard customer information.
• Compliance: SaaS companies need to ensure that they are following all applicable regulations, such as those governing data privacy and security.
• Performance: Customers expect SaaS applications to be available and perform well. SaaS companies need to have a robust infrastructure in place to ensure that their applications are always available and performing at their best.
• Cost: SaaS can be a cost-effective way to acquire and manage software, but customers also want to make sure they are getting value. SaaS companies need to be transparent about their pricing and offer clear value propositions to their customers.
• Customer support: A knowledgeable and responsive customer services and support team is essential for any SaaS company. Not only is it important for building lasting relationships with existing customers, but it can also be a differentiator in the decision-making process.
• Personalization: With AI experiences on the rise, customers increasingly expect that their customer journey is bespoke and very tailored to them. This creates new pressure for SaaS companies to understand and speak to their customers’ unique needs and data.

Understanding and meeting your customers where they are is key to aligning your marketing strategy and martech stack to their journey. As you engage with prospects and customers, addressing their unique challenges will help you build relatability and trust. 

How do we get started?

Before diving into categories of an ideal martech stack; Here are a few fundamentals to think through before investing in new tools:

• Current state of your martech stack. Assess what tools you currently have and how they are connected. This will save you a great deal of time and money if you can leverage tools that are already in use in your company. To quote Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy, “Sometimes that thing you’re searching for your whole life, its right there by your side all along.”
• Map Personas and Customer Journeys. Whether it’s business owners, engineers, general contractors, or consumers, knowing whom you are targeting, what they care about, and their decision-making journey is an important first step in effectively engaging with them. 
• Personalize your messages. To increase the chances of receiving a response from customers, it’s best to personalize your messages. Incorporate their names, reference their interests and recent company news, and address their specific needs in your messaging.
• Make it easy to respond. Design a digital journey that makes it easy for your customers to engage with you. Make sure your call to action is clear and easy to follow. 
• Follow up. Studies show it can take 10 touchpoints or more before a customer responds. Craft an approach with multiple touches over several weeks or months. 
• Track your results and adjust as needed.  Analytic tools will capture progress and trends, showing you where you might need to adjust your approach.
• Start small. After you complete your current state assessment, stack rank your stack needs. This will help you not only manage your budget and ROI but will ease change management in your organization. Once you decide where to invest, start with a pilot or free trial to ensure any new tools achieve the desired outcome.

The Ideal SaaS Martech Stack:

The categories of a good martech stack are similar across most industries. In our overview here, we have included options tailored to SaaS and high-tech companies:

Core:

• Customer relationship management (CRM) software: As a larger company, you undoubtedly have this covered, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t include this in our overview. Your CRM is the equivalent of your core; the hub for managing the customer journey end-to-end. This includes customer data and interactions, tracking sales leads, closing deals, and growing accounts. For most SaaS companies, Salesforce is an obvious choice.  Other options include HubSpot and Oracle CRM.

Data / Intel:

• Data enrichment: To provide a personalized experience for your customers and bring them into your funnel, various tools can aggregate intelligence about your target accounts and contacts. These tools include ZoomInfo, Clearbit, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator. If you operate within a specific niche, there are also market-specific data enrichment providers available, like FI Navigator for the fintech industry.
• Customer Intent: Tools in this category help you understand what your prospects and customers care about and are responding to.  Examples here include Propensity and 6Sense.
• Competitive Intel (CI) Platforms: CI tools help you keep the pulse of the ever-changing landscape in the technology market.  Popular options here include Crayon, Klue, Kompyte, and Watch My Competitor.
• Web analytics software: This software will help you track website traffic and analyze your website’s performance. Some popular web analytics options include Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Mixpanel, and Matomo.

Customer Engagement

• Marketing automation software: This software will help you automate your marketing tasks, such as email marketing, lead nurturing, and social media marketing. Some popular marketing automation options include Marketo, Pardot, and HubSpot CRM. 
• Email marketing software: This software will help you send email marketing campaigns to your customers. Some popular email marketing options include Outreach, Salesloft, Mailchimp, or Constant Contact.
• Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising software: This software will help you create and manage your PPC campaigns. Some popular PPC advertising options include Google Ads, Bing Ads, and Facebook Ads.
• Search engine optimization (SEO) software: This software will help you improve your website’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). Some popular SEO software options include Moz, Ahrefs, Google Keyword Planner, and SEMrush.

Content Creation and Management:

• AI Content Creators: Leverage AI to become a prolific and personalized content creator.  There are free tools in the space, like ChatGPT, Google Bard, etc.  There are also subscription-based tools like Jasper.ai, Regie.ai, Scribehow, etc.
• Content management system (CMS) software: This software will help you create and manage your website content. Some popular CMS options include WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla.
• Social media management software: This software will help you manage your social media accounts and publish content. Some popular social media management options include Hootsuite, Buffer, and Sprout Social. 

Although we’re moving quickly, it’s possible to unlock your full potential with strategic planning, investment, and utilization of your marketing technology. By aligning as a GTM team, connecting with customers in a meaningful and relevant manner, and effectively managing the narrative of their journey with your brand, you can tap into your superpowers and rise above the competition. With any luck, your customers will be saying, “I am Groot”, which we’re guessing means, “Where do I sign.”

To get started on your road to the ideal martech stack, check out our recent blog on Software Asset Inventory.