Putting the Pieces of the Martech Puzzle Together

Putting the pieces of the martech puzzle together keeps getting more complicated as stacks continue to grow. Each puzzle piece or solution is key to meeting business goals. It’s the technology that enables the people and processes to work. Building out the technology elements requires a solid strategy and understanding of how all the pieces fit together to complete the puzzle. And that is where things get challenging.

Organizations build their stacks differently depending on their needs and goals. However, everyone starts their tech stack with core solutions like a CRM or ERP and builds from there. We recently hosted a webinar, “Putting the pieces of the martech stack puzzle together” with a rockstar lineup of panelists who have worked in technology throughout their careers and have extensive experience in building and leveraging technology stacks. 

The panelists are experts who have focused on optimizing digital asset management (DAM), product information management (PIM), and adjacent solutions throughout their careers. The speakers span different industries and verticals and their insights shed some much-needed light on how to put your martech puzzle pieces together.

Here are some key takeaways:

Role of DAM

One big takeaway from the webinar was the important role DAM played in their organizations. Digital asset management solutions as well as PIM solutions help ensure there is a “single source of truth” for digital assets from ideation to sunsetting of assets. A DAM is like the “spoke of a bicycle” as its functionality plays a prominent role as a core technology for our speakers’ organizations. 

However, because of the central role DAM plays in the tech stack, there may be challenges after the initial implementation. According to expert Kristi Klein, she experienced a few challenges including continuing to build the user base, keeping it relevant, and consolidating all the assets from the organization. These may be typical challenges when working with an enterprise DAM that is used across an organization, not just for one business unit. 

The best advice to solve these challenges is to remember that, “there needs to be continuous work to improve the technology based on feedback from users,” said Klein.

Always look to optimize and improve.

Data Governance

In talking about DAM, the importance of data governance came up. Our speakers discussed the role of data governance and how it is critical to success. In fact, there were ongoing discussions that data governance, or lack of, can make or break your program.

Data governance fosters collaboration according  Jessica Berlin, another webinar panelist. Berlin says it has to be continually monitored and evaluated to ensure the best and most accurate data is used across an organization.

“Data governance streamlines workflows and really empowers true data-driven decision making. It really takes out a lot of the guesswork and where you need to go next,” stated Berlin.

“You can have the best DAM system money can buy, but it will just crumble without a strong governance plan,“ said panelist Megan Morrisy, United Airlines.

Governance covers a broad range of things including training and communications. “It also includes reviews and audits to clearly define roles and permissions, not just for the people, but also the systems,” according to Morrisey. 

Remember, governance is not something to discuss after a DAM implementation. It’s critical to the DAM or any element of the martech stack.

Executive Buy-In

Executive buy-in is a topic that is important in building the martech stack for several different reasons. One reason, obviously, is that without executive buy-in, budgets might not align for purchase or investment in the martech stack.

However, perhaps even more important than budget support, executive buy-in means there is leadership that deems a project as valid and worthy, enabling the path forward. Anyone who has not had executive buy-in and tried to make a significant investment or change in process, knows the challenges lack of executive buy-in can mean. 

Don’t overlook the importance of an internal executive champion to help navigate significant changes within your organization. This applies to martech investments and other areas of business. As business continues to evolve, our tech stacks need to evolve as well. 

Understanding how to work across an organization to put the pieces of the martech puzzle together is important. It’s more than just the technology investment. This is change management 101 and it involves people, process, and lastly, technology. Bringing this all together, integrating solutions, and teams is where the magic happens.

Special thank you to our amazing panelists and Henry Stewart events for hosting this webinar. Watch the webinar here if you missed it or just want a refresher!