When we talk about martech, we most often think of tools that allow us to perform a specific task related to marketing – analyzing traffic to our websites, aggregating and understanding customer data, delivering personalized messages, etc. .
But most marketing initiatives require us to use multiple tools to achieve our goals. To use just one example, we can use Google Doc to write a white paper, Canva to create graphics to illustrate it, and something like Adobe InDesign or Acrobat to put it all together. Then the asset is transferred to the marketing automation platform, which integrates with the content management system and other tools that drive traffic to that piece of secure content.
How do marketers combine all of this? Many use a rapidly changing category of tools, Marketing Work Management (MWM). Some of the software we looked at in our brand new MarTech Intelligence Space report are versatile project management tools, but increasingly vendors are adding specific functionality to common marketing workflows (like the proofing and obtaining approvals on the items mentioned above (white paper, for example). And new tools are emerging with their views on clients of agencies and marketers.
When we conducted an informal survey of our audience earlier this year, 70% of 71 respondents said they already use a tool like this to manage their day-to-day work, while others use everything from pen and paper to email folders to spreadsheets, Slack or Microsoft. Teams with the workflow capabilities of another tool such as a CRM, a marketing automation platform or a DAM.
We also asked marketers if they collaborate with others within tools, primarily work within a dedicated app, or if they use a combination of solutions. Most collaborated, either across their company (24%), in a small group (34%) or across the entire marketing department (23%).
Another trend we’ve looked at is the increasingly connected nature of these tools. Many marketers (43%) reported that their tool already connects to other systems, but our survey indicated that many of these integrations are not yet in use.
While we haven’t gotten enough responses to make this a truly representative sample, it is certainly a window into what goes on in the day-to-day working lives of many marketers. With all the innovations coming from the vendors, they certainly hope to increase the use among marketers.
To learn more about marketing work management tools, including trends leading to adoption, feature analysis and vendor profiles, download our MarTech Intelligence report, Business Marketing Work Management Platforms: A Guide to Marketing.
About the Author
Pamela Parker is a Research Director at Third Door Media’s Content Studio, where she produces Martech Intelligence reports and other in-depth content for digital marketers in collaboration with Search Engine Land, Marketing Land, MarTech Today and Digital Marketing Depot. Prior to this role at TDM, she served as a content manager, senior writer and features editor. Parker is a respected authority on digital marketing, having reported and written on the subject since its inception. She is a former editor-in-chief of ClickZ and has also worked on the commercial side helping independent publishers monetize their sites at Federated Media Publishing. Parker received a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
