Beginner’s Guide & Seasoned Marketer: MarTech Stack Comparison

Written by Co-Authors: Rachael McGrew, Landmark CPAs & Kayla Juba, BSSF

Marketing technology (MarTech) includes a vast range of software and tools that assist in achieving marketing goals and objectives. CRMs, social media scheduling platforms, graphic design/video editing tools, website hosting software and data analytics software are all examples of MarTech. In this article, three AAM members provide some insights as to the MarTech tools their firms use, what they use each tool for and what other MarTech tools are on their wish lists.

EFPR Group

Kim Crevelling, Marketing Manager

Rochester, NY

What is included in your tech stack and what do you use each tool for?

• HubSpot
• Canva
• WordPress
• Looker Studio for GA4 reporting
• Google AdWords
• Prezi

As part of our marketing strategy, we are continually reviewing, adapting and testing the tools in our tech stack. Currently, the most frequently used tool is HubSpot, which has become an essential asset for our marketing efforts. It serves as our email marketing software, enabling us to manage email campaigns, newsletters and client communications effectively. Additionally, we leverage HubSpot as our CRM system, empowering us to track leads, manage client information and nurture relationships with ease. Its social media management features also play a vital role in scheduling and managing posts across various platforms, helping us maintain a consistent online presence. We are continuously exploring and experimenting with new features, such as their AI content assistant, to stay at the forefront of marketing trends.

Another favored tool in our tech stack is Canva, which allows us to design professional-looking graphics without the need for extensive design skills. We’ve successfully utilized Canva for creating sell sheets, social media posts, online and print ads and more. Its user-friendly interface and extensive template library have been instrumental in elevating the visual appeal of our marketing materials.

While HubSpot and Canva take the lead, our tech stack also includes other notable tools such as WordPress, Looker Studio for G4 reporting, Google AdWords, and Prezi. As part of our commitment to staying ahead in the ever-changing marketing landscape, we consistently explore new tools and technologies to optimize our marketing efforts and better serve our clients

Beach Fleishman

Heather Murray, Director of Marketing

Tucson, AZ

What is included in your tech stack and what do you use each tool for?

• Asana (project management)
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Grammarly (review spelling, grammar, punctuation, and clarity of content)
• Adobe Creative Cloud suite (graphic design, image and video editing, web development, PDF editing)
• Bridge (categorize and search downloaded stock photography)
• Canva (graphic design)
• Figma (interface design)
• HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional (marketing automation tool to manage social media, email marketing, automate workflows, contact and lead tracking, firm newsletter and blog, sales pipeline, etc.)
• ClearView Social (content sharing)
• GotoWebinar (host webinars)
• WordPress (website content management system)
• Google Tag Manager (use to manage third-party code snippets and marketing tags)
• Google Ads (use to promote firm services with search, display, and video ads)
• Google Analytics (use to manage analytics, conversion tracking, and reporting)

What is the largest tool in your tech stack?

HubSpot

What are your top three favorite tools in your tech stack and why?
Asana, HubSpot, and WordPress are my top three favorite tools within our tech stack. Each offers streamlined efficiencies that enable our marketing team members to accomplish different tasks while driving productivity.

Tech tool on your wish list?

A CRM with integration to pull data from time and billing and other applications would be amazing.

Lanigan Ryan

Alex Miller, Marketing Manager

Gaithersburg, MD

What is included in your tech stack and what do you use each tool for?

• HubSpot (CRM, tracking BD efforts, recruiting applicant tracking, reporting dashboards, automations/lists)
• Mailchimp (email distribution system, list segmentation)
• Hootsuite (social media scheduler)
• Adobe Creative Cloud – InDesign, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, Express (design software for flyers, graphics, videos)
• Asana (project management tool)
• Google Analytics (web analytics)
• Google Tag Manager (website changes)
• Google Ads (paid advertising)
• Vimeo (video housing)
• LinkedIn Learning (training materials)
• WordPress (website content management system)
• GoDaddy (domain management)
• Office365 – Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams
• Zapier (system integration)

What is the largest tool in your tech stack?

I think right now our CRM has played the biggest role in allowing us to accomplish what needs doing. Keeping track of our BD and recruiting pipelines and marketing touchpoints has brought a much more integrated approach to our firm efforts. Building automations into the platform has also allowed us to spend less time managing the data and more time managing relationships.

What are your top three favorite tools in your tech stack and why?
My top three current tools would be HubSpot, Outlook and Asana. All three are well integrated in other aspects of the department and they keep me organized. There’s so much going on in various projects that having tools that allow me to maintain control goes a long way. I’m huge on integration and I find that all three of these tools reduce a lot of redundancies in what I need and want to do.

Tech tools on your wish list?

AI, automation and SEO are big factors in my future tech stack. I’m looking into AI content writing tools, marketing automation systems and SEO tools. The goal is to be able to research the right content, produce it efficiently and send it out in more personalized ways.