Building a MarTech Stack: Choosing Tools for Success

A well-constructed marketing technology (MarTech) stack is the foundation of effective marketing operations. It’s what enables teams to launch campaigns, analyze performance, and deliver personalized customer experiences at scale.

For enterprise organizations, a strategic MarTech stack is more than just a collection of tools; it’s a competitive advantage. The right mix of technologies cuts through the clutter, improving efficiency, data accessibility, and return on investment (ROI). 

Yet many marketing and revenue leaders find themselves managing an ever-growing list of tools—each one promising to be “the one” but somehow creating more work instead of less. With thousands of MarTech solutions available, selecting the right combination feels like assembling a puzzle with missing pieces. Organizations end up with fragmented data, disconnected workflows, and integration headaches—turning what should be a powerhouse into a roadblock.

So, how do you build a MarTech stack that works for you, not against you? Let’s break it down.

The importance of your MarTech stack 

Think of a MarTech stack as the backbone of a marketer’s workflow, equipping teams with the tools they need to plan, execute, measure, and optimize their strategies. From audience segmentation and campaign automation to analytics and customer relationship management (CRM), it powers every stage of the marketing process.

When thoughtfully assembled, a MarTech stack amplifies efficiency by eliminating time-consuming manual processes and replacing them with automated workflows. Instead of getting bogged down by repetitive tasks like list management or campaign setup, your team can focus on high-impact initiatives that drive business growth. Faster campaign execution, streamlined operations, and optimized resource allocation all contribute to stronger marketing performance.

An integrated MarTech stack also enables scalable personalization. With centralized customer data, marketers can create highly targeted campaigns informed by behavioral insights, purchase history, and engagement trends. More relevant messaging drives higher conversion rates, customer retention, and greater lifetime value. 

Businesses with well-integrated MarTech stacks often see improved ROI because they have better attribution capabilities, allowing them to track which marketing efforts truly move the needle. 

Key considerations when choosing MarTech tools 

How do you choose the right tools for your business? Start by evaluating your marketing goals and existing tech infrastructure—the best option isn’t always the most feature-rich or widely used platform. Instead, focus on solutions that align with your strategy and operational needs.

Business goals and marketing objectives

Selecting MarTech tools starts with defining clear business priorities and revenue targets. Many marketing stakeholders get caught up in flashy features and industry trends but fail to assess whether a tool supports their actual business objectives. That’s why it’s essential to identify specific, measurable goals. 

Are you looking to increase customer acquisition, improve retention, or create more cross-sell opportunities? Every tool in your stack should serve a distinct purpose in achieving these outcomes. 

Your strategy must also extend beyond marketing. For ServiceNow-centered enterprises, compatibility with existing workflows and data structures is key. MarTech solutions should complement and enhance your current technology rather than introduce inefficiencies. 

Scalability and flexibility 

When evaluating MarTech tools, focus on long-term adaptability. What works now needs to evolve with your marketing—because no one wants to replace half their tech stack every time they scale up. As your organization embraces new channels, engagement models, or evolving customer preferences, your marketing tech stack should support these pivots, not restrict them.

Scalable MarTech solutions deliver long-term value by reducing the total cost of ownership and minimizing disruptive transitions. They prevent businesses from getting stuck in a cycle of implementation, adoption, and replacement every time requirements shift.

Integration capabilities

Even the most powerful tools become less effective when they operate in isolation. Seamless integration between your MarTech tools, CRM systems, and analytics platforms is essential for efficiency and performance. When data flows freely, you eliminate manual transfers, reconciliation issues, and inconsistencies that can delay campaigns. With a connected system, every customer interaction is captured and analyzed across touchpoints—empowering smarter, data-driven decisions. 

For organizations already invested in enterprise platforms like ServiceNow, integration can be a major challenge. Teams often struggle to connect core business systems with specialized marketing tools, creating workflow friction that slows productivity and introduces data integrity risks. 

Built on ServiceNow, Tenon is an all-in-one marketing solution that connects marketing and CRM functions in a single platform. Instead of switching between disconnected tools, your teams can collaborate, automate workflows, and execute campaigns seamlessly—all from one place.

User experience and adoption 

Product usability and ease of use are critical when introducing new technology. Adoption rates soar when a solution is intuitive and requires minimal training. Marketing platforms with logical workflows and user-friendly interfaces reduce the learning curve, helping teams realize the value faster. 

Accessibility is especially important in enterprise environments where teams often have varying levels of technical expertise. When evaluating MarTech solutions, consider how each option balances advanced capabilities with operational simplicity. The ideal tool delivers powerful functionality through an interface that’s easy to adopt and navigate.

Cost and ROI 

It’s easy to fixate on price, but cost alone doesn’t define a tool’s business value. Consider the total cost of ownership, including implementation, ongoing maintenance, integration complexity, and efficiency gains. A seemingly affordable solution can become costly if it requires additional investments to function effectively.

To justify the cost, focus on expected returns. Will the tool accelerate time-to-market, improve customer targeting, enhance cross-team collaboration, or enable smarter decision-making? These efficiency gains create long-term value that extends beyond the direct revenue impact of individual marketing campaigns. 

Compliance and security 

Privacy regulations like GDPR, CCPA, and state-specific frameworks are constantly evolving. Your MarTech stack must safeguard customer data, ensure regulatory compliance, and adapt to changing legal standards wherever you operate. 

To minimize risk, choose platforms with built-in compliance features such as consent management, permission controls, and transparent data processing documentation. These features help protect your organization from compliance violations while respecting customer privacy preferences. 

Solutions like Tenon, built within the robust security framework of ServiceNow, provide enterprise-grade infrastructure that has been rigorously vetted to protect sensitive operational data. 

What does the ideal MarTech stack look like? 

There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for the perfect MarTech stack. Every organization’s needs are different, shaped by business objectives, customer engagement strategies, and operational structure. But while the specifics may vary, high-performing marketing teams rely on a core set of essential tools. 

Customer relationship management (CRM)

Think of your CRM as mission control for customer data. It centralizes critical information about prospects and customers, capturing interactions across touchpoints, tracking lead progression, and maintaining relationship histories. 

But a CRM isn’t just a glorified database—it’s an operational hub that connects marketing activities to sales outcomes and customer service experiences. When this data source is natively connected to your marketing technology stack, it ensures seamless handoffs between teams and consistent messaging across every customer interaction. No more disjointed conversations or lost leads—just smooth, data-driven engagement that strengthens relationships and drives revenue.

Marketing automation 

With marketing automation, time-intensive processes become effortless. Automated tools empower marketing teams to design dynamic, multi-step campaigns that adapt in real time to customer actions and engagement. Intelligent sequences deliver the right messages through the right marketing channels at the right moments in the customer journey. 

Marketing automation streamlines nearly every aspect of digital marketing—from email and SMS campaigns to social media publishing. But its impact goes beyond efficiency. By connecting marketing, customer service, and sales teams, automation fosters shared insights, coordinated interactions, and seamless data flow across departments. 

The result? Fewer communication silos and a better, more personalized customer experience. 

Content management system (CMS) 

A CMS serves as the engine behind content marketing efforts, giving teams the tools to create, organize, and distribute content efficiently. It streamlines the entire content lifecycle—from drafting and approvals to publishing and performance tracking. By centralizing content management, marketing teams can maintain brand consistency across channels while reducing the technical barriers to deployment. 

For enterprise organizations managing complex websites with multiple contributors, a CMS provides structure, control, and scalability. But its value extends beyond content management—when integrated with your MarTech stack, a CMS transforms into a dynamic publishing system, personalizing digital experiences based on visitor data, engagement history, and audience segment insights. 

Data and analytics tools 

Marketing without data is just guesswork. Analytics tools provide a clear, measurable view of campaign performance across channels, helping marketers track what’s working and where to optimize.

But beyond basic performance tracking, sophisticated analytics solutions reveal real-time patterns in consumer behavior. They identify which content resonates with different segments, which engagement sequences drive conversions, and which channels deliver the highest lifetime value customers. 

Within a MarTech ecosystem, analytics tools report data and empower smarter decision-making by giving teams a comprehensive view of customer interactions and campaign performance. 

Collaboration and project management tools 

These are some of the most underrated components of a high-performing MarTech stack. They allow marketing teams to plan campaigns, manage intricate creative workflows, track deliverables, and coordinate cross-functional efforts. 

As marketing initiatives grow more complex, visibility and accountability are critical. Collaboration and project management tools consolidate marketing operations into one orchestrated process. 

When integrated with your marketing tech stack, these tools strengthen alignment between marketing and other business functions. With greater visibility into campaigns and smoother handoffs between departments, teams can move faster and execute with confidence. 

SEO and SEM tools 

The internet is loud, and standing out takes more than luck. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) tools help marketers cut through digital noise and reach their target audience. They identify high-value keywords, analyze search intent, and track ranking positions to boost visibility. 

When search data flows into analytics and CRM platforms, marketers can gain a full view of the customer journey—from the initial search to the final purchase. This integration ensures that insights from organic and paid search efforts inform broader marketing strategies.

For organizations using platforms like Tenon within ServiceNow environments, SEO and SEM integrations provide a more complete view of search performance. With a clearer understanding of search-driven behaviors, marketing teams can refine their organic and paid search investments, making budget decisions that align with performance.

Design tools 

Design tools keep creativity and brand governance in balance. They help teams maintain visual consistency while accelerating content production across channels and formats. 

For businesses with complex brand architectures, maintaining cohesion can be a challenge. Standardized templates and brand asset libraries ensure consistency, eliminating discrepancies that weaken brand recognition. 

When design tools integrate with the rest of your marketing tech stack, marketers can rapidly produce and deploy visual content without delays or unnecessary handoffs. 

How to build a successful MarTech stack 

Understanding the key components of an effective MarTech stack is just the beginning. How do you build or refine your tech to meet your organization’s needs? 

Creating the right marketing technology infrastructure requires more than just selecting best-in-class tools. It’s about making strategic choices that enhance efficiency, improve integration, and drive measurable results. Here’s a practical framework to guide your approach. 

1. Audit your current tools 

Start by assessing your existing marketing technologies. Document each tool’s functions, usage rates, and integration status. Identify inefficiencies, redundant capabilities, and gaps that hinder performance.

A thorough audit provides the foundation for smarter decisions, helping you determine which tools add true value and which contribute to unnecessary complexity. 

2. Define your needs 

Resist the urge to adopt tools based on hype or trending features. Instead, focus on the capabilities that will drive measurable outcomes. Rank potential technologies based on:

• How well they align with your strategic priorities and revenue goals
• Whether they enhance or duplicate existing platform functionality

A well-defined set of needs ensures you invest in tools that truly support your organization's growth.

3. Research and compare options

To make informed choices, tap into expert insights. Analyst firms like Forrester and Gartner provide in-depth reviews, while peer networks and industry forums offer unfiltered feedback on real-world implementation, onboarding, and support.

Request product demos tailored to your specific use cases, ensuring you evaluate tools based on how they integrate into your existing workflows.

4. Ensure seamless integration and consolidate where possible 

Integration should be a decisive factor in your selection process. Evaluate each tool’s:

• API connectivity
• Data synchronization capabilities
• Impact on cross-platform workflows 

Where possible, consolidate tools to reduce complexity. A unified platform simplifies marketing operations while improving collaboration.

For ServiceNow users, Tenon presents a unique consolidation opportunity. Built on your existing platform, Tenon offers comprehensive marketing capabilities while ensuring seamless integration across sales and service functions. 

5. Train your team 

The effectiveness of your MarTech stack depends as much on team adoption as it does on the technology itself. Create onboarding programs that address both technical skills and the strategic role of each tool. 

• Appoint a platform champion to provide peer support and drive adoption.
• Plan for initial training, ongoing education, and internal knowledge sharing. 

Since Tenon operates within the familiar ServiceNow interface, teams can leverage existing knowledge to accelerate adoption rates. 

Optimize your MarTech stack with Tenon 

Building an effective MarTech stack requires strategy, integration, and adaptability. By assessing your needs, eliminating inefficiencies, and selecting the right tools, you can create a connected CRM that drives performance and delivers measurable business impact. 

Tenon provides ServiceNow users with a seamless way to unify marketing operations within their existing enterprise platform. Instead of struggling with disconnected tools and data silos, teams can work from a centralized solution that streamlines email marketing, SMS, customer journeys, landing pages, and social media management. With Tenon, marketing teams gain comprehensive capabilities without the complexity of managing multiple standalone platforms.

Ready to simplify your MarTech stack and improve efficiency? Book a demo today to see how Tenon can help your team work smarter.

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