Within the last five years, the digital marketing landscape as we know it has evolved exponentially, and, with it, the technologies, to better implement and develop marketing strategies. As of today, around 4,000 companies are part of the technology marketing game. From advertising to management, these marketing platforms and suites have been able to come up with a unique and custom solution for every company.
A recent study run by Scott Brinker, owner of the Chief Marketing Technologist Blog, shows that what started in 2011 with 150 companies in the technology marketing space rapidly grew to 2,000 companies in 2015, and almost doubled from that in 2016 to over 3,500 providers of a marketing solution. But what are the six major categories dominating the technology marketing landscape? Let’s first have a look at the infographic that Scott created to present this data.
Some would agree with us that the data compiled in this graphic is very revealing and fascinating. For our team, it describes the current digital marketing landscape at its best, showing how each of these companies have been able to adapt to the most demanding services in 2016. For those who are trying to spot these six major categories, we’ve got you covered. Here are the top six, by number of solutions included:
- Sales Automation, Enablement, & Intelligence (220)
- Social Media Marketing & Monitoring (186)
- Display & Programmatic Advertising (180)
- Marketing Automation & Campaign/Lead Management (161)
- Content Marketing (160)
- Mobile Marketing (156)
When looking at the most popular solutions covered by each different digital marketing technology verticals, and when comparing those to the least popular solutions, we observe a clear current marketing reality. It’s a reality that focuses on user behavior and user experience by listening to an audience through social media monitoring, generating leads through the power of content, offering a unique mobile experience for each user, and that, in general, provides the best customer experience for clientele. Below we have included the least six popular categories for you to make your own conclusions:
- Customer Data Platforms (12)
- Product Management (12)
- Budgeting & Finance (14)
- ABM (Activity Based Management) (16)
- Print (17)
- Affiliate Marketing & Management (36)
While the wide variety of platforms and marketing solutions currently available can sometimes be overwhelming for those trying to find the right tool to rule them all, the reality is that most companies have evolved from a single-platform to a multi-platform marketing model. Over the years, the capability of most of these platforms to integrate with each other, and the great variety of solutions available in the market, have empowered marketers to adopt this new mentality of selecting the best of each solution to better serve their needs. Nowadays, the norm for medium to big companies is to rely on an average of two to five different marketing technologies on a daily basis.
Marketing has undoubtedly become a technology-powered discipline. However, don’t be fooled by any means, thinking that with the use of these technologies, your company will be able to magically revolutionize the world. While these platforms can turn into one of the most valuable tools you keep on your computer desktop, the reality is that without a well-planned strategy behind those tools, the only thing that your company will end up revolutionizing is your return on investment (ROI) in a negative way, at the very least.
What’s your company’s experience with the use of marketing technologies? Are you currently using any of the listed in the graphic? We would love to know your own perspective of the new marketing technology landscape. Marketing is evolving and if your company is ready to evolve with it, we are here to help! Send us an email with your digital marketing concerns–our team of professionals will be more than happy to assist you.
Thanks for thinking out loud!
Lydia
