MarTech Alliance's Top 15 Posts From 2021

What a year it's been. We're talking about the waves and waves of edutaining articles we've been putting out of course. The only pandemic we're referencing is the one where people are getting that martech fever, am I right? Am I right? Tell me I'm right. 

So, let's jump into our best-est, biggest, and brightest articles of this year. In no particular order...

1. Is Amazon About to Acquire HubSpot?

A report from Business Insider suggests a deal worth $38 - $40 billion to purchase HubSpot was pitched internally by the AWS Pinpoint team. 

Graham jumped on the rumours, letting us know what this means for HubSpot, and the industry in general. What does the acquisition mean for competition, or future solutions? 

As one of the biggest potential moves this year, it could mean a big ol' shift in the space.

Check out the article here! πŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆ

2.The What, Why, and How of Marketing Operations (MOPs)

The growth of martech brings with it a need for new roles that help companies manage potentially complex tech purchases and integrations. 

This has led to the growing importance of the marketing operations role, which combines technological and marketing knowledge. 

In this detailed article, we explain the marketing ops role, and what it can bring to your business. 

Read this article here! πŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆ

3. What Does the Email Newsletter of 2021 Look Like?

Your business's email newsletter can help, or hinder,  the delivery of company information. It's a way for you to communicate with your audience in a way which is informative and entertaining, personal and consistent. 

Surprised Oh My GIF by NETFLIX

So, 2021 was a big year for the email newsletter. The digital transformation we've seen in the last 12 months has been huge, and people are looking for more and more content to consume.

But instead of turning heavily to data-eating, privacy-stealing social platforms, customers are looking for community. This is where the email newsletter comes in.

In this article, we delve into what the modern newsletter looks like, and how you can implement it into your strategy.

Check out the article here! πŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆ

4. WTF NFT - The Top 10 NFTs You Can Buy Right Now

2021 is the year everyone and their mum bought a digital drawing of a cartoon ape. 

So, we wrote the Argos catalogue of NFTs, to keep you in the loop for any purchasing decisions. 

From albums, to artwork, to animals there's an NFT for everyone. If you haven't bought your Christmas presents yet, this one's for you.

Check out the article here! πŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆ

5. Global Martech & Salestech Industry Worth $509.8bn in 2022

The Global market for marketing technology is estimated to be worth $509.8bn in 2022, a figure which underlines the huge role that martech and salestech now plays in almost every organisation. 

2022 martech salestech market size

This market size figure is taken from LXA's  State of Martech Report 202/23.

6. Six of the Biggest Developments in the Metaverse Space

The shift towards the metaverse has been slowly happening for the last couple of decades. Think about how long you spend on Instagram a day. Think about the 'avatar' and username you present on Twitter. Your very extensive trip advisor review profile. I mean, people come to LocalCappuccinoLover2000 from all over the globe. 

MarTech Alliance's Top 15 Posts From 2021

With giants like Facebook and Microsoft introducing metaverse elements into the fabric of their business models, it's not a concept that can be no longer ignored. So, in order to figure out where the technology will be in a few years, we have to look to what these industry leaders are doing now. 

So, we took at look at the most significant moves in the space, to track where the big names in the industry are leading us.

Check out the article here! πŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆ

7. #MarTechFest Dial Up: Steven Bartlett on the Talent War

When quizzed on the advice he wish he’d gotten as a young entrepreneur, at #MarTechFest Dial Up, Steven Bartlett the 28-year-old founder of Social Chain, didn't go overboard.

Steven-Bartlett-1

Instead, he suggested something intrinsic, fundamental, and structural. Hiring.

β€œI wish someone had advised me on hiring really great talent. I thought success would come from my own ability. But in a business, you don’t touch most things.”

With a record 4.3M Americans quitting their jobs in August 2021, this has left marketing agencies in a bit of a pickle. Nearly 35,000 advertising, PR, media, and related marketing services positions have remained unfilled since the start of the pandemic. 

But it's not just a case of filling roles, it's a case of having those roles filled well.

Check out the article here! πŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆ

8. What is MarTech?

Now, this is our bread and butter. 

In an increasingly digital world, where customers expect a great experience from the companies they interact with, martech is essential to manage data and customer interactions for businesses of every size. 

martech landscape growth

This article gives you the run-down of all things martech, from the market, to the tools, to the stack.

According to the godfather of Martech, Scott Brinker, the term β€œmartech” applies to major initiatives, efforts and tools that harness technology to achieve marketing goals and objectives. 

But, he adds, there is β€œfar more to Martech than simply the technology and software”.

Check out the article here! πŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆ

9.The What, Why & How of Growth Hacking

Growth hacking, also known as growth marketing, uses creative, low-cost, primarily digital marketing tactics to gain exposure for a brand, product, or business. 

In this detail article, we look at how businesses can use growth hacking, with some common tactics and examples. 

Check out the post here! πŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆ

10.Financial Times: A Case Study in Martech Strategy

Martech strategy isn't always easy. It takes a lot of planning, and the right processes to invest in the marketing technology that works for you. 

Gregor Young, Marketing Performance & Technology Director at the Financial Times, spoke at  #MarTechFestGlobal this year, explaining the planning and processes behind the FT's recent martech strategy. 

What followed was an excellent case study in how to think about your martech strategy, and the factors to consider before you even select the technology you need. 

FT slide 2 building a martech strategy

Well, check out the full article here! πŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆ

11. NFTs and Their Role in The Creator Economy

With NFTs bringing in $2.4B in the second quarter of 2021 alone, which is not even accounting for off-chain sales, it's not looking like a passing fad.

Plus, the number of active wallets also jumped 151.89% in the same time period. More wallets, means more potential buyers, which means more potential money for content creators. 

Why NFTs are suddenly selling for millions of dollars

The creator economy is putting the financial control into the hands of the content creators.

In this model, individual creators took control of various online platforms, using UGC to engage with their audience. This model has democratised how content is made, shared and consumed, and has decentralised big name platforms. 

Check out the article here! πŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆ

12. Q&A: Scott Brinker on Martech Growth, 2022 Trends and Challenges

During our research for the recent Martech Report 2021/22, we had the pleasure of interviewing Scott Brinker. 

Our report finds that the Martech industry is now worth $344.8bn globally, and also looked at some of the recent trends, and the challenges marketers face with the technology they use. 

Scott features in this report, but he had plenty more to say about the industry. 

Check out the interview here! πŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆ

13. #MarTechFest Dial Up: Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose's 2021 in Review

Before we jump head first into the next year, it's important to know what has changed in the past year. Got to understand the past before you understand the future, right? So, let's ask: what changed, what will continue to change, and what changes were purely situational?

MicrosoftTeams-image (11)-1

So, how can we understand what we should be doing? Well, we need to know what we shouldn't be doing. So, we quizzed J.P and R.R on all things personalisation, industry failures, martech-media buddy ups, and beyond.

14. What is Metatech?

Metatech is a brand new term describing any tech that can be used to aid in the building, growing, and facilitation of the metaverse. 

Metatech is the intersection of technology and the metaverse. It's any tech that enables us to transition into the metaworld"

-Carlos Doughty, MarTech Alliance CEO

So, what tech can be considered metatech? What companies are involved? What's the business value of the metaverse? and how could the metaverse and metatech change our lives?

Check out the article here! πŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆ

15. B2B Marketing: Stats and Trends for 2021

The whole pandemic thing caused B2B marketers to make a bunch of changes in their strategies and processes. So, the landscape looks super different than it did only a couple of years ago. Some trends accelerated, and some disappeared. 

MarTech Alliance's Top 15 Posts From 2021

So, we've compiled all the best and biggest B2B stats, just for you!  What did the landscape look like in 2021? What were the plans of marketers? Looking back on the aims and achievements of the year, and whether marketers reached the lofty goals they set out, will help us map out next year. Pretty cool. 

This post is part of our Martech stats series, which compiles key data and trends!

Check out the article here! πŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆπŸ‘ˆ