Market Stack Definition

A marketing stack refers to the different groups, defined by layers, of technology used by a business to manage their marketing activities.

Sometimes referred to as a marketing technology stack, this collection of technologies might include components such as a content management system for a website such as Joomla or WordPress, an email marketing automation platform, analysis tools to enumerate and categorize web traffic, A/B split testing software, and so on. As you might suspect, marketing stacks vary from one business to another and are usually customized based on the goals of the company.

Some businesses define their marketing stack by layers: commonly the data layer, the application layer, and the connectivity layer. The data layer refers to technology used to store and manage data (e.g., files saved to cloud-based storage for company wide access). The application layer refers to the software used by the company for marketing purposes, such as web traffic analysis software. The connectivity layer refers to the technology used to connect data to applications (e.g., a list of email marketing leads).

Market Stack Example

Even if the components aren’t defined, most businesses have a marketing stack, usually with the three layers described above. Suppose that a business uses their website as part of their lead generation strategy, capturing visitors email addresses so that they can later send them email marketing messages.

In this scenario, the basic components of the marketing stack are the website, the email marketing list, and the email marketing platform used to send out messages. Note that the website and email marketing platform are components of the application layer. The data layer might include the way that the leads are stored, and the connectivity layer would be the method by which this data is transferred to the email marketing platform.

Why is a Marketing Stack is Important in Strategic Marketing?

Strategy

Understanding the different components of your marketing stack gives businesses the ability to better visualize how marketing data flows from one layer to another.

Continuous Improvement

As a company grows, its marketing stack is likely to change in order to meet new challenges. Structuring your marketing stack to be flexible early on will help to accommodate these later enhancements.