Data activation isn’t a standalone solution. It needs to be a foundational part of an integrated martech stack. But what does a martech stack that can truly scale with customer demands and dynamics look like? What is the martech stack that can clear up a marketer’s “traffic jam” composed of?
Data Activation’s Role in the Future-Proof Tech Stack
Future-proof martech architecture
At the most basic level there are the 3 key layers in a future-proof martech stack: Customer Data Infrastructure (CDI), a Customer Data Activation Platform, and channel delivery apps. Here’s a breakdown of how each of these components work:
LEVEL 1: CUSTOMER DATA INFRASTRUCTURE (CDI)
A CDI is essential to unify your siloed data and pipe it across your martech stack. CDIs act as reliable data orchestrators that capture, model, and manage raw data. They have all the APIs, SDKs, and tag managers needed to capture data from different systems. They then cleanse and normalize the raw data to get it in its reliable form and route it to systems throughout your martech stack at pre-scheduled intervals or through continuous streams. They also provide data governance and security.
LEVEL 2: CUSTOMER DATA ACTIVATION PLATFORM (CDAP)
While a CDI gets your data in ready shape, you then need a CDAP to make sense of it all and use to orchestrate 1:1 experiences. A CDAP models and understands your data at a customer level, derives intelligence, and uses those insights to make customer engagement decisions that guide marketing actions across channels. Think of a CDAP as the central nervous system of your martech stack: it enables decisioning that automates and connects intelligent cross-channel execution.
LEVEL 3: CHANNEL DELIVERY APPS
The CDAP will provide direction about who to target, with which content, on which channel and at what time, but the last mile of message delivery will take place through channel delivery apps. These are lightweight APIs that work behind the scenes to programmatically deliver actions on each channel. Within your martech stack there will be apps for 1:1 relationship marketing channels, paid media where you’re marketing one-to-many, customer support channels, and data analytics platforms — just to name a few. There are multiple apps available for each channel, so test to find the right apps for your business.
If you’re ready to discover what kind of impact data activation can have on your company, start by reading our guide. Or, you can fast track straight to connecting with our sales team.
