Check for these Martech red flags, how to switch into marketing ops and more
Also - the most overrated marketing channel today
In this edition:
All the Martech red flags you need to check for
How to switch careers into a marketing ops role
POLL - The most overrated marketing channel today
For Paid Subscribers: Why CRM is no longer the single source of truth
BIG EVENT: My talk at the greatest marketing ops conference is entitled “The Future of Marketing Operations.” Make sure to register to attend Mopsa-palooza.
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Helpful Advice of the Week
Where to invest in B2B marketing in 2025 by Kieran Flanagan.
A simplified marketing planning template for 2025 by Emily Kramer.
The fastest way to improve your writing by Wes Kao.
What influences Martech buying by Juan Mendoza.
All the Martech Red Flags You Need to Watch Out For
Have you seen these Martech red flags?
TECH STACK
No clear ownership: Every platform needs a clear owner to drive improvements, address issues, and respond to business changes.
No integration strategy: If your platforms aren’t connected, you’re leaving data on the table and missing out on a holistic customer view.
Lack of CX vision: Martech should enhance customer experience, not create friction. Make sure your tech stack aligns with your CX goals.
Shadow tech & lack of governance: A central marketing ops team or committee should be in charge of selecting the right tools for the job. Teams should not be buying tech in siloes.
Redundant tools: Multiple tools that serve the same purpose drain resources and budget.
Shelfware & lack of adoption: Buying tech is easy; using it effectively is hard. Unused tools waste money and kill momentum.
OPERATIONS & PROCESSES
Lack of a clear charter: Does your team know its mission? A missing charter leads to a lack of direction and purpose.
No SLAs: Without Service Level Agreements, there are no clear expectations or timelines for deliverables.
Ill-defined roadmap: If you don’t create a roadmap for your Martech and ops team, someone else will create one for you.
No documentation: If it’s not written down, it doesn’t exist. Lack of process documentation makes onboarding and optimization a nightmare.
Silos & no feedback mechanisms: Teams working in silos miss out on shared knowledge, and no feedback loops mean continuous improvement is nearly impossible.
Poor communication & collaboration: The best tech and processes mean nothing if teams aren’t aligned and in sync.
TALENT (PEOPLE)
Lack of curiosity: Your team should approach problems and new opportunities with an open mind.
Not proactive & lack of ownership: Waiting to be told what to do is a recipe for stagnation. Proactive ownership drives change.
Lack of technical fundamentals: Martech is technical—understanding the basics is a non-negotiable.
No interest in data: Marketing runs on data. If your team doesn’t care about it, you’re doomed.
Lack of transparency: Open communication builds trust and clarity; hiding information leads to dysfunction.
High ego: Martech is a team sport. Big egos create friction and block progress.
How to Switch Careers into Marketing Ops
"I want to change careers and go into marketing ops, what should I do?"
Here are some ideas:
Improve processes at your current job
Marketing ops thrives on process. Look at your processes at work, or even at home. Can you accomplish 2 steps in 1? Can you make a process more efficient by changing the order of tasks or by batching them? What tools can help do your job better? These skills translate well to an official marketing ops role.
To get good with data, start with spreadsheets
While it's a great idea to take a fundamentals of data science course, you can learn a lot by managing your own data in spreadsheets. Take a look at budgets, timesheets, inventory - what are interesting insights and patterns in the data? Where is most of the money being spent? When is inventory in most demand? What additional things can you track and report on that will improve business results?
Master work tools and platforms
Today's marketing ops pros are Martech subject-matter-experts. Most tools, regardless of use case, have very similar components. Most have a summary page, settings, an interface to accomplish tasks, and a mechanism for generating reports. By being versed in many tools, you can easily learn new Martech when the time comes.
Start small, but start somewhere
Experience compounds. Does a friend or relative need help with email marketing? Local non-profit need a website upgrade? How about contacting an agency and asking to shadow or intern to gain experience? You'll be surprised by how much you learn by starting with a simple project and running with it.
POLL: What is the most overrated marketing channel today?
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