Amplico formed as a result of our love for all-things marketing while owning and operating our STEAM summer camp company, Classroom Antics, for 14 years. We went through roughly 50 different software programs that focused on marketing the business, so we know what most software tools are out there, and which ones have great value. But we never wanted to be paying for duplicate software — tools that would do the same thing. Most software tools are built on a SaaS model (Software as a Service) and cost $$$/month.
What is a Tech Stack?
When putting together your marketing services, you will most definitely be using some of these software tools to do your job. And that set of software tools you select are called your Tech Stack.
A tech stack (or technology stack) is a set of software tools or apps you use to work more effectively. Putting one that works for you and your company can be challenging.
Not everyone likes or finds value in the same tools. Some tools focus on the business owner, some tools focus on the specialist. Some are low-budget entry systems, and some are full-featured and cost as much as an employee. But whatever your needs are, there are multiple great systems to choose from.
Amplico’s Tech Stack
Before I start, please know that this is an ever-changing list of programs, and by the time you read this, we may have added or removed a tool or two. That being said, let’s get started.
Awareness
Awareness relates to the channels in which someone would learn about you and your company. This can be ads from print, billboard, radio, and TV. But today, you’ll find many people using technology channels to grow their company.
- Digital channels to build awareness: Google Plus, MySpace, Snap, and TikTok
- Channels that Amplico uses: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, Google, Business, and Bing Business
- Why Amplico uses these channels: When working with clients, we usually pick 1-3 channels to focus on, and these are the most thriving digital channels with organic and paid options
Relationship Management + Automation
Commonly called CRM (Customer Relationship Management), this software keeps track of customer contact information and sales opportunities. Customers are the lifeblood of your organization, and a CRM is the most important component of your tech stack. Your employees will spend the majority of their day using this software to record and track their work as leads flow through the sales funnel.
- Popular CRM tools on the market: Microsoft 365, Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Copper, Zoho, Monday, Insightly, MailChimp, and dozens more
- CRM software that Amplico uses: Google Workspace and Salesmate
- Why Amplico uses these CRM tools: Google Workspace is full-featured and so easy to use, and Salesmate integrates comfortably with Google at a very reasonable price
Content Management
Commonly called a CMS (Content Management System), this software is your website. It houses all your website content and delivers it through the internet via a browser. While most everyone calls this a website, us marketing nerds call this a CMS. Your website can do anything from informing and promoting your products and services, to selling products online.
- Options for CMS: Joomla, Drupal, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, Google Sites
- What Amplico uses for CMS: WordPress on WP Engine
- Why Amplico uses WordPress: WordPress is a fully developed product that 39.5% of the internet uses to host their website, fully developed with hundreds of plug-ins that extend its capability and compatibilities to automate lead generation
Creative
Creative software is used to make beautiful pictures, illustrations, and videos that effectively tell stories and easily provide information. You can use this software to create logos, banners, infographics, edit photos, and produce videos.
- Populate creative tools: Canva, Quark, CorelDRAW, Blender, GIMP,
- What Amplico uses for creative: Adobe Creative Cloud, specifically Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, and Premier
- Why do we use Adobe: it’s feature-rich and can do anything we want it to do, but we honestly think it’s overpriced and are looking for an alternative to switch to someday
Intelligence + Analysis
Are your marketing efforts working? What do you need to tweak or change to make your campaigns more effective? Intelligence and analysis software will help you find these answers. From analyzing search trends and web traffic to tracking keyword ranking and backlinks, these tools help you quantify how you are improving (or deteriorating). This software, in my opinion, is the most difficult to interpret, as reports from one tool can be wildly different to another. It takes experience to be able to interpret the findings.
- Common marketing intelligence software: Ahrefs, Moz, SE Ranking, SpyFu, Keywords Everywhere
- What intelligence tools Amplico uses: SEMRush, Google Analytics, Google Search Console
- Why we use these tools: SEMRush offers more tools in one package than any of the others — competitor analysis, keyword research, rank tracking, website audits, backlink analysis, reporting, and even PPC analysis
What Should You Choose?
The bigger question you really may be asking yourself is Do I manage marketing myself, or do I pay someone to do it for me? All of the information above is to help you understand the tools you may use if you decide to do it yourself. However, you may find yourself working in your business instead of on your business.
Nobody but you knows how to create the products and services you offer the way you do. You have customers that enjoy working with you because they find you unique and important. The purpose of marketing is to find more customers like the ones you already have. In order to gain traction in growing your leads and customers, you will need to really concentrate of marketing, which can easily take you out of your core business.
If you are a growth-minded business owner, Amplico may be a good fit for you. Hiring Amplico is an affordable way to grow your business, whether you want to rank better in search engines, drive more traffic, convert more leads, or manage your online reputation.
Next Step
Amplico offers business owners a free 30-minute consultation. No strings attached. Contact us to schedule a time, we will learn about your business, and we’ll recommend a growth plan.