How do you approach strategy when you need to reduce martech “maturity debt?” How do you address utilization and redundancy while protecting vital infrastructure?
Reducing martech 'maturity debt' starts with a clear-eyed audit. We map our current tools to actual use cases and outcomes, not just features. Often, we discover platforms that were added to 'keep up' but now sit underused or overlap with newer tools. The first step is measuring utilization, adoption, and integration levels across the stack.
Next, we engage teams cross-functionally- marketing ops, sales, IT, to rank tools by strategic value, not just cost. Some redundancies are easy to sunset. Others may be legacy tools with deep integrations, so we focus on consolidating where possible, not blindly cutting.
The biggest unlock came when we adopted a “platform-first” approach: choosing systems that can scale with us, connect across teams, and reduce dependence on point solutions.
To protect infrastructure, we always prioritize tools tied to core workflows: CRM, content, attribution, and compliance. Everything else must prove its ROI — or it’s at risk of being phased out.
Ultimately, it’s less about trimming tools and more about making the stack work smarter, not harder.
How are others structuring their team(s) focusing on personalization? Do you have a team responsible for adoption/strategy and, if so, what does that look like? How does that team interact with other marketing and tech teams?
What sets us apart?
No selling.
No recruiting.
No self promotion.
Read Our GuidelinesTrusted peer advice and insights for technology professionals.
Reducing martech 'maturity debt' starts with a clear-eyed audit. We map our current tools to actual use cases and outcomes, not just features. Often, we discover platforms that were added to 'keep up' but now sit underused or overlap with newer tools. The first step is measuring utilization, adoption, and integration levels across the stack.
Next, we engage teams cross-functionally- marketing ops, sales, IT, to rank tools by strategic value, not just cost. Some redundancies are easy to sunset. Others may be legacy tools with deep integrations, so we focus on consolidating where possible, not blindly cutting.
The biggest unlock came when we adopted a “platform-first” approach: choosing systems that can scale with us, connect across teams, and reduce dependence on point solutions.
To protect infrastructure, we always prioritize tools tied to core workflows: CRM, content, attribution, and compliance. Everything else must prove its ROI — or it’s at risk of being phased out.
Ultimately, it’s less about trimming tools and more about making the stack work smarter, not harder.