Take a moment and consider all the technology an agent uses in a day—not just when prospecting and servicing clients, but throughout the entire day in both personal and professional moments. From a smart device that might wake them up in the morning to the interface in their car on the way to the office or to meet with a client. Or the algorithms filling their Instagram and LinkedIn feeds, the grade-tracking systems for their kids and the streaming recommendations for what to watch next.

There's simply no escaping the broad usage of technology by agents as individuals—and that's before considering the myriad systems used inside an agency.

Partially spurred by the hard market, agencies have been adding new technology to their operations. A Trusted Choice^® survey published earlier this year showed that 32% of small agencies, those with 1-10 staff members, and 45% of large agencies, with 25-plus staff, have recently added technology. Almost 2 in 3 (65%) agencies have increased their communication with policyholders. However, there is mixed feedback about whether the technology is helping, which indicates a need for a reassessment of marketing technology (MarTech) priorities and purchases.

Despite familiarity with technology to make some parts of life easier and their business more efficient, agents today generally approach their MarTech in ways that don't create sustainable and scalable solutions to ongoing challenges. Instead, many agents focus on solving for right now or embracing what's trendy. This approach often leads to MarTech system configurations—also known as stacks—that are disconnected, quickly outdated, inefficient and do not work to their full potential.

In many cases, it creates more work for the agent. When the average agency with a marketing budget says marketing represents 16% of their total annual expenditures and 32% for small agencies, according to the 2024 Agency Universe Study, that spending needs to be smart and impactful to support growth and retention.

As agencies begin to reassess MarTech and how they use it, there are three things to consider, especially if the current systems don't seem to be working as effectively as they should:

1) Websites with integrated and embedded tools. An agency's website must tell its story but, crucially, a website is also a critical entry point for data into the agency MarTech stack. Websites with embedded forms, connectivity to rating platforms and the ability to integrate agency management tools can help agents make the most of this consumer-facing tool.

2) Automation platforms. A great automation platform will allow an agency to make marketing as hands-on or as hands-off as they want, depending on resources and focus. While not all automation platforms are the same, integration with an agency management system (AMS) is necessary to make the most of an automation platform.

Most consumers expect personalized experiences from businesses they engage with, with 65% of customers saying they expect companies to adapt to their changing needs and preferences, according to Salesforce's 2023 “State of the Connected Customer" study. Using AMS data in marketing and communication is important to meet client expectations across all communication channels, including email and text. Linking automation and the customer data in your AMS can make a huge difference.

3) Digital deployment and measurement systems. The native solutions in platforms such as Google, LinkedIn and Meta are generally robust, but pulling data from multiple places makes measurement challenging and introduces the risk of human error. For agencies committing time and money to digital marketing, a scheduling and measurement tool may make sense. Some of these capabilities are included in automation systems but not always at the scale required. Again, integration with other agency technology is key for consistent measurement.

Planning Your Flight

That short list doesn't consider the tools used by almost every agency that are less obviously part of their MarTech stack, such as email systems and video tools. When looking at this plethora of tools as a group, it's easy for agents to feel out of their depth, which is a common apprehension for agencies. As a result, getting the most out of MarTech tools is a key challenge for half of agencies of every size, according to a Catalyit study released last year.

Building and optimizing a MarTech stack requires a mindset shift for agents. Fortunately, the concepts are not novel or revolutionary. Many agents may find that approaches they take to other activities in their lives can be instructive. 

For example, agents can approach building and optimizing a MarTech stack the way that they would construct a flight of beer at their local brewery.

In each case, there's an art and a science involved but both require defining the goal at the outset. Whether the goal is to try a number of different styles of beers or to connect multiple providers and systems, both require assessing what's available and possible. The flight board defines the number of selections and how large the pours are, while an agency's AMS is the core technology into which any MarTech additions must integrate. In both instances, there are parameters, whether that's taste and preference or the agency's existing technology and goals.

Digging deeper, it's easy to see how there are analogous thought processes for each step in building both the perfect beer flight and the best MarTech stack for an agency. A flight is a great way to learn where a brewery excels and to compare multiple beers. It's also something that's come to prominence with the boom of craft breweries in the last few decades. When it comes to MarTech stacks, there are plenty of opportunities to learn about new technology and new methods can be instructive for moving an agency forward. Similarly, the number of options has exploded in recent years.

An agent can apply the same logic when assembling a flight to align their goals for building or optimizing their MarTech stack. There are many ways to build a flight board, such as trying variations on a style or trying multiple different beers while ensuring one doesn't overindulge.

Each of these purposes aligns with a goal for planning an agency MarTech stack. Does the agency have a distinct challenge for the technology to solve? Does it want to create a more diverse stack to take full advantage of features offered by different vendors? What sort of resources need to be committed to its implementation and management?

Tasting Menu

While it may seem like a lot of extra work to overhaul and update your MarTech, disconnected MarTech systems will almost always create a greater need for resources to manage them. Here, there is another parallel to ordering a flight.

Building a flight requires deliberation by the drinker and bartender to ensure the selections will work together. There may be some back and forth on sampling before selecting, including swapping out something that sounded tasty on paper but which falls flat in the glass.

Similarly, building or enhancing an agency's technology solutions can feel burdensome and even seem cost-prohibitive. But a flight lets you sample multiple solutions at a low cost. While not every provider will let an agent sample the technology, agents can go into demos with the mindset that they are sampling in order to build a customized MarTech stack that works for their agency's needs, not that they must make a final decision on a solution at that moment.

Armed with information about what they like, be it a beer style or a combination of MarTech providers, it's easier for an agent to weigh cost and capabilities. It also allows agents to see if something will work within their tech stack. If they don't think it will, the solution can be sent back.

This mindset helps with vendor management, too. Does it make the most sense to order everything from one brewery or sample some guest taps? How much time and effort does anyone at the agency have to actively manage vendors? If it's quite limited, it can be helpful to look to one provider with multiple tech stack solutions.

Beyond a flight, agents can look to the entire brewery environment for additional inspiration on creating their MarTech stacks. A bartender can be seen as an industry expert or consultant who can provide specific knowledge on creating the right set of solutions. Other patrons or user group members can share their perspectives to help make a more informed decision. And how busy the brewery is influences the resources available to support the decision-making for the flight or for implementing any new technology.

While no single approach will solve the challenge of creating an ideal MarTech stack for every agency, agents should not feel overwhelmed by the number of choices or their perceived lack of expertise in the technology solutions. Choosing technology that an agent can use fully and integrate with existing systems will set agencies up to toast ongoing success, supported by their MarTech stack.

Stefanie Altman is principal of Stefanie Altman Consulting.