How to Audit Your MarTech Stack Without Losing Your Mind

With more tools than time, it’s no wonder most marketing teams struggle to make the most of their MarTech stack.

In fact, back in 2021 when I first shared this session at MarTechFest, the average organization used 120 marketing tools. But only 58% of those tools were used to their full capabilities. That stat hasn’t aged much — and if anything, the stack landscape has gotten worse.

So how do you bring order to the chaos? You audit. Not just for the sake of tidying up, but to drive smarter decisions, save money, and create better alignment across teams.

Here’s a straightforward way to do it.

Why Audit in the First Place?

Start with the why. Auditing your stack isn’t just a box to check. It’s a strategic exercise that:

• Highlights which tools actually support revenue
• Surfaces cost savings opportunities
• Consolidates duplicative or outdated tech
• Saves your team time and frustration

In short: it puts you back in control of your stack, and your budget.

Start Simple: A Framework for the Audit

Don’t overthink it. Begin with four basic questions for each tool:

• What do we use it for?
• Who uses it?
• What does it cost?
• What value does it bring to the team or organization?

This is your foundation. Once you answer these, you’ll see patterns emerge.

Steps to Stack Clarity

List Everything: It’s time to inventory. Pull your contracts, logins, finance records — whatever it takes to surface all the tools in use across marketing.

Group by Function: Buckets help. Organize by purpose — MAP, CRM, CMS, analytics, video, project management, events, etc. This makes it easier to spot overlap and identify gaps.

Visualize Your Stack: Seeing it laid out visually (e.g., as a flow or stack diagram) helps clarify what supports what — and what might be getting in the way.

Evaluate the Tools: This is where it gets real.

Quantitative:

• • How many users?
  • Cost per month/year?
  • How many campaigns or leads has it touched?

Qualitative:

• • Does it integrate well?
  • Are people actually using it?
  • Is there a better or cheaper alternative?

Ask the tough questions: Is this still the right tool? Do we have the right training in place?

Communicate What You Learn: Once you’ve done the work, share it. Let stakeholders know what’s in the stack and how it supports (or hinders) your goals. This avoids surprise purchases and encourages shared responsibility.

Build a Roadmap: Use your findings to shape a go-forward plan. Align with IT and leadership. Clean up what’s outdated, consolidate where it makes sense, and invest where it matters.

Lessons From the Field

When I did this audit myself, what worked best was staying curious and methodical:

• I didn’t try to fix everything at once.
• I stayed focused on real business value.
• I made it a cross-team conversation, not just a Marketing Ops one.

And maybe most importantly — I documented the process so future-me (and my team) had a baseline for next time.

Final Thoughts

Auditing your MarTech stack can feel overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be.

Start simple. Stay curious. Get others involved. And remember: your stack should serve your strategy, not the other way around.

P.S. If you’ve got a gripe about MarTech, I feel you. Mine? When people ignore the processes and documentation we painstakingly put in place. Follow the process, folks — it’s there to help everyone.

And if you’re just getting started in marketing ops: don’t be afraid of the messy stuff. Dive in. You’ll learn more from one messy audit than ten clean theory decks. Promise. 💪