How do I build a marketing tech stack?

A marketing tech stack is the set of tools that power your marketing operations. The average B2B company uses 12-20 marketing tools. Most use too many. Start with the minimum viable stack: 1) Website (Next.js + headless CMS), 2) CRM (HubSpot for SMB, Salesforce for enterprise), 3) Email (built into CRM or Resend for transactional), 4) Analytics (Google Analytics 4 + Plausible), 5) SEO (Google Search Console + Ahrefs). Add only when you hit a wall that existing tools cannot solve. Common second-tier additions: marketing automation (if CRM built-in is insufficient), chatbot/live chat (Intercom or Crisp), social scheduling (Buffer or Hootsuite), and advertising (Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads). Avoid: buying tools before you have the processes to use them, duplicating functionality across tools, choosing tools for features you will never use, and annual contracts before a 3-month trial. The best stack is the smallest one that does the job. Every added tool increases complexity, data fragmentation, and monthly costs.