The problem with big platforms
Big marketing platforms are built for the average. They have to please a thousand companies at once. For the one company that buys them, that means lots of features nobody uses, and exactly the one that’s missing.
Add per-seat licences, long rollout projects and training that is forgotten after three months. In the end, the requests still land in marketing by email.
What we built at Riedel
At Riedel, a large share of my team’s work didn’t come from campaigns but from small requests: a banner for a trade show, an updated data sheet, a copy change on the website. Each one was quick. Together they slowed the team down.
Instead of introducing yet another platform, we built small tools that each solve exactly one task. That became tools.riedel.net with 30 tools that more than 1,500 colleagues across 20 countries use on their own.
- 90% of website requests now handled by self-service
- 30 tools, each for exactly one task
- No training needed: if you know the task, you understand the tool
Buy or build? My rule of thumb
Not everything should be built in-house. You buy CRM, accounting or email delivery. Building pays off where your own process is specific and repeats often.
| Situation | Buy | Build |
|---|---|---|
| The process is standard | Yes | No |
| The process is specific and repeats often | No | Yes |
| Many users need just one function | No | Yes |
| High demands on security and support | Yes | No |
| The data already lives in your own systems | No | Yes |
The best tool is the one your team uses without training.
How to get started
- For two weeks, collect every recurring request that lands with your team.
- Sort by frequency and effort. At the top: what comes often and needs little expertise.
- Build a small tool for the top task. With AI-assisted coding, a first prototype often takes a single day.
- Give it to five people, watch them use it and improve it. Only then move on to the next tool.
What this means for agencies and software vendors
When a small team can build a fitting tool in a few days, the question of the right tool becomes a question of the right person: someone who thinks process, brand and technology together. That is exactly the work I do with Krausify.