Digital marketing has redefined how businesses can proactively communicate with their clients. Not only can experts leverage a host of tools that would be nearly impossible to integrate within traditional back-office scenarios, but cloud-based services provide an unparalleled level of flexibility. So, it makes perfect sense that you might be looking to incorporate these very same approaches into your ongoing campaign.
You are also not alone in this respect. Recent studies have shown that cloud-based services are predicted to grow by as much as 18 per cent throughout the remainder of 2021 alone. This roughly equates to a global value of $304 billion US dollars. Let’s also remember that the recent pandemic has placed even more focus upon the digital community as a means to supply consumers with goods and services. So, appreciating the roles that these services play is important if we hope to better understand where we may be headed. It is therefore a good idea to look at a handful of key takeaway points.
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Appreciating Your Audience
We are all aware that one of the core components of success within the digital community involves the ability to understand the needs of your audience. Cloud services provide you with a means to access key customer metrics at the click of a button. Sometimes referred to as “big data” a handful of common examples include:
- Personal buying habits.
- Which products are the most popular?
- Long-term seasonal trends.
- Where your clients are located.
- Which website pages have received the highest number of inbound hits.
As opposed to employing traditional (and lengthy) strategies such as surveys, cloud-based information can be centralised and interpreted in a noticeably short period. So, you will be able to make the best marketing decisions while taking the guesswork out of the equation.
Enhanced Digital Security
Security is a particularly important concern today. Not only are we referring to customer details in this respect, but breaches can also compromise proprietary information such as product details or proprietary company data. Therefore, adopting the most robust content management platforms is a crucial step. The only problem is that start-up firms might not always possess the in-house expertise to address these concerns.
Cloud-based marketing services will provide you with an extra level of redundancy in terms of data storage. Furthermore, the most reputable providers are equipped with extremely advanced firewalls alongside multi-factor authentication options. Without becoming overly technical, these and other systems help to guarantee that the information can only be accessed by authorised personnel. Therefore, the chances of suffering a security breach are dramatically reduced.
Second-to-None Levels of Insight
Content is still king. Regardless of how far along digital marketing techniques may have advanced, the truth is that the ability to create quality written material is the best way to resonate with your target audience. The only potential problem is that the rules have changed. Some of the latest SEO recommendations include (but are not limited to):
- The use of long-tail keywords.
- Curating personalised content.
- Customising marketing strategies (such as automated emails) based on specific customers.
- Ensuring the presence of evergreen material for long-term appeal.
As we can see, you will be required to collate a fair amount of information if you hope to keep up to date with the needs of your audience. As opposed to performing lengthy and confusing analytical tasks, these same details can be accessed via cloud-based services. You can then create high-quality content within a short period.
Making the Right Changes at the Right Times
It can be difficult to know how an ongoing marketing campaign is performing within a real-time scenario. Have you targeted the right audience? Do you fully appreciate your unique buyer persona? Might it be time to modify your branding to cater to a wider demographic? These questions can be tricky to solve using traditional methods alone.
Cloud-based platforms enable you to create and monitor any ongoing account-based marketing strategies thanks to the presence of advanced, user-friendly and intuitive analytical tools. Furthermore, you will often be able to test new marketing channels with little risk; highlighting which approaches are the most effective as well as any that might need to be entirely revamped.
Multichannel Social Media Marketing
Were you aware that the average individual spends nearly 2.5 hours interacting with social media platforms daily? So, it only stands to reason that you should make it a point to increase your presence throughout these invaluable marketing portals. Once again, cloud-based services will provide your firm with a much-needed edge.
One of the stumbling blocks associated with traditional approaches to social media marketing involves the sheer amount of time you may be required to spend interacting with customers across disparate platforms. Cloud-based methods allow you to centralise these efforts within a single framework. You can better understand which campaigns are working while simultaneously obtaining much-needed visitor feedback. As the world of social media is expected to expand well into the future, moving your efforts into the cloud is the only logical solution.
Impressive Cost Savings
Take a moment to think about how much your firm currently spends on data storage and IT systems. If you are grappling with a rather inflexible budget, these expenses can quickly add up. This is another typical problem associated with legacy-based approaches to digital marketing. Cloud services can reduce these costs as your information will now be stored across the digital ether of the Internet.
Many sales and marketing processes can also be automated; saving you even more time. The main takeaway point is that this method will allow you to return your focus to other important areas. Examples include sales, customer service, product development, and generating quality leads.
Speed, Clarity and Efficiency
Cloud-based services are now playing a critical role within the world of digital marketing. The good news is that even smaller businesses can leverage all the benefits outlined above. Whether you are disappointed with recent sales figures, you have just ventured into the virtual e-commerce community or you hope to resonate with the bespoke needs of your audience, cloud solutions are here to stay. Please feel free to contact a professional adviser to better appreciate how these tailor-made packages can propel your ongoing operations to the next level and well beyond.
Author Bio:
Greg Tuohy is the managing director of Docutec, a managed print service and office automation business based in Ireland. Being part of the Cantec Group, Docutec has helped many businesses throughout the country with their cloud service needs.