Cloud marketing

Cloud marketing is the process of an organisation's efforts to market their goods and services online through integrated digital experiences, by which they are specialised for every single end user. The aim is to use advertising methods to target customers via online applications through social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and various online portals to target consumers. Cloud marketing platforms are supported with third parties which maintain the platform. Cloud Marketing was established by a company in Raleigh, North Carolina, calling it SharedVue Marketing Technologies. The marketers targeting clients need to ensure their material is compatible with all electronic media devices. Cloud marketing requires efforts in data privacy and data protection especially for EU markets where GDPR general data protection regulation defines new rules.

Image above displays the Cloud Marketing Model, alongside the work flow diagram of the platform.

Advantages for business

Cost-effectiveness

Cloud marketing enables a business to decrease the cost of print distribution materials such as newspapers, circulars, direct mail, catalogues, and magazines and instead send strategic promotional content to consumers through digital formats. This allows a business to send content digitally, which is a faster and cheaper approach to engage with customers. This reduces the printing costs and increases efficiency.

Customisation

Customisation allows a business to creatively use interactive means to create a relevant and effective advertising approach when targeting a consumer. Customisation includes social media sites such as Facebook to customise pages to send to friends or the public over the internet. Marketers can combine data through third party data sources, including email and surveys, to visualize the consumer's experience.

Time

Time is vital for targeting customers. Advertising using traditional methods, such as posters and surveys, have limited time before they often become invalid. Cloud marketing enables a business to produce advertising when required. The material can easily be removed and if a campaign or season is over, the material can be erased from the internet or adapted to enhance material to the end user, linking with the customisation element to ensure the marketing material is fit for its purpose, and delivered at the correct time.

Disadvantages for businesses

User experience

When a company markets their products and services to a consumer, the end consumer is not able to touch or physically manage the product or service. The experience could potentially lay of customers that have been targeted, if the businesses efforts have not satisfied the consumer's decision to buy the merchandise. The material content would vary on the device, as compatibility and operating systems will affect the material content being delivered.

Fraudulent material

Internet fraud has grown rapidly globally, faster than the internet. More and more fraudulent criminals can send promotional pop-ups in the form of online advertising on the World Wide Web to attract web traffic to display promotional content. The malware attacks can lay off customers responding to marketing material posted to their devices. Labour MP Chris Evans said: “Copycat websites are a part of a growing industry which exists purely to trick the public out of their hard-earned money.”

Digital divide

Digital divide is the partition between a given population within their use of information technology. This can be due to factors including:

• Geographic
• Cultural
• Economic growth
• Democracy
• Disabilities

This limits a businesses' performance to market their goods and services globally to new locations if there is limited access to information technology in certain locations. The segment of consumers would be unable to experience and view online marketing methods from a business or resources, resulting in adopted a traditional method of leaflets and bill boards known as direct marketing.

Cloud marketing plan strategy

Strategy is the direction of action which will achieve a goal or objective. The strategy for cloud marketing is broken down into 4 key elements.

Establishing the goals

The first steps into cloud marketing include finding the objective or goal for the marketing project. The proposer would need to clearly state the objectives, which can be retained in quantitative or qualitative data. By establishing the goal and objectives of the marketing campaign, this limits the plan being deployed haphazardly.

Development

The development stage is where the marketing team create the graphics and media material. The web development team find a method to post the material onto the World Wide Web or online source. The marketing ad would need to meet its main objective and purpose, the development team will need to develop and plan to make the material visually appealing.

Maintenance

The maintenance step will require updating whilst the material is online. it will require continuous upkeep. Cloud marketing techniques include regular updating to ensure they are reaching their end user and have a valid subject. Marketing members are responsible for moderating any discussion boards and keeping content updated increasing the validity.

Evaluation

Throughout the duration of the marketing material, the message would need to be evaluated to determine how successful it has been to the end user. The outcome should be established in the strategy, allowing the marketer to adapt and increase the overall efficiency of the cloud marketing method.

See also

• Adobe Marketing Cloud
• Cloud computing
• Direct marketing