Cloud technology is no longer the future, but an inextricable part of the present. As an ever-increasing number of businesses are migrating into the cloud across the globe, business leaders in the digital marketing industry are quick to capitalize on the trend of cloud computing as well, and for a number of compelling reasons. The cloud is rapidly reshaping the very nature of modern business, how companies interact with their customers and clients, how customers buy products and services, and how these products and services are delivered to the global marketplace.
In essence, the cloud brings efficiency, innovation, flexibility, as well as a host of other features and benefits to the modern digital agency. Today, we’ll be exploring the most significant ways in which cloud computing can help a digital agency thrive, and how you can leverage the technology to push your brand forward in a competitive industry.
Collecting, analyzing, and acting on data in real time
The first and most obvious change that cloud computing brings to the table is the way it makes innovative technology accessible to businesses of all sizes. Digital agencies big and small can now leverage the power and potential of various technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, big data and IoT, to elevate and improve every process in the company. In turn, it allows growth-oriented businesses to minimize extraneous financial expenditure while improving efficiency and productivity across the board.
One of the most notable applications of this technology includes AI-driven big data analytics, and how it allows companies to collect, organize, and act on valuable industry data. With more and more valuable data flowing around the web, it’s more important than ever before for digital agencies to capture all of that information, extract actionable reports in a timely manner, and thus develop their competitive advantage. This can only be achieved through the cloud and big data analytics, because simply put, there isn’t a skilled team of marketers in the world that can match the computing power of artificial intelligence.
Delivering products to the market faster
In the competitive digital marketing industry, it’s imperative to minimize the time it takes to deliver marketing products and services to the market. The reality of modern marketing is that global trends are constantly changing and evolving, and that you can only remain competitive if you deliver your products and services in a timely manner, preferably before your competitive agencies have had the chance to capitalize on the new market trend.
This is another benefit of cloud technology, as it allows you to use its intuitive tools, infrastructure, and ready-to-go features to enter the market quickly. This means that you can effectively cut the development time of ads and marketing tactics from weeks or months to mere days if you’re using the right, and optimized, cloud infrastructure.
Providing stellar data security
One of the greatest benefits of the cloud is that it provides digital agencies with a robust, secure infrastructure. Cybersecurity has become a big issue in recent years in all industries around the world, and especially in fields such as digital marketing where agencies are in need of top-tier data security due to the sheer volume of sensitive business data that goes in and out of the company.
To accommodate these needs, forward-looking private cloud providers are nowadays offering enterprise-level computing platforms built on a hyperconverged infrastructure that provides multi-dimension network security. This means that the cloud can provide you with a distributed firewall, a robust cloud antivirus, and ensure complete compliance with the national and international statutes on customer data handling and protection.
Optimizing the cash flow, payroll, and billing processes
There are many benefits to migrating to the cloud, and one of the most compelling ones is the prospect of creating a more reliable, recurring revenue model. Cloud technology benefits your agency as well as your clients, as using its features allows you to establish flexible payment methods and unique payment terms to fit each of your client’s needs, which will in turn generate a continuous cash flow, eliminate physical invoices, and help you preserve a stellar relationship with your clientele.
What’s more, this type of flexibility also allows you to optimize the payroll process and cut financial waste associated with paper checks. This means that you can reallocate financial resources towards other, more crucial processes in your agency.
Improve CRM and boost customer retention
And finally, growth-oriented digital agencies need to focus on client retention in order to maximize long-term profit, and the best way to nurture existing clients is to manage their relationship through the cloud. From enhanced data security, to optimized payment options, and the various tools that allow seamless agency-client communication and collaboration, all of these and many other features can help you boost your retention rate and develop continuous revenue streams. In turn, these healthy relationships with your clients will improve your word of mouth marketing and help you attract new ones.
Wrapping up
Cloud technology is the present, and the future of modern business, which is why digital agencies should migrate to the cloud sooner rather than later in order to capitalize on its features. With these insights in mind, be sure to leverage cloud computing to develop your competitive advantage and grow your digital agency.
A digital marketer from Sydney. Works as a blogger, Senior Editor for Bizzmark blog and a lecturer at Melbourne University. Tweets industry related articles.
