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It is imperative for any business, regardless of industry, to connect with their customers online. Most businesses at least have a website and it is becoming standard for them to have social media pages as well. Cheap online hosting and simple web design tools make it possible for even the smallest businesses to develop an online presence. The function of many traditional marketing departments has shifted to include a huge emphasis on cloud marketing. Ad campaigns in older mediums like print and television are now integrated with online campaigns. Well-known companies like Google make large parts of their profits from cloud marketing efforts. Google sells advertising space and analytical tools to companies that want to tap into the world's most popular search engine. They make money by supporting the cloud marketing efforts of others. Cloud marketing will only become more common as we begin to use the internet in more and more areas of our lives. Whether it is a major retailer or a small mechanics shop, all businesses will need to expand and sharpen their online presence if they want to remain relevant to their customers. One of the most difficult aspects of cloud marketing is coordinating marketing efforts across multiple platforms. It used to be sufficient to come up with a tag line and make a TV commercial. Now advertisers must present a cohesive marketing message that translates across Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. Having a comprehensive marketing plan is the best way to keep the variety of marketing mediums working towards a common goal. The first step will be to establish the goals of the project. A company might want to establish a brand identity for a new product, reach out to a new demographic, or reassure customers after a public scandal. The goal will need to be clearly defined to ensure that the project is not carried out haphazardly. Next, a creative team will develop advertising copy, create graphics, and produce flexible multimedia material. Once the aesthetic of the campaign is established, web developers and other technology experts will find ways to move the content online. The key to any successful cloud marketing campaign is to have it look good and work well. Broken links, barren websites, and confusing applications are easy ways to unnecessarily frustrate customers. Once a cloud campaign has gone online it will require continuous upkeep. This means that cloud marketing campaigns are never static. Unlike a TV ad which can run for months without being changed, cloud marketing efforts take daily maintenance. Dedicated members of the marketing department have to be responsible for moderating discussions boards, sending Tweets, updating Facebook pages and keeping the company website current. Throughout the cloud campaign it will be important to evaluate whether a marketing message is working and to tweak it when necessary. Any marketing plan should establish baselines for success and lay out a system for evaluating the success or failure of a project. One of the great strengths of cloud marketing is that it is flexible and fast. If an ad campaign needs to be changed, it can be done without much cost or time.
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