It is impossible to underestimate how much the Internet has changed the world. The ways we learn, play, interact and shop have all been drastically changed by online environments. One of the reasons that the Internet has expanded as rapidly as it has is because of the incredible development of e-commerce. Vast new opportunities for buying and selling appeared almost overnight. People now shop for everything from socks to trucks on the internet. In order to tap into this exploding market, businesses have shifted more and more of their efforts online. The term Cloud marketing encompasses all of a company's online marketing efforts. Online portals give companies new ways to present products, engage with customers, and push brand messages. Traditionally, advertising has been confined to print, television and radio and linked to brick and mortar stores. (See also Traditional Marketing) The Internet has opened up huge new commercial avenues that allow businesses to connect with their customers more intimately, from online stores to Twitter feeds. Think of a major online retailer like Amazon.com that sells tens of thousands of different products but has no physical stores. Customers receive notices about sales through their email instead of their post office box. Shoppers can get more information about a product than a whole army of sales staff could offer. Amazon provides all of these services at a fraction of the operating cost most retailers face. The entire business model is based on cloud marketing; using the tools of the internet to connect with customers. Another component of cloud marketing is online applications which help marketing departments operate more effectively. It is now possible to run faster, more efficiently, and at reduced costs while accomplishing all of the same goals. For example, market research harvested from customer profiles can be used to support broader marketing goals. Gathering market research used to be a tedious and labor intensive process. Now it can be done almost instantaneously and at a fraction of the cost. Cloud Communication between marketers has also improved. Online tools make it easy for colleagues to access, share and distribute information amongst each other. Using new Cloud applications, marketing duties can be outsourced for huge cost savings. For example, rather than hiring an in-house graphic designer, marketers can find a low cost freelancer online. The internet is both a place to do marketing and a tool for doing Cloud marketing.
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