Simply put, Cloud Marketing is traditional marketing + Software as a Service. It's all supported by a third party devoted to the maintenance of the platform.

Current Practices vs Cloud Marketing

The most efficient way Vendors distribute product, training and marketing information to VARs is through Partner Portals. These portals—owned and updated by the vendor—are websites, or a page on an existing site, where all partners can log in with a unique username and password. Once logged in, partners navigate around and find information they want or need. Then, they are able to take that information and do something with it, such as placing it on their website. The vendor is able to update this information as needed in one, central location.

SharedVue has found that though Partner Portals are somewhat efficient for the vendor, they aren’t for the VARs. First, VARs are required to log in every time there are updates for new products or training materials. This process can become tedious, especially for someone with little technical knowledge of how to implement the content onto a website. Second, the VARs must actually find the content they are looking for, taking up time and resources that could be better attributed to sales. Assuming that VARs have the time and are able find the updated information in the Partner Portal, they then have to actually do something with it. If this content is made for a website, this can take a while because not all VARs have a Web developer on hand. For VARs with a local developer, the company is probably so large or the developer is so bogged down with other work that it takes a while for the content to be implemented. By the time content actually reaches VAR websites, it may already be outdated. Of course, this is all rendered moot if the VAR doesn’t even know the Partner Portal exists.

With a Cloud Marketing strategy, VARs are not forced to go through a large, generic Partner Portal. Instead, each VAR is given access to a partner console tailored to their specific relationship with the vendor. In this custom console, VARs are able to simply go in and select which bits of information they want to appear on their websites and it appears there automatically. There is no need to send the content to a developer. Effective time to market: zero. If VARs do not have time to log in to select content, there is simply an offering that is automatically syndicated directly to their websites, no customization necessary. There is never any manipulation of the Vendor’s messaging or branding and it blends in to the VARs brand image seamlessly.

Breakdown of Cloud Marketing:

Marketing Content Creators channel through Innovative Marketing and Traditional Marketing. These marketing mediums go to a Channel Marketing Platform. The platform has two-way communication with the Marketing Content Creators.

The Cloud Marketing Platform channels through, and has two-way communication with, the Marketing Team. The Marketers then present the information to the Audience.