Cloud-based solutions are enjoying a wave of popularity recently, and this is because businesses have realized its potential in terms of streamlining key activities and improving productivity. Essentially, a lot of people especially experts in the software and IT markets are forecasting greater growth for cloud-based packages. Read more IT and software statistics and trends.

This is because there have been increases in the demand for such solutions among B2B enterprises across different industries. These enterprises use cloud computing for a variety of purposes, making it inevitable for them to adopt cloud-based services. This, in turn, just shows how much of a gold mine these types of products and services are to companies that offer them.

Cloud computing will become a norm in three years’ time, mainly because enterprises feel that there is an even greater need to adopt such systems. For sure, the cloud industry will continue to experience significant growth numbers that It executives specializing in a cloud will drool over. To fill you in on what stats to look at, a Forbes article has projected growth from “$67B in 2015 to $162B in 2020 attaining a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19%.” From this observation alone, companies that offer cloud-based solutions are impelled to double their efforts in terms of acquiring customers and securing a better position for their brands.

The challenge remains for companies in the SaaS arena to improve their marketing and sales campaigns. And it starts by knowing just how essential these two are in improving the bottom line and making sure to open up as many opportunities as possible in the wake of cloud computing’s popularity.

Related: Cloudy with a Chance of Fog: A Quick Cloud Computing Update

Brand visibility

Perhaps the most important reason why marketing and sales are essential to cloud-based products is the fact that these activities allow brands to better position their products for their target audiences. Considering there are tons of IT prospects out there, companies must apply the necessary strategies to get the attention of prospects that are specifically looking for SaaS products that suit their needs. Being able to cater to these needs adds to your online visibility and thus extend your reach to thousands of business executives who in need of specific cloud-based solutions.



Pro-tip: Use your website as your main lead capturing platform. Fill it up with relevant articles and search-worthy keywords and you will be converting visitors into software leads in no time.

Related: 5 Steps to Future-Proof Your Goto Market Strategy for Cloud Services

Audience relations

That you are able to interact with your audience is one thing that makes marketing a highly significant factor in the success of a cloud-based product. Come to think, sales conversions will never take place without going one-on-one with a prospect. Marketing, in this sense, provides you an opportunity to get into the heart of a potential client and to make a perfect case for why he should consider buying your product. This is something that is called lead nurturing. It is one trick that improves audience impressions about your product, on top of getting a prospect to set a sales appointment of course.



Pro-tip: Don’t just settle for email blasts for your lead nurturing. Support it with telemarketing and have your best sales reps handle the engagements from there.

Related: Industry Insights: The 5 Types of Buyers You Meet in Cloud Selling

The Bottomline

Lastly, marketing and sales are not that important if they weren’t actually taking part in improving the bottom line. For sure, audience engagements and brand visibility are just the icings on the top. What’s more important is that you are able to attract, nurture and convert for the sake of your revenue goals. Sales numbers will remain stagnant if you are unable to apply the necessary techniques and strategies in terms of brand-building and lead generation. And since it makes sense to converse with your prospects regularly, you have to make sure that your messages are clear enough to effect a purchase.



Pro tip: Meet regularly with your marketing and sales teams and interpret your weekly numbers. You have to take account of organic searches, bounces and other essential metrics that will show (or at least approximate) your campaign’s efficiency. Then, use this information to develop strategies, add components that would work, and drop those that didn’t.

Related: Answering Quora: Who are the best SaaS Marketing Agencies in the US, and the UK?

Cloud computing is a highly contested market, and companies that are involved in the battle for turf will have to consider applying the best tools as well as the best expertise for making an impact – in the industry as well as the bottom line.