4 cloud-based systems that will save digital marketers hours

In digital marketing, saved hours can mean major revenue potential - as that time can be dedicated to other projects

Don’t we all wish that we had just a few more hours in the day to get everything done?

When it comes to business, nearly every department is looking for ways to improve their team’s productivity. Thanks to modern technology and the development of AI, automation is now more popular than ever, saving many businesses up to 360 hours a year and $4 million annually.

In digital marketing, those saved hours can mean major revenue potential - as that time can be dedicated to other projects. However, many people think that time-saving tools equal AI-assisted automation. While automated programs can certainly shave hours off work, there are unfortunately still many roadblocks that stand in the way of businesses fully adopting AI in the marketing department.

Thankfully, saving time in digital marketing doesn’t necessarily require your team to create complex algorithms that take over time-consuming tasks - like sending out emails or data analysis. Instead, there are plenty of easy-to-use but highly effective digital tools that can save marketers hours every week and free up time to focus on other profitable projects.

1. Cloud-based time tracking and expense reporting

Unfortunately, many marketers spend hours every day on non-marketing related tasks. Forbes conducted a study and found that sales and marketing teams spend up to 65% of their day on activities that were not directly related to increasing revenue. One such task that can eat up these precious hours for marketers is formulating project estimates, tracking billable hours, and creating expense reports for client management.

Although these activities are typically delegated to the accounting department, this isn’t always the case for smaller businesses or freelance marketers. Some marketers must be responsible for keeping track of this information on their own. This job is clearly a necessity, especially when you are working for clients who want to see progress reports, as well as keep track of costs and ROI.

In order to keep track of all these important details, digital marketers should utilize a cloud-based system that is able to record logged-on hours, save reports, and generate invoices digitally.

CloudBooks is a great option for SMBs and freelancers. It simplifies the accounting process and users can adjust and update reports in real time so the numbers are always accurate. Plus, it generates professional looking estimates, invoices, and progress reports that can easily be shared with clients.

According to its website, users save an average of 60 hours a month by switching over to this service.

2. Cloud-based video marketing platforms

Digital marketers are well aware of the fact that video content is by far the most engaging content type. However, churning out great video content that looks impressive and contains valuable information is a tough task. It can take days or weeks to create a short video, especially if special effects or editing services are needed.

Cloud-based tools like Wistia can help to streamline the video production process by making it easier for everyone involved to share files and collaborate. Its hosting system is highly customizable and offers many easy-to-use tools to ensure that your video content looks professional.

Since this tool allows your team to shoot, edit, and post videos in-house - rather than working with graphic designers and editors - it can mean faster turn-around times on content pieces and less back-and-forth between production and editing crews.

Another way to save your team lots of time and hassle is by opting for tools that pack a one-two punch in terms of features. Wistia offers incredibly useful analytical features including heatmaps, video SEO guides, and audience analysis for instant ROI reports.

3. Cloud-based testing and analytical programs

Testing out new designs or content platforms can take a lot of time, especially if you are comparing multiple variants for big projects, like a website redesign or a total rebrand. Furthermore, not only does your marketing team have to create multiple design options, but they also need to allow for enough testing time to gather feedback that can then be analyzed and applied.

Tools like Optimzely are designed to streamline the testing and analyzation process by tracking all metrics automatically and generating reports instantly. Marketers can perform multiple A/B tests with several variants simultaneously while comparing the results. The end goal is a perfect mix that is guaranteed to bring in the best results.

Since the program is cloud-based, these features and reports can be shared with the entire team and changes can be made instantly. Optimizely also offers "Stats Engine" technology that uses predictive analytics to streamline the reporting process and offer suggestions based on the testing outcomes.

4. Cloud-based personalization automation

There is little doubt that personalized marketing is effective and worth the effort. However, many marketers are still struggling to find ways to actually incorporate personalized experiences into their strategies. Real-time personalization relies on automation and robust data so that details like content, advertisements, and product suggestions are customized for each consumer.

Obviously, setting up a process for automated personalization requires lots of data and planning. Systems like Sailthru can make the setup and implementation of automated personalization far easier and faster.

This tool supports the most effective personalized marketing approaches, like email content and targeted ads. It organizes all strategies and data into one localized platform. Sailthru combines AI with machine learning to optimize personalization efforts and automatically adjust to improve outcomes - allowing even small businesses with tiny budgets to capitalize on aspects of AI automation.

Conclusion

Time truly is money. The more time that digital marketers can save, the better. These digital cloud-based programs allow marketing teams to optimize their time and automate some of their tasks, freeing up hours that can be utilized strictly on revenue-generating projects for a more profitable business.