Definite Reasons Why It’s Time to Bring Your Sales and Marketing Collaterals to the Cloud

When developing sales and marketing collaterals, it’s a good idea to get everybody involved onto the same page. A collaborative environment lets each team—and each individual team member—share insights that can improve sales and marketing content. After all, while sales will have firsthand experience in dealing with customers, marketing can likely help sales fine-tune their materials to better reflect the overall brand strategy. It’s all about adopting a team mindset.

That said, effective collaboration may be challenged by issues such as different physical locations—and even different time zones. The dynamic nature of today’s business world means having teams with members hailing from all over the map. In addition, partnering with third-party agencies often involves working with offshore teams from across the globe. As such, it’s not just distance that separates team members but also time.

Thankfully, collaborative tools are always available, with modern cloud software able to connect entire groups via a virtual common room. More importantly, the software manages access to shared documents, thereby maximizing collaboration while avoiding version control issues.

Why Sales and Marketing Teams Need Collaborative Tools

Sales and marketing teams typically work independently of each other. They have different systems and processes despite sharing a common goal. Imagine the potential for efficiency, productivity and effectiveness if these two groups harness their collective energies for a single, collaborative output?

Unfortunately, getting sales and marketing to work in tandem is easier said than done. According to Hubspot’s 2024 Sales Trends Report, only 30% of sales professionals believe that their sales and marketing departments are strongly aligned. However, for companies and brands able to achieve the dream of sales and marketing alignment, it will be well worth the effort. Aside from creating a collaborative environment and a unified understanding of customers, aligned teams also pave the way for improved revenue streams.

Providing collaborative tools to the entire organization can be key to getting that alignment ball rolling. Here, laying out a common ground where all team members can meet, interact and exchange ideas is a great way to enhance communication. In addition, collaborative tools also serve as a repository of documents and data. Therefore, instead of spending time searching for files, you have cloud applications that make entire libraries available for authorized users to access, modify or download—no matter where they are.

Aligning Sales and Marketing Goals

Finally, collaborative tools allow sales and marketing to work toward the same goal. Cloud applications such as project management and communication software let the entire organization know about the current status of assigned tasks. Teams will report on their work progress against the backdrop of the entire project timeline. Then, if issues arise that are liable to affect the work of other groups, teams can address these concerns via communication software. Aligning tasks, identifying problems and jointly coming up with solutions helps the organization move forward as a whole. The real-time updating and reporting features of cloud collaboration software are ideal for keeping everybody in the loop.

The Challenges of On-Prem Software

Before cloud platforms, on-premise (on-prem) applications were the norm for businesses. Companies bought software licenses in bulk, but with the express provision that one license applied to one computer. This arrangement restricted the availability of work tools to office computers and those select employees issued with mobile workstations.

Meanwhile, files and documents used by on-prem software remain limited to company servers managed by in-house IT teams. Having authorized access won’t matter if you don’t have a similarly authorized workstation installed with the right software. In this scenario, collaboration becomes a matter of letting one user finish working on a file before another can start it.

The biggest challenges of traditional on-premise software happen during field use. As access to company servers hosting data and documents is restricted, although users can still open and modify files, updates to the content will only show up once their device reconnects to these servers. As such, nobody can access the document’s latest version until the field employee returns to the office.

Other Challenges

In addition to the need for manual synchronization of critical files, on-prem software has a few other things working against it. Chief among the drawbacks are the associated costs outside of the software purchase. In-house servers using the on-prem software’s program files and application data will require a significant initial hardware investment. However, the capital expenditure doesn’t end there. Any changes in scale will require additional hardware acquisitions to keep up with server demand.

Further, managing the servers as well as the administration of on-prem accounts depends on a dedicated in-house IT team. Somebody will need to make sure the servers are running, regular backups are being made and files are religiously maintained. Unfortunately, many small businesses—especially startups—might not have the budget for this.

The Advantages of Cloud Software for Sales and Marketing Teams

Instead of selecting on-premise software to provide the collaboration tools, cloud-based software could be the better choice. You won’t need to install the program on your local hard drive—or even connect to the officer servers to access documents. Connecting to the platform simply requires you to log into the app web page. The other advantages of cloud software include:

Real-Time Updates

With cloud computing, data resides in the cloud, so it’s accessible wherever an Internet connection is available. The cloud automatically saves any changes or modifications to a document in real time. For users, this means that the document they open will always be the latest version. Salespeople out in the field who need current information on the likes of inventory count, price structure and ongoing promotions, will consistently receive updated data.

Seamless Integration with CRM Systems

Cloud software integrates seamlessly with compatible CRM systems. Instead of manually migrating data generated from one software application to the office CRM, admins can configure a seamless, over-the-air transaction. This integration also makes it easier for collaboration software to access CRM content and include that data when making presentations or other sales and marketing collaterals.

Cost-Effectiveness

Cloud software falls under the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) category, which means it only requires a subscription to work. Developers usually charge corporate customers a monthly subscription based on the number of users or accounts. Instead of buying an on-prem software license for thousands of dollars, a typical cloud software subscription may cost just a few dollars per user.

Remote Access

Users of cloud software won’t need dedicated computers and a connection to company servers. Cloud access requires nothing more than a smart device and an Internet connection. Team members can log into the app via web login or through a mobile app. Once in, they’re set to work on their sales and marketing projects immediately.

Flexibility and Mobility

Scaling your operations won’t require additional server investments. At most, companies will need to renew their subscription to a plan that fits the total number of users. This is especially helpful for agile companies that shrink and expand their salesforce depending on the season. Cloud access also makes it easier for businesses to mobilize new users. With a Bring-Your-Own-Device system, admins can activate new users by authorizing the use of personal smart devices for work.

Reduced Maintenance and Management

A cloud subscription eliminates the need to retain an in-house IT team to manage, maintain and secure the application and servers. The developer assumes the duties of providing and managing the infrastructure. They will also provide constant upgrades to the software. Updating, patching and maintaining software happens behind the scenes. As a result, users will always have the latest version available every time they log in.

For Ultimate Collaboration, Sales and Marketing Teams Should Reach for the Cloud

Cloud collaboration software is a great investment for sales and marketing teams aiming to improve their alignment. Cloud connectivity enables remote teams to converge online and jointly work on sales and marketing collaterals—like brochures, technical specification sheets, videos and presentations. Without true collaboration and real-time update features, simultaneously working on a single document can end up being more complicated than it needs to be. Cloud software is also a more cost-effective option that requires a smaller monthly subscription instead of a full software license. Even better, this option eliminates the need for server investments and a full-time IT service team.

When it comes to sales-enablement software used to create interactive sales and marketing presentations, choose Ingage. Their cloud-based software allows full collaboration between multiple users, regardless of their location. The entire team can collaborate on interactive presentations that tell the complete story. Clickable elements provide viewers with additional information for making a favorable purchasing decision. Meanwhile, powerful analytics features track users’ reactions on every slide and help identify which sections created an impact and which ones need more work.

Find out more about how Ingage can serve as your ultimate sales and marketing collaboration tool. Sign up for a free demonstration today and learn why Ingage users are creating more than 100,000 presentations every month.