CMS. DXP. WCM. No matter what your organization might call it, most businesses fostering their digital marketing maturity leverage a form of content management platform. Often, the choice of Content Management System (CMS) serves as a cornerstone for digital transformation efforts. Choosing the right CMS can make all the difference.
Beyond making web and application updates quick and accessible for non-developers, these platforms are now arriving equipped with suites of tools and integration capabilities that make them a central hub for digital marketers’ everyday activities. That said, with increased flexibility often comes increased complexity; selecting the right-fit CMS and having the proper training and resources to manage these platforms are critical to making sure you don’t end up with a tangle of poorly architected solutions that require major overhead and provide little ROI.
In this article, we will:
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A CMS (content management system) allows marketers and business team members to organize and publish content to end users without any background in coding or development. This is most frequently thought of through the lens of website upkeep and maintenance, where a marketer may wish to make on-demand updates to distribute new content, roll out campaign materials, or optimize existing website pages. You may have also heard your CMS referred to as a WCM (web content management) platform or a DXP (digital experience platform) – more on DXPs later! Modern CMS’s tend to have some common features, which include:
When implemented correctly, the toolset above can allow organizations to offload the burden of website updates from their IT and development teams and put the power in the hands of marketing content authors to make changes on-the-fly.
Given that it powers more than 38% of the internet, you’ve likely heard of a little CMS tool called Wordpress. However, Wordpress is only one out of dozens of options that business teams have when selecting content management platforms for their websites (and beyond!).
Below are some common names to know in the CMS space organized by cost/licensing tiers:
Open Source or Small Fee – no or limited licensing fees; community-driven support
Mid-tier – licensing fees typically range in the $10k - $50 range; provide support and hosting options for businesses
Enterprise-tier – licensing fees that can exceed $100k; provide deep suites of tools, support, hosting options, partnerships with major martech players
This is only a sample of the full range of options that marketers may be faced with when selecting a CMS. For an even more comprehensive list of CMS options, as well as a look at their market shares versus competitors, check out w3tech’s CMS usage statistics brief.
In 2020, Gartner made a bit of a stir within the industry when it announced it would retire its Web Content Management magic quadrant – an oft-referenced gold standard for CMS rankings – in favor of a new category called a DXP (short for digital experience platform).
In Gartner’s eyes, as well as many within the industry, the DXP marks a new and increasingly common direction for content management solutions. This direction sees what were once simple, website-based CMS platforms adopting suites of tools and features that allow for the sharing of content across multiple touchpoints, typically with added experience management features such as personalization, marketing automation, and even integrated analytics, machine learning, and user profiling.
While suites like these are becoming more common, not all organizations and vendors are following this trend.
The short answer is “not technically.” A DXP is an evolution of the core CMS functions, and these solutions greatly expand the reach and capabilities of a baseline CMS. Not all CMSs can qualify as a DXP; however, most DXPs provide the core functions of a CMS. So, when evaluating your digital transformation decisions, you may be looking at a DXP solution that covers your CMS needs, among other martech requirements.
The concept of a “headless” CMS took root as a buzzy martech topic towards the end of the decade. Headless CMSs could be touted as “just the content” – these platforms are fully focused on storing and organizing pure content assets.
What headless CMSs don’t do is lock in the business into a single front-end display or set of layouts and templates. In fact, headless CMSs are structured to encourage the re-use of content across multiple delivery platforms (i.e., a website, a mobile app and a smart watch). You may also hear the phrases “API-first” or “front-end agnostic” associated these platforms. The idea is that this allows for speed to market and flexibility when managing content across a wide range of touchpoints.
So, what’s the downside? There are a few to be aware of. The use of a headless CMS often means the loss of the standard “What-you-see-is-what-you-get” (WYSIWYG) tools that help preview your content in-layout prior to publish. This can be a major hassle and mean a loss of control to some marketers. The organization of content by pages and sitemaps can also prove to be less straightforward and structured than it would be in a platform intended for certain channels (such as a website).
Below is a list of pros and cons when considering a headless CMS:
| PROS of Headless | CONS of headless |
|---|---|
| Content is “pure” and available for immediate reuse across multiple channels and front-end executions. | Marketing authors lose the ability to preview and edit content in final layouts. |
| Headless CMSs simplify content management to the basics of storing copy, imagery, and content elements. | Headless CMSs can lack some of the structure that other CMSs use to associate content with information architecture constructs or site functionality/widgets. |
| Increases speed to market, as developers can build multiple front-end displays for the same content, and manage each set of code separately from the CMS. | Development and IT teams need to be versed in the different front-end techniques they wish to leverage. |
| “Future-proof” as it is built to integrate with new technologies. | Requires integration in order to deliver a full end-user experience; needs to be factored into cost, timing, and maintenance. |
Be aware there are plenty of CMSs offering a middle ground between these two options, often referred to as “Hybrid” or “Decoupled” CMSs. We like these options as they often allow for marketing authors to maintain control over final page layouts and templates, while simultaneously enabling omnichannel executions and content reuse.
Organizations should consider the pros and cons of the headless approach carefully and be thoughtful of where they are/are not willing to give up control in favor of speed and simplicity.
Another buzzy topic in the CMS space is the increase in cloud-based offerings from CMS (and DXP) vendors. These solutions can also be referred to as “SaaS CMS” (Software as a Service) or “PaaS CMS” (Platform as a Service).
Choosing a cloud-hosted CMS can be very appealing to marketing organizations that want to hit the ground running (and that have the money to spend). In lieu of a traditional licensing and hosting structure, where your IT team or hosting partner may need to set up on-premises servers and infrastructure, in a cloud-based model, the burden of hosting falls on the CMS vendor themselves.
In the simplest sense, a cloud-based CMS application is built so that you and your team can simply sign up and log on, ready to begin using a vendor-maintained environment. The heavy lifting of hosting setup and maintenance is done “in the background.”
Some other great ancillary benefits of keeping your solution in the cloud include:
It sounds too good to be true, right? In some cases, it may be – you should keep an eye out for hidden costs. Some common pitfalls of Cloud-based options include:
Because there are many different cloud-based options looking to capitalize on the wave of interest in this space, we encourage a careful review of the different offerings and subscription options. While the lowest subscription fee may be tempting, read the fine print and evaluate where additional spending may have to happen to get the platform in sync with your requirements.
Choosing the right CMS platform can seem like a daunting task – daunting enough that some organizations make the major mistake of rushing into a platform selection based on little more than a Gartner quadrant placement and a price point. This is how many organizations find themselves with platforms that are partially useable, bloated with unused features, and impossible to maintain with their current team structure.
At Fusion, we believe there is no “single-size fits all” approach to CMS solutions, and that no one platform can fit every business. Below are some key tips and considerations from our team when working through platform selection:
It may go without saying, but as you explore the above options and ask questions of your vendors, keep your key requirements and decisions documented. At Fusion, we work through a requirements & scoring matrix with our partners to ensure that vendors are weighed against top business priorities.
Even organizations that have worked with CMSs for years can struggle with the question: does my platform allow my marketing team to do enough?
For many organizations asking this question, there’s a good chance the answer is “no.” For a sense of perspective, top-tier CMS platforms offer flexibility that extends to:
If any of the above activities are currently blocked for your marketers, the next question should be “why?” Common reasons for these limitations include:
Consider which of these scenarios is true for your business. Solutions can range from simply aligning on governance standards, all the way up to considering a new platform.
Note, while we generally advocate for marketers to have a wide range of control inside of their CMSs, also keep in mind that a great strength of a CMS can actually be the platform’s ability to standardize, templatize, and govern how one or more applications look, feel, and behave. The inclusion of “guardrails” within these platforms can be very powerful and promote efficiency and consistency.
To achieve the right balance, a team may want to tackle an evaluation of each template or content type and outline where flexibility should exist versus where more scaled back editing options need to be mandated. This can be more critical for organizations whose CMS is used by a large pool of authors who may need to adhere to the same standards, versus organizations who rely on one or two core team members to make updates.
Prioritize time to have these conversations as your platform is built, and don’t hesitate to revisit and adjust once things are put into practice and tested against the realities of daily updates and campaign management.
Some organizations may research different CMS platforms and see the proverbial “greener grass” of a brand-new feature set and fresh UI. But is it really time to trade in your current platform and invest in (what can often be) expensive migration and re-platforming activities?
The answer isn’t always “yes.” That exploration should start with:
It may be useful to bring in a third-party consulting partner (or even a representative from the vendor themselves) if you feel like an outside point-of-view on your current platform could benefit a young IT or marketing team. They may be able to more quickly identify the cause and resolution of certain gaps and roadblocks.
From there, two other key factors should play a role in your decision:
These are challenging explorations to undertake; however, given your CMS is often central to your martech operations, these evaluations may be necessary to ensure that the ripple effects of any change lead to positive forward momentum versus a sense of wasted investment.
As a central hub for your digital marketing activities, the decisions made around your content management solution can help drive (or stall!) your digital transformation progress. With more options than ever, and new and evolving industry trends to navigate, it’s critical to read the fine print, demo, and map platform features back to your team’s goals.
As you navigate your platform selection and enhancement journey, keep in mind to:
With the right platforms and partners, your CMS will be key in managing your customer experiences on the web, mobile, and beyond.
Looking for support in mapping out your team’s needs? At Fusion, we agree that one size does not fit all when it comes to martech. Luckily, we’re here to help you navigate through the sea of options to choose the best stack for your organization — whether that be finding and selecting potential new tools or optimizing the ones you already have. Reach out today to learn more about how we can partner to power your digital transformation.