Analyzing Content Management System in Digital Marketing
The CMS platform, or Content Management System in digital marketing, is the platform where your content such as blogs, websites, landing pages, etc. are hosted and where you go to edit, track and optimize content. Examples of CRM platforms include: WordPress, Wix, HubSpot and SquareSpace. However, many of them do not offer the same level of services – some are free but require premiums to access certain functionalities.
The aim of these platforms is to provide a comprehensive solution to host all your content and analyze its performance. Not all platforms are created the same way so will you need to know what you want to use the CMS for, what type of data you want to track and what actions you might be interested in carrying out before deciding on a platform.
In terms of the individual, working with a CMS can be a hands-off experience. You may be working with an account manager or the support team to assist you in achieving your content goals. Now let’s see who may potentially work with the CMS platform and how they would go about using it:
#1 Sales
Sales usually avoid getting into the detail of creating content but might look at the performance data as a way to understand the buyer’s journey and quality of the contact they are reaching out to. Sales teams work around a CRM (customer relationship management system) that gets fed contact information from the CMS.
Some CMSs like HubSpot integrate a CRM directly, thus sales staff work directly from the platform, can access content and track contact interactions on the website or blog. The other way sales teams are involved in the CMS is by simply using and pushing the content to their customers, collecting feedback and providing potential needs for change to the marketing team, based on the customers’ experience.
#2 PR
The PR team will use the CMS for releasing all the content such as press releases, blog articles, social media posts, etc. Next time you are on a corporate website, take note of the ‘Press’ section which gathers materials for journalists such as pictures, press releases, assets like logos, and branding materials.
Depending on the organization, the PR team might be in charge of developing and reviewing the content on the blog or website and will be highly involved in using the CMS to share and host content for the press or public. Think about a press release or press event where journalists are redirected to the website or sent emails linking to the relevant content a landing page.
#3 Loyalty Teams
The loyalty team will be involved in strategizing the content on the website for existing customers in order to provide extra value to the brand. This relates to developing specific landing pages that will be sent via marketing emails. They are in charge of gated content on the website only accessible to customers and gathering data on how these customers use the website to improve user experience.
#4 Social Media Managers
Similar to how social media strategies rely heavily on content, the social media manager will work with the CMS platform to optimize content for social media posts, and automate and schedule social media publishing. It will also ensure that the website and content is optimized for social sharing and following and that it is providing visibility of social media presence to visitors.
#4 Activation Team as part of content management system in digital marketing
The activation team will use the CMs platform to automate and create the buyer’s journey through the pages and emails that are being sent. They will be more involved in the structure and mapping of all the content to understand and direct where the consumer arrives, what CTA he can click on, how can he download information, where the form should be, etc. This is about how to convert or create awareness online by developing the right content and making it accessible in the right way, as well as optimizing the website for search.
#5 Designers as part of content management system in digital marketing
Designers here will have an important role in making the content easy to read and appealing. The will be the point of contact for adding the correct colours, logo, and images to the content, making sure the site is responsive, fast, and modern.
They follow trends in website design and studies that prove certain designs are better for conversion or awareness. This knowledge can be brought in through the designers through early discussion during the planning stage. If the team doesn’t have a designer, they can go through an agency or buy a pre-existing template to save time and resources.
#6 Product Marketing as part of content management system in digital marketing
The product marketing team will be highly involved in reviewing and developing the content online and also making sure the product positioning, visuals, and structure are respected. They will also pay extra attention to adding relevant messaging for new product launches or important product updates.
As we have seen before, the different stakeholders that will work around the CMS will use the tool for specific goals. Here is a list of some of the main ways marketers and other teams will use the CMS platform:
#1 Content Marketing
This may sound obvious, but brands should take advantage of owning a platform where it can develop relevant content that will attract potential customers, applying the inbound methodology. Developing content on website pages, blogs and landing pages should all be done under one CMS. This part of the tool is core to the strategy and thus content should be developed using the CMS platform capacities.
#2 Website Optimization as part of content management system in digital marketing
Alongside the previous point, the CMS platform helps optimize the content and navigation of the website. Before CMS platforms, marketers would have developers and IT teams create and manage the platform, making it harder to update and optimize on the go.
Nowadays, CMS platforms are very user friendly and it is easy to move things around, and adapt the navigation content, CTAs and forms when needed. Testing different placements and layout can help optimize the website for user experience making it easier and faster to find information.
#3 SEO
One specific part of website optimization will be optimizing for search engines. After developing the right content, this might be one of the most important actions you can take on the CMS platform.
Optimizing for search engines means making things easier for Google to understand what your content is about and how relevant it is to internet users. This is done with multiple steps and techniques that will be covered in-depth in the following modules.
#4 Social Media Marketing
Some CMS platforms allow you to plan and optimize content for social media through scheduling, publishing or automated publishing. For example, you could choose to post your blog post automatically on social media as soon as they are published on the blog to create instant visibility.
CMS platforms also offer pre-created widgets that can be added to your page to redirect visitors on your social media accounts and also add HTML content on your blog to create better social media previews or even track your click from social media.
#5 Email Marketing as part of a content management system in digital marketing
When thinking about an email marketing strategy, marketers need to focus on where the emails are taking the user. Do they need to create a new landing page, is there content already on the subject? And then what CTA should be on the page? Is the page optimized for conversion from the email?
#6 Automation
CMS platforms allow you to plan and automate content publishing in order to save time. Marketers can plan, execute and develop content, add it on the CMS platform and set the publish the date. They can then let the tool run on its own while focusing on optimizing existing assets or planning the next marketing campaign.
#7 Sales/Marketing Communication
Through the CMS platform, sales and marketing can communicate by developing private pages and content that are focusing on products. A CMs platform can collect and provide data for the sales team to work from. Thus it is a crucial point of contact between sales and marketing teams as it is the transformation point in the marketing/sales funnel that we will focus on later on.
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