Are there still businesses without an online presence these days? In less than a decade the consumer’s decision making process has changed immensely; the five step traditional marketing has become a worldwide digital network where e-consumers demanding access to information whenever, wherever they like and in a simplest and most pleasant possible manner.
Not considering your online presence is a mistake which your brand probably cannot afford. Oftentimes a static website with some basic information about your brand, only for the sake of having a website is simply not enough; this days you must also heavily consider ways to differentiate yourself through a virtual value proposition and the most important, user experience.
What is CMS?
According to Wikipedia CMS is “a computer program that allows publishing, editing and modifying content as well as maintenance from a central interface. Such systems of content management provide procedures to manage workflow in a collaborative environment.”
In other words a content management system is a software which allows for your website content to be managed without the need to know any of the coding gibberish; whether it is text, graphics, photos, video, audio or even scripts for additional functionality.
So, do you really need one?
Regularly updated content is one of the key factors for your business to stay relevant on the WWW markets. Whether that’s adding new products, writing blogs or updating page information, choosing the right CMS will make all the difference.
In order to be able to offer a great experience to your visitor, you need to work with a system that will make the entire process as smooth as possible allowing at the same time to focus on meeting consumers requirements.
This process is often confusing, misunderstood and rushed trough by companies, often leading to a costly regrets; business owners often are unsure about how useful a CMS really is, or, do they even need one at all. By answering the following questions this all confusion can quickly go away:
- Am I planning to run a blog / news on my website?
- Do I need a website that’s high on functionality and user interactivity?
- Do I need to give remote access to users from different parts of the world so that they can download or work on data shared on my website?
- Will the site’s content be updated more than once a month?
- Will non-web developers be updating / maintaining content of the site?
If you have replied yes to any one of the above questions, then you should definitely start thinking seriously about a CMS solution for your business.
The type of solution you choose will depend on the business goals you have for your website. Knowing this will be by far the biggest deciding factor in what CMS you ultimately choose. For example, your objectives could be one or all of the following:
- A dynamic e-commerce functionality that can be accessed by thousands of shoppers every day.
- An interactive blog that can accept reader comments.
- A password-protected intranet section for employees and customers. Remote access should be instant and error-free.
Having a clear understanding of the goal for your virtual window to your brand, will be more useful than anything while talking to technology vendors about the right solutions. Obviously there is a wide range of CMS platforms available to you but what to consider while making your choice or most importantly which should you ultimately opt for – is a topic for another, extensive article.
Damian Budny is a Creative Thinker and Web Developer at Happy Creative, a full service marketing and creative agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk
