Leader Web Content Management

Web Content Management (WCM) and the Expansion of the Content Universe

Tuesday, April 13, 2010 by Gavino Gonzalez

Traditional Content

Content is king and will continue to be king for the foreseeable future. Content is everywhere we go. Content has many faces it can be the huge billboard across the street, the stationary on your desk, it can even be the small ads in the magazine or newspaper that you read this morning.

Online Content

Content is all over the internet. It’s everywhere, from banner ad’s to blog posts, Tweets, Youtube, Linkedin, emails, presentations, ratings, customer responses, tags and comments. The amount of online content that is produced daily is astonishing and it will continue to grow at an expediential rate.

Mobile Content

Ever contemplate that your mobile device is content? Yes, you’re Blackberry, iPhone, Nexus One, iPad- all capable of producing and mobile receiving content. Your mobile device will handle text messages, applications, mobile ads, uploading images and videos to Facebook. You can even participate in mobile campaigns, for example text a phrase to ‘#####’ to receive special updates and promotions. Mobile content is already showing promising signs, people can bank at their fingertips, get weather, transit and travel updates via their Smartphone also. One can assume that mobile content in its infancy has already created a major impact in our daily lives and will continue to do so for many years ahead.

Challenges that lie ahead for Mobile Content

The expectation has been set for mobile content to experience significant year-over-year growth. We have begun to fulfill that expectation, people tweet, update their facebook status on smart phones, but have not reached its full potential, yet. There are many issues to work out before mobile becomes a force to be reckoned with.
Mobile browser support – There is no universal screen size for a smart phone, every smart phone varies in multiple shapes and sizes. If you visit a website on a smart phone there is a chance that the site will recognize that it’s from a mobile browser and will automatically scale it to size, but may be a little difficult to see.
Updating Mobile Content (Websites) – Many companies today are having enough difficultly in maintaining their mission critical websites. A Considerable quantity has begun to incorporate personalization and web 2.0 applications, but many are still lacking today.

Solution: Next Generation Web Content Management System

Deploying a best-in-class enterprise web content management system can help you achieve your business objectives. The SDL Tridion Solution allows you to simply display relevant content on your website through personalization. The Tridion Solution also allows you to simply manage multiple website (including mobile websites).
SDL Tridion is positioned as a “Leader” by both Forrester and Gartner. SDL Tridion ushers in next generation web content management by integrating a suite of ROI focused online marketing tools.

Turning unstructured content into a corporate asset

Monday, November 23, 2009 by Remco van Rij

Unstructured content (e.g. Documents, Web pages, XML components, audio, video, medical images, scanned images, engineering drawings, enterprise reports, records, presentations) is growing overall by over 200% per year - 35 billion emails per day, Word content doubles every two months. Structured content is growing at only 4%.

Most business executives consider unstructured content to be an asset, yet few believe that it is properly managed like an asset. The majority of corporate unstructured content is not really managed as an asset at all, but instead is just needles of value in a haystack of shared drives, mailboxes and more systems than organizations know what to do with.

Unstructured information assets that are uncontrolled and unexploited do not support the implementation of corporate strategy and communication; in fact, they hinder it. Instead of reducing risk, they increase it.

And much of this content is brought to the outside world via the internet. If you want to maximize the value of your content (instead of treating it as a cost), trust it to a platform that manages your content in a way you can use it for all your channels.

SDL Tridion is market leader in Global Web Content Management, and by offering integrations with digital asset management systems and collaboration software, it supports the full life cycle of one of your most valuable corporate assets: persuasive content! Your content becomes fuel for target audience marketing, brand management and email campaigns. Only imagine...

Evolution of Websites and Online Content

Friday, November 13, 2009 by Gavino Gonzalez

In the beginning…

Pay careful attention as this question as may allow you to win a bet some day, When was the Internet founded? The answer is 1958. I am not going to go that far back as the Internet was kept under government use only for many years, but I will start sometime in the last 15 years.

Sometime over the last 15 year we were all introduced to the Internet. The Internet then was mostly filled with pages of text only content. There was very little online content, only a few websites had images. Preliminary Internet chat was made by typing text on a page and clicking ‘refresh’ to ‘post’ your remarks. There was no music or videos to listen to or watch. There were no fancy online tools, no ecommerce, no Google or social media.

As time went on…

For general users, the Internet evolved and presented new opportunities with the proliferation of online content. Music, videos, live camera feeds, webinars and of course almost real time status updates. For businesses, this presented a double edged sword.

Pro:

•    Businesses are ‘always’ open
•    Brand management
•    Website globalization
•    Reduced time to market
•    Reduced operational costs

Con:

•    Brand management (See Web Content Management (WCM) and Social Media post)
•    Satisfying demand of relevant content

What lies ahead…?

As the Internet continues to evolve into the future we must ask ourselves the following questions:

•    Who will be the audience?
•    What will websites look like?
•    What kind of online content will be demanded?
•    How quickly can you adjust to change?
•    How will you manage online content?
•    How will you support your website?
•    What is your online strategy?

Looking forward I think we can safely assume the following:

•    Online content will continue to grow at an expediential rate
•    Demand for personalized content will continue to expand
•    Social Media channel will continue to increase
•    Growth in demand of mobile content
•    Globalization of websites will become the standard

Are you ready?

A best-in-class enterprise web content management system can help you ‘future proof’ your website(s). SDL Tridion solution is fully scalable and will allow you to adapt to whatever the future may hold.

About SDL Tridion

SDL Tridion is provider of best-in-class enterprise web content management systems. Positioned as a "Leader" by both Forrester and Gartner, SDL Tridion ushers in next generation web content management by integrating a suite of ROI focused online marketing tools.

An Introduction to Web Content Management (WCM) Strategic Planning

Monday, November 9, 2009 by Brad Davis

Strategy without tactics is inertia.
Tactics without strategy is chaos.

3 Questions to Ask Before Starting a New Web CMS Project

Sometimes it's a good idea to return to the basics. Here are three fundamental questions I have found most helpful when tasked with developing a strategic plan, web content management or otherwise:

1. Where are we now?
2. Where do we want to go?
3. How are we going to get there?

Sounds simple, right? Maybe, but these three questions can form the foundation of a very complex web content management plan.

Where Are We Now?
Assess the current situation

Conduct a comprehensive assessment of your online marketing operations from your website design to methodology for managing online content. Start by asking the right questions, worry about answering them later.

How are our websites performing with respect to traffic and conversions?
What is the flow of content from creation to delivery?
What are the WCM roles of business, marketing, and IT?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of our online channel?
How long does it take to roll out a new online campaign?
How is content translated and localized?
How is consistency of brand and message maintained across multiple channels?
What is the web experience of our online visitors?

If you know exactly where you are, it's much easier to get to where you want to be.

Where Do We Want To Go?
Set well defined objectives

Sure, you want a cool looking website that does really cool things. More importantly, however, I bet you want a website that will help you achieve online marketing objectives, like increasing conversion rates. Be as specific as possible.

How Are We Going To Get There?
Develop a plan

Before looking at web content management vendors and technology, craft a step by step plan that will take you from where you are to where you want to be. Standard elements of a strategic plan include:

Strategy
Tactics
Timeline
Budget
Metrics

When the time comes to look at web content management products and solutions, consider how well they will integrate with your strategic plan. Give more weight to WCM features and functionalities that will best help you achieve your defined objectives.

The selection of an enterprise web content management system and vendor should be a very deliberate process. The WCM industry is currently undergoing rapid change, from both technology and vendor landscape perspectives.

For more information about WCM planning and solutions, please feel free to contact SDL Tridion. SDL Tridion is provider of best-in-class enterprise web content management systems. Positioned as a "Leader" by both Forrester and Gartner, SDL Tridion ushers in next generation web content management by integrating a suite of ROI focused online marketing tools.

Zen and the Art of Web Content Management (WCM) Part 1

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 by Brad Davis

What is the sound of website traffic?

At first glance the question seems utterly absurd. It is. Read on, however, and I think you’ll find that the absurd can sometimes reveal a truth.

What possible relationship could there be between Zen and web content management? On the surface, nothing. Look a little deeper, and, well, everything. This post is the first of a series that will explore enterprise web content management through the eyes of a Zen student on the path to marketing Nirvana.

A brief Introduction to Zen

For those unfamiliar with Zen or the practice thereof, I offer this brief introduction.

Zen is a form of Buddhism that emphasizes paying full attention to the present moment. It’s an extremely practical philosophy that suggests if you are cold and have a wooden statue of the Buddha- you should burn the Buddha to keep warm.

The goal of Zen is to attain enlightenment, a state of absolute awareness, or “oneness” with All That Is. Although enlightenment can be a sudden happening, most often it is not. It comes over many years (lifetimes according to myth) in a series of epiphanies, or “ah ha!” moments.

Over the centuries, a number of practices have been developed to assist masters and students on their journey. Two of the most common are Zazen, a form of seated meditation designed to still the mind and Koans, paradoxical riddles designed to scramble the mind.

Zazen works on the premise that sometimes the best way to think is to not think. How many times have you thought really hard on a problem or situation and the more you thought, the more confused you got? Then, after “forgetting” about the topic for a while, the solution comes to mind suddenly, like a bolt out of the blue?

A koan, on the other hand, is a riddle to ponder on that has no logical solution. It functions like a bridge to help the mind transcend pure rational thought so it can think “outside of the box”. One of the most well known koans is “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”

So, Then, What is the Sound of Website Traffic?

If you are a B2B or B2C business, it should be KA-CHING! The Ka-ching that comes from revenue generated by converting website visitors into sales leads or closed business. The louder the Ka-ching the more successful the business. If you have little or no traffic to your website the sound is silence. If you have a lot of traffic to your website but the visitors don't convert (do what you want them to do) the sound is also silence. Needless to say a silent website is bad for business.

The New Art of WCM: Driving Traffic and Increasing Conversion Rates

Best-in-class web content management systems have evolved and transcended the basic task of managing online content. The enlightened ones will align themselves with business drivers and provide tools and functionalities that will help organizations achieve their online marketing objectives. Next generation web content management systems make websites go KA-CHING.

Business Drivers Matched to Next Generation WCM Functionalities

Business Driver: Increased Website Traffic
WCMS Functionalities: SEO/SEM and Email Campaign Tools

Business Driver: Increased Conversion Rates
WCMS Functionalities: Website Personalization and Interactive Marketing Tools

Not All Web Content Management Vendors Have Evolved to the Next Level

Select your enterprise web content management vendor with great care, as some are not as evolved as others. While Zen philosophy teaches that All are on the path to enlightenment, you can be assured that some get there much faster than others.

SDL Tridion: An Enlightened WCM Vendor

SDL Tridion is provider of best-in-class enterprise web content management systems. Positioned as a "Leader" by both Forrester and Gartner, SDL Tridion ushers in next generation web content management by integrating a suite of ROI focused online marketing tools.

The Future of Web Content Management: Evolution or Extinction

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 by JanJaap Kolleman

"The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
- Mark Twain

What will a future enterprise web content management system (WCMS) look like? What kind of features will it have? What business solutions will it offer? Or will web content management go the way of the Dodo bird and the dinosaur, doomed to extinction?

I think it's pretty safe to say...as goes the web, so goes web content management. So what will the web look like in 5, 25, 50, or 100 years from now? To even begin to explore this question, we must first look at what the web is made of: Content. Content is the life blood, the very essence of the web. And one thing I am quite certain of is that Content will never become extinct. That is, as long as human beings continue to exist.

My crystal ball tells me that the web and web content management (WCM) will not become extinct. Rather, they will evolve into new creatures that look completely different than their predecessors. What won't change, however, is the concept of Content. Content will always need to be created, delivered, managed, and leveraged to achieve business objectives.

To Much of a Good Thing?

There was, of course, Content long before the web. Lot's of it. But the world wide web of the Internet let the genie out of the bottle and Content has gone viral, growing at an exponential rate. Today virtually everyone, consumers and business alike, are creating and publishing content to the web. With the meteoric rise of easy-to-use web content management systems, Web 2.0, user generated content, and social media, the quantity of Content is growing faster than the national debt.

The shear volume of "noise" emanating from the web poses significant challenges to business trying to market their products or services... and the noise is only going to get louder.

(Relevant) Content Is Still King

In both B2B and B2C marketing, Content is what we use to convince our target audiences to buy what we are selling. Success requires that we filter the noise and be heard. To be effective, Content must be A. Persuasive, and, B. Consumed by those most likely to purchase our products and services. These are two very real business needs driving the evolution of web content management.

Two basic tenets of the theory of evolution are "Adaptation" and "Survival of the Fittest". What makes a web content management vendor fit? Many factors beyond basic financial stability, including the ability to align enterprise web content management solutions with business needs and drivers. Web content management vendors who fail to evolve and stay fit are doomed to extinction.

The Art of Persuasion

Best-in-class enterprise web content management systems will provide tools that increase the persuasiveness of Content. An example would be functionality for website personalization. Personalization of online content is a surefire way to get more members of your target audience doing exactly what you want them to do. It breaks through the noise and makes them feel like you're speaking directly to their needs.

Marketing to your Target Audience(s)

Target audience marketing is delivering persuasive content to those most likely to purchase your product or service. But first you have to find them and secondly you must get to know them. Enterprise web content management systems at the top of the evolutionary chain are well prepared to assist with these tasks by providing a platform that includes a suite online marketing capabilities. Examples include search engine optimization (SEO) and interactive marketing tools, an integrated email marketing solution, and functionality for gathering visitor intelligence.

Next Generation Web Content Management

Best-in-class web content management systems are evolving into online marketing platforms with the ability to deliver content across multiple channels. The good news is that you don't have to wait for a next generation web content management system, they exist today. Evolution is an ongoing process, so be sure to select a WCM solution that is fully scalable and "future proof", meaning a system with the genetics to adapt and evolve with your changing business needs.

About SDL Tridion: SDL Tridion is provider of best-in-class enetrprise web content management systems. Positioned as a "Leader" by both Forrester and Gartner, SDL Tridion ushers in next generation web content management by integrating a suite of ROI focused online marketing tools.

From Web Content Management to Unified Marketing

Monday, November 2, 2009 by Remco van Rij

Welcome to my very first blog! With my blogs I would like to share with you my experiences in my working life as a Sales Executive of SDL Tridion, the market leader in Web Content Management Products for web sites. I want to address topics, subjects and issues I see during client meetings, that you could relate to your own situation.

What does the current economic climate do to companies? I have seen cost cutting, reorganizations, shrinking budgets and closing down offices. All things a company can do on the cost-side to survive this crisis. But what are they doing on the revenue side? Especially in these days, it is important to find and be found by your customers and prospects and stay ahead of competition. Just web presence is not sufficient anymore...

The successful companies are the ones who have a consistent brand image thru all their communication channels. They are able to offer profiled and personalized content because they know their customers, prospects and website visitors. It sounds easy, but it takes some effort to reach this level.

These companies make a difference against their competition because they build and protect their image with brand management tools and apply website personalization. This makes all their communication and campaigns more effective and will lead to increasing conversion rates.

Well, how does your company build and protect its brand and is able to target the right audiences?

Releasing the Hounds after Web Content Management (WCM)

Friday, October 30, 2009 by Gavino Gonzalez

Caged Web Site Content Management

Fellow Marketers, raise your hand if you cannot change the content on your website promptly. Come on you don't have to be afraid, I've been there more times than I can count in my career. You have a collection of perfect collateral that you are itching to deploy on your website, but you’ve been informed that it will take a week(maybe longer) before it can go live. Why? It's sitting in the IT departments 'web content management support box'. You have online marketing objectives to achieve, so time to market is a critical factor in the success of the campaign.

Releasing the Hounds

Best-in-class Web Content Management software can help you reach your business objectives faster and with less headaches. Benefits of a well deployed enterprise Web Content Management system include:

•    Reduced time to market
•    Increased efficiency
•    Maintaining consistency of brand and message
•    Increased customer loyalty
•    Increased conversion rates
•    Reduced Operation costs

All of the above combine to deliver an amazing return on your marketing investment.

Imagine if...

Imagine having the ability to do things like adding new content to your website, deploying an email campaign, creating landing pages and micro sites and fixing incorrect content and more without the need to go through IT.

The best part is you don't need to be an HTML wizard. You don't even need to know HTML at all. Best-in-class enterprise Web Content Management systems are extremely easy to use and have WYSIWYG editors which make editing website content as easy as creating a word document or sending an email.

Check this out

SDL Tridion offers a top rated enterprise web content management system. Positioned as a leader by both Forrester and Gartner, renowned WCM industry analysts, the SDL Tridion solution makes managing complex content over multiple websites and channels fast and easy. Better yet, it even includes a suite of ROI focused online marketing tools. To learn how SDL Tridion can make your life easier and your online campaigns more successful, contact us today and request a demonstration.

Forrester Reviews Top Web Content Management Vendors and Systems

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 by Brad Davis

Searching for an Enterprise Web Content Management System? Start Here.

In an earlier blog post, I suggested that you begin the web content management vendor selection process by doing some research and developing a "short list" of vendors to evaluate. If you're like most organizations, you will probably begin with a Google search using phrases like:

Web Content Management Reviews
Web Content Management Vendors
Enterprise Web Content Management System
Global Web Content Management
Best Web Content Management

Search on a WCM related phrase and you'll get a mind blowing number of results-over 184,000,000. And most of these will be from WCM companies who want to sell you their wares. Of course that includes your friends at SDL Tridion :)

Want Factual, Unbiased WCM Research? Go Straight to Forrester.

Forrester Research, a renowned web content management industry analyst, publishes a report that evaluates leading enterprise-class web content management vendors and their solutions. Their latest report is "The Forrester Wave™: Web Content Management for External Sites, Q-2 2009". The detailed report is used by many organizations to develop their "short list".

About the Forrester Report

Forrester evaluates 10 web content management vendors across approximately 115 criteria, which they grouped into three primary categories:

Current offering
Strategy
Market presence

Results are summarized in a clear concise manner with easy to read charts, diagrams and tables. If you are looking for a best-in-class enterprise web content management system from a leading web content management vendor, this report is definitely a "Must Read".

Download the Forrester Report for Free

Click here to download the web content management reviewed report by Forrester, compliments of SDL Tridion, a leader in enterprise web content management and online marketing solutions.

Selecting the Best Web Content Management System

There are hundreds of web content management products, systems, and solutions on the market today from hundreds of different vendors. Hopefully, you will find the Forrester report helpful in narrowing the playing field and developing a short list of enterprise web content management vendors to evaluate.

Which enterprise web content management system is right for you and which vendor should you select? This depends upon the specific needs of your organization. In any case, be sure to select a financially strong company with the ability to provide excellent web content management support and service.

Beyond Web Content Management

In addition to looking at the features and benefits of different web content management systems, I would also suggest that you take a look at how they will help you achieve your online marketing objectives, such as increasing conversion rates. Look for web content management software tools that will assist with online brand management, target audience marketing, email campaigns, and website personalization.

The bottom line: Top web content management vendors will help you do much more than basic online content management. They will help you realize the many benefits of web content management, the most important of which is ROI.

Five Ways To Persuade Your Target Audiences

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 by Gavino Gonzalez

The Communications Challenge

Global and Enterprise Organizations need to communicate with an increasing number of target audiences in different regions and across different channels. The challenge is to balance the need for localization and personalization with the need to maintain constancy of brand and message.

The Communications Solution

The best solution is an integrated technology that will enable organizations to manage brands, globalize websites, deliver targeted messages across multiple channels and to create mirco-sites for specific campaigns or projects. One solution is BluePrinting technology, a proprietary solution provided by SDL Tridion, a leader enterprise web content management and Online marketing solutions.

Communicating With a Connected World

In today's connected world, a well-managed, persuasive web presence is essential for any organization to achieve success. The Internet provides unprecedented opportunities for border-free communication and is by far the number one medium to reach a diverse group of target audiences. One of the keys to maximizing results is to localize and personalize Online content.

Personalizing Online Content Across Multiple Channels

Personalizing Online content echoes customer and prospect needs and interests, builds relationships, and creates brand loyalty. Ideally, organizations should provide personalized messages that reflect market conditions and the needs of their individual target audiences. Of course, this must be accomplished within the framework of an enterprise wide Online brand management and communications strategy.

To effectively address and persuade a collection of diverse target audiences, an enterprise requires a strategic solution that will help them address five main communication requirements.

•    Web site globalization
•    Online brand management
•    Target audience marketing
•    Multi-channel marketing
•    Micro site rollout and management

A Resource To get Started: Free White paper from SDL Tridion

SDL Tridion has produced an informative White paper "Five ways to persuade your target audiences" that discusses communications issues and presents BluePrinting technology as an cost effective solution that can be deployed enterprise wide. Download free of charge:

Five Ways To Persuade Your Target Audiences

Quality & Compliance Management For Your Online Presence

Thursday, October 15, 2009 by Brad Davis

Online Brand Management

Enterprise and global organizations want to present their brand, image and vision clearly and consistently. But with thousands of pages, in dozens of languages, for many different brands and products, this may seem like an impossible task. The good news is it doesn’t have to be.

Safeguard is a web content management software tool for SDL Tridion’s Enterprise Web Content Management System. It’s a powerful solution that provides website quality and compliance management- with just a few clicks of a mouse. This means you can deliver consistent, high-quality websites that comply with your own internal standards, industry best practice standards, and regulations.

To learn more about Safeguard and how it can simplify online brand management and improve the quality of your online presence visit: www.sdltridion.com/products/web_content_management/safeguard/

The Challenge of Website Management

Effective online communication requires the orchestration of many different factors. Ask yourself these questions:

Is all published content accurate, up-to-date and search engine optimized?
Do all of your sites have consistent branding and messaging?
Do your websites meet accessibility and legal requirements?
Are local websites presented in the right language?
Are digital assets managed according to company rules?
Do your websites comply with global and regional standards
Are you tracking and bench marking site-wide performance?

Safeguard monitors your entire web presence, in any country or language. Easy-to-use dashboards provide detailed information on your online performance, reporting any quality and compliance breaches so you can fix them and maximize your online business results.

About SDL Tridion

SDL Tridion is a recognized leader in web content management and has received top rankings by leading industry analysts. In addition to enterprise web content management systems, SDL Tridion is also an online marketing solutions company that provides: