5 Reasons Why Product Managers Need to Understand Content Management Technology
2020 is only halfway done, but it already was a big year for Product Management.
We all learned that Product Management is not just about managing products really. We manage everything from product launch, forecasting, planning to product marketing and sales and when things change drastically Product Managers are expected to be agile and stay on top of technology tools to save the day.
One of the most powerful things Product Managers rely on for growth in 2020, — when retail and in-person customer communication has transformed — is the Digital Content and its influence over the customers.
The creation and distribution of the content can generate an iconic digital experience, however, a poor one can be a huge obstacle performing an effective digital journey for your customers. Therefore, it is crucial for every product team to manage and deliver quality content in order to remain alive.
To serve content, Content Management System (CMS) is on the rise. A content management system (CMS) is a software application that can be used to manage the creation and modification of digital content.
You don’t need to be a CMS PRO — leave it to your web developers and marketing team, — but you need to know what CMS can do for you on your product management path. You need to get comfortable with handling content on a day-to-day basis: product descriptions, pricing, models, updates, demos, testimonials. If you think of it, content about your product IS ALL what your product really IS for your customers.
CMS is expected to facilitate impressive digital experiences, manage content for multiple digital channels, and collect data for crucial user insights.
But how is it possible to do all this with a CMS? Below, we’ll explore the 5 things that you may not know you could do with a headless CMS.
1. Automate Your Product Content Delivery
Your team should have the ability to create, publish, and automate content freely. Page Management gives you more power and flexibility to create and manage content but also saves time, increases ROI, and improves consistency across the board.
Page Management within some hybrid CMSs allows you to have complete ownership of your content and provides flexibility to add, move, or remove pages. It empowers you to create and manage actual pages in the sitemap and the freedom to relate and structure their pages without having to involve a developer. With content zones and modules, it forces everyone to use the same architecture across the board in a consistent manner.
2. Deliver Site-Wide Updates Across all your Digital Channels
Content architecture defines all your content lists and items and where they will live. With the right content architecture in place, the creation and management of your content delivery can happen smoothly in the background while your end-users enjoy the quality experience they are looking for.
A good Content Architecture makes it easy for your team to deliver site-wide updates across all your digital content. Performance updates can be tested, applied, and rolled back quicker and easier. New employees can start generating ROI quicker, and you and designers can efficiently complete the work they need to do as well. The CMS is easier to manage, and it’s relatively inexpensive to add new features such as integrating with any marketing automation platforms.
With a headless CMS, you can start planning your content architecture and optimize your content across all your digital properties. Reduce expenses and create happy customers — all the ingredients you need to deliver standout ROI!
3. Sell and Promote Your Digital Store
Forrester reported that B2B eCommerce will reach $1.2 trillion and account for 13.1% of all B2B sales in the US by 2023. What this means is a properly implemented eCommerce solution is so important for managing your orders, products, coupons, and customers. You need an eCommerce solution that is robust and won’t get bogged, like on a big such as Black Friday, when a massive volume of orders are submitted. The last thing you want is for your eCommerce store to crash.
4. Collect Data for Crucial User Insights
User-generated content is the content on your site that is submitted by your website users. The most common types of user-generated content are comments, ratings, votes, blog post comments, reviews, form submissions, etc. Having a way to store and organize this data properly is very important, especially for your marketing team. It provides the company with an opportunity to respond to the feedback and improve, make changes, and connect with their client base and community. It’s valuable information for a company’s overall presence, but also gives customers and clients a chance to be part of a large community, to feel like their voice is being heard.
As technology becomes increasingly user-friendly, it’s simple for users to provide honest reviews and feedback in various formats. UGC serves as an excellent social proof. Seeing content from real customers increases your credibility and brings your brand’s promises into perspective.
5. Improve Your User Experience with Content Search
Site search is one of the most effective ways to increase user engagement with your site. That little search box sitting there on your home page is a gold mine, waiting to be clicked. A search bar improves your user experience, especially for new visitors who come to your site. A user will arrive there from elsewhere on the web: Google search, a social media update, or a link from another site. Most of these visitors will follow a path you’ve laid for them, but for the few that prefer to carve their own way, a search bar will help them along.
In Conclusion
When you have a powerful Content Management System in your toolset, you can:
- Automate Your Product Content Delivery
- Deliver Site-Wide Updates Across all your Digital Channels
- Sell and Promote Your Digital Store
- Collect Data for Crucial User Insights
- Increase Your User Experience with Search
If you want to start shopping for Content Management, the options are endless. You will need to choose between Traditional (like Wordpress or Sitecore) vs Headless (like Agility CMS or Contentful), Open Source (like Drupal or Strapi) vs Proprietary (like Kentico or Agility CMS). But it is the subject for the whole new article :)
