How to reshape the digital experience landscape with agile CMS
Let’s face it: our future is digital and there’s no turning back. COVID-19 flipped the switch to hyperdrive when it comes to businesses’ progress of pivoting from brick-and-mortar to virtual.
According to a CMO Survey, “Covid-19 and the State of Marketing,” “More than 80% of CMOs have observed that their customers have placed increased value on digital experiences during the pandemic.”
And a Forrester Analytics Consumer Technographics® COVID-19 Survey said, “40% of online adults say, ‘I have been buying more things online than I normally do’ as a result of COVID-19 and 59% say they plan to continue using digital banking once stay-at-home restrictions are lifted.”
A second survey Consumer Technographics Financial Services conducted said, “36% [of adults] say they’re interested in a product or service from a digital-only insurance company.”
When it comes to improving customer experiences, digital is king
What does all this mean? Well, it means digital is here to stay and this is your chance to use it to your business’ advantage.
Improving online customer experiences and the value of customer engagements was most top of mind for businesses in 2020. Here are some examples of how brands are leveraging digital in the most innovative ways that set their customers’ experiences apart from others in their respective industries.
Nike creates branded experiences
Nike, traditionally an apparel retailer that makes sneakers and athletic wear, has moved into the digital environment where you can now connect your shoes to your smartphone and smartwatch through their digital ecosystem.
Nike knows how much its customers depend on their mobile devices, so they are improving their digital experience by launching its On Track app that is conveniently connected to their customers’ shoes, holding them accountable while trying to stay in shape.
People typically exercise with their smartphones or smartwatches in tow, might as well keep them close by and connected to their running shoes by launching an app that will update them on their workout’s progress.
Domino’s Pizza creates a delivery ecosystem
Domino’s is going the ubiquitous route by creating the path of least resistance to hunger satisfaction. The company has undergone a complete digital transformation where you can now order a pizza from just about anywhere.
Domino’s Pizza doesn’t just have an app, they’ve upped the ante of their digital game by being accessible on multiple channels such as voice assistants, messenger apps, social media, you can even order pizza right from your TV. Whenever your pizza craving hits, there’s no limit as to how you can order your food from anywhere at any time.
You can also check the status of your pizza on any of your devices. When you order a pizza, you receive alerts when the pizza goes into the oven, and you can track that pizza all the way to your doorstep, or it will let you know when you need to head over to the store to pick it up.
Domino’s full digital ecosystem is one of the things that helps drive those great customer experiences.
Delta alleviates pain points
We’ve all traveled, so we all know how stressful it is to check luggage. Did my bag make it on the plane? Is it going to the correct city? Well, Delta heard your concerns loud and clear and did something about it. A good company always knows how to meet its customers’ pain points and, in this case, it’s wanting to know exactly where your bags are throughout the duration of your trip.
As a result, Delta created a push notification feature in its app that consistently keeps you posted on your luggage’s whereabouts so you can rest easy on your flight and know your belongings will be waiting for you on the other side without question.
There’s just one common denominator that is tying all these digital enhancements together and making it all possible. An agile CMS: a new model for all content and all users.
Enter Agile CMS
What you need to meet your customers’ digital demands is an agile CMS, a tool that is as adaptive, swift and responsive as your customers expect your business to be. An agile CMS, per Forrester, is “a solution for collaboratively curating, creating, and delivering content across channels and campaigns via iterative development and deployment processes.”
This technological wonder is transitioning from content management systems that require deep developer involvement to “Agile CMS,” which satisfies both IT teams and marketing practitioners (editors, content creators, content marketers) and meets consumer demand.
It sets the stage for a new wave of management and delivery of content by improving the ability of your content platform to distribute both inputs and outputs that enable your team to collaborate freely.
What Agile CMS is in theory and its benefits
An agile CMS was developed with flexible architecture, security, efficiency, connectivity, scale and governance in mind. It offers an all-inclusive solution for enterprise-level organizations.
An agile CMS must deliver content to the omnichannel. As we look at connected devices, millennials are using four connected devices daily. They might be going from a laptop to a smart TV to a mobile device, to a wearable, and you need to have a system that is able to deliver content to all those end points.
It excels by supporting end-to-end content, from the inception of that content to the delivery and the analytics. It's not just about collecting the data but creating the insights from that data and what we do with the trends and customer behaviors that we observe.
An agile CMS enhances user experiences by analyzing customer data that will map out the optimal customer journey and deliver relatable content as a result.
Forrester’s agile CMS is a low-code tool designed to provide both developers and business users maximum flexibility that furthers collaboration throughout an organization to create a better front-end experience for all.
An Agile CMS provides more convenience in the following ways:
- Improved business capabilities
- Regular, automated delivery of updates from the vendor
- Accelerated implementation and deployment
- Effortless information sharing and collaboration
- Lower overall costs
Leverage Agile CMS to repurpose content across different channels and campaigns
Start your content journey by aligning with what your customers are saying. What do they really want out of your business? What are their pain points? How can you ensure your business is the one they choose over your competitors?
If you’re planning on investing in an Agile CMS to set your business apart from others in your industry, you can leverage the following features:
- A content hub at its core, it’s where technicians and creatives can work together to drive more efficient content operations.
- Its collaboration and planning tools provide intuitive workflows and built-in best practices, standards and efficient use of AI.
- Its flexible deployment options garner omnichannel capabilities, as it embraces content access across multiple channels and campaigns. It also supports all deployment options and presents the right support services throughout your organization.
- It delivers on the guarantee of reusable omnichannel content experiences. Brands struggle with the challenge of delivering content to a variety of end-point devices (e.g., web, mobile, smart displays, voice assistants, and marketplaces), so it's important to manage content and experiences centrally to drive retention.
- It supports developers by providing technical capabilities to build unique experiences. The flexibility and extensibility of front-end components and back-end architecture supplemented by deep documentation, training and community capabilities for developers to exchange ideas are a trademark of a true successful agile CMS.
- It provides practitioners with smarter collaborative tools that are flexible but structured with intuitive workflows and built-in best practices and standards that will instill confidence and productivity.
- It can moderate user-generated content (UGC) and other content that might need approval. It can handle delivery of the content and closes the gap with analytics that help drive business insights.
The takeaway
Digital is what is driving all industries to exponential change invigorated by new technologies that will help your organization be better positioned to predict, understand and meet the needs of customers with Agile CMS.
Digital is what it’s going to take to empower your business to generate more efficiency in satisfying customers’ demands.
Digital will help you become a growth leader in your industry. It’s just a matter of figuring out how to properly leverage an agile CMS to improve your customers’ shopping experiences, sustain their loyalty and retain them to prevent churn.
Digital is what is going to convert your business from good to great and convert your customers into loyal brand ambassadors for life.
For more information about Agile CMS, check out the webinar hosted by Dean Barker - Senior Consultant, Strategy & Value at Optimizely and Nick Barber - VP, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research here.
Om forfatteren
Laura Dolan is the Senior Content Marketing Manager for Optimizely. She has been a content producer for over 15 years publishing pieces in B2B and B2C industries. She has also written and edited for international publications in the U.K., Canada, Australia, India, and France. When she’s not creating content for work, she loves to spend time with her husband, Jeff, four stepchildren, dog, Sparky and cat, Piper.
