To meet elevated consumer expectations, organisations are looking to Web content management systems to deliver content that is new, unique and optimised to the context of each specific consumer and his/her engagement channel.
That's according to Gleanster Research in its 2014 Web Content Management Benchmark Report, which says in today's "age of the consumer", organisations are adapting to customers and prospects who demand an increasingly compelling and personalised user experience across multiple channels.
The research firm says whether on the Web, mobile devices or other channels, consumers expect organisations to present targeted content and offers that suit their specific needs and desires.
At the same time, it notes, consumer thirst for new and compelling content has never been higher. Marketing and selling to today's consumer requires a continuous stream of fresh content with an extremely short shelf life, it adds.
To deliver content in context across channels, Gleanster says organisations are leveraging Web content management to understand and respond to consumers based on their location, device type, influences and type of forum in which they are engaging the organisation.
"This places more demand on Web content management systems," Gleanster Research says in the report. "They must act as centralised content hubs for a wide range of sales and marketing tools such as for e-commerce, e-mail marketing, analytics and marketing automation."
According to Gleanster Research, Web content management systems continue evolve in order to keep pace with enterprise demand. Initially focused on publishing content, Web content management's proposition was to ease Web publishing for non-technical marketing professionals, the report says.
It points out that solutions began to address the end-user experience across multiple channels by aggravating and syndicating content, and analysing end-user behaviour.
This year, the top performers (88%) ranked the number one reason to implement Web content management as a desire to optimise the customer experience. To Gleanster, it seems building a business case around improved customer engagement in digital channels makes it easier for top performers to justify investment in Web content management.
"The end-user experience can make or break any online campaign," says Gleanster. "Not only do speed and performance matter, but consumers now seek an immersive experience where they can form a relationship with their favourite brands and Web sites."
Across all organisation types, from top performers to everyone else, the benefits of implementing a Web content management solution today far outweigh the challenges, says Gleanster.
That said, one significant challenge remains - the migration of existing assets into Web content management, it notes.
"Many organisations have installed multiple content management solutions or systems over the last decade, and changes to one do not necessarily translate across all of them. Therefore, you should gain consensus and a thorough understanding of your organisation's short- and long-term marketing goals before implementing a broad Web content management solution.
"Those organisations that have failed at their Web content management roll-outs have done so because management has unrealistic expectations about progress and the time required to significantly impact the organisation's online presence," it concludes.
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