Discover how a product CMS simplifies content creation & delivery

Highlights

You’ll learn about how Contenstack integrates with different products:

Automation

• Automates content updates and scheduling
• Integrates with third-party tools like DAM and AI

Launch

• Hosts and deploys websites
• Links with GitHub for seamless integration

AI capabilities

• Provides data-driven insights
• Personalizes strategies for better engagement

Start using a headless CMS today for a better future and business growth.

Who said content is the king? Content is becoming a kingdom that helps businesses interact with their customers. Content is no longer a nice thing to have on your website; it's a must. Your marketing, merchandising, development and social media team use content to stand out from competitors and sell products or services. 

While managing digital content is time-consuming, having the right content management system (CMS) by your side can help you create, manage and deliver content and digital experiences across all your channels, devices and apps. 

A CMS ensures your website stays online and implements a comprehensive content marketing strategy. At the same time, your developers don’t have to publish content now and then. They can make changes to the back end without impacting the content publication. Without exhausting your IT teams, the content on your website remains fresh. 

In this guide, we explore what a CMS is and why having a reliable product CMS is the linchpin of your content strategy. 

What is a content management system?

A content management system (CMS) is a digital platform or software for developing, editing and publishing content without requiring knowledge of programming languages like JavaScript, CSS and HTML. It’s a content repository that stores all your content and then displays it in a presentation layer based on different templates, like a website or mobile app. A CMS allows different contributors to create, edit and publish content from a single dashboard.

For example, content creators can post and save their work and content editors can modify and publish it. 

Companies typically depend upon a headless content management system to effectively scale content creation, future-proof businesses, and impart flexibility without any technical investment or investment in a full-time content development team. 

Features of a CMS

Most CMS platforms include basic website creation and content management features, but the following features are a must-have:

Content creation

A CMS makes content creation simple because of its easy-to-use interfaces. It creates engaging and dynamic content without needing technical knowledge. At the same time, you keep your web content fresh and relevant, regularly updating and sharing information with your audience.

Content delivery

With a good CMS, your content looks great on every platform or device. Your website is built on a CMS, so you can seamlessly schedule, publish and deliver content on all your digital channels. 

Integration

With integration capabilities, you can integrate your must-have and existing tools and apps into the platform. By consolidating various tools such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems, Digital asset management (DAM), email marketing software, analytics services and social media platforms, a CMS transforms into a central hub for all digital operations. You no longer have to switch between disparate applications. Centralizing workflows through integration ensures data consistency across platforms and derives more meaningful insights from aggregated data. 

Optimization

Optimizing your content through a CMS provides detailed insights about content performance. Advanced analytics and reporting give you insights into user behavior, engagement rates and conversion metrics. Using these tools, you understand which content resonates with your audience and highlight areas for potential enhancement. This data-driven approach can refine your content strategy, ensure your communication aligns with audience expectations and achieve your business objectives.

Content collaboration

A CMS facilitates content collaboration by letting multiple people work on and edit content together. With handy features like version control, role-based access and workflow management, teams can produce great-quality content.

Traditional CMS vs headless CMS vs open source CMS

Here’s how a headless CMS is different from a traditional CMS and open source software:

What is a headless CMS?

A headless CMS is a content management platform that separates the front end or the presentation layer (where you present content, i.e., website or native app) from the back end layer (where you manage content). With a headless CMS, managing all your content in one place and delivering or deploying that content on any platform while ensuring consistency becomes easier. As the headless architecture separates the front end from the back end, marketers can manage content independently and developers can build faster and make changes without impacting other functionalities.

The headless CMS uses application programming interfaces (APIs) to deliver content across various channels, such as websites, mobile applications and IoT devices. Such an architecture provides unparalleled flexibility and scalability, building dynamic and omnichannel experiences.

How does Contentstack work with different products?

A headless CMS like Contentstack offers omnichannel experiences, which traditional CMS cannot match. Here’s how Contentstack works with different products:

Automate

Using Contentstack, you can automate content updates, version control and scheduling. Rather than executing these tasks, your content team focuses on building creative processes and content strategy. Automation helps you maintain the freshness of your content and reduces possible errors to achieve faster rollout and greater efficiency.

When you use Contentstack, you can create and manage automation using a user-friendly low/no code interface. Your team members can create custom logic and event-triggered actions to streamline business operations without technical expertise. What’s more interesting is that Contentstack’s Automate feature integrates with various third-party tools like DAM, e-commerce, editing tools and artificial intelligence (AI). 

Launch

The Launch feature is a front-end hosting and development platform for websites that use Contentstack as their headless CMS. Creating a new project using Launch can improve your web development process. It effortlessly links to your GitHub repository. Launch grabs your code and deploys your website with little to no downtime. You can also add custom domains, serverless functions and environment variables to test and debug your projects.

AI

Contentstack’s artificial intelligence (AI) creates data-driven content strategies. By analyzing large amounts of data, you learn about your users and uncover their past behavior, purchase patterns and preferences. With these insights, marketers and content creators can personalize their strategies to meet the ever-changing needs of their audience. 

AI assistant helps with real-time translations, summaries and idea generation. You can automate routine tasks using advanced AI capabilities, ensuring accuracy and consistency in all your AI usage.

Personalize

Contentstack focuses on personalization by analyzing user data to understand preferences and behaviors. This delivers content that resonates with individual users, increasing engagement and customer satisfaction. Personalized experiences captivate audiences and drive loyalty and conversions. You can build meaningful connections and drive more conversions using the personalization feature.

Case study: How did Golfbreaks enhance content creation with Contentstack’s AI?

Golfbreaks wanted to smoother the content creation and organization process across their platforms. By teaming up with Contentstack’s AI Accelerator, they introduced generative AI into their CMS to automatically create localized and uniform listing descriptions. This eased the workload and improved customer experience. Partnering with Contentstack gave Golfbreaks the know-how to build custom automation to increase efficiency and open doors for future AI-driven innovations. Some key wins include faster time to market and enhanced user experience.

Here’s what Jack Simkins, Digital Product Owner at Golfbreaks, said:

“Contentstack’s AI Accelerator program has been an excellent asset to the business. We’re excited to share the results and to explain what the technology can do and make use of functionality that we didn’t previously have. The time saved will help the marketing team tenfold. It’s been a breath of fresh air working with people who have deep subject-matter expertise and can ask the right questions that create real business results.”

Read the case study here. 

CMS for e-commerce

The current e-commerce market constantly evolves, encouraging you to go above and beyond to succeed. Previously, companies relied on standalone e-commerce platforms to power their online storefronts, but no longer. That’s why they rely on a headless CMS for e-commerce. 

A headless CMS can:

• Streamline content management
• Enhance SEO capabilities
• Improve user experience
• Ensure easy update and product management
• Make your system more scalable and flexible
• Manage your digital assets
• Help you integrate with various systems

Features to look for in a CMS for e-commerce

With so many content management systems out there, each boasting of streamlining your e-commerce, choosing a CMS loaded with the required features can help your business grow. Here are some features to look for in a CMS for your e-commerce:

Scalability

A top-notch CMS supports business growth, helping you handle increased traffic and new product additions without sacrificing performance.

SEO and marketing tools 

Advanced SEO and marketing automation tools enhance product visibility, increasing traffic and converting visits into sales.

Mobile optimization

As more customers shop via mobile, CMS solutions ensure your store is fully optimized for mobile viewing and transactions.

Security protocols

Strong security features can protect customer data and comply with data protection regulations.

Integration capabilities

Integrating third-party apps like payment gateways, inventory systems and CRM tools builds a robust e-commerce strategy.

Analytics and reporting

A CMS offering analytics and reporting features can track performance. This helps you understand your customer behavior and make strategic decisions.

How to implement a headless CMS

1. Conduct a needs assessment

What does your company need from a content management tool? Start by examining your specific content requirements and goals. Then, consider the challenges a headless CMS can solve and how it fits into your digital strategy.

2. Select the right vendor

Have you explored the various headless CMS platforms? Check their API capabilities, integration flexibility, personalization features and community support. Contentstack, for example, is known for its seamless integration and advanced automation features.

3. Plan for customization and scalability

How will your CMS scale as your company grows? Create a plan for scaling. Design a flexible content architecture and ensure the CMS can handle more data or users as your business evolves.

4. Integrate with existing tools

Will the CMS work with your current tech stack? Ensure it connects and integrates with your CRM systems, e-commerce solutions and analytic tools. This integration keeps your workflow coherent and provides a unified user experience.

5. Develop an implementation timeline

What's your rollout plan? Set up a schedule with phased stages. Include testing phases to spot and solve challenges before complete deployment.

6. Train your team

Is your team ready to handle the new CMS? Train them on the skills they need. Run training sessions on the CMS's features, best practices for content management and troubleshooting techniques.

7. Monitor and optimize

How well is your CMS performing after implementation? Monitor analytics to spot opportunities to optimize content delivery and user engagement. This ensures your CMS stays aligned with your business objectives.

FAQs

What is CMS in a product?

A CMS in a product is a tool to manage product-related content. It allows users to create, edit and organize your content.

What does product CMS stand for?

Product CMS or CMS is software that enables users to create, edit and publish content on digital platforms without extensive technical knowledge.

What is a CMS example?

Contentstack is a popular headless CMS platform that provides a consistent and personalized experience on all digital channels. It makes modern content management systems more scalable and flexible. 

Learn more

A content management system (CMS) is important for e-commerce and businesses that publish and manage online content. With a CMS, you can run websites or blogs without specialized programming skills. As content is more than words on a webpage, you need a CMS that provides superior digital experiences to everyone on every digital channel. By simplifying content creation, publication and organization, a CMS empowers your business to maintain an engaging online presence. 

Whether a small business or an entrepreneur, a CMS can help you manage digital content and enhance your customers' digital experience. Talk to us to learn why Contentstack is your best bet.