Introduction: The importance of CMS integration
Think of 鈥渋ntegrations鈥� as the process of connecting different systems. To put it simply, integrations create a link between two systems, allowing them to communicate. When it comes to your CMS, likely integrations include analytics, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools, social media, SEO and so on.
Establishing connections between your CMS and these systems can have a variety of benefits to your business, including:
- Increased efficiency: Integrations should automate simple, repetitive tasks, therefore reducing errors and freeing up your team to focus on more strategic priorities.
- Consistent messaging: When the CMS acts as the 鈥渟ource of truth鈥� for content, and the integrated systems are consumers of that content, you can rest assured that content is being presented and delivered as it should be across all your marketing campaigns.
- Better user experience: Certain integrations can improve the experience of using your website for visitors. For example, an A/B testing solution can help determine the best layout for landing pages or the best language, say, between a series of headlines.
The benefits, then, come down to efficiency, consistency and a better user experience. So how do you integrate your CMS with other critical systems?
Step-by-step guide to integrating CMS with CRM
Many CMSs offer pre-built integrations, commonly called connectors or plug-ins. (Brightspot, for example, offers a complete library of out-of-the-box plugins to popular digital systems like Google Analytics, Mailchimp, Marketo, Shopify and many others). Take a look at the functionality of any pre-built offerings from your CMS; it鈥檚 possible your requirements will be met by an existing connector.
If your requirements are particularly unique鈥攐r if you need an integration with a highly specialized system unique to your industry鈥攜ou will need to pursue building a custom integration, either leveraging your own engineering team or resources within your CMS vendor鈥檚 organization.
This is also a good time to think about data synchronization needs鈥攊.e., how often the two systems will exchange information. Should this exchange happen in real time, or is daily sufficient?
Finally, don鈥檛 forget about security. You鈥檒l want to define user roles and permissions specific to the integrated data鈥攕hould your editors have access to your customers鈥� email addresses (probably not!), as well as any authentication methods (such as OAuth) that may come into play.
Once development is complete, validation is critical. To validate, work in a development or staging environment, and ensure that 1) all data flows correctly, 2) no information is lost. This validation can take time鈥攄epending on your synchronization requirements鈥攕o be sure to build time for it in your project plan.
Leveraging CMS for effective social media management
Another integration not to overlook is the one between your CMS and your social media accounts鈥攅stablishing a link between these can add a lot of firepower to your marketing campaigns and social efforts.
A CMS can connect to your social account (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and so on), and post content to those platforms as it鈥檚 published to your website. Again, when your web and social content spring from the same CMS well, you can rest assured that your branding and language is always consistent.
Consistency isn鈥檛 the only benefit鈥攂y pooling your efforts in the CMS, you eliminate the hassle of separately logging into Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and so on. Your team can schedule posts and track engagement from a single dashboard within the CMS. Even better, many CMSs allow for customization of messaging specific to social channels鈥攕o you can be short and silly on Twitter, and use rich visuals on Instagram, all from the CMS.
Depending on your industry, there are additional social integrations worth considering. These include social widgets that display your organization鈥檚 latest posts on your website, social authentication to power community engagement features like commenting and forums, and social sharing buttons on content, which let users do the work of amplifying your content for you.
All that said: There are many CMS and social media integration avenues you can travel down鈥攄on鈥檛 bypass this one.
Case Studies: Successful CMS integration examples
Conclusion: Streamlining business processes with CMS integration
As you can see, embracing CMS integrations offers a sea of benefits to your business鈥攚ith efficiency and consistency at the top of the list. That said, CMS integrations are about more than convenience. This interoperability of systems is of strategic importance as businesses look to innovate, collaborate and navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape.