In this day and age, online marketing for your business is an essential tool to get you ahead of your competitors. Whether you’re a law firm, a gadgets retailer or a bicycle shop, your online presence is crucial. With that said, navigating the intricacies of the world wide web to get your company noticed can be a daunting task. Fortunately, there are platforms available that offer even a novice, the solutions.
There are various aspects to contemplate when considering a Content Management System (CMS). For instance, how often will your site be updated with new content, and will you be sharing this content to social media? Will you be doing this yourself or will you have a dedicated person such as a web designer or editor working on this daily? Will you have a team of people who will need to be working on this CMS at the same time?
Many organisations in South Africa are still using legacy content management systems (CMSs) to run their digital properties, reasoning that the complexity and risk of migrating to a new platform outweighs the potential benefits.
Content-based social media strategy
The other big question is whether you require an e-commerce platform to sell your products as certain platforms may not offer this in your specific currency.
As digital marketing expands at pace, it’s become evident that building brand recognition online is essential, and many companies are focussing on content to engage with their audience. The tools used to achieve this content delivery are crucial, from managing design, graphics and movies to editing code if required. If this reliable CMS can then post to all of your social media accounts too, it will save you more time than you can imagine.
With over two billion active social media users in the world, a solid social media strategy with the right CMS system will be a fundamental tool to drive engagement. A content-based social media strategy can offer tremendous benefits to brand exposure and, ultimately, improve your bottom line.
To make it a little easier to navigate, here are just five of the many CMS systems available.
1. WordPress
Most people have heard of WordPress, which was launched back in 2003. It is an open-source publishing platform and, as such, over the years, many developers have created hundreds of plug-and-play tools to enhance the system. It’s free to download and use, and the business plan is affordable too. There are also a host of pre-made themes to play with, although you can purchase 3rd-party ones too, including social media auto-posting and scheduling plugins. It’s easy and intuitive to use, and one can control content from a simple, single dashboard.
2. Joomla
This is also an open-sourced platform like WordPress and is built to be easy to use. The software is also free to download, the user-friendly interface is simple, and there are thousands of collaborators available to help if you get stuck. There are also a few social media scheduling plugins that will likely come at a cost, but it’s worth it for the time you’ll save. The flexible nature of Joomla makes it popular with news and other content sites.
3. Squarespace
This CMS platform has also been around since the early 2000s, but unlike the previous two, it is not open source. Instead, they have a wide variety of themes to choose from, and then the software’s Style Editor allows you to switch templates, adjust colours, change fonts and more. The three plans range from $18 to $40 per month, but this gives you access to discounts on Getty Images, credits with Google AdWords and SSL security. It also offers access to Zapier, an online automation tool that connects your apps and services to automate repetitive tasks.
4. Magnolia
This powerhouse can do almost everything, from publishing to e-commerce, business analytics and social media. It also has a customer relationship management (CRM) built-in, which improves business relationships and customer retention, which drives sales growth. It can be fully tailored to your needs as their ecosystem contains Connector Packs that plug-and-play. Magnolia will probably work out more expensive but will be worth a look if you have ambitious requirements.
5. Loopascoop
Relatively new in comparison to the CMS systems above, Loopascoop’s aim is to save you time. It has been developed to be streamlined so that everything can be achieved in fewer clicks. For instance, it has a site builder with just a few template options to chose from. These templates are fixed and require no knowledge of coding, but you can change colours, fonts and other small items. Loopascoop then allows you to connect your social media accounts, write editorials, upload photos and embed videos. With just a couple of clicks, you can then schedule the article in your calendar or publish right away.
There are many other CMS systems out there, but these are easy to use and will get the job done for any company who doesn’t require custom development. If you’ve got budget and need a tailored solution, then a CMS like Magnolia would be a good bet. If you don’t have a generous budget and are thin on resources to maintain your site, a platform such as Loopascoop offers a reliable solution.
Regardless, choosing a decent CMS is imperative, and all of these platforms offer a suitable solution for delivering your online marketing and social media publishing needs.
