A content team’s dream infrastructure: What it looks like, and why it’s within reach

Content teams rely on a myriad of tools to support their content creation, distribution and measurement processes. Unfortunately, these tools can quickly stack up without delivering true value if you’re not watching closely.

It’s estimated that content marketing teams use between 8-12 software solutions to run their programs, as different tools are used for SEO and research (i.e., Semrush, Moz), writing and editing (i.e., Grammarly, Google Docs), team and project management (i.e., Asana, Trello) and insights and analytics (i.e., Hubspot, Google Analytics).

At the center of everything, however, is the content management system (CMS). An organization’s CMS is the “conductor” of content programs, allowing the experts to create structured workflows for creating, editing and publishing all content. It’s the tool that delivers digital experiences, impacting how your team operates and how your customers experience your brand.

But in order for your CMS to create smooth, streamlined operations for your content team, it needs to be dynamic, flexible and fast. It has to optimize your ways of working and have the ability to scale as you scale. Does your current CMS do this for you?

1. Efficiency: Content is inherently deadline-driven, so it’s critical for teams to be able to produce, manage and distribute everything from their CMS in an efficient, streamlined manner. They look for tools that can easily accommodate all content types, including text, images, videos and other interactive elements, so they can cater to their audiences’ wide-ranging preferences and channels. Everyone involved in content workflows—including stakeholders outside of the content team responsible for reviewing and approving content—need to be aware of their roles and responsibilities. Content teams need to be able to assign certain permissions and roles within the CMS so there’s no confusion about who owns what and when.
2. Flexibility: Industry best practices and organizational priorities are always evolving, and content strategies need to be able to pivot as needed. As such, content experts are regularly looking for how to make their processes easier, faster and more innovative. But to execute any of it, their tools need to be flexible, user-friendly and accommodating of diverse needs. This can be challenging with outdated technology that pushes teams into adopting its set of rules and protocols rather than adapting to the team’s unique needs.
3. Scalability: CMSes that can’t adapt to changing trends will hold content teams back, forcing them to spend more time figuring out how to fix issues with their technology instead of learning new best practices that can take their team and organization to the next level. These teams need integration-ready systems that allow them to future-proof their operation, ensure they can continue using the tools that are providing them with value, and make it possible for them to stop using the tools that take away time and attention that should be devoted to content ideation, creation and delivery.

Every content expert will tell you they want an efficient, flexible and scalable solution to run their program—but what does that actually look like in practice? What does the infrastructure look like? Is it even attainable?

It sure is.

While every organization will have a different starting point and unique requirements, there are three primary things to look for in your CMS (and from your CMS partner) that help shift these wish-list attributes into actual capabilities:

1. Varying architecture types: Why rely on an outside vendor to tell you what’s best for your organization? While they should educate and guide you, you ultimately know what your team needs to do their best work. Having the option to choose from different architectures is how you can ensure your infrastructure truly suits your business needs—so whether a decoupled, hybrid or headless CMS, take the time to understand what skills you have on your content and IT teams to execute the work and map out your goals and objectives, then decide which CMS type you need for your organization now and in the future.
2. Integrations: move businesses forward faster—full stop. Rather than ripping and replacing your entire infrastructure, including the tools that your experts have come to love and rely on, choosing a CMS that’s integration-ready allows you to continue utilizing valuable tools and processes already in place. Worried about managing too many systems? The right CMS allows you to unify workflows into one user-friendly content hub. This allows teams to get up and running faster and easier than all-in-one solutions, ultimately increasing speed to value and allowing teams to achieve greater operational efficiency.
3. Customizable with no-code/low-code options: Content teams need to move fast and freely, and relying on developers for day-to-day management of your brand’s sites and experiences is too time- and resource-intensive. Creating new pages, updating workflows and managing user permissions can be handled without developer support with an approachable CMS like Brightspot that requires essentially zero code. Digital teams can also create custom content types to fit specific use cases and workflows that guide a piece of content through the right steps before publishing. Your CMS platform should adapt to your needs—not the other way around.

With the right solution, you don’t have to sacrifice speed or quality. You also don’t need to be locked into one set of rules and protocols. A modern solution, backed by a team of developers and digital experts who care about your success, can introduce greater efficiency, flexibility and scalability to support your needs now and in the future.