Master the content lifecycle to exceed customer expectations with personalized experiences delivered at speed and scale.
Written By: Paige O’Neill, Chief Marketing Officer – Sitecore
Today, businesses compete less on price and more on customer experience. Roughly two-thirds of consumers say that they care more about experience than price when it comes to making purchasing decisions.
Customers are more than ready to switch to a competing brand if they feel they aren’t being provided an exceptional, personalized experience. But, there can be no personalization without content.
It’s through content that you can show customers you truly understand them by delivering relevant, real-time messages that meet their specific needs. And the more customers you target, products you have, and channels you use, the more content you will need to create.
Businesses, and marketers in particular, are facing a content crisis. Most organizations simply aren’t able to create the sheer volume of content needed to deliver effective personalized digital experiences. Content creation has become a fragmented, messy process.
But with a strong content strategy and the advanced digital experience tools available today, this can be turned around. So, where can you start?
First, you have to accept that the old ways of creating and managing content are holding you back. A traditional content management system (CMS) was enough when the only digital experience was a website. But with the explosion of digital channels and the ever-quickening pace of market demands, a CMS alone doesn’t have the capabilities to really deliver the experiences that will put you ahead of competitors. To access the features needed to develop targeted content and deliver to the modern customer, businesses need a digital experience platform (DXP) and a holistic content strategy.
Instead of simply rushing to create as much content as possible, aim to put content into context. Customers want relevant, up-to-date content that adapts to their behaviors and needs, and they expect this at every touchpoint. But if your content creation process is fragmented or your content creators are overwhelmed, then delivering this will be next to impossible.
Businesses need to spend time getting to know their customers (everything from the topics they explore to their propensity to buy from you) if they want to focus their efforts and overcome the content crisis.
Once you’ve focused on your customers’ needs, it’s time to employ a little content analysis to ensure you’re delivering impactful human experiences for each customer segment.
This means understanding the content you have and what it covers (in terms of topics, tone of voice, stage of the buying cycle), as well as how it performs with each type of customer.
Obtaining feedback and consumption data is just as – if not more important – than creating the content itself. If you don’t know whether your content is striking the right tone or reaching the right people, it will be difficult to create additional content that will resonate.
It’s time to start looking at content as a two-way street and move beyond the “build it and they will come” mindset. Having a full end-to-end content lifecycle solution – like our powerful DXP – will empower you to get there.
Bringing together Sitecore® Experience Platform™ and Sitecore Content Hub™ enables you to connect every stage of the content lifecycle, from initial creation through publication, and then back again via accurate engagement data.
It’s why more than 5,000 brands have entrusted our solutions to deliver millions of digital experiences to their customers all over the world every day. Our expertise, know-how, and proof of delivery can make all the difference for marketers looking to provide outstanding, personalized digital experiences.
Truly connect with your customers. Deliver personalized content at scale. Stand out from the competition and start making digital your difference.
Explore the pocket guide to the connected content lifecycle to start putting these ideas into practice.
Paige O’Neill is Chief Marketing Officer at Sitecore. Find her on LinkedIn and Twitter.
