Wise Vendor Choices - Key to Successful Content Management

Choice in martech can be a burden. But when in need, studies from experts can help clients cut through the sales talk and tech speak to indentify the vendors that really deliver.

  1. chevron left iconWise Vendor Choices - Key to Successful Content Management
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Morag Cuddeford-JonesJanuary 10, 2019
  • Content Management
  • Digital Marketing
  • Technology

Content creation has become a high priority for brands seeking deeper customer engagement. But, it is also responsible for one of the biggest headaches marketers face. Managing assets across an ever growing range of platforms – both digital and analogue – can become a process nightmare and marketers increasingly looking beyond their own asset libraries to more sophisticated brand content management systems.

That hasn’t been the end of their struggles, however. The marketing technology landscape is huge, diverse and can at times seem opaque. There is often a mutual lack of understanding between client and vendor: the former unsure of what it actually just bought, and the latter unclear on the former’s specific needs.

The latest Vendor Selection Matrix from Research in Action, Brand Content Management SaaS and Software: The Top 20 Global Vendors 2018 defines the scope of brand content management solutions, most common client use cases, and the challenges of integration. Critically, it also ranks the top 20 vendors against criteria ranging from strategic outlook to depth of offering and market share. We are pleased to report that censhare takes the number two spot!

The Matrix is an important resource for marketers looking to further develop their martech stack. Trust in vendor capability is absolutely vital when it comes to brand content management, and over time, these systems can become the whole enterprise’s communication engine.

‘Content’ has expanded from the paid, owned and earned realm of ads, website and social to every single customer channel including SMS, chatbots, CRM and instore points of sale. The volume of information and assets that these systems have to process is therefore growing exponentially and its distribution becoming ever more complex.

So any system marketers choose to implement must go far beyond the simple storage and information access. ‘Management’ is the key word. Reaching as far as current inventory data that is then merged with web editorial or social ads, knowing where assets are used, when and why, is just the start. With each content deliverable requiring personalization, often to an audience of one, marketers need a system that can keep up with this fast paced world of possibilities.

It should come as no surprise then that buyers view investments in brand content management systems as a strategic investment. These tools are a core part of clients’ operations – they can’t afford to make the wrong choice. Evaluation cycles are stretching as clients examine vendors’ full offerings in detail. Integration with other technologies is another consideration as customer data and CRM systems play important roles in the 360 degree customer view.

For many clients, we understand that this can be a road not yet travelled. Research in Action discovered that 54.3% of its survey respondents were only about to implement their first brand content management system. It was also clear that clarity from vendors was still a work in progress as a further 22.1% were looking to migrate to a more suitable system. For more than three quarters of potential brand content management customers, vendor support, and fit for purpose products are a fundamental need.

Choice in martech can be as much of a burden as a boon. But when in need, studies from experts such as Research in Action can help clients cut through the sales talk and tech speak to help find services that really deliver.

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Morag Cuddeford-Jones
Morag Cuddeford-Jones is a writer, editor and broadcaster. She has been working in marketing, business, and the SaaS space for more than 20 years. With experience interviewing C-Suite executives and working in tech, Morag has gained a unique insight into both the evolving martech landscape and the impact digital transformation has on consumer and B2B brands.

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