Having a digital address to promote and attract customers is part of an interesting Inbound Marketing strategy, but creating the code, configuring and customizing the content of these pages is not so easy or accessible, especially for content creators and individual entrepreneurs.
To help you establish your presence on the internet and optimize your digital marketing actions, we have created this complete guide on what CMS is, what it is for, its benefits, functions and the best platform to choose.
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What is CMS?
The acronym CMS stands for Content Management System, which is basically a platform for producing, publishing and editing online content. With simplified and objective usability, it allows you to easily create a personalized website or blog.
Although it requires a certain level of knowledge to use, CMS tends to be simpler and more dynamic. This means that you can configure the basics and start creating content without having to invest a lot or face highly complex tasks.
In many cases, it eliminates the need to understand programming to launch a website or blog, configure internal sections, create pages, publish posts and other similar functions. The look can be defined with ready-made themes, often free, which makes it even easier.
However, it is worth noting that, if you are interested in deeper customization, it may be necessary to change the source code and create your own artwork, but this part is not crucial to using the CMS or starting your digital marketing strategy .
What is CMS for?
CMS serves as a simplified way to manage online content, eliminating the need to know web development concepts. With an objective and practical interface, it allows you to create pages for your website without requiring you to know about programming, back-end or front-end.
This makes the publishing process easier, in just a few clicks and following simple tutorials you can have a functional and attractive website, even if the level of customization is not very high.
Why use a CMS in your business?
The use of CMS is highly recommended for leaner ventures, such as small businesses, content creators, information products and online courses, as it offers a chance to be present on the internet without having to invest a lot of time or money.
Even if you don't know anything about programming or just want to learn how to manage a website for your business, without investing any money up front, this tool can meet your initial demands and accompany the growth of your strategy.
For example, at first you choose a CMS with a free domain, to learn how to create informative content in order to attract potential students to your online course.
Once you have familiarized yourself with the platform, published a few posts and achieved a certain level of engagement, you can purchase your own domain to have a more personalized experience.
Want to learn how to buy and set up a domain for your website? Watch:
The same goes for the blog theme, which can initially be chosen from a library of free options. Just find the one that best suits your brand, apply it, and voila, the website's look is implemented. Some themes even allow for a basic level of customization.
As you attract the attention of a larger number of australia business fax list users, it may be interesting to purchase a paid theme, which offers more adjustment options, to put your visual identity in evidence.
You can also look for developers with expertise in your chosen CMS to create your own look and feel and optimize your branding.
10 Benefits of Using a CMS
The main benefits of CMS are:
does not require code development;
unified platform for managing content;
contributes to marketing planning;
allows the use of extensions and plugins;
controlled access;
constantly updated;
facilitated creation and maintenance;
user-friendly interface;
versatility to accompany your growth;
low cost.
We have already talked about what a CMS is and how it can be used to create your own website without understanding code or programming, which is a very important advantage of content management systems, but the reasons for using them go beyond that.
Right off the bat, you can count on the CMS to unify all the work of creating, publishing, editing and disseminating rich material on the same platform, even if each task is assigned to a different person.
Access control is quite simple and practical, as is the management interface, offering security and ease for maintenance or implementing improvements.
With extensions and plugins, you can increase the level of customization, acquire new functions and gain insights to optimize performance.
It is also worth mentioning that creating a blog with the CMS is a practical, cheap and efficient way to carry out Inbound Marketing actions .
Learn more about Inbound Marketing in the video below:
This is because you have the opportunity to create content that answers common questions from your target audience, increasing your chances of being found in search engines. And best of all, all of this can be done without having to invest a lot.
Read: Inbound marketing strategy for content producers: how to do it?
How does CMS work?
The CMS works to translate the programming language and present it in a visual and practical interface, eliminating the need for high technical knowledge and functioning as a shortcut to creating a digital address for your content.
This becomes quite clear after defining what a CMS is and what it is for, as we saw in the first topics of this post. To further deepen your understanding of the subject, learn about the most relevant features for a content management platform:
Development and publication of pages
The first feature we noticed is the possibility of building a blog, with categories, pages and posts, without having to mess with the source code. The themes offered by the CMS may contain some customizable options and ready-made templates for you to use.
Likewise, every time you need to create a post, for example, you don't need to make any effort or adjust the page structure, as it should already be included in the functionalities integrated by the theme applied to the website.
Writing and editing text
A very interesting feature for content creators who use the CMS is the platform's text editor, which offers functions similar to those found in tools like Word and Google Docs, allowing you to write and publish posts with total practicality.
This also helps to make the text more attractive and easy to read, using formatting suitable for digital media.
Comments
Creating educational, informative and inclusive material generates engagement and can start a valuable interaction between people who visit your website and your brand. To take advantage of this, you can use tools to moderate comments on your posts.
In some cases, you can integrate the messaging field with users' social networks, particularly Facebook, to mitigate the risk of misinformation, offensive messages, and other common practices when anonymous commenting is allowed.
Not to mention that this is a good strategy for capturing leads on your blog and getting contacts for social media campaigns .
Read also: How to attract clients for consulting and close more deals?
Storing important files
Audiovisual content is increasingly relevant to the experience of readers who access your blog, as it offers a practical alternative for them to consume the rich material you have produced, at a time that is most convenient for them.
In general, every CMS must have a certain amount of storage available so that it can host videos, images and audio integrated into your posts, keeping a library of content always ready to use.
Sales system
A little-known point is that the CMS can also be used to advertise products and services, combining attractive content about your market niche with an offer relevant to users' needs.
The sales page can be configured to show more information and a practical guide on what is advertised, educating the potential customer so that they recognize the added value of the solutions it delivers.
It is also worth remembering that the ad in question may contain buttons to direct the public to make the purchase on another platform, which is safer and more assertive for your business model.
For example, imagine that you have two products in your catalog: a recorded tutorial on lead generation and a complete online course with real-time lessons on digital marketing strategies. The first sells a video package and the other sells the content via a monthly subscription.
In this case, it is more relevant to create the online course and host the tutorial on a dedicated platform, which allows both forms of marketing, using the blog or website on the CMS to attract interested parties.
What is the best CMS currently?
There are many alternatives that can meet your needs, each with its own particularities. WordPress is one of the most widely used services in this category, especially for blogs, but Drupal and Wix are also worth mentioning as interesting options.
WordPress
WordPress is very easy to use and is a very popular choice, with around 38 million websites worldwide and approximately 900 thousand of them are Brazilian . With ready-made templates, plugins, tools and additional resources , it offers several optimization possibilities.
The WordPress user community is very collaborative, helping beginners find suitable solutions in forums and dedicated pages.
Drupal
Drupal is an open-source, completely free CMS that can be downloaded and customized by anyone. Like WordPress, it enjoys an active community that is encouraged to seek innovation and collaborate with each other, through the platform itself .
Wix
Wix is a very simplified solution, with more than 500 HTML templates to choose from, customizable themes and free hosting, as well as paid plans for those who want to invest and use a tool with more features .
Wix's unique feature is support and access to SEO (search engine optimization) tools, even with the free package.
7 tips for choosing the ideal CMS
After seeing what a CMS is, its most interesting features and the best alternatives in the category, here are some tips for choosing the ideal content management system for you:
Research the reputation of the platform, user community, and technical support;
Identify your main needs and see which option meets all of them;
Test the free version of the CMS and see which one is easier to use;
See if the CMS is applicable to your business model;
Check the level of customization and the possibility of having a unique identity;
See if the platform contains basic features, native or through plugins and extensions;
Check out free and paid options to make sure which one is worth investing in.
As we can see, to choose the best CMS for your business, you need to align your expectations and needs with what the platform offers.
