Retooling  your  CMS  Charting  the  right  course  

   

Patricia  Eagan    @  coastalcandy          

Dream  destination  

So-­‐    if  you  could  imagine  the  perfect  CMS  retooling  project  

….what  would  it  look  like  ?  

Experiences  I  can  share  

Ê  Successful  and  unsuccessful  implementations  

Ê  Navigating  without  goals  or  requirements  

Ê  No  business  owner  of  authority  

Ê  No  alignment  with  IT  technical  direction  

Ê  Inexperienced  implementation  partner  

Charting  your  course  

Why  are  you  retooling?  

Ê Redesign  of  site  dictates  broader  functionality  

Ê CMS  replacement  due  to  IT  infrastructure  

changes  

Ê Address  mobile/responsive  needs  

Ê Marketing  goals  for  targeted  content  

 

Questions  to  ask  

Ê  Is  it  a  replacement  of  outdated  product?    

Ê  Is  it  to  meet  marketing  needs?  

Ê  Do  you  need  to  be  responsive?  

Ê  Does  it  fit  your  IT  infrastructure?  

Ê  Do  you  have  in-­‐house  web  development  or  outsource  

Ê  Centralized  vs  decentralized  authoring  model  

Ê Mobile/Responsive  

Ê  Social  

Ê Marketing  

Ê  Content  authoring  

Ê Governance  

Does  it  fit  overall  strategy  

CMS  Considerations  

Ê  No  longer  just  a  back  end  support  system  –  not  just  for  publishing  but  engagement  

Ê  Business  needs  drive  CMS  as  part  of  the  overall  web  experience  in  today’s  content  marketing  approach.  

Ê  Your  implementation  partner  needs  to  be  aligned  with  your  strategy  and  be  audience  focused  

Ê  Buy  what  you  need  now  –  don’t  get  caught  up  in  all  the  bells  and  whistles  if  not  part  of  your  strategy  

Remember  its  about  the  content  

Ê  Content  everywhere  

Ê  No  longer  just  a  CMS  for  web  but  tablets,  phones  etc  

Ê  Adaptable  content  

Ê  Structured  content  

Ê  Author  experience  

Staying  on  course  

What  is  the  right  course  

Ê  Executive  level  champion  

Ê  Define  business  owner  

Ê  Clarify  role  of  IT  

Ê  Value  in-­‐house  expertise  

Ê  Utilize  industry  analysts  for  validation  

 

Strategy  influences  CMS  decisions  

Digital    Strategy  

Content  Strategy  

CMS  

Charting  the  course  

Ê  Define  digital  and  content  strategy  

Ê  Select  CMS  based  on  well-­‐defined  requirements  

Ê  Define  project  charter  and  scope  

Ê  Clearly  define  roles  and  responsibilities  

Ê  Develop  measures  of  success  

Who  is  navigating  

Ê  When  should  you  have  analysts/consultants  involved?  Ê  Strategy  Ê  Technology  

Ê  Who  should  own  the  project?  Ê  Marketing  

Ê  IT  

Ê  How  do  you  account  for  changes?  Ê  Shifts  in  senior  management  

Ê  Shifts  in  strategy/goals  

 CMS  Selection  Who  decides?  

IT  

Marketing  

Industry  consultants  

Digital  Agency    

It’s  a  little  tight  in  here  

Ê  Design  agency    

Ê  Implementation  partner  

Ê  CMS  vendor  

Ê  Industry  consultants  

Ê  IT    

Value  of  partners    •  Make  sure  you  are  aligned  

internally  first    •  Agency  as  well  as  technology  

must  be  a  fit    

•  Do  they  understand  you  and  your  needs?  

 

•  Have  they  similar  partners?  

 

•  Are  you  ready  to  be  a    good  partner?  

 

Reaching  your  destination  

Ê  Do  you  know  where  you  are  going?  

Ê  Do  you  have  the  right  people  piloting  the  course?  

Ê  Do  you  have  the  right  navigational  aids?  

Ê  Is  there  governance  to  keep  it  moored?