Headless CMS: Putting Your Content First

The concept of the traditional Content Management System (CMS) has been around for well over 20 years. The Internet has changed a lot in that time. Back in 1995, when IBM developed FileNet, often regarded as the first real CMS, the Internet was a very different place. Websites were a novelty and not much more than simple brochures or information sharing platforms.

Today, we are operating in a world where every company is a digital company, and our digital presence is often the primary touch-point with customers. A digital presence now includes many potential channels: websites, mobile apps, social media, kiosks, digital signage, voice assistants, chatbots, and more.

In today's highly digital marketplace, your audience expects a cohesive and engaging brand experience in the setting that works for them. If you are not providing a user what they want, someone else will. This is an area where the traditional Web Content Management System (WCMS) creates roadblocks.

The real crux of the emerging Headless CMS trend is the delivery of exceptional value with multi-faceted distribution. Today's digital world requires that content is viewed holistically, as a specific standalone asset that can be deployed through multiple channels. This distribution is where the promise of Headless CMS comes into reality and becomes exceptionally valuable.

The reality is that the traditional content management system isn't focused on managing content. It focuses on merely managing websites. In the modern web, the conventional website is just one aspect of your digital presence, and in many scenarios, other delivery channels are gaining greater importance.

We find that in the interest of creating better connections and positive user experiences, content delivery is increasingly shifting to the latest mediums. It's critical that customers receive the same message and brand identity whether they interact with your website, your social media network, a chat-bot answers questions, or by talking to Amazon Alexa.

There are many benefits to a Headless (sometimes referred to as API-First) CMS solution. Here are the five most significant benefits of employing a headless solution:

1. Omni-Channel Delivery

Use a headless CMS to unify content and message distribution across all channels. Half of US households are forecasted to have a voice-powered smart speaker by 2022. Chatbots will power 85% of all customer service interactions by the year 2020. Your content needs to flow seamlessly to every touchpoint.

2. Content-First Architecture

Web infrastructures are getting more and more distributed, causing content to be created and stored in many locations. By putting your content first in a separated system, you can ensure re-usability, consistent brand messaging, and improved overall efficiency.

3. Increased Flexibility

Not all digital engagements originate from the CMS platform. By separating content storage and creation from its usage, you gain the tremendous flexibility to do what you need, fast. Tools need to be more straightforward to be usable without web expertise, and at the same time, they need to be more flexible to fulfill your digital vision.

4. Shorten Time to Market

The typical web project puts content creation at the end. Leveraging a headless CMS means that your content team and technical team can work in parallel and reduce your overall project timeline. Once content is placed on your platform, the platform needs to be capable of distributing it seamlessly throughout a large number of potential channels, consistently and on demand.

5. Content Repository Model

Part of acting as the central repository for your content means that the system can easily handle receiving data as well as distributing it. Acting as a repository makes it ideal for taking data from many enterprise systems and centralizing it as content in one place. This truly defines the essence and value proposition of the Headless CMS system.

As we have progressed into a space where all companies must have a strong digital presence to compete, it's no longer sufficient to have content be in the sole domain of a marketing team or copy-writer. Those teams need to maintain responsibility for coordinating and guiding content creation, but it is becoming increasingly necessary for content to be aggregated from multiple sources and distributed through various workflows.

All of this means that our platforms for collecting and distributing content must change. Tools need to be more straightforward to be usable without web expertise, and at the same time, they need to be more flexible to fulfill your digital vision.

By leveraging a headless CMS, you ultimately achieve a much higher degree of flexibility in both how you collect content, as well as how you distribute it. This is the foundation for true omnichannel experiences that meet customers wherever they are.

If there is a single concept that defines Headless CMS, it is the Content Repository Model. It truly defines the essence and value proposition of the Headless CMS system. Content viewed holistically as a standalone asset that can be deployed through multiple channels is where the promise of Headless CMS becomes exceptionally valuable.

The shift to headless architecture represents a fundamental change in how organizations think about content. Instead of content being tied to a specific presentation layer, it becomes a reusable asset that can power any digital experience, from websites and mobile apps to voice assistants and IoT devices.

AgencyQ can help you evaluate whether a headless CMS is right for your organization and guide you through the implementation process. Contact us to learn how we can help you put your content first and deliver seamless experiences across every channel.