Content Management

Content management may sound like a more recent term used to describe how one might manage their website, but in reality content management has been around for thousands of years. Take for instance the Library of Alexandria which was around from 300 BC to about 273 AD. This early collection of papyrus scrolls and codices was a content management system in its most simplest form. Jump ahead to the Industrial Revolution and you have a rise in technology which creates a much larger need for content management and systems such as the Dewey Decimal System used to catalog books are formed. Content management precedes the age of the internet, however, with the creation of the world wide web you now have content in overwhelming amounts and the need of content management becomes all the more pressing.

What is it?

The modern definition of content management can be summarized as a set of processes and technologies that support the collecting, managing, and publishing of information in any form or medium, otherwise known as digital content. With this you can consolidate text, graphics, and multimedia with tagging schemes (XML, HTML, ect.) in an efficient way, storing them in a repository like a Content Management System (CMS) for future publication. This allows for the content you create to be able to be used over and over again or repurposed for multichannel publishing. 

Content is information produced through an editorial process and is ultimately intended for human consumption via publication

To understand content management first we should discuss what content is. Simply put, content is information produced through an editorial process and is ultimately intended for human consumption via publication. This can range from written content such as articles, memos, policies, copyright, ect., to graphics like pictures, typography, videography, ect., and even to things like payroll and incident reports for an enterprise. While you could keep all of these files just stored on your computer and manually load them to your website or media platform there is a way to be able to have what you need in a centralized software for not only you to access, but anyone who is on your team. This would be the Content Management System that was mentioned above.

CMS to the Rescue

What exactly is a Content Management System (CMS)? A CMS is a software package that provides some level of customization for the tasks required to effectively manage content. It is a server based,multi user software that interacts with the content stored in its repository. The great thing about CMS’s is that they allow the editors to create new content, edit the content that is new or existing content, and performs editorial processes to make sure that the content is available for consumption by your targeted audience. This allows you to get your content under control and to be able to readily reuse it as needed. You can also set up content automation and aggregation in order to streamline your content process. 

In addition to these editing features a CMS can increase editorial efficiency as it allows the editor to publish more content in a shorter time frame and to manage published content with a lower amount of friction or drag. Basically, you have the ability to structure, store, examine, and have queries completed on your content to be able to see if it is impactful or not. A CMS however cannot replace the fundamental human elements of content management. A CMS cannot create content for you, that is something that still has to be done by you or your team Also, it does not replace or create a marketing plan as that is wholly a human ability. Being able to effectively market content takes knowledge in aesthetics, sociology, psychology, experience,and intuition, something a software cannot reproduce on its own. 

How Can We Help

It is important to retain your creative team in the use and facilitation of a CMS in order for it to benefit you. Here at XPAND Creative Co. we can not only handle your CMS system and set it up for you, but we can provide you with the content, formatting, and marketing strategy in order for your content to be beneficial to your business or organization. Contact us to find out how. 

Article by Christa McCauley