Integrated marketers hear it over and over: content is king – meaning, relevant, targeted, quality content is a vital part of your business strategy.
So if content is king, then a content management system (CMS) is the trusty steed that safely and efficiently delivers the king to his subjects.
To use another analogy, CMS performs all the same functions as a printing press, newsroom, and paperboy, allowing you to create, schedule, and publish content, and even host forums for customers to engage with you. A good CMS platform can help you implement a content marketing strategy then, plan and schedule your content.
So it comes down to not if you need one, but which one is best for you.
Battle of the Titans: WordPress vs. Drupal
WordPress is one of the most enduringly popular CMS platforms of all time, powering everyone from media powerhouses like The New Yorker and BBC America to booming small businesses like the Kogi Truck. All in all, WordPress is used by 74 million sites.
With WordPress, there’s virtually no learning curve. Most templates are point, click and upload, allowing you to create a site in a few minutes. Besides offering beautiful, mobile responsive templates, WordPress has baked-in SEO and metrics functions.
And for smaller, basic sites, WordPress (or one of its affiliates) will do the hosting for you. Fees for small, basic sites start at $3.95 per month.
On the other hand, Drupal might be a better choice if you want a scalable platform for a variety of functions. Drupal can support hundreds of users creating thousands of pages for millions of readers. The Economist, Warner Music Group, and Whole Foods all run on it – and because of superior security features, both The White House’s public-facing website and intranet are built on Drupal. And many experts agree that Drupal is inherently better for SEO.
Drupal is definitely not plug and play. You’ll need to hire a developer, and a standard site could cost you anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000 (plus hosting and maintenance fees). But you’re getting a custom site that can support many third-party applications.
The Winner Is…You
On the whole, experts agree WordPress (or Wix or Squarespace) is a good choice for small business. Many of these sites give integrated marketers a free trial. Learn more about what your customers expect from your online presence. CMS can help you satisfy those expectations, helping you drive more sales.