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Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of a CEO of a mid-sized company who wants to grow steadily through digital channels. The competition is tough, and he needs to position his products and get results quickly. It seems that what the company is currently offering in the digital world is not reaching the right audience, and that needs to change. What’s more, he’s uncertain whether the company’s content, marketing actions, and social media ad spend are generating a positive ROI or not.

His marketing, IT, sales, and customer service teams propose different options; marketing talks about personalizing the customer experience and throws around the term DXP, IT talks more about CMS, scalability, and the cost of the resources required for a successful implementation—pointing out that with the current resources, they won’t be able to handle it, and their area will collapse. To top it off, sales and customer service suggest that the best thing to do is invest in a powerful CRM because the current one isn’t meeting expectations.

There’s a budget, there’s a need, and it has to be done. The CRM option is discarded (the chosen solution must integrate with the existing one), and now new names start coming up: WordPress, Adobe, Sitecore, Drupal… If we stay in the role of our CEO, it’s probably best to start from the beginning.

What are we talking about when we talk about CMS or DXP?

When we talk about a CMS (Content Management System), we’re referring to platforms that enable the creation, management, and modification of digital content, primarily on websites. CMSs, like WordPress and Drupal, are designed to facilitate the management of structured content, such as blogs, static pages, and e-commerce, and they mainly focus on content publishing. These are accessible tools that can be used by both small businesses and large corporations, depending on their scale and needs.

On the other hand, DXPs (Digital Experience Platforms) go beyond simple content management; they are systems designed to offer personalized digital experiences to users across multiple channels (websites, mobile apps, smartwatches, wearables, social media, etc.). In addition to the functionalities of a CMS, DXPs integrate marketing tools, data analytics, and advanced personalization to create richer, more user-centered interactions. Solutions like Adobe Experience Manager and Sitecore lead this segment, aimed at large corporations that seek comprehensive management of the customer experience.

In the fast-paced world of digital content, CMSs and DXPs play a crucial role for companies looking to manage and personalize their interactions with users.

The next step: two key questions about my customer

Once we understand this, the first question our CEO must answer is about his customer type:

If his business is B2B, where the focus is on long-term relationships and personalizing the customer experience, the best choice is a DXP like Sitecore or Adobe Experience Manager, which allows managing customer data, personalizing interactions, and optimizing conversions in complex environments.

If his business is B2C, where volume and speed in interactions are key, a CMS like WordPress or Drupal will be more than enough to manage content, maintain agility, and offer a good customer experience at a lower cost.

The second question is about how the product or service should reach the customer. What is the channel?

Web-only channel: If you only need to manage content for the web, a traditional CMS like WordPress or Drupal is enough. Of course, it will need to be adapted to any device (mobile, laptop, etc.), but the channel will still be web.

Multichannel with IoT: If, in addition to the web, you have other touchpoints with the user, such as IoT, wearables, or mobile apps, a DXP like Adobe Experience Manager or Sitecore is the best choice to provide a personalized omnichannel experience. The API-first structure of these solutions enables distribution to any type of channel.

Headless CMS: There’s a third option, if you want multichannel flexibility but without the complexity of a DXP, a headless CMS may offer the right balance, allowing content to be distributed via API to any device or interface. This option doesn’t rule out WordPress or Drupal, for example. Many CMSs allow you to manage content centrally, but without the traditional presentation constraints, which means you can distribute content to any interface or device via APIs. A headless CMS offers a flexible option for companies that don’t yet require all the functionalities of a DXP but need to deliver content to multiple devices.

“Third option? Headless? I hadn’t heard of that yet”, says our CEO, squinting. We’d better continue this in the next edition of the newsletter. I think that’s enough for today for him.