Why manufacturers must add content to the production line

Establishing the brand presence, building retail partner and end customer relationships, it’s all about communications – and content. In today’s omnichannel world, manufacturers don’t just manufacture. You are also publishers, journalists, artists, videographers and more. Wearing these multiple hats means you need a secure, adaptable and intuitive way to manage content. You need a world-class content management system, or CMS.

CMS in manufacturing

In a nutshell, a content management system or CMS does exactly what it says on the tin:

CMS helps manufacturers manage their content so employees, teams and even third-party partners can use assets and templates to create, edit and publish content across multiple channels.

Users can create digital content without the need for coding or data management skills, using guided workflows. The CMS can work alongside a digital asset management (DAM) system and product information management (PIM) system, to create a centralized content hub.

Why manufacturers need to manage content

Traditionally, manufacturers have taken a back seat when it comes to communications. Certainly, there has been a need to produce information leaflets and manuals but it’s only recently that manufacturers have needed to become content creators.

There are many reasons for this. One is to build their brand in an increasingly competitive landscape. Similarly, manufacturers must work at maintaining customer relationships and that means staying in contact. Today’s manufacturer is as much a creator of content as they are other products.

Yet, manufacturers aren’t publishers. By allowing teams to collaborate on content without specific publishing expertise, a CMS helps bring together all the information needed to fill the content funnel while keeping the organization’s focus on the everyday task of manufacturing.

5 ways CMS makes magnificent manufacturing content

1. Templates for speedy content production

Content is an opportunity to be creative. But what if you’re not creative. Or worse, too creative. To help manufacturers stay on brand and on schedule, a robust CMS should have a range of templates that help you produce just the right amount of copy, in the right tone and the right style, and in the right format for the platform. Whether it’s a webpage, email or social post, a CMS can also suggest appropriate content and assets, making your content perform both from a customer engagement and SEO perspective.

2. Media neutral – create once, use everywhere

When we say that our customers and end users are omnichannel, it undersells the scope of the challenge. With new platforms and channels emerging every day, it can be hard to keep up with the different kinds of content required. With a media neutral CMS, you can create ‘master’ content once and it will automatically be adapted to suit the channel, whether that’s an online blog or retail poster.

3. Versioning for endlessly adaptable content

Whether you’re producing for a new audience, a new spin-off line or just a special event, you want to be able to adapt your content without having to reinvent the wheel every time. But equally, if you want to revert to an original format, it saves a great deal of time and money if you don’t have to recreate what you already had. Flexible versioning in a CMS avoids unnecessary ‘do overs’ meaning you can revert to original copy, use past amends to make future changes or just correct a mistake.

4. Keep control of the content production line

The last thing you want in a busy manufacturing business is to spend time hunting down approvals or waiting for design to send you the latest image upload. With a centralized hub for content, you can work on elements of the project without waiting for a master doc to be emailed back and forth. Automated permissioning and workflows mean next steps can be taken as soon as sign off is acquired and there are no ‘accidental’ edits from the wrong team.

5. Insight into what works – and what doesn’t

Ultimately, content has to serve the manufacturers’ purpose. That means producing content that has value and delivers on the company’s goals. With analytics embedded in the CMS, manufacturers can understand how each piece of content is performing, which versions perform better than others and how to imitate that success in the next round. Constant optimization is at the heart of getting and staying ahead of the competition.

Speak up and stand out with CMS for manufacturers

Increasingly, end users are going direct to the brand for information and added value when it comes to products. From dish soap to satellite dishes, manufacturers have to build a world of content around their output to secure customer engagement and loyalty in a crowded market.

With CMS for manufacturers, organizations can be sure they will manage the important business of content production, without getting distracted from the day job. With censhare’s intuitive, scalable and adaptable CMS at the centre of the business, manufacturers can keep ahead of content demands, whatever they may be.