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If your company has more than 25 employees, then chances are your web site is a source of pain. Like a growing child, the site needs to be fed on a regular basis–press releases, articles, support items, FAQs. Information that is already on the site needs to be updated or deleted altogether.

But who’s going to do it? The IT department (usually pretty small) is chasing down a rampant virus on the network, or planning for that big move to a bigger space. The marketing department is tied up with a direct response initiative and next quarter’s big sales event. If you hire an outside freelance designer, the cost might get pretty high just for updating a few pages, and besides, he or she’s probably booked up with lots of work.

So it’s time to install a content management system (CMS) tthat makes all of this easier. Whether you go with a database-backed system, an XML-based system, or a proprietary system offered by any of the dozens of vendors out there, you have to realize that a CMS isn’t a simple piece of software like a word processor or spreadsheet.

A CMS is a geodesic–a three-dimensional object held together by lines of tension. If any of those lines goes slack, then the entire structure can collapse. A word processor is a word processor regardless of the way you use it.

So what are the lines of tension in a CMS?

1. Technical Systems. Do you have the systems, processes, hardware and IT talent to support a CMS, or can you outsource these easily? Whether you go with Linux or Microsoft, XML or databases, at some point you will need to get your hands around the technical issues–even if its just enough to spell out your requirements.

2. Content development. Doesn’t make much sense to build a CMS and then not have any content to put into it. Or a strategy for ongoing content development. Please don’t fall into that cozy trap of “content is just text.” Uh-uh, content is also images, multimedia files, webinars, marketing promotions, and a lot more besides.

3. Marketing Focus. So what if you have proper technology and great content? If the content isn’t aligned with your branding and identity, you may as well be taking money right out of your company’s bank account and burning it–because all you’re doing is wasting your effort.

4. Effective Processes. So your techies, marketeers, and content folks work their behinds off for 3 months. The site is terrific, the launch is fabulous, and everything is good. But what happens in a week? Are there new FAQs in place? In a month, does that press release that was supposed to be gone get expired? Who do you talk to if you have editorial changes to live content? Is there a process that keeps the wrong people (i.e., someone who is no longer with the company) from logging in and making a mess of things?

As you can see, installing a CMS is not a panacea for all your ails. In some cases, adding a CMS means adding some complexity to make things better.

If you’re ready to install a CMS, great! But first come talk to us about a thorough and easy-to-understand assessment of where your organization stands vis-a-vis Web content.

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