Navigating the CMS Switch: Key Considerations for Marketers

As a marketer, upgrading to a new CMS is both exciting and stressful. There are so many different things to consider, and how you approach implementing a new CMS early on directly impacts how smooth the process is down the road. Bringing in a digital partner can streamline the process and make the transition seamless. 

Let’s look at three key things to consider when switching to a new CMS. 

Evaluate Your Current and Future Tech Stack 

Your CMS needs to connect properly with your current tools or any tools that you plan to acquire. Do the research and work with your website design and development team to understand what CMS options can connect to platforms such as your CRM or analytics program. A thorough tech stack evaluation can save you time and money down the line because it requires you to look at your technology tools from a strategic and practical perspective.  

Additionally, map out what functionalities exist within different platforms so you can accurately assess which ones you already have and which ones you need and decide which platform you’ll use for each function. 

For example, your CMS and your CRM may both have options for form collection. Decide which option works best or if there’s an accurate way to connect them. Or maybe you have multiple options to collect data. Think through what data you need to collect and select which platform will be your source of truth.  

If you’re unsure which ones will work best for your organization in the long term, consult with your digital partner to ensure your tools align with your digital strategy. 

Understand How Your Brand and CMS Work Together 

Accurately representing your brand on your website is where working with a design team experienced in your CMS really pays off. Different CMS platforms and out-of-the-box CMS templates come with their own design advantages and limitations. 

You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you’ve reviewed and approved design mockups for your new website only to discover that they don’t translate during implementation. It’s so easy to design mockups for your website without thinking through what is possible based on the CMS elements. You want to avoid the situation where you fall in love with a website mockup that perfectly fits your brand, only to find out that it’s not possible when you’re building it. 

Working with a digital partner that handles both design and development is invaluable when it comes to design. You can rest easy knowing that all the designs you receive will translate flawlessly to your new CMS. 

Be Honest About Your Post-Launch Needs 

You can save yourself a lot of headaches later by having an open conversation about who will be using your CMS, what capacity they will be using it in, and how you plan to maintain and support your website. It’s important to know if your internal IT team will be able to provide the required technical support to keep your site up-to-date and functioning or if you should continue to work with a digital partner.  

Be honest in this assessment. CMSs launch updates, add new tools and improve functionality regularly, and your technical support needs to stay in the know to give you the best support. The last thing you want is to end up with band-aid fixes that snowball into major issues down the line because your technical support doesn’t fully understand the CMS. 

Implementing a new CMS comes with many challenges. However, you can make it smoother for you and your team by considering your tech stack, how your brand and the new CMS work together, and being honest about your post-launch needs. 

Contact the Adage team to set your website project up for success.