When you make an investment in any sort of technology, it always makes sense to consider the return on your investment (ROI). The thing you need to keep in mind, however, is that ROI often depends upon the industry you're in, how efficiently your company uses the technology, and a variety of other factors. This is definitely true when thinking about web content management (WCM) and ROI.

That said, we do believe ROI is measurable when it comes to WCM. While the ROI will vary from company to company, how you derive the ROI won't. In this two-part series, we're going to focus on four areas you should consider when determining ROI along with specific questions to ask yourself when deriving actual ROI numbers. This month, we'll discuss content management and customer experience. Next month, we'll talk about employee/dealer experience and scalability.

1. Content Management

A March 2009 study by the Aberdeen Group called "Maximize Business Results Online: How Web Content Management Technology is Transforming Digital Media" states that its study "links the technology and practices of Best-in-Class organizations to top line revenue, customer loyalty, and the customer experience." The report notes that "92% of Best-in-Class company web content is completely owned and maintained by marketing."

We agree with these findings, and we also believe that when a company shifts its website maintenance from an IT department (or outside web vendor) to the marketing department, this will increase ROI.

How?

• WCM shortens the content update "process." Because WCMs are developed for non-technical audiences, the number of people who can quickly, easily, and accurately update the company website has increased dramatically (i.e. the people you already have on staff). Submitting update requests to the web master, IT department, or outside web vendor is no longer necessary. Instead of waiting days, weeks, or, in some cases, even months for update requests to cycle through, changes can be made immediately by many people. 
• An effective WCM will likely create a ripple effect in productivity throughout your organization. Giving your marketing department the power to access and control the website's back end helps the department run more efficiently since most--if not all--of its activities will center around this hub: advertising, telemarketing, PR, PPC, social media, etc. In essence, all of these marketing activities either generate from or lead back to the website. But that's not the only department affected. If by having a WCM you no longer need the services of an outside web vendor or dedicated IT resource, how much money does that save per year? If FAQs are hosted on a web page and regularly updated, how much time does that save customer service on calls? If the WCM can integrate with CRMs, how does that impact and streamline the sales department and sales initiatives? If IT no longer has to worry about the website, how much time does that free up that can now be devoted to other areas?

ROI question to ask yourself: How does this efficiency in content management and production translate into dollars saved for your company? Consider all areas impacted when WCM is properly deployed: marketing, sales, IT, even customer service.

2. Customer Experience

In the "old" days, websites often functioned as static, online brochures. This strategy no longer works. Visitors expect--even demand--an engaging web experience. And the more engaged, the better chance you have of landing them as a customer...and keeping them.

WCM improves the customer experience in multiple ways, including (but not limited to) the following:

• You can quickly change content based on visitor behavior. For example, if you have a lot of traffic going to a certain page, yet you have few conversions, you can quickly change the content and even conduct A/B split tests until you have a page that's not only attracting visitors but also converting them.
• Visitors can get instant replies 24/7 through the use of automatic responders that you customize to reinforce your message and brand. For example, if someone fills out a contact form at 3:00 a.m., the person doesn't need to wait until business hours to hear back. An auto email will let the person know his or her form is in the queue and will be responded to by a certain day or time. In other words, you can interact with customers around the clock. (This auto email also provides a way to continue marketing to the prospect with other offers and incentives.)
• Visitors have a better chance of getting the answers their looking for. When you use a WCM, updating the site is fast and easy. This means that key pages that answer common questions--whether a general FAQ page or product specs page or benefits/features chart--can be kept current.
• You can easily add video, audio, surveys/polls, and other media that engages the visitor. Again, static is out and dynamic is in. Visitors expect and appreciate dynamic web experiences.

Remember, these are just some of the ways that a WCM can improve the customer experience and, as a result, produce more leads.

ROI question to ask yourself: How will improving the customer's website experience affect lead generation? How many more leads can the company expect every month/quarter/year now that customer behavior can be measured and instantly responded to? How much is each lead worth? Will this increase in leads through the website allow you to slash or even eliminate other marketing/advertising budgets that aren't as fruitful?

Be sure to stay tuned for next month's newsletter when we finish discussing this topic by talking about employee experience and scalability and how both affect ROI.

Let novo be the center of your marketing universe.

At Dovetail, we take our customers' ROI very seriously. That's why we built novo, our flagship WCM solution. We believe novo will increase your company's ROI. But don't take our word for it. Schedule a free demo today. 

Did you know that Dovetail celebrated its 10th anniversary earlier this month? A lot has changed in the WCM industry, but we're happy to say we're still here and going strong.

Did you know that Dovetail's Michael J. Villa spoke at the New England Financial Marketing Association (NEFMA) earlier this month? You can book Michael to speak at one of your events by going here.

Did you know that Dovetail will be attending the Mass Bankers Technology Retail Banking Conference & Exhibit?

Did you know Dovetail is on Twitter? Here are our handles: 

• Michael Villa - @mikevilla
• Mark Peters - @markpeters
• Ben Higgins - @logicallyrogue 
• Dovetail - @FollowDovetail
  

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