Marketers require the combination of content management and customer relationship management (CRM) systems to execute pertinent, personalized campaigns to appeal to a broader audience and achieve the actions they desire. However, outdated CMS software tends to fall short due to integration constraints that complicate the process to effectively connect marketing efforts with customer information.
This is where a headless CMS solves the problem as its API-first architecture enables the company to effortlessly connect their content management system with headless CRM solutions. Thus, when utilizing systematic content along with frequently updated customer data, marketers can build responsive engagement opportunities, set off automated campaign triggers, and create content based on niche audience needs.
Unifying Customer Data and Content for Personalization
Personalized marketing means having access to all customer data from purchases to desires and options to engagement and experiences. Understanding the customer inside and out in real time affords the kind of timely experience that resonates and inspires action. Yet many traditional content management systems (CMS), for example, get stuck in the past. They operate in siloed environments, disconnected from much-needed customer data that marketers crave. These limitations create a chasm that renders it impossible for marketers to quickly adjust and adapt content based on customer interaction or response.
On the flip side, with a headless CMS working alongside a headless CRM, marketers never need to be concerned about this ever again, as content can always be updated on the spot, depending on each client’s particular scenario. The beauty behind such a capability is that a headless option works with API integrations that automatically connect the dots between customer data points and your content effort. Companies have immediately at their disposal comprehensive insight into each of their customers: what they’ve purchased before; what they’ve liked; how often they’ve engaged; what they’ve viewed; where they’re located; what they’re doing with you at the moment. Therefore, marketers have never been so malleable to offer hyper-specific content exactly when needed the second a customer is ready to convert.
For example, if a person visits an e-commerce site for the second time and a product sits in the cart, unless the company has real-time access and single sourcing of all data outputs and inputs, not much that person can do will change this transaction. But with a headless CMS and headless CRM, the e-commerce provider instantly knows who’s on the site and why from down memory lane and it can instantly change the experience right then and there. It can give codes for discounts only for what sits in the cart, it can suggest up-sells related to what’s in the cart based on predictive intelligence from past purchase behavior, or it can render content in the form of reviews, how-tos, or product previews to assuage a concern the customer has about a product before the person chooses to finalize or reject the purchase.
In addition, real-time personalization goes beyond just sales. It boosts customer engagement as customers interact more deeply with the brand through pertinent touchpoints. Storyblok enables this level of personalization by allowing marketers to structure and deliver tailored content across channels with ease. For instance, a customized content experience demonstrates how the brand understands the individual customer’s wants and needs and therefore generates trust and loyalty for the longer term. Thus, in addition to increased conversions, personalized marketing results in increased chances of customers returning, increased average order value, increased customer satisfaction, and increased retention for the long term.
Ultimately, though, the transition from disparate, legacy CMS systems to an all-in-one, integrated headless CMS and CRM solution transforms your marketing capability and encourages real-time responsiveness that none of the legacy setups could ever imagine. When marketers have the ultimate control over what they can change, when they can change it, in such a fluid approach to intentionally crafted experiences designed for the precise needs and present circumstances of all visitors at every micro step of the buyer’s journey, not only does it encourage better sales conversions in the present, but it also fosters deeper, more meaningful relationships with customers who find their needs anticipated as they should be in real-time, every time.
Automating Content Delivery Based on Customer Lifecycle Stages
Marketers need to send the right message at the right time if they’re going to convert new leads on the nurture path or keep existing customers happy. However, a legacy CMS does not always allow for the capability to change content automatically based on where a customer is in their journey. Instead, marketers must manually change campaigns for different buckets of audiences.
However, with a headless CMS with a headless CRM, it allows automatic distribution based on customer journey understanding. Thus, when marketers can perfectly map out which information corresponds to which step in the journey, they can ensure that customers receive meaningful information that increases engagement and conversion.
For instance, a SaaS company with a headless CMS and CRM integration can automatically distribute welcome emails with links to videos, knowledge base articles, and best practices. This way, when new customers sign up, they’ll get what they need, when they need it, to better understand the tools available. Additionally, content that can automatically change based on who uses it helps improve engagement and customer satisfaction.
Enhancing Marketing Campaigns with AI-Powered Content Recommendations
AI content recommendations allow marketers to create super-targeted content based on what users will want and how they’ve interacted in the past. Without headless CRM systems, traditional CMS applications do not provide real-time, AI-driven content recommendations, so a marketer cannot alter content on the fly for millions of different customer segments.
However, with a headless CMS aligned with a headless CRM, the chance exists to use AI to recommend content based on prior engagement, purchasing history, and engagement metrics. This means that every customer will receive guided content recommendations that are data-driven and highly relevant to them across multiple digital channels.
For example, a travel company with a headless CMS on one end and an ancillary CRM can suggest specific travel guides, hotel recommendations, and local activities for those who may have booked the same trips in the past or expressed interest in specific vacation hotspots. Using AI to recommend ensures that not only do people engage better with the recommended content itself, but they also have higher conversion rates.
Streamlining Omnichannel Marketing with Headless CRM Data
Modern consumers interact with brands across multiple digital channels, company websites, apps, social media, email efforts and it’s important that brands provide the same relevant message to avoid a fragmented experience.
A headless CMS and headless CRM enable marketers to rapidly verify consistency of content across channels. Therefore, brands can increasingly provide the exact same tailored messaging, product suggestions and coupons on the website, in email, through push notifications or even by chatbox with no need to recreate the wheel.
For example, an online clothing retailer catering to consumers with a headless option can ensure that the new spring line that a consumer sees on the website also has consistent marketing through the email newsletter, social media comments and push notifications on the mobile app, leveraging customer sentiment all the more effectively.
Improving Lead Nurturing with Dynamic Content Segmentation
Where marketers must segment audiences based on behavior, interests, and demographics to ensure that the message resonates across customer bases, a traditional CMS does not feature extensive audience segmentation, which means that targeting delivery is ineffective and inefficient at best.
Yet with a headless CMS and headless CRM, an organization can segment users and provide custom content experiences in an instant. Since a headless CRM relies on real-time data pulled from customer profiles, marketers always have access to recently segmented campaigns based on preference, tendencies, and past engagement.
For example, a B2B organization with a headless CMS and CRM can ascertain their leads are small, mid-sized, and large companies and segment their case studies, blog content, and email drip sequences on the fly to cater to any audience’s needs at any given time. This not only helps with effective lead nurturing but also enhances sales conversion rates.
Gaining Actionable Insights with Content Performance Analytics
The ability to measure content performance and audience engagement allows for better optimization of marketing efforts. Most traditional CMS platforms do not connect on an integration level with measurement tools, so it’s hard for the marketer to gauge content campaign success and where to invest time and resources.
The headless CMS with a headless CRM includes measurement tools that analyze content performance in real time. Connected to the CRM, for example, marketers can see engagement rates, A/B test functionality and formatting, and discover how to better spend their time in creating and deploying successful content.
For example, a digital publisher using a headless CMS and CRM can see which blog posts, podcasts, or newsletters have the most views, shares, or completion/read-through rates. Marketing knows which type of content and which topics will be better in the long run to pursue for interest and conversion.
Future-Proofing Marketing Strategies with Scalable Integrations
Where flexibility and future-proofing are important. As digital marketing needs change, access to applications, new technologies, and marketing automation will be needed down the line. Standard CMS systems tend to be too limiting, with preset designs not necessarily integrating. A headless CMS plugged into a headless CRM offers businesses the ability to do so down the line with new potential marketing tools, AI-driven automation, and new digital platforms that may come about. This is a positioning long game to evaluate content strategy and readjust on the fly for positive impact.
For example, an automotive company may find the need to integrate with a new marketing technology application that provides AI-driven chatbots, voice assistants, or even augmented reality (AR) showrooms. With a standard CMS, the entire content management platform may need to be reconstructed to accommodate all information that is likely tied in the same database or tool. With a headless CRM and CMS option, it’s a plug-and-play situation without scrambling resource efforts for a total overhaul.
Enhancing Customer Retention with Personalized Content Experiences
Acquisition is only half the battle; retention is just as important, and nothing retains customers like custom content experiences. Yet enterprises are challenged to keep customers coming back to enjoy and interact with a brand’s content through a traditional CMS approach. Established platforms don’t always have the tools necessary to dynamically change content based on previously accessed information, leaving that one customer forever in the hole for what they may or may not see in the future.
However, the solution is a headless CMS working with a headless CRM, keeping brands connected to their consumers. When a brand can send exclusive content updates, early access to additional offerings, rewards for customer loyalty, and custom offerings based on prior interactions, the brand can engage continuously. When brands can continuously change the content seen by customers based on their preferences and activities, they have more engaged and loyal customers.
For example, a film subscription service operating with a headless CMS and CRM can automatically recommend movies to a user, grant access to behind-the-scenes videos of related projects, or create customized bi-weekly newsletters focused on one genre. The service reduces subscription churn, increases client satisfaction and engagement, and fosters a healthy long-term relationship.
Conclusion
A headless CMS makes it easy for marketers to integrate with headless CRM systems, meaning that customer data collected across various touchpoints can be utilized to create a cohesive, personalized experience. Companies can benefit from cohesive customer data and content, automated content deployment and AI-driven content suggestions, and optimization across various marketing channels to create intelligent, engaging marketing campaigns effective for conversions and fostering brand loyalty.
Furthermore, with real-time analytics, adjustable integrations, and the ability to dynamically segment, a headless CMS keeps marketers on their toes and effective while ensuring the company is ready for the future. Those who engage in headless CMS and CRM integration will have a competitive advantage for smarter, faster, better content experiences.
