You’ve heard about CMS, haven’t you? The old tool designed for Content management. They are still here and very relevant. They may be the keys to unlocking your content creation genius.
Content is vital to your business’s online presence as blood is to your life.
Think about it, if you have a business, there’s a big chance you use social media. You could even own a website. The posts you share, your streams, and the copy on your website are all content.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to keep up with the content demands of all your online platforms and that’s why content management software has become so important today. You’ve probably heard about them.
 Pro Tip: Are you in search of finding the content management software that suits your business, then check our top list of the best value content management software. |
What if you find out that many of the things you know about content management software are untrue? Are you surprised?
There are still so many misconceptions that stop business executives from completely trusting content management software, despite their numerous benefits.
Here, we’ll attempt to dispel seven of these common myths that are going around the business world.
7 Myths That Aren’t Always True
1. There’s a Big Learning Curve
Unfortunately, this is one myth that constantly scares people from using content management systems. The name sounds pretty serious – as such, people often think figuring it out will be as complicated as it sounds.
Unfortunately, this is not entirely true.
Yes, figuring out some CMS may take time, but many are relatively easy to grasp. Even people with very little knowledge about content management systems can learn while using the system.
Fortunately, most modern software management systems provide hands-on training to help newbies find their way around.
Most people can figure out the basics of a content management system within a few hours. So, even if it seems like a hard mountain at first, consistent practice can help you get through the process. Setbacks are not as much as many people believe them to be.
| For example, Confluence allows users to have a workspace that’s intuitive to them and integrates with important productivity tools. It’s easy to get started with and it has templates that businesses can use to start creating content themselves. |
2. A Content Management Software is Primarily Used for Blogs
The first thing that often comes to mind when people read about CMS is creating and scheduling blog posts. But the use of CMS goes beyond that. Yes, it’s great for creating blogs, but it also has other important uses.
For instance, it works to create printed and digital manuals, translate contents to different languages, and collaborate on documents.
Content management software is becoming more popular, and as such, we’re seeing more options these days. And more options mean more use cases. So, you won’t be limited to online content production if you choose the suitable CMS for your needs.
These days, many content management software systems also come with a range of tools that allows you to tailor them to your specific needs. Most content management software on our software review list features built-in business logic easily customizable to different use cases.
You just need to know what you want to achieve with the software and how to apply the right configuration. The right configuration offers you more at less cost. Thus, content creation and processing become faster and more effective.
| For example, OneDrive is an all-in-one CMS system that offers several features, such as files on demand, document scanning, personal vault, etc. It also offers admin access to a wide range of customization options, so you’ll not be limited to one boring interface. |
3. Easy to Use Means Easy to Hack
Information, and data storage is becoming the life wire upon which many organizations operate. Unfortunately, over-reliance means more and more potential security threats.
Therefore, while it is true that organizations need data storage, many of them are paranoid about data storage and exchange platforms. It’s only natural that people translate this paranoia to content management software.
We understand your fear, and we know how hard it can be to trust anything these days – especially with the rate of cybercrime reports we hear of these days.
Just the thought of storing sensitive data electronically can be scary to many people. Thus, it’s hard for them to consider paying for a CMS.
While we can’t completely eliminate security threats from the equation, we can guarantee that most CMS take extra measures to prevent them and keep clients’ data safe.
One example of efforts that CMS platforms are putting in daily is user authentication with password length and complexity requirements to prevent unauthorized data access.
| For example, Box features a robust security system that allows you upload tons of contents and media, so you can access it anywhere. Despite its intuitive interface, it is still very secure and can’t be accessed without due authorization. |
4. CMS System Can Limit The Design and Layout of Your Site
This easily ranks as one of the most common misconceptions. Many people believe that their website layout, colors, fonts, and even functionality are tied directly to the CMS system being used. Of course, this can be true for a few older CMS systems; it is generally more related to how the designer implements the CMS.
All CMS systems are designed to present HTML to browsers. This puts HTML and CSS as the two primary code languages that determine the look of things in a Web browser. Therefore, developers ensure that these languages are as standardized and non-proprietary as possible.
Modern CMS systems are typically designed to keep underlying programming codes separate from the display code. So your website’s look/layout won’t have anything to do with the CMS system.
| For example, WordPress offers so many templates and various plugins to allow you to design different kinds of blogs and web interfaces without being limited to a few features. |
5. CMS Needs a Lot For Maintenance and Upkeep
Another turn-off for many business owners is the idea that CMS needs extensive upkeep. It’s easy to understand the rationale behind this belief.
After all, many other tech solutions in its rank require lots of maintenance to keep them working as they should. These same business executives would rather completely shy away from using CMS systems because they believe that it takes too much time.
Fortunately, CMS does not require so much upkeep and maintenance, so you’ll be missing out if you buy into the above school of thought.
However, before opting for a CMS, make sure that there’s a maintenance agreement and that you know who’s in charge of maintaining and upgrading your CMS over time.
It’s essential to not just abandon it after the initial setting, as there are constant upgrades and securing improvements to deal with.
Yet, these upgrades and improvements are not as expensive as they seem. Whether you decide to handle it yourself or contract it to the company you’re buying the software from, be sure that it won’t cost much.
| For example, Dropbox Business allows your team to stay focused on essential projects by syncing with each other. Its intuitive interface makes usage easier and there’s a free plan for people that are working on a budget. |
6. A Small Company Shouldn’t Use CMS
If you’re a small business owner, you may think you don’t need a CMS.
After all, your business is still at its incubation stage, and you don’t have trailer loads of data to deal with. You’re also not publishing too much content, so it’s understandable to see why you think you don’t need a CMS.
But in the real sense, CMS is helpful for both big and small business owners. You may not be dealing with too much data, but your content still needs adequate scheduling.
A CMS provides you with the right level of scheduling, so you’ll have content ready and waiting for moments when you’ll need them. This way, you can invest meaningful time into developing other parts of your business.
Besides, CMS allows for upscaling. So that you’d still have the right amount of content down the line when your business begins to expand.
| For example, Google Drive offers extensive features that allow for easy editing of contents, collaboration, and storage for future usage. It works for anybody, irrespective of organization size or daily workflow. The system’s flexibility allows both small and big businesses to get a lot out of it. |
7. CMS Doesn’t Incorporate Multilingual Content
We’re at a time when businesses need to think globally when setting up systems they’ll want to remain relevant in the long run. Media and content are one aspect that needs accessibility and acceptance by people globally.
For you, this means making your content available in different languages so that people from other cultures can have access to hear what you’re offering.
Unfortunately, this is one basis upon which many business owners reject the use of CMS since they feel it doesn’t incorporate multiple languages. If it means disconnecting them from audiences from other cultures, there’s no need to use it.
That’s a myth! CMS has come a long way from what it used to be. Modern CMS systems are built to accommodate different languages.
In fact, multilingual incorporation is one of the benefits of modern CMS systems. They come with so many translation management tools to allow you to reach your global audience.
| For example, Salsify supports up to 27 different languages, so even small businesses that envision growth can always turn to it to help their quest to conquer multicultural markets. |
Conclusion
There you have it, a detailed look at the seven most common misconceptions about content management software going around the business world today. Unfortunately, these misconceptions are stopping many business owners from adopting CMS and enjoying the full benefits it offers. We hope this article has increased your trust in the software and you’re ready to finally try it.