Digital content management systems will be used most frequently by content creators, editors, publishers, and administrators within an organisation. Ultimately, the consumer will also be involved in the process, as they see and engage with published content.
The two main types of digital content management systems are Digital Asset Management (DAM) Systems and Content Management Systems (CMS). DAM systems are usually used for internal digital content management, while CMSs are used to control content which will be distributed outside of the organisation. Each system is more than just a software solution, and involves a cycle of automated processes.
We have put together an A-Z guide to digital content management, helping you learn all the most important terms for your content creation requirements!
API is one of the key terms you will hear when it comes to digital content management. It is the acronym for Application Programming Interface and provides a connection between two applications, allowing them to ‘talk’ to each other. Programmers use APIs to pull data between platforms and they have therefore become very valuable to modern technology.
Brand asset management gives structure and organisation to your brand assets. This allows content creators to efficiently access branding files and guidelines to be used when creating digital content. Because of this, brand asset management is an important aspect to be included in a digital content management system.
Digital content management surrounds… content! Content can be defined as any information or experience produced for an end-user. Digital content is stored digitally and can be delivered across various media including the internet, television, billboards, smartphones and e-books.
DXP is the acronym for Digital Experience Platform, which is an integrated set of tools designed to support digital experiences. This type of platform has become more important as organisations look to scale personalised engagement for a digital age. The tools offered help to streamline marketing across channels and engage users from a variety of touchpoints. A DXP solution usually encompasses features such as AI automation, content management, commerce solutions, automated engagement and personalisation, and analytics. As a result, this ensures the content published is relevant to the correct audience.
An extranet system is usually accessed via web browser and allows an organisation to securely share information with external parties and organisations. It is generally used for Business to Business functions. A secure login is required and some extranet platforms offer integration points for partner companies to work with. Digital content can be shared via an extranet solution.
A faceted search, also referred to as guided navigation, allows users to view more relevant search results by refining their search queries and categories with filters. The filters are called facets and are often used in the e-commerce sector.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is one of the most important regulations to understand in digital content management. The regulations regard data privacy and security and must be complied with by any business working with customers in EU countries. The UK has its own version called the UK-GDPR which must be followed alongside the Data Protection Act of 2018.
Hybrid events is an up-and-coming business strategy as organisations look to share content from in-person events online. Content from events such as presentations, video snippets and reports can be distributed digitally to improve value generated by an event. An organisation can manage, store and distribute these digital files with a digital content management system.
Digital content management systems can be integrated with other software solutions and systems to improve functionality and share data across platforms. This connection is often enabled via APIs.
JavaScript is used by programmers to display and present digital content. With the rise of headless content management systems, JavaScript CMSs enable organisations to become more flexible, adaptable and streamlined when creating and distributing content across various media.
Keywording is the process of adding descriptive terms to your digital files as metadata. The process then results in a user finding the content more easily through search. The most common digital assets for keywording are images which do not contain any text.
The consumer lifecycle in marketing refers to the process of a consumer’s awareness of the brand, engagement with brand activity, consideration, and then purchase of goods or services from the brand. Digital content management must consider the customer at each of these stages, and distribute content to them appropriately.
Metadata is structured reference data which describes other data. The metadata is a descriptive summary and attached to each digital file. It can help organise, identify and describe attributes of the content or information it refers to.
Metadata management also comes into digital content management as the metadata needs to be overseen. This ensures the information is accessible and well maintained.
NAS is the acronym for network-attached storage, which is a data storage server device. A NAS device is connected to a computer network and enables the storage and access of digital files from a centralised location. It can be authorised for specific users, and also has the capability of adding additional storage for scaling up.
Omnichannel marketing is a strategy that creates a consistent brand experience through streamlining content across multiple physical and digital channels. Branding and messaging must be harmonious and relevant to the current stage of a buyer’s journey. Content and presentation should also be tailored for each specific channel. For example, optimising digital content for different screen sizes.
Effective digital content management is important for omnichannel marketing in order to keep the content organised, consistent and relevant.
Personalisation of digital content is becoming increasingly important as brands strive to create a relationship with their customers and also ensure communication is meaningful. Personalised content will be tailored to individuals and groups based on data collected on them.
An example of personalisation in digital content is an email campaign presenting the customer with a specific product they have added to cart but not purchased.
A query is used in a database or digital content management system to request information results. A query can find required data or perform an action on the data such as calculations, changes or deletions within the database.
Responsive design aims to automatically change the layout and presentation of digital content in order to optimise it for each device. This is important for engaging users and ensuring effective communication.
Structured data is a standardised format which enables you to provide specific information about page content on a website. It gives explicit clues about the meaning of the data on a page. Search engines use this structured data to enhance a user’s online experience, helping them find your digital content if it is relevant to their search.
Content taxonomy is a process by which you can classify content into defined categories. Digital content can be organised into a taxonomy of categories and subcategories, assisting its discoverability across the internet and other digital channels. When organising data within a taxonomy, it is important that keywords used are relevant and accurately describe the content included.
User-generated content is created and published online by users who are engaged with a brand. This can be created in collaboration and in real time by multiple users and has become a popular way of increasing brand awareness, trust and loyalty.
However, user-generated content must also be managed. It is important a brand is aware of what users are saying about them. They also may want to use the user-generated content for their own campaigns and marketing strategies.
Virtual reality is becoming the next generation of immersive experience with global investment in the technology continuing to rise. Virtual reality systems use computer modelling and simulation to enable a person to interact within a 3D artificial environment. Digital content can be created for these systems to serve a variety of purposes. Common purposes in business include training, showcasing and advertising.
Workflow management is about optimising the organisation, processes, coordination and tasks that produce a specific outcome. Evaluating and optimising the workflow involved with digital content management is therefore important for improving efficiency.
XML is the acronym for the eXtensible Markup Language and is a file format for storing, reconstructing and sharing arbitrary data. An XML is often used when integrating digital content with external applications, or sharing content between two systems. It encodes documents in a way which both humans and machines can understand.
When it comes to adding metadata to files, attributes with only one of two values can be created with yes/no attributes. This usually answers a yes/no or true/false type question and can be displayed as a checkbox, drop-down list or radio button group. As a result, someone using the data can find out whether it has or has not got a specific attribute. It can also be used to filter out data with or without the set attribute.
To Zip files is to compress multiple files into one file of a smaller size. It is a good way of storing digital content to make them smaller and take up less storage. It can also be a useful way of compressing files before sending them via email.
The aim of this blog has been to give you a good understanding and overview of important terms when it comes to digital content management.