Have you recently found yourself Googling, “What is Sitecore?” Or maybe you’ve heard about Sitecore and are considering taking the leap of faith into digital adulthood, so your search is something more like, “Why do I need Sitecore?” or “Why is Sitecore important to a business?” You may even already be a fully matured Sitecore stalwart but are unsure if you’re maximizing its potential. All great questions. So, lets jump in.
What is Sitecore?
Sitecore is a complete digital experience platform. What does that mean? Sitecore enables “world-class content management combined with deep data insights [to] deliver omnichannel, personalized interactions in real time.”
Personalized Experiences
Each user that touches your website comes from one of many different channels and for many different reasons. A personalized experience with tailored content has become commonplace in modern marketing to entice audiences along the engagement journey. Based on context marketing rules like geo-location, channel source and customer journey flow, personalization has become something users expect, and no longer fear, from great brands with great digital experiences.
A Business Tool
Personalization and localization are just two of the many features that make Sitecore so appealing. It’s not just a content management platform, but an actual tool to drive business.
When I say business tool, I’m talking about a single source of truth for all your digital content. That means no more dealing with tons of plugins with different logins, interfaces and licensing fees. Sitecore is a management engine that creates real connections between your Marketing, Sales and Technology teams that seamlessly integrates with and enables your CRM, social media plan, and physical media for print.
Improved Efficiencies
Sitecore creates organizational efficiencies, content and brand consistency for your omnichannel marketing efforts and to top it off, provides robust analytics so you can measure and report up, down or sideways. (If you’re interested in Machine Learning or AI, Sitecore does that too, but taking advantage of those advanced data features requires a level of data maturity that most companies have not yet achieved.)
Generates Value
Any value you plan to gain by implementing an enterprise-wide solution will only be realized if properly optimized. A knowledgeable and dedicated team needs to drive this. In the end, an optimized Sitecore implementation should save you time, money (over time) and headaches.
Now that you’ve come this far with me, here are some fun (and real) stats attributed to the Sitecore platform for you to chew on as you think about your current digital experience:
- Fujitsu reduced content man-hours by 80%. (Source)
- Proctor and Gamble cut time to market for new digital properties by 50%. (Source)
- Tokyo Gas increased memberships by 600% switching to Sitecore XP. (Source)
- Chick-fil-A (my personal favorite chicken nugget oasis) increased breakfast catering orders by 450% through cross-selling. (Source)
- Baxter Credit Union increased loan and home mortgage applications by 28%. (Source)
- Belgian health insurer, OZ, reached its annual sales target in 6 months. (Source)
Neat huh? If this is new information to you and you want to learn more about Sitecore OR if you’re already using Sitecore but want a little bit of help realizing its value, contact us!