Articles - Page 191

The Top 10 AI Tools for Small Business: From Automation to a Coordinated Team of AI Agents

matt-garrepy

Thursday November 19th, 2015, was a momentous day for the open source community. After 1,716+ days of work <a href="http://garfieldtech.com/blog/drupal8-happy-not-satisfied">by more than 3,312 developers</a>, the Drupal community finally released <a href="https://www.drupal.org/8">Drupal 8</a>. There were release parties and celebrations all over the world. Guides where written about <a href="https://www.drupal.com/why-drupal-8">Why Drupal 8</a> and <a href="http://www.drupalpartners.com/blog/drupal-8-everything-you-need-to-know/">Everything You Need To Know About Drupal 8</a>. And big names (Like Red Hat, The Economist, Johnson &amp; Johnson) proudly announced that they migrated to the best version of Drupal ever made. It’s been an incredibly exciting time.
But I don’t want to talk about Drupal 8. I want to talk about Drupal 6. It may seem odd to talk about a seemingly ancient version of Drupal, but I think what happened with D6 should not be repeated with D8.
Full disclosure: I work for a Drupal development firm and we strongly believe that Drupal can be a wonderfully great fit for all types of industries and businesses. However, how firms got others to adopt D6… Well, read on.
The Over Promise Of Drupal 6
<a href="https://www.drupal.org/drupal-6.0">Drupal 6 was officially released</a> February 13th, 2008. With much the same fanfare and hullaballoo, Drupal 6 promised to be the, “easiest version of Drupal ever,” with a litany of tools and features that were supposed to change the open source world forever.
Now, with the release of D8, The Drupal Association has officially announced the <a href="https://www.drupal.org/drupal-6-eol">End Of Life of Drupal 6</a> – Come February 24th, 2016, D6 will no longer be supported.
Surprisingly, there are <a href="https://trends.builtwith.com/cms/Drupal-Version-6.2x">3,000+ websites still on Drupal 6</a>. Not a huge number, but enough for us to launch a, “move from Drupal 6 to Drupal 8” campaign.
From mom and pop shops to financially robust SMBs, we’ve talked and emailed with people all over the US that are still on Drupal 6. With all the possibilities of Drupal 8, we thought it would be an easy sell to get these businesses to migrate from D6 to D8.
But it’s been the exact opposite: Because developers over promised Drupal 6, many SMBs have plans to no longer use the CMS.
Expectation Didn’t Meet Reality
As stated earlier, Drupal 6 promised the world to web developers. Quick and easy setup, drag-and-drop administration, great new core modules, easy theming, super secure, etc. Sound familiar?
What happened next was Drupal development companies got excited about all these fantastic features and used them as talking points to attract new web dev clients. The Drupal firms then promised the world to their customers and really sold clients on the idea of this, “user-friendly” and easier-than-ever idea of Drupal.
Customers, having their own idea of easy and user-friendly, drank the blue Kool-Aid and migrated or developed their site on Drupal. When they were delivered the final, “user-friendly” product, many felt duped – The backend was difficult to understand, page creation wasn’t intuitive, simple HTML elements were anything but and more. Expectation didn’t meet reality.
Despite this, many SMBs thought, “Oh. Well. I guess it’s just me. I’ll adapt and make it work.” After all, it was 2008 – Businesses expected websites to be difficult.
As new Drupal updates were released, these same SMBs were told that they should update their version for better speed, easier use, more safety, etc. Many companies did (After all, that’s what you’re supposed to do, right?) and were then hit with incredibly high development invoices. SMBs thought, “Oh. Well. I guess that’s just what it costs. I’ll adapt and make it work.”
Still somewhat believing in this open source idea, SMBs continued to update and use Drupal. Thinking that they’d save some money, many cut corners and hired cost-effective firms to update or maintain their Drupal sites. The bills and invoices were low, but then their sites stopped working, crashed or were hacked. These SMBs thought, “Oh. Well. I guess that’s just what happens when you go cheaper. I’ll adapt and make it work.”
Quick recap:
<ul>
<li>Drupal 6 user-friendly promise: Not realized</li>
<li>Cost of Drupal 6: Much higher than anticipated</li>
<li>Cost to update Drupal 6: Even higher than thought</li>
<li>Going cheap with Drupal 6: Even worse outcomes</li>
</ul>
At the same time as this was happening, the internet as a whole was getting, well, easier. A LOT easier. Websites became incredibly simple to make (Think <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website_builder">Weebly, Wix and Webs</a>). Emailing and form capture got a lot more fun (Think MailChimp and 123Contact Form). Online eCommerce platforms popped up everywhere and were, out of the box, much simpler to customize (Just look at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_shopping_cart_software">all the options now</a>).
Further, smartphones started to penetrate the market, revolutionizing the way we work with this thing called an app. An app that was very intuitive, simple and, well, actually user-friendly.
So. If you were a SMB on Drupal 6 in 2013 and everything you were sold about Drupal didn’t meet expectations (simple, user-friendly, cost effective, etc.), you weren’t going to invest in anything else related with Drupal. Sure, <a href="https://www.drupal.org/drupal-7-released">Drupal 7</a> (released January 5th, 2011) promised new and great things, but you weren’t going to budge.
And Here We Are Today
Here we are on the new release of Drupal 8. A release where the community is promising fantastic new features and wonderful user additions that will supposedly revolutionize the open source world, once more (and it will). And, again, we’re going to our D6 customers telling them the wonders of D8. But this time, they’re not buying it. They have done all that they were supposed to, updated their sites and still are not satisfied with their solution.
Sure, you can postulate that Drupal is not the best fit for everyone. But there is a level where we, as development firms and open source enthusiasts need to ensure that we’re on the same page as our customers.
For Drupal dev firms, here’s your take away: Make sure that D8 is a darn fantastic fit for your customer. Make sure they know the hows, whys and whens of Drupal. Heck, even give your customers a walkthrough of the backend to make sure they can even comprehend it. Train them and foster their love for Drupal. Don’t just code and leave.
And for SMBs, here’s your take away: A CMS is a fantastic tool to grow your business. But make sure your expectation meets reality. Fully understand what is involved with any CMS (cost, maintenance, solution, and more) and use it to its full potential. That way, when it comes time, you’re more than ready to update.
I’ll leave you with this: No one person or company is perfect – Even <a href="http://buytaert.net/why-the-big-architectural-changes-in-drupal-8">Dries Buytaert</a> has learned a lesson or two. As for us, will we recommend Drupal 8? You bet your blue Kool-Aid we will… But only after a long conversation about expectations, realities and, well, being open (source) and honest with our clients.

With The Gloom And Doom Of Drupal 6, Let’s Learn From Our Shortcomings

mike-johnston

Marketing automation is a concept that’s a little tricky define, which is probably why many businesses find it just as difficult to implement.
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-04 at 18.51.56.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/G9tqBcAbGTt02hLddNkpwVpFvrNc66BSyEBEgHZ6eIiO06nV5oAAXlDDmTUtyOWUAXUJSGqxr3O3GOn4w54iZecV79CX_WrfbgXMzNHm-ouLq1SkhWBtem41nVWkbGLzGiS0BC9y" />
A well defined marketing automation strategy can help to streamline business processes and improve the effectiveness of various marketing channels – such as email marketing, blogging, content marketing, and social media. However, a poorly structured automation strategy will do exactly the opposite.
<h2>What Is Marketing Automation?</h2>
After doing some research, I noticed that many descriptions of the marketing automation process have arisen from this popular definition by Hubspot:
<blockquote>
“At its best, marketing automation is software and tactics that allow companies to buy and sell like Amazon – that is, to nurture prospects with highly personalized, useful content that helps convert prospects to customers and turn customers into delighted customers. This type of marketing automation typically generates significant new revenue for companies, and provides an excellent return on the investment required.” – <a href="http://www.hubspot.com/">Hubspot</a>
</blockquote>
Lets focus on the wording of that for a minute:
<ul>
<li>
highly personalized
</li>
<li>
useful content
</li>
<li>
delighted customers
</li>
<li>
new revenue
</li>
<li>
excellent return
</li>
</ul>
Are these the things that usually come to mind when you think about marketing automation? I doubt it. I bet you think about your Twitter inbox instead, and the ridiculous amount of promotional spam you’ve received in the past week alone.
Unfortunately, many business owners instantly correlate automation with ‘spambots’ and little else. And this is what needs to change.
You will never see the value in your marketing automation strategy if you don’t have a clear understanding of what it can accomplish.
To get you started, I’m going to run through the most common misconceptions that businesses have about marketing automation – so that you can better understand how it can benefit your business.
<h2>1. Set-Up In Seconds</h2>
You need to schedule some time to get your software up and running, and whilst it’s not difficult – it’s not a 5 minute job either. Before investing in marketing automation software, it’s important to spend a certain amount of time to researching the marketplace and choosing the right product for your business.
Following this, you need to review your current content and assess whether this needs to be improved upon – before feeding it through your marketing automation workflow.
Most marketing automation software is designed to integrate seamlessly with your CRM, and this makes life a lot easier. But you’ll still have to do the groundwork when it comes to setting up campaigns and programs.
<h2>2. It’s Cold And Impersonal</h2>
When marketing automation is done right, it’s the opposite of cold and impersonal. Automating your marketing gives you extra time to focus on the quality of your messaging, so that your communication is personalized and relevant – i.e. not spam.
With marketing automation, you can collect data on your prospects which will allow you to categorize them by common interests, behaviors, and locations. Using this data, you can deliver targeted content based on each individual’s unique user profile.
<h2>3. It Does The Job For Us – We Can All Go Home!</h2>
Sorry, but no. Every type of marketing automation software needs a human being at the steering wheel in order to be successful – so you’ll have to hit pause on the iRobot movie marathon.
A successful marketing automation campaign must be supported by a strong digital marketing team who have analyzed your target market, created the content that market is looking for, and established preferred marketing channels.
<h2>4. Small Companies Don’t Need Marketing Automation</h2>
Marketing automation can benefit both small and larger businesses in different ways with pretty similar results. In the case of enterprises, automation will streamline internal processes, save time and money, and make life a lot easier.
In the case of smaller companies, automation will ease the workload of a startup founder, save time and money, and make life a lot easier. See what I mean? Marketing automation works just as well for small start-ups as it does for large businesses and SMEs.
<h2>5. The More Expensive It Is, The Better It Is</h2>
This doesn’t apply to marketing automation software any more than it applies to your everyday purchases. The amount of dollar signs on the price tag can’t tell you whether you’re choosing the right software option for your business.
Many marketing automation software vendors will offer free trials to start with, which you should definitely take advantage of. Following this, a lot of these platforms – such as Marketo, Parquo, and Hubspot – will offer a tiered pricing plan depending on your specific needs.
<h2>6. All Leads Are Created Equal</h2>
Not only will this assumption ruin your marketing campaign, it’ll also create unreasonable target expectations for your sales team. With marketing automation, you can send the best of your bunch of leads into your sales team – i.e. ‘high grade + high score’ leads.
However, not all of these prospects will be ready to purchase. So, it’s important to assess the journey that prospect took to become a qualified lead, and then take the next step based on that.
Some leads will need a little more ‘warming up’ than others, for example – someone who filled in a ‘contact us’ form will be more receptive to a sales call than someone who simply entered their details for a competition.
According to <a href="http://www.marketingsherpa.com/">Marketing Sherpa</a>, “organizations that nurture their leads experience a 45% lift in lead generation ROI over those organizations that do not.”
So, if you first identify which leads are ready to buy, and focus on converting those, you can guide the others through the sales funnel until they reach a stage where they self-qualify.
<h2>7. Engagement Is Time Consuming and Unnecessary</h2>
The fastest way to get me (and most people) to unfollow your business on twitter, is by sending out 30 tweets a day without actually engaging at all. If I initiate a conversation about something you’ve shared on social media, I expect a response within a reasonable period of time.
However, this isn’t always how it goes. Many companies simply set up their automation software and leave it at that. And guess what happens then? You start to lose the attention of your audience; people stop engaging with your brand because they don’t feel valued enough, they stop following your brand, they stop visiting your site, and your sales numbers go into the gutter.
<h2>8. It’s All About Email Marketing</h2>
Many businesses seem to think that marketing automation is limited to email marketing only, but this isn’t the case.
As I mentioned previously, marketing automation can be used with various channels such as lead generation, social media, landing pages, and more.
<h2>9. Automation is For Lazy Marketers</h2>
Correction, automation is for busy marketers. It’s the lazy variation who give marketing automation a bad name in the first place. Quality marketing automation is hard work – and if it’s not, then you’re just not doing it right.
Once your marketing automation strategy works in tandem with other marketing activities, then it’ll increase business efficiency and provide you with extra time to work on other important tasks.
<h2>10. I Never Need To Work On Lead Generation Again</h2>
Many marketers seem to think that marketing automation is the holy grail of lead generation. It’s not. It’s crucial to recognize marketing automation as a single tool in your marketing toolbox, and not your only source of lead generation.
It’s up to you to create compelling and relevant content that will guide your customers through the sales funnel process, so that they will convert into strong leads for your sales team.
<h2>To Automate Or Not To Automate?</h2>
Marketing automation is definitely a buzzword at the moment and it’s a great way to increase your productivity, but if you want it to work for your business it really has to work in tandem with your overall marketing strategy.
Hopefully, this post has cleared up a few common misconceptions for you so that you can make an informed decision.
Do you have marketing automation system in place at the moment? We’d love to know how it’s working for you – why not let us know in the comments section below.

10 Common Misconceptions About Marketing Automation

grainne-logue

As we move through our week of featured coverage for elcomCMS, I feel that now is an ideal time to take a look at how the enterprise-grade platform has and will help enterprises.
Previously during this featured week, I touched on <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/elcomcms-cms-lms-intranets/">elcomCMS’s stance as a CMS, LMS and Intranet solution</a>, and its aim to <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/elcomcms-motivating-workforces-increasing-productivity-driving-sales/">supercharge the productivity of workforces through social intranets</a>.
One of many <a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/en-au/customers/success-stories/hyundai">large brands making use of elcomCMS, is Hyundai</a> – the world renowned car manufacturer. With 144 dealerships and 29 service points operating throughout Australia, they needed a platform capable of handling a heavy load, in all respects.
Let’s take a look at how Elcom Technology revamped Hyundai’s Australian online presence and Intranet infrastructure.
<h2>The Challenges</h2>
As you might imagine, implementing a new website and intranet for a brand as large as Hyundai, was no easy task.
elcomCMS had their work cut out for them. They needed to:
<ul>
<li>Replace the existing intranet</li>
<li>Develop an extranet for the ‘Auto-net Portal’</li>
<li>Replace the corporate website with a Content Management System in HTML and flash, allowing publisher to update flash content as well as other areas of the site</li>
<li>Provide management with the option to centralize or decentralize certain publishing properties</li>
</ul>
Here’s how Elcom Technology, along with Hyundai’s Information Technology (IT) and Marketing business units, got the job done.
<h2>The Solution</h2>
Elcom Technology and Hyundai worked together to produce a number of solutions for the list of challenges detailed above.
The intranet consisted of an Active Directory integrated information portal and collaboration environment.
Hyundai’s corporate website was to be supported by a WCMS, with embedded tracking and reporting functionality. This also included multi-site functionality, which helped to keep all 144 dealer websites under close control.
A dealer portal was also implemented, acting as a secure environment for the 144 dealers to access bulletins and sales related information. An owner's portal was also set up, to help Hyundai customers access personalized content.
RSS Syndication was also used, to aggregate content throughout the various areas of the
Hyundai intranet, extranet and corporate website instances.
According to Balasundaram Kothandaraman, Hyundai’s Senior Manager of IT, it was elcomCMS’ flexibility that made it the right fit for the job:
<blockquote>“Elcom was incredibly flexible and met all of the challenges of implementing this project head-on. They have created a system that meets all of our business needs, with continued room for growth.”</blockquote>
The Elcom Technology team made use of a range of elcomCMS modules to get the job done.
The modules used included; the form builder, dynamic content widgets, forums, membership, workflow, knowledge base, and more.
The full case study, which details the elcomCMS-powered solution for Hyundai’s website and intranet, <a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/ArticleDocuments/861/Elcom_CaseStudy_Hyundai.pdf.aspx">can be downloaded here</a>.
Furthermore, you can visit <a href="/products/elcomcms/">elcomCMS via our CMS Directory</a> for more insight, and stay tuned for more featured coverage throughout the next week.
On a side note, elcomCMS has recently released a beneficial eBook titled, “<a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/en-au/resources/whitepapers-ebooks/8-signs-you-need-a-social-intranet?utm_campaign=8%20Signs%20you%20need%20an%20intranet&amp;utm_content=8%20Signs%20eBook&amp;utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_source=CMS%20Critic">8 signs you need a social intranet</a>”. You can download your <a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/en-au/resources/whitepapers-ebooks/8-signs-you-need-a-social-intranet?utm_campaign=8%20Signs%20you%20need%20an%20intranet&amp;utm_content=8%20Signs%20eBook&amp;utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_source=CMS%20Critic">free copy here</a>.

Powering Powerful Brands: How elcomCMS Drives Hyundai Online

The digital age has changed everything.
Processes that used to require teams of workers operating extensive hardware, can now be managed from a smartphone by a single person.
And yet, motivating a workforce is something that modern brands still battle with. Staff members still need fresh challenges, targets to aim for, colleagues to lean on, and information to work with.
<a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">elcomCMS</a> aims to motivate workforces, increase productivity and drive sales through enterprise-grade intranets and extranets. Let’s take a closer look at how.
<h2>Integrations, Workflows, and Multi-site Functionality</h2>
elcomCMS is responsible for the intranets of top brand companies, including the likes of Hyundai, The Fred Hollows Foundation, Raine &amp; Horne &amp; Taking Shape. So it goes without saying that Elcom Technology, the Australian company behind the product, knows a thing or two about how to promote efficiency amongst enterprise-level workforces.
Their mobile-friendly intranet solution integrates with third-party tools like Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and HP Trim in order to keep existing documents in check, and also to cause minimal disruption upon deployment.
A wide range of built-in features make elcomCMS a beneficial platform right out of the box. Those features include; a powerful workflow engine, a corporate directory, asset management and version control.
And yet, more functionality can be added via optional modules such as; blogs, wikis, forums, event management, to-do lists, and more.
Additionally, elcomCMS’ multi-site management capabilities mean that their intranets can integrate with existing web instances, including; websites, extranets and external databases.
<h2>A Walk on the Social Side</h2>
elcomCMS’ Intranet solution also offers up social elements to help bring workforces together in a way that’s more casual yet still professional. And of course, efficiency remains the goal despite the inherent informality of social features.
Social feeds for example, just like the ones you find on Facebook or Twitter, give staff members a great medium to promote ideas, share opinions and ask for assistance – all without having to leave the company intranet.
Furthermore, the usage of blog posts, discussion forums, crowd-sourcing tools, social Q&amp;A, hash-tagging and @tagging, all come together to create a harmonious and familiar social work environment.
The familiarity is thanks to these social elements being borrowed from popular social networking websites and online communities like Twitter and Quora. This familiarity helps to ensure a shorter learning curve, too.
With these social elements in place, whole departments can collaborate in a way that promotes communication on a regular basis. A useful supplement to traditional emails and office meetings.
<h2>A Short (and Free) Intranet Webinar</h2>
According to Gartner, a staggering 84% of organisations today have a remote workforce. With this global trend, organisations are challenged to keep an increasingly distributed workforce collaborative and productive.
<a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/en-au/resources/on-demand-webinars/intranet-success-webinar" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">In this webinar</a>, Josh Anstey, VP of Customer Solutions at Elcom, shares industry insights into effectively using Intranets to communicate with a distributed workforce.
Check out elcomCMS on our CMS Directory for more insight, and stay tuned for more featured coverage throughout the next week.
On a side note, elcomCMS has recently released a beneficial eBook titled, “<a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/en-au/resources/whitepapers-ebooks/8-signs-you-need-a-social-intranet?utm_campaign=8%20Signs%20you%20need%20an%20intranet&amp;utm_content=8%20Signs%20eBook&amp;utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_source=CMS%20Critic">8 signs you need a social intranet</a>”. You can download your <a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/en-au/resources/whitepapers-ebooks/8-signs-you-need-a-social-intranet?utm_campaign=8%20Signs%20you%20need%20an%20intranet&amp;utm_content=8%20Signs%20eBook&amp;utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_source=CMS%20Critic">free copy here</a>.

elcomCMS: Motivating Workforces, Increasing Productivity & Driving Sales

Intranets are fast becoming the lifeblood of every major brand.
They bring workforces together on a micro and macro scale, acting as the central information and collaboration hub for the entire business.
<a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img alt="Elcom_Logo_EWCM_Positive.jpg" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/GBmtsx612WU2lzhShWkP2odh6ui5XkBvX_fGU0rQTY-4Bly0re4EzXvFqjhF-MmpucJKbPal32XjwAe7UYeMqWOvbDbQXNpQ14lDO4b7XNFqIkHiGr_hhanT6jg1_LfAIjHO8THx" /></a>
In a typical Intranet setup, staff members can share ideas, communicate privately, arrange events, collaborate over documents, engage casually with the rest of the company, and much more.
But how should an intranet-less brand prepare for the deployment for their very first intranet? Here are some useful insights.
<h2>1. Define Your Goals</h2>
The number one aim of a corporate intranet is to boost engagement and efficiency among staff members.
But along the way to that goal, an intranet can bring many more benefits to the table.
The modern enterprise is constantly looking for ways to streamline the working life of their workforce, and so, before an Intranet is deployed, the strategy behind that goal needs to be honed.
Some goals which can act as stepping stones toward the final objective may include:
<ul>
<li>
Increasing engagement among workers.
</li>
<li>
Increasing user generated content.
</li>
<li>
reducing emails.
</li>
<li>
reducing meetings.
</li>
<li>
Improved organization.
</li>
<li>
Improved collaboration.
</li>
</ul>
Identifying the most relevant goals is the best first step a brand can take when approaching an intranet solution, whether they lie in the list above, or whether they surpass that list.
Those goals need to be identified so that the brand can begin searching for an Intranet platform that can provide the features needed to reach them.
Which brings me to my next point.
<h2>2. Choose the Right Technology</h2>
A brand’s goals and objectives may be achievable, but that doesn’t mean that just any intranet platform can achieve them.
With clients such as Hyundai, The Fred Hollows Foundation, Raine &amp; Horne &amp; Taking Shape, elcomCMS’ mobile-friendly Intranet solution is one worth considering.
The enterprise-grade platform boasts a wide range of built-in features right out of the box. Those features include; powerful workflow &amp; forms, team workspace, blogs, polls, enterprise search, asset management and version control.
More functionality can be added via optional modules such as; calendar, events, social, corporate directory, task manager, and more.
Integrated social features also help to round off a user experience which grasps and maintains the attention of workers.
Social feeds, like the ones found on Facebook and Twitter, help to keep everybody up to date on the latest news and ideas floating around the company. Meanwhile, features like; blogging, discussion forums, social Q&amp;A, hash-tagging and @tagging, all promote engagement in a way which is familiar, professional, and yet casual.
Third-party tools like Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and HP Trim can be integrated with too, in order to keep existing documents in check, and also to cause minimal disruption upon deployment.
<h2>3. Prepare Your Workforce</h2>
Finally, it’s highly recommended to prepare your workforce for the arrival of their brand spanking new intranet.
Provide them with the platform’s instructional material, webinars, blog posts and marketing content, in order to get everybody familiar with the features they’re about to tinker with.
This will help to ease the learning curve upon the deployment of the intranet.
As far as real life examples go, elcomCMS has aided a number of high-flying brands and organizations to identify their goals and prepare for an intranet deployment. Here are two case studies detailing the <a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/en-au/customers/success-stories/hyundai">Hyundai website &amp; intranet project</a>, and the <a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/en-au/customers/success-stories/taking-shape-intranet">Taking Shape retail intranet project</a>.
Be sure to visit elcomCMS on our CMS Directory for more insight, and stay tuned for more featured coverage throughout the rest of this week.
Further information on how to map your business requirements to your intranet can be <a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/en-au/resources/articles/how-to-map-your-business-requirements-to-your-intranet-platform/how-to-map-your-business-requirements-to-your-intranet-platform">found in this article</a>. Also, elcomCMS has recently released a beneficial eBook titled, “8 signs you need a social intranet”. <a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/en-au/resources/whitepapers-ebooks/8-signs-you-need-a-social-intranet?utm_campaign=8%20Signs%20you%20need%20an%20intranet&amp;utm_content=8%20Signs%20eBook&amp;utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_source=CMS%20Critic">You can download your free copy here.</a>

How to Prepare Your Business for Intranet Deployment (In 3 Steps)

NoSQL is a disruptive new “big data” database technology that was built by social media giant Facebook and other big Internet companies such as Google, LinkedIn and Amazon. Now, it’s coming to enterprise and media websites and changing how content is managed and delivered on the web.
Traditionally, web pages have been stored within relational databases made by companies like Oracle and Microsoft. In the last 20 years the way that content has been stored and delivered has not really changed. But the web has changed completely.
Mobile forever changed the web. Apps, the cloud, personalization, and the overall growth of the web have rewritten the rules of how organizations need to manage their digital content and customer experience data.
Now the same NoSQL technology that powers the world’s biggest websites is disrupting the Web content management industry and changing how enterprisecompanies manage their websites and customer data.
<h2>Ingeniux: The First CMS Built on a NOSQL Database</h2>
The company at the forefront of the “Big Content” revolution is <a href="http://www.ingeniux.com/">I</a>ngeniux. Ingeniux is a web content management company with office in Seattle, Paris, and New York.
<a href="http://www.ingeniux.com/">Ingeniux CMS</a> is the first the web content management solution built on a NoSQL database. With NoSQL Ingeniux is able to provide a Web CMS solution that supports the scalability and performance of large social media sites with big data capabilities to deliver smarter customer experiences.
The move to NoSQL by Ingeniux makes sense. NoSQL actually means “not only SQL.” It combines the capabilities of a traditional relational database with the distributed architecture of the cloud and big data. The end result is higher performance, greater scalability, and lower costs for managing and delivering websites and personalized customer experiences.
Ingeniux is not alone in its success focusing on NoSQL. Enterprise NoSQL database vendor MarkLogic became a unicorn (a billion dollar company) by shifting its database to NoSQL. Other NoSQL vendors such as Mongo DB, Couchbase, and DataStax have also experienced skyrocketing growth. But Ingeniux is the first to take NoSQL to the multi-billion dollar content management market.
Ingeniux is quickly gaining market share with its <a href="http://www.ingeniux.com/company/blog/why-nosql-is-the-future-of-web-content-management">NoSQL-based Web CMS platform.</a> Ingeniux CMS is used by Janus Capital, CareFusion, the US Army, AIG, and thousands of other organizations to manage websites and online services. In 2015 Ingeniux was named a Trendsetting product by KMWorld magazine and named to the prestigious EContent 100 list.
Whether Ingeniux can be the next unicorn in the web content management industry has yet to be seen. But clearly the web has changed and NoSQL is the right solution at the right time. If NoSQL changes web content management the way it changed business intelligence and big data, fasten your seatbelts, we are in for a wild ride.
To find out more about Ingeniux, <a href="http://www.ingeniux.com/">visit their website</a>.
Also, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/ingeniux/">Ingeniux via our CMS Directory</a>, and stay tuned for more featured week coverage.

How NoSQL Is Disrupting Web Content Management

If you’ve been running your own business for a while, then you’ve probably heard the term ‘CRM’ by now. You’ve also probably heard that it’s essential for your business that you use one. After all, if everyone else is doing it…
<img alt="bigstock-Customer-Relationship-Manageme-95142614.jpg" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/4-03nOGBHxe_hxMwzWxvscA-g5CnWq-vMLeGFUDB9bQPNXBWkgTRkaf7nr3lXLrYxx84oeptYt9UuJ1kmK7f9mu8Fup4Jdslx9lzssKls-mr78kqYoeRUyVaqntUdFXT6CD3z2kS" />
But what does C-R-M actually mean?
To find out, keep reading, because I’m going to give you an overview of what a CRM is and what it’s used for. I’ll help you to determine how having a CRM can benefit your business, and then let you decide for yourself if you actually need one.
<h2>Let's Talk Acronyms</h2>
CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management.
This is a system that helps you to manage your relationships and interactions with current and prospective customers. A good CRM will provide you with the bigger picture in terms of managing your entire sales process – whether it’s to chase up on leads, schedule follow ups, or keep track of current customers. Basically, it’s designed to make your life a whole lot easier.
When you’re running a growing business, it’s crucial to stay on top of things – and this will get harder and harder to do without a CRM to keep you organized. The beauty of having everything ‘under one roof’ is what makes it essential to have a good CRM at the epicenter of every business. Your CRM dictates how you connect your top of the chain bosses with the employees working on the ground floor – which is one of the most essential lines of communication to keep open in the workforce.
Once you have all of your information gathered in the one place, it becomes much easier to manage your customer database and coordinate with teams across the board. This is essential if you’re running a sales team, especially when reps are out on the road. Often, a few background notes on a prospective customer can be all it takes to seal the deal on a sale.
<h2>Investing In Your Customer</h2>
This is essentially what you’re doing when you purchase a CRM for your business.
You’re investing in your relationships with your customers and showing an understanding for how crucial these relationships are for the success of your company.
A CRM system will store the history of your communications with each customer, so that you can respond to all customer concerns as soon as possible, with custom and personalized responses. Nothing irks customers more than a 5 day response time and a generic customer care ticket; I’ve been that customer in the past – and I didn’t stay a customer for very long.
<h2>Choosing The Right CRM</h2>
The key to successfully implementing a CRM into your business is to ensure that is does make life easier – for both you and your entire team.
It should help your team to be more productive, rather than simply creating more work for them. Most sales people hate admin, it’s a well-known fact, and if you create even more work for them on that side of things – they will not be happy.
Plus, think about it, where do you want your best sales staff? Would you prefer to have them out on the road talking to customers, or stuck in the office trying to figure out your new CRM?
If you ensure that your CRM is designed to help your employees do their jobs better, faster, and easier – then they’ll be more likely to actually use and maintain it. So it’s important to ask for their input right from the start and listen if they say that it’s just not working out.
Don’t jump ship too quickly though, as they may just need some extra training in order to see the real advantages.
For example, if your team members haven’t really committed to the new CRM and they’re still using email searches alongside it, then it’s going to increase their workload rather than lessen it. But if it’s really not the CRM for you, there lots of other options to choose from which may be more suited to your particular business needs.
<h2>How Much Does It Cost?</h2>
The good news is that choosing a CRM doesn’t have to break the bank.
Most CRMs are web/cloud based and they charge a fee per user, per month, for premium services. Premium plans usually range between $10-$30 monthly, with a few outliers on the more expensive end.
However, there are also a whole group of ‘freemium’ CRMs that offer a free standard option to smaller businesses. If you’re a larger business, you can use the freemium package to test out the CRM and upgrade to add the rest of your team once you’re happy to stick with it.
There are also a few open source CRMs which you can download and use completely free of charge.
<h2>Check Out My Top CRMs</h2>
There are tons of CRM Systems to choose from with a wide variety of features, but they all have one core objective – to help you to improve and maintain your relationship with your customers. With the range of apps available, you’re pretty much guaranteed to find one that meets your specific business needs.
The more basic CRMs will allow you to store and update customer information such as email address, contact numbers, notes, etc., but most CRMs on the market at the moment are designed to offer you a whole lot more.
Thanks to there being such a wide range of platforms to choose from, I've got recommendations for you no matter your requirements or budget.
Here's a list of <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-10-crm-systems/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ten enterprise-grade CRMs</a>, along with a list of <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/7-free-crm-systems-that-prove-customer-relationship-management-is-easy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">seven free and cheap CRMs</a>, for the budding business.
Do you have CRM in place, or are you thinking of adopting a new CRM for your business? Leave a comment below to let us know which one works best for you.

What is a CRM?

It's easier than you might think to add eCommerce to your website. No matter the platform, you can quickly and easily add an online store within minutes and not only that, you can do it for free!
Recently, I had an opportunity to visit the offices of <a href="/ecwid1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Ecwid</a> (short for ecommerce widget) that makes this very functionality available for anyone to use. It's so incredibly easy that if you aren't using it, you are missing out. Not only does Ecwid let you sell things on your website easily (we're talking set up in 5 minutes or less) but you can even sell on Facebook with it.
Here's a quick video showing off the product:
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y1b7m3uzaOo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The best part about Ecwid in my mind is that it's already integrated with a large number of systems such as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and more. It's also fully responsive and integrates directly with your site. In the case of the plugins, it will even adopt the styling based on your theme. There's even a mobile app that lets you manage your store from your phone or tablet, making adding new products very easy to do.
You don't, however, have to just have an existing website to use Ecwid. You can also sign up on <a href="/ecwid1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">their website</a> and host your store there for a very low cost. When I did a comparison between Ecwid and some of the other big players in the eCommerce space like Shopify, for instance, the cost if significantly lower with Ecwid and you actually get more integrations. The average store can be created for free whereas other packages are priced between $15 and $99 (with this high end package, you get an enormous amount of functionality).
The $15 package that Ecwid offers quite literally should be more than enough for the average person looking for slightly more functionality than the free offering (although the free offering is also loaded with quite a few features you won't find free elsewhere).
Here's a look at a sample product page, keeping in mind of course this is from the demo, which you can try out on the Ecwid website.
 
When it comes to payment processors, you can use any of their over 30 different ones they support which is pretty extensive. Further to this, shipping options include an automatic shipping calculator for UPS, Fedex and other shipping partners and a huge list of other features which you can read about on their website.
Just to clarify, this isn't a sponsored post. I'm a huge fan of Ecwid and think they are doing amazing things and wanted to share. Making eCommerce easy is something that alot of companies want to do but I think Ecwid is definitely leading the charge here. The capabilities of this product are quite extensive and being able to not have to worry about changing your CMS in order to accommodate a store (or being forced to move to an ecommerce platform) is a huge bonus.
If you are in the market and considering adding an online store to your site, you definitely need to <a href="/ecwid1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">check out Ecwid</a>.

Add an Online Store to your Site in Minutes

Power your CMS on AWS

Manage your websites & apps in the most trusted cloud.

#ffffff

Wix, one of the top website builders on the market, has announced some major new changes to their popular web design platform today in the form of a brand new editor. With the newly redesigned interface, Wix blends the ease of use they are known for with a more robust set of powerful capabilities that really extend the platform.
Wix has long been known as a great option for creating code-free websites but this new editor really brings a solid blend of experience and fun to the platform. Not only is it beautiful, as you'll see in the video below, but it also adds a level of fun to the design experience of this great drag and drop website platform. I've always been a fan of the platform and find that it really provides a service and capability that people need.
Website builders have traditionally been known as something you use as a starting point before moving on to a platform like WordPress or another CMS but Wix has really evolved into a web design platform that you can continue to use to power your website for years to come. This is shown by their dedicated user base of over 70 million users worldwide. People love the product and the new editor takes things to a new level with some great new features which you'll see in the video below such as video backgrounds, parallax scrolling and more.
Furthermore, it offers a better code base built using Facebook’s React technology that's completely restructured making it leaner and more modular. With this new technology, the company now has the ability to roll out features previously unseen in the code-free web design sector and can now do so with unprecedented speed.
Check out the following video that shows off the new editor in all its glory:
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4vUliL9ZL84?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Some of the new code-free features you can expect to see with this new editor include:
<ul>
<li>Full screen strip layouts – Containing multiple design elements such as video, image galleries, text and more, these horizontal strips help split up the page into clear sections, allowing for stylistic variation. True to Wix’s drag and drop technology, these strip containers can be edited and repositioned anywhere.</li>
<li>Full page video background – Users can upload their own videos or choose from Wix’s free video background library to easily set up an eye-catching video background for their websites. Unique to the Wix Editor, all video backgrounds, whether full page or on a strip, can be customized by layering any design element, such as pattern overlays and color palettes, included in the Editor.</li>
<li>Single click Parallax effect – A first for code-free platforms, users can now give their website an added layer of dimension by adding a parallax scrolling effect with just single click.</li>
<li>Anchor menus and docking elements – Essential but not exclusive to long scrolling websites, Wix users can effortlessly create a smooth website navigation experience by utilizing Wix’s new anchor menus and element docking feature.</li>
<li>Personalization and tailored features – Based on the users’ profile, the Wix Editor will suggest design and business elements from both the Editor and the Wix App Market to give users the guidance necessary to create the most effective possible sites.</li>
<li>Verticalized templates – Dedicated templates built with business in mind and utilizing new design capabilities allowing users to more readily input key features while maintaining pure a drag and drop interface.</li>
<li>Contextual in-Editor support – The New Wix Editor provides users with intelligent and curated support throughout the design process without ever having to leave the Editor.</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
“Recognizing that today’s Internet users expect a personalized, intuitive and multi-faceted experience, we’ve created the industry’s most comprehensive code-free editing software for creating a professional online presence,” said Avishai Abrahami, Wix Co-Founder and CEO. “Based on the user’s business category, the new Editor provides a tailored experience, where the features and capabilities most needed are at their fingertips. This isn’t just a product improvement, it’s a leap in what the market has come to expect from code-free platforms.”
</blockquote>
I strongly encourage everyone who hasn't had an opportunity to give it a try and see what their new web design experience is like for themselves. <a href="http://www.wix.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Give Wix a try.</a>

New Wix Editor Brings Even More Simplified, Code-Free Web Design to the Masses

eZ Systems has some big plans for it’s upcoming <a href="http://conference.ez.no" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2015 eZ Content Technology Conference</a> this fall.
The conference has been extended to three days, running from November 3rd through November 5th, with a schedule packed with insightful talks, workshops and keynote speaker sessions.
<a href="http://conference.ez.no" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img alt="0GnHkBnZPBalTE27NbAJlFdFeCkGNypv6IvXV_Hs" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/0GnHkBnZPBalTE27NbAJlFdFeCkGNypv6IvXV_HsHtc3W7OGCRdf5KXoxT5L5dYUj3-n3FwbuTyB3BO5k0fq68R4ZDtsrv6PO94ZqSLgwFyaz1CDlFSXOnuAkE7BUlbOgbTpZsI" /></a>
This year will also mark a special occasion for the conference for two reasons. It will be the first time the conference is hosted outside of Europe, taking place in the vibrant city of New York. And it will also be time to celebrate the Q4 release of eZ Platform and eZ Studio. eZ Conference will be a great opportunity to learn about eZ’s new platform and see what’s coming next for upcoming releases.
We made sure eZ Conference has something for everyone.
Attendees will have the opportunity to network and learn from innovators in the web, digital marketing, Symfony, PHP and eZ communities. From web development to business strategy, to user experience and user interface design, the conference will cover more ground than ever before to give you a full digital picture.
So who can you expect to see at eZ Conference? Notable names include:
<ul>
<li>
Paul Boag: Author, Speaker and User Experience consultant
</li>
<li>
Karen McGrane: Content Strategy and Information Architecture rock star and speaker
</li>
<li>
Deane Barker: Veteran content management and strategy speaker
</li>
<li>
Bernhard Schussek: WebMozart himself, Symfony Core Developer
</li>
<li>
Plus: talks from distinguished companies such as Economist Digital, Hootsuite, MongoDB, ConnectiveDX, Novactive and a whole lot more
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Register for the Conference Today</h2>
To celebrate eZ’s feature week on CMS Critic, we are offering a special 10% discount off registration for this year’s eZ Conference.
Simply <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ez-content-technology-conference-registration-16579867831?discount=CMSCritic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">visit the conference Eventbrite</a> page to register and use the promo code: CMSCritic.
For more details on the conference, including the full speaker lineup, workshop and talk topics, visit <a href="http://conference.ez.no">http://conference.ez.no</a>

Looking Forward to the Upcoming eZ Publish New York Conference

As we move closer towards the conclusion of our featured week with <a href="http://ez.no" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">eZ</a>, we’re taking a look at eZ Publish Platform’s multi-site and multi-language features.
Previously this week, we touched on <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/ez-publish-platform-content-management-marketing-ecommerce-under-the-same-roof/">eZ Publish Platform’s core features</a>, explored the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/from-hootsuite-to-comscore-success-with-ez-publish-platform/">success of Hootsuite and comScore with the platform</a>, and looked ahead to the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/looking-forward-to-the-upcoming-ez-publish-new-york-conference/">upcoming eZ Conference in New York</a>.
<a href="http://ez.no" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img alt="eZ-Logo-No-Tagline_max600height250.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HhPcLPK7aFW0t0kwy_PwaSyoSaXs8ayLHMNyHrZeHKf3b5qVwDAYzcI1S2egp2XmlJfvtWTeEwyYgg0ox0xhxs3z3RrUu7co3PlpKnqLHOm1TxB3MJst8KPjAxFETFvunx5D_vU" /></a>
The eZ eBook titled, “<a href="https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&amp;ik=bf5f0a3d6f&amp;view=att&amp;th=14f514a43bb804df&amp;attid=0.1&amp;disp=inline&amp;safe=1&amp;zw&amp;saddbat=ANGjdJ-jRokfdOxxccHfKFgL9ip2g74YL0TpMmGdjzkvf7ErHHnrIpiBUTztjx2RRt9j15DhdwFWWzmeAJt4rJaBxxAw_JGdPYXWJTvWLs47Dl8ujXPo5eCMSg6g1NaDyWWqS3mpyBifJdG-_Ar5WyRLxmBtOeyv-xgzhRDBbmxT_HC-BC7WlpdeB2n4BdItot02ZtdUH6jkFZEUIhqn3gPZP7oheX3jtR7a2RhsPilvOTdvMeXSVtkB8sWvBm_GlU22AmSyYPDhIHs7U6AeQsLF0fjM4u9X-4y-rjRYYusKZQAmrfI3kalzr9_-2gYeaSRdZTEE9xDWZ9vwK865PGNguN1gfAo_wdXIwuo4e771JRH8YMDpVE0yyMFqiWHlCGpBofe9QU3jLYZtpAH-tMwnQrY0SAtvLjkHv4l8HiZZcOigpB_wcClg0fnlyfNcUsk7oNmrGYWz5MXLoIidBjjcPlYzjWNHsFpuVPNm_ioDTz6Dcku9mt_EutQZIG7GQWmD_o05rtP0xGu2YrmREFESQD1xqJmpBu9vk7MUaA6To1qIPqdZmZfP3V27iEtKU4Kkr_buZUCxzeNGxjQN">Keys to Maintaining Multiple Websites, Channels and Languages</a>” is a highly beneficial resource regarding this topic. I’ll be referring to some of its contents throughout this article.
<h2>The Importance of Adaptive Content</h2>
In the not-so-distant past, content was produced and published solely for desktop screens.
Today, screens are everywhere from vehicles to shopping malls, and customers expect nothing less than seamless experiences on each and every device.
To deliver content with such flexibility when managing multiple web properties, you’ll need a CMS that can produce adaptive content.
Adaptive content means that the content is not restricted to a single display. It’s content that is totally separated from its presentation and design, meaning that it can be re-moulded to suit any screen size or shape.
Traditional content management systems are not typically equipped to store and manage content in such a way. However, today’s enterprise-grade platforms, like eZ Publish Platform for example, store content internally in a way which makes content adaptive. Ideal for the modern-day brand.
For more information on adaptive content, check out the <a href="https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&amp;ik=bf5f0a3d6f&amp;view=att&amp;th=14f514a43bb804df&amp;attid=0.1&amp;disp=inline&amp;safe=1&amp;zw&amp;saddbat=ANGjdJ-jRokfdOxxccHfKFgL9ip2g74YL0TpMmGdjzkvf7ErHHnrIpiBUTztjx2RRt9j15DhdwFWWzmeAJt4rJaBxxAw_JGdPYXWJTvWLs47Dl8ujXPo5eCMSg6g1NaDyWWqS3mpyBifJdG-_Ar5WyRLxmBtOeyv-xgzhRDBbmxT_HC-BC7WlpdeB2n4BdItot02ZtdUH6jkFZEUIhqn3gPZP7oheX3jtR7a2RhsPilvOTdvMeXSVtkB8sWvBm_GlU22AmSyYPDhIHs7U6AeQsLF0fjM4u9X-4y-rjRYYusKZQAmrfI3kalzr9_-2gYeaSRdZTEE9xDWZ9vwK865PGNguN1gfAo_wdXIwuo4e771JRH8YMDpVE0yyMFqiWHlCGpBofe9QU3jLYZtpAH-tMwnQrY0SAtvLjkHv4l8HiZZcOigpB_wcClg0fnlyfNcUsk7oNmrGYWz5MXLoIidBjjcPlYzjWNHsFpuVPNm_ioDTz6Dcku9mt_EutQZIG7GQWmD_o05rtP0xGu2YrmREFESQD1xqJmpBu9vk7MUaA6To1qIPqdZmZfP3V27iEtKU4Kkr_buZUCxzeNGxjQN" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">eZ eBook</a>.
<h2>Multi-Lingual Content Delivery: What to Look for in a CMS</h2>
A brand that needs to deliver content in multiple languages needs a CMS that can handle the pressure.
So, what does a content management system need to make multi-lingual content delivery manageable?
Multi-lingual Functionality Out of the Box
Many platforms offer multilingual functionality as plugins or extensions, instead of bringing them as part of their overall package. While this can work, it can also introduce vulnerabilities.
Plugins can be coded poorly and go unmaintained since they are not created by the actual CMS vendor. Malware can sneak in from third-parties, and updates are often few and far between. An out-of-the box multi-lingual feature will have less security vulnerabilities and will likely be better maintained because it is a product of the vendor.
Extensive Language Support
You may not need support for 64 languages right this moment, but it’s important to know that as your brand expands, your CMS will be capable of supporting the languages that come with going global.
Thus, it makes sense to gravitate toward a platform that is capable of supporting not just the languages you currently need, but all the translations you’ll ever need, too.
Language-specific Group and User Permissions
A team of editors with varying first languages all working within the same CMS can be troublesome, unless there’s a way to ensure that they can only edit content that pertains to them.
To make this easy, pick a CMS that has the ability to apply user permissions based on language. This will simplify the editor’s experience with the CMS, making sure they aren’t bothered by content that isn’t in their language.
For more information on how to choose the best CMS for multi-lingual projects, check out the <a href="https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&amp;ik=bf5f0a3d6f&amp;view=att&amp;th=14f514a43bb804df&amp;attid=0.1&amp;disp=inline&amp;safe=1&amp;zw&amp;saddbat=ANGjdJ-jRokfdOxxccHfKFgL9ip2g74YL0TpMmGdjzkvf7ErHHnrIpiBUTztjx2RRt9j15DhdwFWWzmeAJt4rJaBxxAw_JGdPYXWJTvWLs47Dl8ujXPo5eCMSg6g1NaDyWWqS3mpyBifJdG-_Ar5WyRLxmBtOeyv-xgzhRDBbmxT_HC-BC7WlpdeB2n4BdItot02ZtdUH6jkFZEUIhqn3gPZP7oheX3jtR7a2RhsPilvOTdvMeXSVtkB8sWvBm_GlU22AmSyYPDhIHs7U6AeQsLF0fjM4u9X-4y-rjRYYusKZQAmrfI3kalzr9_-2gYeaSRdZTEE9xDWZ9vwK865PGNguN1gfAo_wdXIwuo4e771JRH8YMDpVE0yyMFqiWHlCGpBofe9QU3jLYZtpAH-tMwnQrY0SAtvLjkHv4l8HiZZcOigpB_wcClg0fnlyfNcUsk7oNmrGYWz5MXLoIidBjjcPlYzjWNHsFpuVPNm_ioDTz6Dcku9mt_EutQZIG7GQWmD_o05rtP0xGu2YrmREFESQD1xqJmpBu9vk7MUaA6To1qIPqdZmZfP3V27iEtKU4Kkr_buZUCxzeNGxjQN" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">eZ eBook</a>.
<h2>Further Reading</h2>
eZ has also published a separate eBook, “<a href="https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&amp;ik=bf5f0a3d6f&amp;view=att&amp;th=14f514a43bb804df&amp;attid=0.3&amp;disp=inline&amp;safe=1&amp;zw&amp;saddbat=ANGjdJ9qZ5zsp090EapfUPdWK7ZPVFEPAWdbRumkO5sBD54Vx-DAraGgDD3XjfoUgo71tA23MmXQTXLXKGgwHCb4zu2eCtPzzQ_wUmaamusunUOe0uRob96x_i8Kp0sJZyLTzzCopDssrFh81vCLBTnwpJovEKVCNcrTYzyx6tn3zVYP2zos7kQlPHSj4VzHbqq6exVE5yWiaRCrS9-kMeOcKAWzYqPz9j5CHCi2Bksj7NQKdKbRCZOCpXVukby2go72t1PmmB-jOU05i8qTkqTGroVmSAMNNoiLCPhRJDyQxmPQfrBdgy637M4NjoUaN6hCDMKLbTAvw_3_L1wrCrLZzHEus6X-XiRFrGwou2A3Xc3oYJl0cdQwH8hzyEYEXjphZOJ5cYe6pUDvC_377-IK6WqMj1W1XRGYzZswZfxg0h6HxmyrP8-4vXeIhpuzNsF-X5ZuGxwfM854v25P1ROU2xfEHXOoFZa6-ig-q6s9ZDD4QJ4nmQowmd34Cvv4siqxWi-oBneD1O9wVgSyFNBX5LjnnRe4G10kZfEm13Wk3sx1E0VjmpW1WZh1BPa4gdkY9gtaEEpOvUEkk9DA">7 Major Mistakes That Will Derail Your CMS Project</a>”, which touches on some vital points revolving around topics such as content writing, integrations, personalization and so forth.
To find out more about eZ Publish, <a href="http://ez.no/Products/The-eZ-Publish-Platform" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">check out eZ Systems’ website</a>. You can also <a href="http://ez.no/Forms/HTML-forms/Request-a-Demo">request a personal demo of eZ Publish Platform</a> to see the many features for yourself. 
Furthermore, stick around for more eZ coverage, including articles on their next generation content management solutions, eZ Platform and eZ Studio, launching in Q4 2015.

Managing Multiple Sites, Channels & Languages with eZ Publish

During my European tour this year, I headed to Karlsuhe, Germany to meet with the folks from 1&amp;1 Internet and get a tour of their <a href="http://www.1and1.com/?ac=OM.US.USj13K353625T7073a" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hosting</a> facilities as well as have a sit down chat about their website builder, <a href="http://www.1and1.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MyWebsite</a>.
For those unfamiliar with MyWebsite, it's a website builder that comes preloaded with a large selection of premade pages and content for a ton of industries, allowing you to quickly make a website for a business such as a hair salon, realtor, etc with very minimal effort. It's quite impressive actually for the price.
Check out the interview to get a feel for how 1&amp;1 handles their customers and what their plans are for MyWebsite now and down the road:
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l54Bpzg2hYo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
For more information about MyWebsite, visit 1&amp;1 on the web at: <a href="http://www.1and1.com/?ac=OM.US.USj13K353625T7073a" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.1and1.com/</a>

CMS Critic Interviews 1&1 Internet

As mentioned in our premier featured article this week, <a href="http://www.1and1.com/?AC=OM.US.USj13K353625T7073a" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1&amp;1 Internet</a> is a <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/a-look-at-1-1-internets-customer-centric-approach/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">friendly and approachable web hosting company</a>.
Although this bodes well with the growing community of first-time website builders, 1&amp;1 Internet is also no stranger in the enterprise market, nor to small- and medium-sized businesses looking to grow.
<a href="http://www.1and1.com/?AC=OM.US.USj13K353625T7073a" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img alt="sshot-9.png" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Z0ZG4YE-_OgOt2CkkZjzG1CJRtA0KmpUMNNUCju4XrJnNvc6GaSR1lyJ7-vXdSwsjNBWKB0bbtX9VlXHXzPQeVBiNuW7qFunmuSWj8QGMWC_i58-g_WCKrsGOdCa-4kTBLiCY68" /></a>
Now that we’ve taken a look at <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/a-look-at-1-1-internets-customer-centric-approach/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1&amp;1 Internet's customer centric</a> &amp; <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/tackling-the-mobile-world-with-1-1-internet/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mobile ready approach</a>, let’s take a look at how they handle businesses with more executive needs.
<h2>Maintained By Experts</h2>
Thanks to <a href="https://www.1and1.com/custom-made-website?ac=OM.US.USj13K353625T7073a">1&amp;1 MyWebsite by Experts</a>, businesses of all sizes can enjoy the benefits of a more hands-on approach from a team of dedicated experts.
That includes custom website design, regular updates, maintenance and general support.
1&amp;1 Internet offers go beyond just design too, handling content, social media linking, search engine optimization, and more.
Here’s a breakdown of what customers of 1&amp;1 MyWebsite by Experts can expect.
Meeting All Demands
1&amp;1 Web Experts use the company’s many years of experience (26 years internationally, to be exact) along with a complete suite of eBusiness tools to increase visibility, build traffic, encourage interaction, manage prospects and sell goods.
Consultation
Customers have access to regular phone consultations with 1&amp;1 design experts to ensure that key messages and visions are carried out.
By keeping in contact in such a way, businesses can be certain of ending up with a website that suits their customer’s needs, their needs and is in line with their vision.
Peace of Mind
With 1&amp;1 MyWebsite by Experts , business owners can rest assured that their website is functional and managed by a professional.
The team of web veterans handle all configurations, apply website adjustments on a daily basis and provide customers with support, motivation and advice.
In other words, 1&amp;1 MyWebsite by Experts is an end-to-end solution for businesses looking to grow their online presence with a solution that offers more than just standard web space.
Find out more about <a href="https://www.1and1.com/custom-made-website?ac=OM.US.USj13K353625T7073a">1&amp;1 MyWebsite by Experts</a>.
To find out more about <a href="http://www.1and1.com/?ac=OM.US.USj13K353625T7073a" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1&amp;1 Internet as a web hosting solution, check out their website</a>.

1&1 Internet & Enterprise Customers: Experts On Hand

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