Modular content explodes content silos

Technology expert Dion Hinchcliffe recently described the evolution of the modern CMS as moving from that of a central content repository to “a spoke on a hub” that connects the authoring endpoint, third-party integrations and the myriad channels driving the end-user experience.

The power of modular content in this hub-and-spoke scenario is that content can flow anywhere—and back—without disrupting the chain of custody, approvals and versioning for any given content element.

Why does this matter for marketing teams?

Take, for example, the case of a pharmaceutical company bringing a groundbreaking new drug to market around the world.

With millions of dollars of investment on the line and a web of complex regulatory and legal requirements specific to various countries and regions, consistent and accurate messaging for each and every word is paramount.

All claims must be substantiated and referenced; appropriate legal and medical disclaimers must be vetted and attached. With approvals secured through detailed medical and legal review workflows for an approved drug, finalized messaging can now be passed to the marketing teams whose job it is to get the word out and bring the product to market for local patients and medical providers.

Here, a modular content approach can unlock the true potential of a global marketing team, which can confidently pick up an approved set of messaging that can be fed into local marketing channels like Web, email, print, broadcast and beyond. The messaging can be tailored and translated for local markets while never losing its connection to the approved source asset.

Beyond enabling local teams to work seamlessly without being blocked by or stepping into larger global workflows, the availability of multiple, configurable modules means messaging and impact can be measured and applied at the local level to ensure maximum impact and ROI.

Whether it’s a life-saving drug, a new techno gadget or details about the luxury attributes of a new car, a modular content approach lets global brands drive one single message but speak in many voices to mirror the language and tone of the respective local audiences.

Modular content is system-agnostic

Think of modular content as building blocks that power a dynamic content ecosystem. The assembly lines carrying these blocks are no longer restricted within the walls of one proprietary system versus another.

APIs can take any piece of content, or collection of content assets, out of an authoring system like a CMS and deliver it to a front-end presentation layer—or a completely separate CMS, digital asset management system or CRM tool.

The key is being able to logically deconstruct your blocks in order to map directly over to a target location at the other end of the proverbial delivery highway.

The beauty of modular content, therefore, is that it can be applied to any template, media, form or format.

Marketers familiar with working across proprietary and third-party systems take note. With modular content, you can bring the items you need down the spokes referenced by Dion Hinchliffe, and you won’t have to second-guess the source or disrupt processes in your own workflow.

The benefits are clear: time-saving efficiencies, messaging consistency, and autonomy for marketers to make informed decisions at the local market level.

Modular content saves time and money

Speaking of efficiencies, the most immediate and apparent benefit from modular content is its reusability. Why create multiple versions of the same thing when a shared module can achieve the same result and cut out the time to recreate and customize?

Beyond the clear time savings, perhaps the bigger but less obvious win is the ways a modular content framework lets you easily track where individual components are being used, where they are succeeding and where certain modules are underperforming.

This analytic intelligence is gold for marketers, who can now create programs and modules at a global level and gain a view across the board about what’s working and what’s not—and make the necessary course corrections to avoid spending money in areas where the data is telling them not to.

Knowing where and how your content is being used at the granular level also means avoiding overusing certain assets like images or being able to more easily inject, manage and update key messaging as you need.

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