Choosing the Right CRM and CMS Platform for Your Business

Selecting the right Content Management System (CMS) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform for your business may seem overwhelming. You see, there are many options available when it comes to this kind of software and it can become daunting when deciding which platforms best suit your business. Not only will you be considering affordability, but you will also be considering functionality and scalability. In this article, we’ll be providing you with some tips for choosing the right CRM and CMS for your business.

Before we begin, let’s take a quick look at these two platforms and what they offer your business.

What is a CRM?

A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is software that businesses use to administer and track interactions with leads and customers. This is done using advanced and automated data analysis which helps with marketing, lead segmentation, lead scoring, and lead qualification.

What is a CMS?

A Content Management System or CMS is a tool used to create, manage and update a website. Your marketing team will need to choose a CMS that aligns with your CRM solution. This ensures that all your website information is successfully stored and managed.

With the array of CRM and CMS vendors on the market today, selecting the right platform can be daunting - but it doesn't have to be. This article will help you make the right decision when it comes to selecting a CMS and CRM vendor for your business.

5 Tips for Choosing the Right CRM for your Business

When choosing the right CRM for your organization, there are a variety of elements that need to be considered. The most important place to begin in the selection process is to understand your CRM goals.

1. Identify your Goals

Before you begin the selection process you need to identify what problem you want to solve in a CRM system. List your goals in order of importance to help you choose what CRM tool would be the most effective for your organizational goals.

There are a variety of functionalities that a CRM delivers and it is up to your marketing, sales and service teams to decide which elements are the most important.

For example, will you be focusing your efforts on lead tracking, lead scoring and lead generation or will your number one priority be to organize business operations, increase productivity and align teams?

If you understand the priority of each goal, you are able to identify what functionalities you require from a CRM, which will help you whittle down the selection process.

2. Consider Implementation and Ease-of-Use

Once you have identified your goals you need to consider the implementation stage. How long will it take for your teams to become accustomed to the CRM system? This is a part of the selection process that cannot be ignored. Remember, when implementing new software across a business there is always a period needed for implementation and user adoption. In some instances, you may require a consultant or you will need to train staff to head up the operation and deployment. Either way, there will be some training involved in any CRM implementation. This is why it is important to consider implementation costs, training time as well as ease-of-use.

When it comes to considering implementation and training cost it is important to remember that this is a cost that will provide a return on investment in the future. When it comes to user experience, you want to invest in a platform that can be used by anyone in your company. This is why intuitive CRMs are important.

3. Understanding Processes

CRMs are designed to make business processes easier and more efficient. With that in mind, CRMs are created with a variety of business processes in mind. However, all processes are different and this is why you need to unpack what processes you want to focus on within your CRM system. Consider whether or not a CRM has the tools, scalability and flexibility to handle your processes, from marketing campaigns and lead generation through to sales pipeline, lead scoring, sales and service processes.

In this regard, you will also want a CRM that is able to grow alongside your business and one that can easily adapt to any business changes you will go forward with in the future.

4. Review Software Compatibility

As APIs are becoming more common, software compatibility is becoming less of an issue. However, some CRMs are still behind in this regard and you need to make sure that the CRM you select is able to connect with the applications you already have in place across your business.

It is also important to note that if you require help connecting your applications through APIs, a third-party platform should be available to integrate your systems and streamline your data organization.

Inquire About Analytics and Reporting Capabilities

When it comes to choosing a CRM, you need to make sure that the platform offers the right reporting and analytic tools to help you measure the success of your efforts. You should consider finding a CRM that can customize your reports based on your unique goals, helping you identify any opportunity for improvement. Analytics should be able to help your marketing, sales and service teams better their productivity and campaigns to ensure greater results across departments.

The Wrap Up

When choosing the right CRM for your business, you need to consider:

Your CRM Goals
CRM Implementation
Important Business Processes
Software Compatibility
Analytics and Reporting Capabilities

Once you have identified and understood all of the above, the selection process will become easier and you will be well on your way to implementing a strong CRM across your business.

Next up, we take a look at some tips to help you choose the right CMS for your business.

5 Tips for Selecting the Right CMS For Your Business

1. Know Your Goals

One of the first things you need to do when selecting the CMS for your business is to understand your specific CMS goals. This means you need to bring your marketers, content creators and designers into a meeting and get their input. This is because you need to understand what problems need to be solved and what goals you want to achieve through the CMS system.

2. Consider Ease-of-Use

It is important that you avoid using a CMS that is reliant on professional developers. You need to invest in a CMS that allows your teams to focus on implementing strategies and campaigns that increase website traffic as opposed to learning a brand new set of development skills.

This is why you need to find a CMS that is easy to use, offers drop and drag options and allow your marketing, content and design team to work together in a simple, efficient and effective environment.

3. Consider Scalability

Scalability is vital when it comes to selecting a CMS for your business. Make sure you select a CMS that is able to grow quickly with your business. This means you need to find a CMS that offers a multitude of tools and functionalities that you may need to use in the future.

A CMS is designed to help your business grow and with that in mind, it should be able to grow with you as it does its job.

4. Select an Intuitive CMS

You want a CMS that is easy to implement across your business. This means it needs to be easy to use and this is where intuitive user experience comes into play. The CMS you choose should not require a lot of technical know-how or over-the-top training.

Again, look for CMS’s that come with drag and drop options and offer a “What You See Is What You Get Approach” to their product. Intuitive design is vital.

5. Ensure your CMS supports Software Integrations

Your CMS should have APIs that allow for the integration of other apps and microservices used across your business. As CMS’s are home to your website and content, they need to integrate with related marketing automation tools such as your CRM and Google Analytics.

Choose a CMS that offers robust APIs and lets you easily connect with third-party content management and marketing tools.

The Wrap Up

When selecting a CMS for your business, consider the following:

Business and Departmental Goals
Ease-of-use
Scalability
Intuitive Design
Software Integrations

Once you understand all of the above, you will be able to find the ideal CMS solution for your business.

Looking for the best CRM or CMS for your business? Or looking to go a step further by integrating your CRM and CMS systems?

Nexa is proud to be a Diamond-tiered HubSpot Partner and this places us in the top 2% of HubSpot Partners globally. HubSpot offers the most powerful CRM and CMS solutions and we are able to help you create the ultimate CRM-CMS solution for your business.