DXP vs CMS vs WEM: which is the best solution for your business?

Here we will explain the differences between a Content Management System (CMS), Web Experience Management (WEM) and Digital Experience Platform (DXP) and provide guidance on choosing the best solution for your enterprise. 

What is a CMS?

As the name suggests, a Content Management System (CMS) is designed to create and manage written and visual content across traditional platforms, such as desktop and mobile websites. It makes up the backend of your website and pushes the content to the frontend for users to see.

Benefits and limitations of a CMS

Content management systems simplify the process of sharing content with online users. With features such as version management and multiple user access, an intranet CMS will make it easier to keep your brand voice and image consistent. They are simple to use, with recognizable features that anyone, with or without technical knowledge, can use with ease.

Content management systems do have limitations in terms of personalization and alone, are not advanced enough to support omnichannel marketing. For this, complex integrations with other software types are necessary, which can be time consuming and costly.

Another drawback is that CMS platforms can create silos in organizations where different departments aren’t sharing information with each other, resulting in reduced efficiency and duplication of content.

Is a CMS enough for your business?

If digital is not the main driver for your enterprise, a content management system may be enough to meet your needs. However, if you need increased levels of customer personalization, a WEM or DXP solution will prove more beneficial.

What is WEM?

As digital marketing and ecommerce have become major facets for brands, so has the need to provide a more personalized customer experience. Web Experience Management (WEM) goes beyond just managing content and instead offers a more comprehensive solution to user experience management. WEM systems use advanced analytics to determine user behavior and react to it; serving up content that meets users’ needs more effectively and enhances their online experience.

Benefits and limitations of WEM

Audience management, adaptive content and responsive design are all beneficial features of WEM solutions, which ensure you are delivering the right content, to the right audience, in the right format.

A tailored online experience will go a long way in increasing conversions. However, WEM still has some limitations in terms of personalizing content, as it tends to create generalized audience types. This is where DXP solutions, such as Unily, far exceed both CMS and WEM in offering extensive benefits to both an enterprise and its users.

What is a DXP?

Digital Experience Platforms combat the limitations of a traditional CMS and build on the content personalization features offered by web experience platforms, to provide a fully integrated experience.

DXP solutions are designed to handle content and asset management on a much larger scale. They will allow you to create an omnichannel experience that can sync and publish content across various media types such as websites, intranets, mobile sites, billboards, customer portals, IoT devices and social media. This is something a traditional CMS would struggle to offer without significant financial and time investment.

Beneficial features of DXPs

We all know the importance of providing a consistent digital experience for users and having key touch points throughout the sales journey. DXP helps to build and manage a meaningful relationship between your brand and customers through the entire lifecycle, from awareness to conversion to long-term, loyal customer.

From an internal point of view, a DXP will unify the customer experience you offer across all device types, without the stress of a complex and confusing management process at the backend. It can also greatly benefit those with multiple backend systems and management departments currently in silos, ensuring increased efficiency.

Do you need a DXP solution?

Whether you need a digital experience platform depends on your marketing goals and the level of personalization you need to offer customers, in order to remain competitive. If high levels of personalization are paramount, so is a DXP.

DXP platforms offer extensive benefits to companies that require a fully connected digital experience. If your enterprise has a key stake in the digital world and a need for multiple touch points with a diverse audience, it really is a must-have.

Try Unily's ready-made solution

Today, you need to make your content and marketing readily available to users across a whole host of devices, from desktops and smartphones to wearables, VR technology and IoT devices. Unily’s Employee Experience Platform (our unique take on the DXP) ensures you’re sharing content where your customers are at. By centralizing and streamlining your content, the various users your business interacts with (customers, employees, stakeholders) can access the different types of information they need quickly.

Here at Unily, we offer a ready-made solution that is easy to implement without the need for extensive IT support. It can be customized to meet both the needs of your enterprise internally and those of your customers. In addition to this, our platform can easily integrate with existing tools, removing silos within your business.

If you are looking to improve employee productivity, increase customer satisfaction and encourage greater efficiency in your business partnerships, Unily’s complete digital experience platform will prove a great investment. Contact our team for more information.