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Video: A few more 2014 predictions

Given that it’s the middle of February (can you believe it?), it’s a tad late to be making predictions for 2014, but I figured it would still be okay if I referenced 5, er 6, web content management (WCM) industry predictions I made last month on January’s episode of CMS-Connected.

To cut to the chase, the predictions include:

  1. The acceptance of a broader understanding of Customer Experience Management than currently exists in the digital marketing realm.
  2. Content and commerce will continue to intersect even more intensely – mergers, acquisitions and partnerships will continue.
  3. The importance of service providers (integrators and agencies) is going to grow even further in 2014.
  4. The traditional WCM mindset will continue to lose ground, rendering some vendors insignificant.
  5. Innovation will focus more intensely on the challenge of intelligence (gathering and leveraging it) rather than the challenge of publishing.
  6. And a bonus: There will be a renewed focus on the separation of content from presentation by buyers. As I explain below, this is a theme I’ve been discussing a lot lately, and it’s a prediction I made just prior to the predictions segment of the show.

Watch the video below to see the details of each prediction. I originally transcribed the commentary, but I cringed when I read back my spoken word. It’s easy to follow on the video, but the conversational tone is better left on camera than in print. Also, feel free to check out the rest of the show, in which my co-host Butch Stearns and I discussed some recent industry news and events, such as Marketo’s acquisition of Insightera, Upland Software’s acquisition of Clickability, and more.

sixth prediction I made on the show as part of an answer to a question just prior to the predictions segment (at around 40:10) is a shift back to the notion of the separation of content from presentation. Once a definitive goal of all WCM software and a box on all buyers’ checklists, this design philosophy may have been a bit before its time since its usefulness has remained mostly unleveraged in the world of web content. [This is a vast over-generalization, but bare with me.] In fact, many vendors have begun to ignore it altogether either architecturally (in the worst scenarios) or by promoting their snazzy in-line editing interfaces that lure in so many business users yet discourage the core principles of content separation. However, with the explosion of mobile devices and the never-yet-quenched desire for personalization by most organizations, the day of reckoning for many companies is approaching as marketers are taking steps to put theory into practice. Marketers are finding that the lack of adherence to this philosophy over the past five years is impinging their ability to move forward with the proverbial phase two. As we work with organizations to help them with their customer experience strategies, we are seeing their lack rigor with regards to content publishing impinge their ability to implement personalized digital experiences for consumers. In 2014 and beyond, I think this issue will continue to surface for more and more as organizations as they strive to increase the maturity of their engagement practices.

So, what do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below..


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