Sitecore is more than just a very powerful CMS, it is a leading, premium Digital Experience Platform, with a broad range of capabilities. It has a number of offerings, and licensing and pricing options, providing opportunities for many organizations to start using the platform.
Marketing teams need to sometimes work to make the business case for starting to use Sitecore or to extend the platform. The specific format of a business case and any additional work you have to do to change the hearts and minds of your budget holders will vary from organisation to organisation. However, there will be some common elements to focus on, including the potential increased revenue and opportunities arising from creating advanced customer experiences.
It is also likely that a business case will mention some of the specific, unique qualities of Sitecore that make it the platform of choice for many. In this article we are going to explore seven of Sitecore’s strengths that are worth mentioning in any business case.
1. Strengths around personalization, automation and AI
Any business case should reference Sitecore’s market-leading capabilities around personalization and marketing automation. Increasingly we also think AI will also be recognised as a platform strength. These are the features that differentiate Sitecore from a run-of-the-mill CMS and are often the main reason marketers are attracted to the platform. If you are not interested in driving personalization or automating marketing processes, then it may be difficult to make a convincing business case for Sitecore; indeed, it may not be the right CMS for you.
One of the exciting elements of Sitecore is the ability to link personalization, automation and AI and for these to work together, allowing you to amplify the value you get from each and helping to build exceptional customer experiences. The way these work together creates opportunities for smaller marketing teams that would be impossible to administer without additional staff; there are also potential time savings and efficiencies driven by marketing automation that could make a convincing element of any business case.
2. Sitecore is a platform, and arguably an ecosystem
Sitecore is a Digital Experience Platform (DXP). It is way beyond a single standalone CMS; it can be used as a complete digital marketing ecosystem with all the different moving parts, integrated seamlessly. Therefore, if you are looking to start to develop and evolve an entire ecosystem with one platform rather than follow more of a “best of breed” strategy, then Sitecore is an excellent choice.
If this is your longer-term goal then this can be part of a business case, focusing on the advantages of having one go-to, interconnected platform. There may also be opportunities to justify some of the costs from savings made through the retirement of legacy systems.
3. You can find some great Sitecore examples
One of the excellent things about Sitecore is that it is so extensively used; you can find numerous examples of Sitecore in action which show off its capability to deliver leading customer experiences. It is also usually possible to also experience any personalization and marketing automation in place, for example when you revisit a site or receive a timely email off the back of an interaction.
We’ve always found that referencing what others companies have done is absolutely key to any business case; when your stakeholders see real life examples they can visualise what could be done for their own company and this resonates more than paragraphs of text.
4. A platform that evolves with you
In any business case, we recommend stressing that Sitecore is a platform that can evolve with your needs; Sitecore is a long-term investment.
Sitecore’s ability to evolve with you happens in two main ways. Firstly, Sitecore continues to invest heavily in its interfaces and features. The regular releases mean that the platform keeps on getting better and better. For example, in 9.3 there are added capabilities around AI, a brand-new editing experience and multiple improvements across the platform. Sitecore continues to invest in its roadmap and even surprises us from time to time.
Secondly, Sitecore is super-flexible and scalable. It is not really a platform for creating out-of-the-box experiences, it is more about creating something unique for your organization and your customers. Because you can do so much with Sitecore and because it does so much of the heavy lifting, it means you can use Sitecore more and more as you become more ambitious in the websites and digital experiences you create.
5. It can help you understand your customers better
Sitecore excels with analytics and insights and can really help you to understand your customers better. This means that you derive insights that can allow you to make interventions and changes that can deliver more leads, transform your sales funnel, and better execute campaigns. Sitecore can really help you drive improvements down to a very granular level. Arguably, this can also unlock the investments you make in other areas of customer experience.
6. Sitecore is stable and mature
Sitecore is an industry leader and that is a good thing for a business case. Sitecore is a well-established company which is independent, financially stable and has established close partnerships with companies like Microsoft. The product and platform are long established; Sitecore is very mature and has been through multiple iterations.
There is a very widespread partner network and plenty of experienced developers, although Sitecore is introducing more elements such as Sitecore JSS in order to allow more .NET developers to work with the platform. This means that there are very few risks associated with the product and the provider compared with the risk profile of a start-up or smaller vendor.
7. Sitecore is a practitioner’s platform
Although a business case needs to be made predominantly to your budget holders, it really helps if your delivery teams are behind it. Sitecore really is a practitioner’s platform in that those involved with it can execute powerful capabilities and get involved in interesting and rewarding projects. This counts for both marketing professionals, keen to deliver cool stuff and try out personalization and automation, as well as IT Developers who find Sitecore a genuine pleasure to program. We certainly love working with the Sitecore here at Cylogy!
Focusing on Sitecore’s value
The secret of making a convincing business case for Sitecore is to focus on Sitecore’s value and its unique strengths. Why use Sitecore rather than any other CMS? We hope this article has given you some thinking points to start making that business case. If you are trying to make the argument for investment and would like to discuss any other elements of Sitecore, then get in touch.
