Sitecore
Technical Perspectives

"What is Sitecore?" & Other Questions Answered by Sitecore Development & Industry Experts

Written by Prem Khatri Posted by Carolina
Prem Khatri

Prem Khatri

"What is Sitecore?"

You may have asked yourself this question in your search to find a new marketing platform, or if you currently use Sitecore to manage your website, but don’t know how to harness all of its digital marketing advantages. You may have also heard about Sitecore if you are currently a SharePoint user, and are looking into why Microsoft has recommended Sitecore as an alternative CMS.

Whatever your reasons for asking “What is Sitecore?” you can find your answers here!

Sitecore is a robust digital marketing system that combines a content management system with contextual intelligence and omnichannel automation technologies. It offers marketing automation tools that allow you to manage your website, or multiple sites, and reach your customers when and where it matters.

Sitecore’s contextual intelligence features keep track of customers’ locations, interactions, and behavioral patterns in the Experience Database (xDB) for real-time and historical analysis. Combined with automations of various marketing channels (web, mobile, social, e-mail, commerce, and print), this allows you to personalize every customer interaction at every stage of the customer lifecycle.

Sitecore effectively puts you in control of your branding and customer experiences so that you and your customers can “Own the Experience”.

"What is the difference between Sitecore CMS and Sitecore DMS?"

In your research you may have come across terms such as Sitecore CMS and Sitecore DMS. While these aren’t the official names for Sitecore components, they are important for differentiating the kinds of capabilities Sitecore offers.

Sitecore CMS is short for Sitecore Content Management System. A CMS is the software platform used to create, publish, and manage content on websites. Another common term used is WCMS (web content management system) which specifically refers to platforms like Sitecore that manage external, customer-facing websites.

Sitecore calls their CMS the Sitecore Web Experience Manager, which is designed for enterprise-grade content management and scalability. Some of its features include the ability to write content once and distribute to every marketing channel (also a function of omnichannel automation), customizable rules for tailoring content to specific types of visitors, multi-site integrations and management (including even non-Sitecore websites), multi-lingual capabilities, and Mobile First responsiveness.

Sitecore DMS (short for Sitecore Digital Marketing System) refers to Sitecore’s contextual intelligence and omnichannel automation capabilities. Sitecore calls their DMS system the Sitecore Experience Platform, and it combines the Sitecore Web Experience Manager with customer intelligence and cross-channel delivery. The Sitecore Experience Platform enables you to harness data-driven customer insights and optimize your sites and branding for customer engagement and overall performance. Some of these Sitecore DMS features include a centralized data repository (Sitecore xDB and integrations with other databases such as your CRM), customer profiles, scoring, and various testing capabilities. Sitecore DMS also includes Sitecore Commerce, a natively integrated module for streamlining customer online shopping experiences. Sitecore Commerce has three options, all equipped to help you manage pre-purchase, point-of-sale, and post-purchase marketing experiences.

Sitecore Development

"How do I implement Sitecore for my specific needs?"

The advantage of Sitecore is the ability to customize every aspect of your marketing pipelines. But with so many options, how can you leverage the best solutions for you?

That is where a Sitecore implementation partner like Chetu comes in.

When assessing your marketing and Sitecore needs, you may address several topics: your product or service, customer lifecycles, industry specifics, and current technologies. Every Sitecore implementation is unique, and requires an assessment of current systems as well as a plan for migrating legacy data, streamlining systems, extending platform capabilities, and optimizing marketing channels.

Chetu has implemented, integrated, and customized Sitecore platforms as well as other content management and marketing software solutions. We customize all of our services, from assessment of your current technology and systems to the selection of our industry specialized, certified Sitecore developers.

Some of Chetu’s industry specializations that benefit from Sitecore CMS and Sitecore DMS solutions:

Sitecore for Healthcare

Due to the healthcare industry’s organizational complexities, Sitecore’s unparalleled flexibility offers the most industry-appropriate solutions. Healthcare organizations serve large, diverse populations, and therefore must appeal to a variety of needs. With multi-site management and flexible templating, Sitecore CMS platforms allow healthcare marketers to customize and manage their content with ease. Sitecore DMS also offers in-depth analytics to provide healthcare marketers with the insights necessary to engage target audiences with relevant health information and healthcare resources. Additionally, Sitecore platforms are easily integrated to a number of pre-made APIs, and a knowledgeable development partner can custom integrate to the many systems needed to run online healthcare marketing campaigns.

Sitecore for Retail & E-Commerce

A logical relationship, Sitecore best serves retail and e-commerce industries with its customer lifecycle focus, experience management, and omnichannel automation features. The Sitecore Experience Platform and Experience Database collect and allow retailers and e-commerce marketers to monitor how customers are interacting with the brand across channels, with knowledge of device types, social media platforms, search histories, positions in sales funnel, and more. For instance, contextual intelligence uses session cookies to track devices and create user profiles. Based on collected user behavioral patterns, rules-based automations and more personalized targeting can be leveraged, strengthening overall relationships with unique markets. Retail and e-commerce marketers can also utilize the omnichannel automation and integration features to ensure that customers’ experience a seamless content experience across platforms, eliminating data duplication and inefficient pathways that result in site abandonment.

Sitecore for Education & E-Learning

Educational institutions, whether on campus or online, revolve around the delivery of content to their students. Sitecore CMS enables educators to consolidate student data into a single view, and reach out through e-learning systems (LMS, LCMS, MOOC, etc.), mobile learning (m-learning), social platforms, and other digital advances in education. Many schools also run custom-branded online systems and e-mail systems to keep students informed, which institutions can easily do using Sitecore CMS mass distribution features across a variety of channels. And in terms of marketing educational offerings and institutions to prospective students, personalized outreach and relationship-based engagements are essential for connecting with students looking for the best fit. Sitecore DMS offers the contextual intelligence and analytics features to meet both of these needs.

Sitecore solutions can be implemented in other industries such as manufacturing, financial services, automotive, travel, entertainment, automotive industry and more. Chetu’s certified Sitecore developers are hand-selected for their technical and industry expertise to deliver customized services in each of these areas.

"What should I look for in a Sitecore implementation partner?"

Finding the best Sitecore services to address your needs comes down to a few necessities: Sitecore implementation experience, technology expertise, industry knowledge, and business-savvy customer service.

Chetu offers all of the above, with our end-to-end Sitecore services:

  • We have implemented, integrated, and customized Sitecore CMS and Sitecore DMS platforms for customers worldwide including B2B, B2C, and small to large enterprises
  • We have immediately available certified Sitecore developers, specialized by industry
  • We are experts in the technologies that power Sitecore, including Microsoft .NET Framework, Visual Studio, ASP.NET MVC, and C# (C Sharp)
  • Our “Concept to Code” services delivery model supports you in each stage of Sitecore implementation, from assessment of your Sitecore needs to code completion and delivery of your proprietary solution

Call or email us today to discuss your Sitecore needs with one of our knowledgeable solutions experts. Start the discussion that will help you to own the Sitecore experience!

Disclaimer:

Chetu does not affect the opinion of this article. Any mention of a specific software, company or individual does not constitute an endorsement from either party unless otherwise specified. This blog should not be construed as legal advice.

Founded in 2000, Chetu is a global provider of app designing services, solutions and support services. Chetu's specialized technology and industry experts serve startups, SMBs, and Fortune 500 companies with an unparalleled software delivery model suited to the needs of the client. Chetu's one-stop-shop model spans the entire software technology spectrum. Headquartered in Plantation, Florida, Chetu has fourteen locations throughout the U.S. and abroad.


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