Salesforce CMS: A Detailed Guide to Creating Engaging Content

Salesforce CMS is a content management system designed to help businesses create, manage, and deliver engaging content across multiple channels. Built on the Salesforce platform, it provides a seamless content management experience, enabling teams to collaborate and share content with ease. In this article, we’ll delve into its process, features, and best practices for using Salesforce CMS to create highly readable and engaging content.

Exploring Salesforce CMS: Process, and Additional Features

A standard Salesforce license includes a CMS starter package, which features the capability to generate up to 500 content records, 20 custom content types (besides the default News type), and a maximum of 50 GB of content served per year. For organizations requiring more resources, additional allowances can be added to their existing license.

Salesforce CMS Workflow

The content management process in Salesforce CMS consists of four primary steps. The process begins with content creation, followed by sharing content with Communities. Then, organize the content using Tags and Collections before finally displaying it within the Community.

Integrating External Content with CMS Connect

CMS Connect facilitates smooth integration with external Content Management Systems such as Drupal, WordPress, AEM, Sitecore, and SDL. This feature eliminates the need to duplicate content within your Community, ensuring consistent branding across multiple platforms and simplifying maintenance.

Creating Custom Content Types with CMS Content Type Creator

Although Salesforce offers a default “News” content type, users can choose to create their own tailored content types. Since the Summer ’20 update, custom content type creation has been executed programmatically via the Metadata API. The Salesforce Labs’ AppExchange package, known as the CMS Content Type Creator, provides an easy-to-use graphical interface within the Salesforce Lightning Experience, enabling users to effortlessly generate, duplicate, and remove custom CMS content types.

Advantages of Salesforce CMS

Some key advantages of using Salesforce CMS include the following:

1. Streamlined content creation and management with intuitive tools.
2. Improved collaboration and content sharing across teams.
3. Personalized content delivery for better audience engagement.
4. Seamless integration with other Salesforce products for data-driven insights.
5. Robust security and compliance features.

Setting Up Salesforce CMS

In a Salesforce org, you can create up to 2,000 CMS workspaces. To create a CMS workspace in Lightning Experience, follow these steps:

1. Open the Digital Experiences app from the App Launcher.
2. From the Digital Experiences Home tab, choose “Create a CMS Workspace” or “Add Workspace.”
3. Provide a name, description, and select the workspace type.
4. Add an existing channel or create a new one for the workspace.
5. Configure role-based access for contributors or set yourself as the content admin.
6. Add languages to the workspace, including the default language.
7. Review the details and make edits if needed.
8. Click Done to create the workspace.

Editing CMS Workspaces in Lightning Experience

To access the Digital Experiences app (previously Salesforce CMS) in Lightning Experience, open it from the App Launcher. On the Digital Experiences Home tab, you can find the All CMS Workspaces table. You can open a CMS workspace from there by clicking its name or selecting Edit from the row-level actions. If you need to modify a CMS workspace, click Edit on the details page. 

For enhanced CMS workspaces, access the Workspace Details by clicking the Workspace Settings Menu icon on the details page. Edit the name or description as required, and don’t forget to save your changes.

Content Creation and Management

1. Creating Content Types

Content types define the structure and format of your content in Salesforce CMS. You can create custom content types using the Content Builder or use the built-in content types, such as text, images, and videos.

2. Creating Content Records

Content records are instances of content types that store the actual content you create. To create a content record, select the appropriate content type and use the Content Builder to add and edit your content. Utilizing templates can help ensure uniformity in the appearance and presentation of your material.

3. Version Control and Publication

Salesforce CMS provides version management capabilities, enabling you to monitor alterations and preserve a record of your content’s evolution. This allows for the creation of drafts, comparison of different iterations, and restoration to prior versions if necessary. To publish your content, you can use the scheduling feature to set a specific date and time for publication.

Content Distribution and Personalization

1. Channels and Experiences

Channels in Salesforce CMS are the different platforms where you deliver your content, such as websites, mobile apps, and email campaigns. Experiences are the specific user interactions within those channels, such as product pages or blog posts. Salesforce CMS allows you to create and manage content for multiple channels and experiences, ensuring a consistent and engaging user experience.

2. Audience Targeting

Salesforce CMS allows for the targeting of distinct audiences based on their interests, actions, and demographic information. By integrating information from additional Salesforce offerings, you can develop more pertinent and captivating content that appeals to your desired audience, resulting in heightened interaction and increased conversion rates.

Summing Up

Salesforce CMS is a comprehensive content management system that empowers businesses to create, manage, and deliver engaging content across multiple channels. With its robust features and user-friendly interface, Salesforce CMS is an excellent choice for organizations looking to improve their content marketing efforts and drive better results.

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