Two Effective Approaches to Personalization with a Headless CMS

Big Tech companies use Content Personalization to improve user experience

In this ever-changing digital world, it has become increasingly difficult for businesses to capture and retain their customer’s attention. That’s why wealthy organizations utilize content personalization to drive business value. According to Netflix, personalization allows each member to have a different view of the Netflix service, one that adapts to their interests over time. For this, the video-on-demand tycoon uses numerous machine learning and recommendation algorithms to drive personalization and search experiences.

And Netflix isn’t the only industry giant that is known for a high degree of implemented personalization. Big players like YouTube, Facebook, and Spotify leverage these strategies using CMS personalization to stand out. In fact, they all generate personalized recommendations based on their customer’s preferences to improve user experience.

Why is personalization so important?

According to recent statistics, nearly half of consumers have left a company's website because their digital experience lacked personalization. As consumers, we're drawn to brands that make us feel understood and valued. Today, with countless new pieces of content appearing online daily, consumers not only expect but demand personalized content as the standard; videos they like, articles that interest them, and recommendations that match their tastes. That's why personalization matters. And CMS with content personalization is key here to do that. It’s not just a bonus; it’s crucial for business success and when you do it right, you can see amazing results. But wait – isn’t personalization reserved for Big Tech only?

Spoiler alert: It’s not.

What is personalization in CMS?

The good thing about technology is that it always finds its way to the masses. Personalization has been exclusively available to Big Tech for years, but a wide array of personalization solutions is now within our reach. This includes recommending relevant content, enabling targeted content, and sending smart notifications. With these practices, you can deliver a unique digital experience – just like Netflix does.

Today, there are countless ways to start personalizing digital content, but we find two approaches particularly effective. One is using a headless CMS with a personalization engine and the other involves a data-driven headless CMS. Both approaches rely on data sciences, employing techniques like machine learning and data mining to provide unique experiences to every user. The former approach is a modular solution, while the latter has built-in personalization features. Incorporating headless CMS with personalization features into your content management strategy can revolutionize user engagement and optimize conversion rates.

A standalone solution for personalization: Headless with an additional personalization engine

A lot of businesses use a headless CMS to create and publish digital content. This allows them to publish content on numerous front ends while keeping everything organized in one backend. Think of a headless CMS as a flexible base. Most of them allow you to add extra features as needed, like A/B testing, SEO, or recommendations. You can also add a personalization engine to your headless CMS.

A headless CMS with additional personalization engine

Using a personalization engine allows you to customize content for specific customers, creating personalized experiences. While a headless CMS lets you pick the most advanced solution available, most personalization engines are built as stand-alone products. This can make integrating them with your headless CMS difficult, leading to a longer time-to-market. Additionally, using a top-notch personalization engine with your headless CMS can increase both licensing and development costs.

A unified solution for personalization: The data-driven CMS

In answer to the integration difficulties of stand-alone personalization engines, we see a new solution emerge: the data-driven CMS. This new kid on the block is basically a headless CMS with a built-in personalization engine. A data-driven CMS combines the power of both content and data, to maximize the impact of published content. Real-time personalization becomes possible as a data-driven CMS captures event data from the front end and sends it back to the content management system. This fuels personalization features such as targeted recommendations and smart notifications.

Personalization with a data-driven CMS

Data-driven content management has one big benefit over a modular solution. It gives access to personalization features without the need for multiple systems. Setting up this headless CMS with personalization solution doesn’t require much technical knowledge. This keeps development costs low and ensures a faster time-to-market. Even though you might not have access to that broad scope of personalization features, a data-driven CMS is advanced enough for most businesses. The smaller selection of the latest and most essential features is also what keeps licensing costs affordable.

You can see how easy it is to implement website personalization with Prepr CMS.

Channel your inner Netflix for content personalization

The era in which only Big Tech companies such as Netflix can personalize digital experiences is over. Now, anyone can start personalizing content for their audiences, whether you add a modular personalization engine to your backend or opt for a data-driven CMS. Both options come with their own pros and cons. Check out all the differences below and choose your pick. It’s time to channel your inner Netflix for your CMS personalization.

Want to learn more?

For more about personalization with a data-driven CMS, make sure to visit our personalization page. We’re here to tell you all about this cutting-edge solution.

If you want a personalized demo, feel free to schedule a call with a Prepr specialist.