News
SaaS CMS: Changing the Way We Measure ROI
July 6, 2012
There is no question that opting for a SaaS Content Management System (CMS) for your business is an important investment. That’s why it’s just good business sense to be able to measure your Return on Investment (ROI).
Simply put, to calculate ROI, you divide the benefits gained from an investment by the costs. The challenge, however, is that while it is usually easy to identify costs, the benefits aren’t always apparent and in today’s world of online business, they are continually evolving. 
The adoption of the web CMS has become more common than not in publishing, based predominately on an ROI calculation that considers these basic benefits:
- Publishing efficiencies: a SaaS CMS will significantly cut the amount of editorial hours that go into creating and publishing content
- Regular software upgrades should be part of your cloud software as a service agreement, speeding time to market for new features while reducing the resources and monetary costs of staying up-to-date.
- Reduction in cost of hardware: with a SaaS, you don’t have to pay for a roomful of servers, or for bandwidth or systems support. Your infrastructure can scale as your business grows.
Based on these benefits alone, most will argue that these days, without a SaaS CMS, you are at a competitive disadvantage. Yet, those businesses that adopt the SaaS business model are finding that increases to the top line and related performance measures are adding new ROI factors to cost saving typically associated with software investments.
Efficiency is still the backbone of the ROI, but with it comes greater creative freedom and publishers are channeling that into monetizing content and extending their brands, using the central tools provided by their CMS.
Greater Audience Engagement is an integral part of a CMS. Content is delivered via multiple channels—taking advantage of the latest trends in consumer behavior. Mobile interfaces, email and social media are all utilized with sophisticated presentation and consistent branding.
Intelligent Content Management automates the process of context awareness and presents relevant content to site visitors; engaged users spend more time on site, and are more likely to buy.
Brand Consistency does not require multiple redesigns or separate management for multiple sites and channels. A company can extend its brand regionally, nationally and internationally, without reinventing the wheel. Publishers deliver unique content to various audiences, while maintaining a recognizable brand.
Speed and Flexibility provide businesses the ability to respond rapidly to market trends as well as regulatory demands—supporting a competitive edge within a secure user environment.
Businesses are finding out a very basic fact: a SaaS CMS that removes the obstacles to intelligent content delivery, with eCommerce and Community built in, will result in increased site traffic (which increases ad and sponsorship revenue) and increased sales.
The point? As more businesses discover that a SaaS CMS is more than a business relationship; it unlocks best practices that deliver additional benefits not previously considered as part of an ROI calculation. It’s no longer a question of if a SaaS CMS will help your business grow, it’s a matter of how many waysit will help you grow.