I often come across media outlets that get in touch with me, wanting the best CMS for their needs on a very tight budget. The problem is that price often becomes the primary factor in switching and choosing a CMS, and in an attempt to save a few hundred euros, they end up spending thousands.
I often encounter media outlets that want to switch CMS but have an extremely tight budget. There are good value-for-money options and CMS MAG can be very helpful in that regard. The real issue arises when the decision is made solely based on cost and we get lured by siren calls…
The worst-case scenario is a media outlet that has already switched its CMS based solely on price, without any guidance from CMS MAG or an in-house digital manager. These outlets typically choose an inferior CMS, fail to manage the migration properly, and end up losing as much as 50% of their audience traffic, despite having invested in the project. In this case, the future of the company is directly jeopardised! The damage can be devastating.
In other, less severe instances, the changeover process is done moderately well, but they end up captive to a CMS that is not what I would call a “success partner.” Their CMS is neither scalable nor flexible, and within a year, they already sense the need to switch again. By the second year, the need is urgent because the CMS has not evolved as promised, leading to significant stagnation. This leaves the impression that the outlet is lagging behind and unable to catch the new waves of information that boost traffic.
In this situation, any change entails migration and redesign costs, whether staying with the same provider or moving to another, and this can easily add up to around £30,000. How many months of fees could you pay with that amount? For the sake of saving a small amount of money each month, these outlets end up having to migrate again in a short period, with all the associated risks.
All this, without mentioning that these CMS platforms are also cumbersome to handle, lack good customer support and create considerable frustration for the client. This affects the workplace atmosphere and, in some cases, leads to dismissals or resignations. This emotional cost must also be taken into account.
As is customary, I would like to remind everyone that each media outlet should have its own in-house digital manager looking out for its interests, rather than relying fully on the CMS provider, which has its own. If you do not have sufficient budget or someone on your team to safeguard your interests, it’s best to abort the mission.
If you are going to switch, then simply do it right or don’t do it at all. Save up or secure the necessary funds, get an advisor or someone in-house to manage the project properly, and choose a CMS that you won’t need to replace every so often because updates are included in the monthly fee and it is flexible, robust, and secure.
It can be said louder, but not any clearer.
* Original article written in Spanish, translated with chatGPT and reviewed in English by Jorge Mediavilla.
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