The Era of Hyper-Education - Why You Need a CMS

By Morgan Griffith

Wednesday, December 19th, 2007 at 4:10pm

What is one thing Fortune 500 companies, non-profit organizations, institutions of higher-education, and all other businesses have in common?  They have a message, and the fundamental success or failure of any business or organization lies in their ability to get that message out.  So what does this mean for your company?  Before I answer that question, let’s back-track a bit.

Since the rise of technology in the late 20^th century, the goal of marketing departments everywhere has remained the same – to get your “message” out, whether it’s a product, service, mission, or goal.  However, as technology advanced and Web 2.0 arrived, the means by which we seek to achieve this goal have changed.  Now, the goal is getting the right message out to the right audience.  Niche marketing has existed for decades, but with the internet being the force that it is, prospects of any product or service want to have access to as much information as possible, as quickly as possible, and with minimal time spent searching for it.  As I like to refer to it, we are living in an era of ‘hyper-education,’ which is quick and thorough access to all information relative to a given product or service.

The Web and its users are much more opinionated and involved than you may think.  When researching possible product purchases, web users want transparency. They are NOT looking for the latest sales jargon trying to lure them into what they probably already view as a scam.  Give them the facts.  Assume that they are intelligent enough to take the relevant, unbiased educational information you are giving them and make an informed decision.  Your only job is to do the informing.

Of course, this isn’t to say that, when appropriate, a follow up e-mail or monthly newsletter can’t be helpful.  The idea is to give those in search of ‘hyper-education’  the ability to easily locate what they need while adequately conveying your message – how you do what you do, and what makes you the best at it.  People are looking for your product, service, or organization to fill a void in their personal or business lives.  Prospects will trust your company for giving them quality web content and feel like they’re making an informed buying or investing decision.

Where do we at Hannon Hill play a role in this?  Cascade Server enables anyone comfortable using Microsoft Word to be equally comfortable creating and publishing their own web content.  Who better to create the content that generates buzz about your business or organization, than the people most enthusiastic about it – your employees!  Use Cascade Server, to frequently post blogs, easily post comments, and make interaction readily available.  Quickly create and publish press releases, white papers, articles, and a variety of other web content to further educate, inform, and excite potential prospects. 

Using interactive tools provided by a CMS will enable your employees to interact with each other and potential prospects, share ideas, and facilitate the ‘hyper-education’ that the web’s users are seeking.  Let prospects know why they should share in your enthusiasm for your company or organization and its products, services, and goals.  Getting your message out, providing ‘hyper-educational’ content that adequately informs prospects, and making a variety and depth of information available at the click of a mouse will ensure your investors, buyers, and prospects trust your company and the goods or services you provide.

For more information about our content management system, or to better understand how Cascade Server works, please take a look at our Business & Technical User Intros.

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