Zen and the Art of Web Content Management (WCM) Part 1

What is the sound of website traffic?

At first glance the question seems utterly absurd. It is. Read on, however, and I think you’ll find that the absurd can sometimes reveal a truth.

What possible relationship could there be between Zen and web content management? On the surface, nothing. Look a little deeper, and, well, everything. This post is the first of a series that will explore enterprise web content management through the eyes of a Zen student on the path to marketing Nirvana.

A brief Introduction to Zen

For those unfamiliar with Zen or the practice thereof, I offer this brief introduction.

Zen is a form of Buddhism that emphasizes paying full attention to the present moment. It’s an extremely practical philosophy that suggests if you are cold and have a wooden statue of the Buddha- you should burn the Buddha to keep warm.

The goal of Zen is to attain enlightenment, a state of absolute awareness, or “oneness” with All That Is. Although enlightenment can be a sudden happening, most often it is not. It comes over many years (lifetimes according to myth) in a series of epiphanies, or “ah ha!” moments.

Over the centuries, a number of practices have been developed to assist masters and students on their journey. Two of the most common are Zazen, a form of seated meditation designed to still the mind and Koans, paradoxical riddles designed to scramble the mind.

Zazen works on the premise that sometimes the best way to think is to not think. How many times have you thought really hard on a problem or situation and the more you thought, the more confused you got? Then, after “forgetting” about the topic for a while, the solution comes to mind suddenly, like a bolt out of the blue?

A koan, on the other hand, is a riddle to ponder on that has no logical solution. It functions like a bridge to help the mind transcend pure rational thought so it can think “outside of the box”. One of the most well known koans is “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”

So, Then, What is the Sound of Website Traffic?

If you are a B2B or B2C business, it should be KA-CHING! The Ka-ching that comes from revenue generated by converting website visitors into sales leads or closed business. The louder the Ka-ching the more successful the business. If you have little or no traffic to your website the sound is silence. If you have a lot of traffic to your website but the visitors don't convert (do what you want them to do) the sound is also silence. Needless to say a silent website is bad for business.

The New Art of WCM: Driving Traffic and Increasing Conversion Rates

Best-in-class web content management systems have evolved and transcended the basic task of managing online content. The enlightened ones will align themselves with business drivers and provide tools and functionalities that will help organizations achieve their online marketing objectives. Next generation web content management systems make websites go KA-CHING.

Business Drivers Matched to Next Generation WCM Functionalities

Business Driver: Increased Website Traffic
WCMS Functionalities: SEO/SEM and Email Campaign Tools

Business Driver: Increased Conversion Rates
WCMS Functionalities: Website Personalization and Interactive Marketing Tools

Not All Web Content Management Vendors Have Evolved to the Next Level

Select your enterprise web content management vendor with great care, as some are not as evolved as others. While Zen philosophy teaches that All are on the path to enlightenment, you can be assured that some get there much faster than others. One enlightened WCM vendor is SDL Tridion, a leading provider of next generation web content management systems.