Salesforce Basics   •  Content Management System

The Salesforce Content Management System (CMS) is well, what the name suggests! Accessed within Salesforce, we can use this feature to store and distribute content, depending on permissions/restrictions set, all from a centralised location. Which means that this process just got a whole lot easier!

Now, as Pardot marketers you may be reading this and thinking… this is a Salesforce feature… right? Well, yes. But should we be interested in it? Definitely and here’s why.

Eventually, Salesforce and Pardot will integrate, aligning both Sales and Marketing to be utilised out of one singular platform. As part of the Pardot Spring ‘21 release, any Pardot users need to be connected to a Salesforce user to log into Pardot. As a result, users will need to sign in via Salesforce Single Sign-On (SSO). 

How the Salesforce Content Management System works

The following section of this blog will briefly identify the different features of Salesforce CMS and the functionality of each.

Note: You may need to turn on tab visibility in order to view all CMS features. Please contact the team at MarCloud Consulting if you need help with this.

Features of the Salesforce Content Management System:

• Workspace
• Channels
• Contributors
• Languages
• Using Salesforce CMS with Pardot (Lightning)

1. Workspace

CMS Workspaces are the first-touch point for all CMS activities, providing organisation and security for the CMS app. 

In order to use the CMS app, we will need to create a Workspace. These can be organised easily by projects, regions, teams etc. depending on company preference. 

Within a Workspace, content and roles are unique and can only be accessed by users with access permitted by the admin assigned.

Please note that Workspaces can not be deleted once created, however, name and description can be edited.

The CMS Workspace is important as it provides visibility into which users are creating what content and where it is being shared. 

2. Channels

CMS channels can be linked to multiple Workspaces and function as an access point, where you will share and publish the content with other “contributors” associated with that channel. 

The channels share the content from the Workspace with endpoints e.g. Lightning Experience apps and any third-party apps.

To create a channel, simply head to the tab ‘CMS Channel’ and select ‘Create Channel’. Or alternatively, go to the workspace you would like to be connected to the channel and select ‘Add Channel’.

When creating a channel, be mindful of the different Connection Type to choose from, this will determine who will be able to see the content.

3. Contributors

When users are added they become “contributors”, meaning they can create and manage access to content. 

There are three different permissions to choose from:

• Salesforce Admin –  This is usually only given to one user and allows full access to Salesforce Setup, the Salesforce CMS app, and the Workspaces settings.
• Content Admin – This role is given to the users that will be accessing the CMS the most as they will have full access to content in the CMS Workspace, ability to manage contributors, and organise content sharing. This role enables the user to add additional items such as contributors, channels, and language to the Workspace without aid from the Salesforce Admin.
• Content Manager – Full access to the CMS Workspace and will overlook different tasks e.g. writing new material, which can then be published.

By knowing the permissions per role, we can accurately assign users before creating content in the CMS app.

4. Languages

As part of the CMS implementation, we are able to choose from a variety of Translation Languages which will display as the languages offered for localised content.

Note: It is required to select a default language, this is the language that will initially display

Using Salesforce CMS with Pardot (Lightning)

Like Pardot storage, we will use Salesforce CMS to upload, store and distribute content for future use. One of the multiple ways we can utilise CMS is through the Pardot Drag-and-Drop Email Builder. 

This relatively new feature allows emails to be created, tested and sent via Pardot Lightning App, using the CMS to import images into email templates.

If you would like to explore how to use CMS to optimise head to our blog Pardot Email Marketing With the Drag-and-Drop Email Builder after this.

If you’re having trouble setting up the Salesforce Content Management System app, or any of the functionalities  – we’re here to help. Feel free to send us a message about our Salesforce consulting and admin support options.