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The Headless Marketing Show
Understanding Headless CMS and How It Benefits Marketers
Today on the show we Have Kaya Ismail. Wordify is a content marketing agency for SaaS and enterprise software vendors. Wordify is not just another content factory. They integrate into marketing teams to build content-filled funnels that turn website visitors into MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads) and SQLs (Sales Qualified Leads). They provide services like content strategy, content marketing, and content repurposing.
After an intro like that, you’d assume we’d have a big conversation on the topic of content marketing and you’d be half right. You see Kaya’s firm Wordify is focused on help Headless CMS companies define their own content marketing and it is because of his close proximity to the world of headless cms that I was most keen on having him on the show. So we talk a lot about headless cms. I mean - it is the topic where we derive the name for this podcast - the headless marketing show!!.
Now if you’ve never heard of the term headless CMS or any of the ideas behind headless content management then you’re really going to find this show useful. Kaya does a great job of laying out the advantages and reasons why a lot of companies are looking at headless cms to help them publish and create engaging user experiences and help them manage their content.
There is some technical jargon in the episode. Things like Jamstack, APIs, DXPs also called digital experience platforms, and even the concept of decoupling the front end of a website from the back end of a website and thus using a headless CMS. Fear not, this show is in fact catered to non-technical people and mostly about how the marketing world should become familiar with the ideas and considerations of headless content management. I have provided plenty of extra reading and information in the show notes. So please feel free to start there for more details and information. I also suggest getting onto Google or your favorite search engine and starting your research into this new space.
Really this is what the headless marketing show is all about. Digging into deeper ideas and methods and technologies to help marketers gain insights and ideas you can put into practice with the experiences and campaigns you are running for your brands. Marketing and technology and the development community are all starting to blend together and today’s show is a great jumping-off point for you to start to get a great understanding of what is possible online today.
Show Notes:
I thought we’d go over what an API is. Technically Speaking API is the acronym for Application Programming Interface, which is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other. Each time you use an app like Facebook, send an instant message or check the weather on your phone, you're using an API.
In the coming interview, you’ll hear Kaya talk about APIs and he’ll mention API calls which better represent what APIs really are. They basically act as messengers retrieving and delivering data on applications and websites. You can think of an API like a waiter in a restaurant. They take your order, deliver your food and handle the collection of your payment - oftentimes we waive our hand or call our waiter to have these services happen. APIs do the same service online.
The rise of APIs has led to what is being called the API first movement which is a movement in DevOps to place APIs at the center of the architecture. This enables websites and applications to be more modular, reusable, and extensible, more akin to Lego blocks than the monolithic server based systems of yesteryear.
here are more links to information on APIs:
https://apifriends.com/api-management/what-is-an-api/
https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/what-is-an-api-in-english-please-b880a3214a82/
Video Explainers
- Simple explanation - https://youtu.be/s7wmiS2mSXY
- Detailed explanation - https://youtu.be/7YcW25PHnAA
Get more details on the API-First movement in tech
https://auth0.com/blog/the-business-value-of-api-first-design/
The Jamstack approach to web development has been emerging for several years, but really took off in 2017. More a design philosophy than an explicit framework, JAM Stack takes the concept of static, database-free websites to the next level via an architecture advocates are calling “the future of the internet.” Which only makes sense. Browsers themselves have essentially become mini operating systems capable of running complex client-side applications while interacting with myriad APIs. Meanwhile, with the help of Node.js and React, and other new coding languages, JavaScript has leaped the divide between front and back end for real-time, two-way communication between client and server. Jamstack is simply harnessing these factors in a logical and effective way.
Check out a few more links on the Jamstack:
https://jamstack.org/
https://www.webriq.com/welcome-to-the-jamstack
https://www.webriq.com/wtf-is-jamstack
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