Content management systems for the web and other digital properties have been around for nearly 20 years. But as marketing has evolved and demanded more of our supporting technology systems, it seems like we enter each year with more and more content management challenges.

When CMS started becoming a mainstream website development technology in the late '90s, the systems were really IT tools to bring stability to websites that were growing so fast that IT teams couldn't keep up with the demands of the changing market.

Fast forward to 2015: product companies that have traditionally been bringing CMS or eCommerce technology to market have either developed new products internally or strategically acquired companies to help them bring to market bundled solutions containing analytics, targeting and optimization.

All this innovation, churn and overlap in the Content Management product market has been great for marketers. It has consistently put more power into their hands. But it also leads to questions like "How much is enough" and "What exactly do I need?"

Recent analyst reports have focused on the concept of a Digital Experience Delivery Platform. This concept has Web Content Management or eCommerce at the hub with supporting technology above and below. With this dynamic, you can't move into serious personalization, marketing automation or even mobile without having a strong Content Management implementation.

Like most technology projects, the way forward requires pressing the pause button, resetting a bit and then moving forward strong. Here are recommendations on how to begin your process:

1. Stop chasing new marketing tech and point solution consultants.
2. Figure out your base technologies - eCommerce or Web Content Management (WCM).
3. Document your digital marketing goals.
4. Determine your additional technology needs to meet those goals (e.g., Analytics, Targeting, Optimization, etc.)
5. Avoid product and partner siloes. But don't go it alone. Find a partner who can consult, design and implement across multiple marketing technology products.

To learn more on this topic, please join Merkle's upcoming Experience Technology Webinar.

Justin Stayrook is the VP of Experience Technology at Merkle. Merkle is a part of the Marketing Cloud Partner Community in the Channel Partner Program. Stayrook spearheads an industry-leading practice of consulting and delivery services for experience technology that encompasses web content management, eCommerce, and digital asset management. Stayrook has more than 15 years of experience as a consultant and solution architect with online and mobile technologies. He is a results-oriented and accomplished technology and operational development strategist who can bridge business and technology to develop industry-leading strategic solutions for clients. Prior to joining Merkle, Stayrook was a member of the executive team at Siteworx, a digital experience agency, where he led the technology teams providing integrated digital/web technology services for Fortune 1000 clients.