Manufacturing companies have some unique challenges when it comes to digital content. You need content that can be easily localized for different markets. Your content creation usually involves teams from various departments. Oh, and you probably need your website to look great and work on every device. Storyblok is stepping in as a serious solution to this.
A headless content management system like Storyblok can be particularly helpful in addressing these challenges, allowing manufacturers to streamline workflows, maintain consistency across channels, and scale content creation efficiently as their needs grow. It gives businesses a powerful, flexible tool to stay ahead in a digitally driven market.
Here’s why manufacturers trust Storyblok for their content management needs.
Content management headaches for manufacturers? See what businesses need from their CMS
Consistent branding across every platform and device
Manufacturers increasingly need to be where their customers are.
When updates are required, applying changes uniformly across all the company’s platforms can be challenging if there’s no unified content management system.
With Storyblok CMS, all your content – no matter where it’s displayed – comes from a single source.
TL;DR: One source, endless outputs. Your content is created once and seamlessly adapts to every platform, ensuring your brand looks polished and professional everywhere. Interested in what makes a headless CMS different from a traditional one? Our blog post covers everything you need to know.
Whether it’s a detailed catalog on the website, an app for field sales reps, or even interactive displays at trade shows, Storyblok guarantees that your messaging, visuals, and technical details are consistent.
For manufacturers with a global audience, this is huge. It reduces the risk of outdated or mismatched information going public. Your clients and stakeholders always have access to the latest, most accurate information, regardless of the platform.
Content personalization: Connect with your audience
With the growing demand for seamless and personalized digital interactions, manufacturers now need to deliver content that speaks to specific audience segments.
B2B buyers, technicians, and end-users often seek different information, and without proper content personalization capabilities, it’s tough to tailor content effectively for each audience (*To dive into the key customer groups for manufacturers, have a look at the article, “Who are your clients really? 5 customer groups every manufacturer must know”).
Moreover, many manufacturers operate globally, meaning they need content that can be easily localized for different markets.
Keeping specifications and technical terminology accurate across multiple platforms and in various languages can quickly become overwhelming. Here’s how Storyblok addresses this challenge:
- Modular content components for customization and reusability
Use them to create product specifications, use-case tutorials, or testimonials tailored to different client segments. These modular content blocks can be saved, rearranged, and reused across multiple pages, without reinventing the wheel for each audience.
Storyblok’s modular approach also means that content can be easily experimented with and adjusted based on audience feedback or performance data. Manufacturers can use analytics to determine which configurations of content blocks perform best with different audiences and iterate accordingly. This data-driven flexibility enables constant optimization, ensuring that each segment receives content that resonates. This is how you reach more customers online!
- Predefined blocks for visual and interactive content
Use them to deliver targeted, interactive content that appeals to different customer needs.
Storyblok CMS offers predefined blocks like rich text, image and video sections, banners, and action buttons. Integrating these blocks is straightforward, allowing for quick adaptation to audience requirements.
For instance, an engineering-focused content page can include video tutorials and detailed documentation, while a buyer-focused page might prioritize product highlights and client testimonials.
Cross-departmental collaboration – Without email chains
Content creation in manufacturing usually involves teams from various departments, such as engineering, product development, sales, and marketing. Coordinating these groups without a streamlined system often leads to fragmented communication, multiple document versions, and delays in content updates or approvals.
To make matters worse, manufacturers need to create both technical documentation (for engineers, technicians, etc.) and customer-facing content (for end users or buyers). Balancing these two types of content within one CMS system that’s accessible and easy to use for both technical and non-technical teams can be challenging.
Many businesses were skeptical about headless CMS such as Storyblok until they saw the transformation in their workflow and the ease with which their team could manage content. Notably, 58% of companies reported increased productivity after migrating to a headless CMS.
Storyblok has built-in tools designed to ease this complexity, allowing different teams to work on the platform:
- Customizable workflows for efficient coordination
This feature allows content tasks to move through different stages – such as review, approval, and publishing – so that engineers, product managers, and marketers can work together without duplicating efforts.
Every team member knows their role in the content lifecycle – teams can assign specific tasks, set deadlines, and designate approval hierarchies, helping ensure content accuracy and timely updates across departments.
It’s a structured workflow that makes product launches, updates, and even global expansions much smoother.
- Storyblok discussions for real-time, contextual feedback
One of the most challenging aspects of cross-departmental collaboration is clear communication. Storyblok’s "Discussions" feature allows team members to leave comments, tag others, and discuss individual blocks or groups of content directly within the CMS.
For instance, a marketing specialist can tag an engineer to clarify technical details or respond to a question about a product specification. By keeping these conversations contextual and attached to specific content blocks, teams can avoid endless and scattered email threads and lost feedback, ensuring everyone is aligned on project details.
- Ideation room for creative collaboration and content brainstorming
Storyblok offers a collaborative space where teams can brainstorm content ideas in real-time. Here, marketing, product, and sales teams can share insights, co-create content strategies, and refine messaging together.
SEO-ready content to keep you visible online
Technical content, especially in manufacturing, often includes jargon and specifications that don’t naturally rank well in search engines. Creating SEO-optimized content that’s also technically accurate can be challenging, but it’s essential to stay competitive in search rankings.
A recent Storyblok’s research also revealed that 46% of manufacturing decision-makers have received negative feedback about their website's performance.
Storyblok is built with SEO in mind, offering tools that help optimize metadata, page structure, and loading speeds (yes, even if your product images are high-res) – all essential for SEO in the manufacturing space. As a result, your content isn’t just easy to manage; it’s also more likely to get noticed by the right audience.
High security standards for protecting your sensitive data
Manufacturing involves sensitive information, including proprietary designs, technical specs, and customer data. Content management in this sector must be highly secure and compliant with industry regulations, which adds an extra layer of complexity. Ensuring that all content is accessible only to authorized personnel and meets compliance standards is critical.
- ISO 27001 certification
Storyblok is ISO 27001 certified, showcasing a commitment to international security standards. This certification guarantees that Storyblok follows best practices for data protection and privacy.
With secure HTTPS connections, data encryption, and two-factor authentication, Storyblok ensures that all data remains protected both in transit and at rest. Regular backups add another layer of data safety, minimizing the risk of data loss and providing manufacturers peace of mind as they expand their digital footprint.
- Hosted on Amazon AWS + Flexible cloud options with BYOC
Storyblok stands out with a cloud-hosted infrastructure built on Amazon AWS. And for organizations looking to integrate their own cloud provider, Storyblok offers an Enterprise BYOC (Bring Your Own Cloud) plan. This plan allows manufacturers to use AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to host their content, enabling businesses to maintain continuity in their IT infrastructure while managing content in a secure, compliant environment.
- Enterprise-level security for large-scale operations
And for manufacturing enterprises using Storyblok’s Enterprise plans, additional security features like Single Sign-On (SSO), security audits, and a dedicated backup service offer enhanced protection. SSO simplifies user management across teams, ensuring only authorized personnel have access, while regular security audits help identify and address any potential vulnerabilities.
If you would like to learn how Storyblok keeps your data safe, ask our team.
Real-time content updates and agility
The industry often requires real-time updates to content, such as safety notices, regulatory changes, or product improvements. Managing this type of content is complex, especially when details change frequently. Traditional CMS solutions may struggle to keep up with this demand, as they’re often slower and less flexible, making it hard for manufacturers to update information across platforms instantly.
Many businesses don’t realize that Storyblok can cut content deployment times in half for manufacturers. For manufacturers juggling complex workflows and ever-changing data, Storyblok provides the tools to stay agile and competitive:
- Visual editor for simplified content creation and reduced time-to-market
Storyblok’s “Visual Editor” enables teams to edit content in real-time using a drag-and-drop interface. This feature allows manufacturers to see how content will look on different channels immediately, making it easier to refine the layout, messaging, and overall experience to suit each audience.
For example, a live preview of a technical document for engineers or a visually rich sales page for buyers ensures each piece of content is optimized for the intended viewer.
- Webhooks for automating updates across systems
Storyblok’s webhooks take real-time updates a step further by automating the communication between Storyblok and other systems, such as ERP, CRM, or project management tools.
Practical applications for manufacturers:
a) When product data changes in your ERP system (like a new price or updated specification) a webhook ensures that this data automatically refreshes in Storyblok. The result? Your website always displays the latest, accurate information without manual intervention.
b) By connecting your CRM to Storyblok with webhooks, you can show customers real-time, personalized discounts on your website. For example, when a sales rep updates a discount in the CRM, it’s instantly visible to the customer, creating a seamless purchasing experience.
c) When new user manuals or product specifications are published in Storyblok, webhooks can trigger automated reports in your ERP system. These reports can then be assigned to relevant production orders or distributed to customers. This integration ensures that information flows smoothly between teams and reduces the risk of errors from manual data entry.
Scale and adapt to new trends with future-proof technology
Manufacturers often utilize diverse tools and platforms.
One underrated benefit is Storyblok’s flexibility to integrate with new tech as it emerges. With any existing tech stack…
For example, if you want to integrate your content with VR/AR tech for virtual product demos, Storyblok’s API-first design makes this possible without needing a full rework of your CMS and overhauling their systems.
This composable architecture is ideal for expanding digital operations to new platforms or markets with minimal friction.
For more information on Storyblok’s features, visit their official website.
Bottom Line: Why Storyblok?
Storyblok offers a CMS designed for complex industries. If you’re a manufacturer, this means streamlined workflows, secure data, and the flexibility to adapt to market demands.
Many manufacturers are still unaware of how a CMS like Storyblok can drastically reduce their costs. It’s a solution built for teams that need a reliable, collaborative CMS to drive their digital transformation.
Curious to see how Storyblok could fit into your setup? It might be the upgrade your content strategy needs to keep up with the times. Get a demo of Storyblok! We’ll teach you how to use it to build a digital presence that’s efficient, accurate, and ready to scale as you grow.
Additional resources:
- See our headless success stories: https://tandemite.com/blog/6-headless-success-stories-leveraging-storyblok-contentful-and-strapi/
- Discover major pain points & must-have features of today's CMS: https://tandemite.com/blog/major-pain-points-and-must-have-features-of-todays-cms-headless-cms-considerations/
- Learn more about Storyblok: https://www.storyblok.com/
