Determining the Best Studio Structure for Your Business

Eli Merrell Picture

by Eli Merrell | Last Updated: Mar 7, 2023

When getting started with Lumavate it can be easy to skip over the details of Studio set up. You need to build experiences. You do that in a Studio. So, you only need one Studio, right? Well, it’s more nuanced than that.  Lumavate’s platform architecture enables companies to set up multiple Studios under a single Command Center. The reason companies choose to set up multiple Studios depends on a combination of needs: Setting up the correct Studio structure for your business will set your team up for success in the long run. There are many factors to consider when setting up your Studio structure like which domain would you like the experiences to be hosted on? How many team members will have access to the Studio? How will you organize your experiences and content? Thinking through all of these considerations from the start, will yield a productive working environment for your team using Lumavate.  What Domain Will Your Experiences Be Hosted On? Each Lumavate Studio is connected to a domain or subdomain where all of the experiences are published. Lumavate customers on a paid subscription plan, delegate a domain or subdomain to their Lumavate Studio, enabling them to publish experiences to a branded domain or subdomain. All free accounts are hosted on a shared Lumavate domain. This is important because the domain or subdomain is shown in the experience URL. If sharing the URL is a part of your activation strategy, you will want to have a URL that users can trust. If users can’t trust the URL they see, they are unlikely to click on it. Users will also see the URL in their web browser even if they do not use a link to activate the experience. Users can activate a digital experience by texting a keyword or scanning a QR code. Using a Studio domain or subdomain connected to your brand creates consistency and signals to the user they can trust this experience.  Multiple Brands Might Mean Multiple Studios When thinking about the long run, consider whether all of your digital experiences should be hosted on the same domain. If all of your digital experiences are within the same brand and connected to the same domain, then one Studio may work for you.  If you plan to expand into multiple brands, you should strongly consider having multiple Studios.  Creating Organized Messaging Campaigns Another factor to consider when thinking about your Studio set up is your messaging strategy.  Lumavate customers on the Professional or Enterprise subscription plans have access to Lumavate’s messaging functionality. These customers can capture mobile opt-ins, store user information as audiences, and send text messages to the mobile subscribers. Text messages are sent from the Studio phone number. Every Lumavate Studio is provisioned with a 10-digit toll-free phone number or short code.  If you have one Studio, all messaging will be tied to the same phone number and all audience data will live in the same system.  You should consider multiple Studios when you want to engage with different target audiences. For example, if your organization wants to create digital experiences and unique messaging targeted towards employees, partners, and customers, you should consider three Studios. One Studio for each target audience group means each audience is opting in to receive messages from different phone numbers. It will also ensure your internal team does not inadvertently message customers with internal communications content. Having multiple Studios allows your organization to do a better job of segmenting audiences and making it easier to create even more engaging content.  Many Business Units in One Studio Consider who will need access to the Studio. All Studio users have access to create, edit, delete, and publish all digital experiences and content within that Studio.  Multiple business units can work in one Studio. What is important is for your internal team to set clear and strict guidelines for working in the same Studio. Separate Studios may be required depending on how different business units or teams are accustomed to operating. Within each Studio, digital experiences are organized into Collections, which work like folders. Think about using Collections to set up specific workspaces for each team. This way each team member knows where to find their experiences and knows not to wander into other Collections.  Create a clear naming system for all images and text stored in Content to reduce content being uploaded more than once. Make sure your team is aware all Studio users have access to this content. Work as a team to ensure up-to-date content is stored and used in all experiences. Discuss with your team how you will work together in this shared space to ensure success.  One Studio Per Business Unit If different business units will need Studio access and need to host their experiences on different domains, multiple Studios are required. With each business unit assigned its own Studio, there is no chance of different teams accidentally editing content that is not theirs. This creates a healthy division of space allowing for more focused work.  Just because an organization may have multiple Studios, it doesn’t mean teams can’t collaborate. Team members who require access to some or all of an organization’s Studios can be accommodated. Individuals can be users of multiple Studios. Keep in mind that content stored in Lumavate’s content management system (CMS) cannot be shared across Studios, meaning all assets need to be uploaded into each Studio separately.   Controlling Each Studio’s Functionality With the use of Command Centers, you have control over what functionality is shared with each Studio. This can create guardrails for various teams working in different Studios, ensuring they follow your brand and security guidelines.  For example, if your business has strict guidelines about video hosting, you can restrict the video Components that are shared with your Studio. Remove the YouTube Component so your team working in the Studio never links a YouTube video in a digital experience. Restrict where Studio users can save data by removing access to Table Builder. This will force your team to work within your organization’s policies.  These restrictions can be different for each Studio as Studio functionality is set at the Command Center. Maybe your digital team can use YouTube but a specific brand cannot. Each Studio can have different Component Sets shared down, restricting access as needed.  Expanding the Number of Studios It is okay to start small and expand. If at any point you realize you need to expand into another Studio the Lumavate team can help. When another brand decides to use digital experiences and needs them hosted on a branded domain. Or you find splitting up business units to provide separate workspaces will help your team be more efficient.  In any event, work with your Strategic Consultant to discuss the move to multiple Studios. They can provide pricing and guidelines to set up your new Studio.  When setting up your Studio structure is important to solve your problems today but also keep an eye on the problems of the future. Think about how your team will work best and how you can create consistent brand experiences for your users. 
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