Trending words are something marketers are used to. The Martech space is in constant movement and forces us to stay alert and pay attention. You don’t have to embrace all new trends, but at least you need to familiarize yourself with the trends and base your decision on know-how.
One word that perhaps you have heard but not paid attention to, is BAM or Brand Asset Management. Did your brush it off as a trend? Then get back in, this is not a trend, this is an essential tool all marketers should acknowledge.
This is Brand Asset Management (BAM)
A Brand Asset Management solution is the extension of Digital Asset Management, BAM starts where DAM ends. This is the solution that connects your brand identity guidelines and your brand assets, putting your brand in context.
Building a brand and being successful with your brand strategy is key to your company’s growth. With a BAM solution this job becomes a whole lot easier.
A Brand Asset Management solution enables unified workflows between your brand guidelines and all brand assets; images, icons, logo, templates, orderable items and more while protecting the most valuable asset of them all from disruption – the brand. Simply said, with this resource achieving brand consistency is within reach.
Also read: What is the difference between DAM and BAM
Why do you need Brand Asset Management?
A major challenge for marketers is having the time and resources to work with long-term and value-added initiatives that are aligned with the brand strategy. Instead, the days are consumed by ad hoc tasks and support which takes away focus and the ability to build the brand and achieve brand awareness. With the help of a brand asset management solution your branding processes will be simplified, making it easy for anyone to use your brand without risking brand inconsistency.
Also read: This is the reason why digital assets and your brand steals time
Modernize your branding processes
It takes more than a marketing department to build a brand. You need to involve everyone in your company and get them engaged. Easier said than done. The reality is, everyone is occupied in reaching their own goals. With proper brand asset management however, this is easy.
Seamless and user-friendly workflows enable everyone to easily adapt your brand guidelines to any brand asset quickly and painlessly.
Also ready: What you need to establish proper branding processes
Grow and develop your brand
A key ingredient in successful brand building, is the ability to be consistent. A consistent brand can in fact, generate 33% higher increase in overall growth, – an evident reason for making sure you have the tools you need to succeed with your branding process.
With a BAM solution, brand consistency is at ease. By having the brand guidelines and the brand assets connected and digitalized, anyone can utilize your brand without any special know-how.
Protect your brand identity
Your brand’s identity is the pillar of your company, it’s what sets you apart from your competitors. Protecting and developing this asset matching the brand strategy is essential for company growth.
With everything in one single location, managing your brand is effortless. Organized and ready, your brand is always up to date and prepared for execution – attracting prospects and increasing sales. And you never have to worry about anyone damaging your brand’s identity.
Also read: How to choose a system for your brand guidelines
The benefits of a brand asset management solution
- Your brand becomes practical – By connecting guidelines to the actual asset, using the brand is easy. Everything is in one single place, comprehensible and ready.
- Safeguard brand consistency – With everything nicely packed and ready for execution, you don’t run the risk of anyone being creative on their own. What they need is prepared and available online.
- Brand alignment across the entire company is at ease – With one source of information, there is no guessing where to find assets and how to use assets. Everyone will apply the same brand everywhere.
- Reduce inefficiency – Searching and looking for assets is time consuming and difficult if you don’t know where to look. With everything neatly collected in one single place – one source of truth, this is eliminated.
- Eliminated unnecessary expenses – Re-creation of lost assets or adapting assets to local needs is expensive. With brands assets available for download and customization within one tool, these costs are eliminated.
This is what you should look for in a BAM solution
DAM integration
If you already have digital asset management system, you need to look for a provider that allow you to integrate with your existing DAM. That is if your happy with your existing DAM system.
Enable connection of any brand asset type
Brand assets come in many shapes and types. Make sure you look for a solution that allow you to connect any asset type; adjustable templates, orderable items and static assets ++
Flexible user flows
Every company is different. You need to ensure you can adapt user flows that suits your company. Avoid fixed systems that eventually will tie your arms and legs and slow your branding processes down.
Customized CMS
Digital brand identity guidelines can be as small or big as you need it to be. Look for a solution that allows you to customize your guidelines aligned with your brand and your company. The better your brand guidelines are, the easier they are to understand.
Extension opportunities
Even though you don’t have the need today, you never know what tomorrow holds. Prepare for long-term branding strategies and look for a provider that allows you to extend your solution in the future.
Succeed with your brand strategy
At the end of the day, it’s all about establishing proper brand management that allow you to focus on the bigger picture while making sure that the daily operations do not get in the way of your brand building.
Establishing positive brand associations and achieving brand awareness requires everyone to pull in the same direction. And today with the Martech space changing with the speed of light, you need Brand Asset Management to help you out.