Buzzwords are impossible to avoid when you work with marketing and brands. Sometimes you might know the meaning of them, while other times you use them daily without being sure what they exactly mean.
One buzzword you should know is DAM, or Digital Asset Management. But what does it mean? Take a look at our definition and explanation as to why it’s an important subject.
What is Digital Asset Management (DAM)?
Digital Asset Management is a solution that collects, structures and facilitates sharing of all types of files such as images, logos, marketing material and other digital documents you use in daily marketing and brand efforts.
A DAM solution secures seamless workflows for your entire company while giving the one responsible for the brand and its assets total control. A company with a proper DAM solution stands a better chance of accomplishing consistent branding in all projects and campaigns.
What are digital assets?
Digital assets are basically any file ever created by an employee or a department in your company. Documents, contracts, presentations, sales tenders, images, videos, illustrations… You name it! These are files that are created for a purpose and hold a value.
The value of your digital assets are of course variable, it all depends on the purpose. And files do get outdated, however, they still contain information that can be of value for the next version. And also, someone has spent time and resources creating the assets, therefore your assets also have a cost aspect to consider.
Why is Digital Asset Management important?
One of the biggest challenges for companies is when the number of files becomes too big and you lose control of where they are, and exactly what files you have. This can be both time consuming and harmful for your brand. A DAM solution helps you gain control of the distribution of assets and ensures that only approved assets are in circulation.
Additionally, you can easily get thorough statistics of what material is downloaded. A solid DAM solution will also allow you to make adjustments in real-time.
Also read: How to choose a system for your brand
What are the benefits of Digital Asset Management?
A DAM solution provides a range of capabilities and features that benefits both your brand and your company. Some of the benefits you should be aware of are;
- Structures brand and marketing assets in one place. Avoid outdated assets in circulation and the challenges connected to them.
- Automated processes. Better workflows by always keeping your material available and easy to find.
- Two-way workflows with access control, allowing your creative agencies to upload their creations.
- Powerful search functions provide quick access to the right files.
- Full flexibility with cloud storage.
- Easy sharing of material to anyone who needs it.
Also read: This is how you structure your brand and marketing assets
What to in a Digital Asset Management solution
Everything in one place
Look for a solution that easily and intuitively collects all your assets in one place. Make sure your solution is created for availability for both employees and partners. This way you secure a transparent collaboration and seamless workflows.
Structure with ease
It’s important with a solution that doesn’t require a lot of time and effort and allows you to work efficiently. Look for a solution that lets you structure your digital assets according to your needs, providing searchable and available assets.
Share and distribute assets with simplicity
A huge advantage of a DAM solution is the around-the-clock availability and possibility to create seamless workflows. Choose a solution that allows your digital assets to be shared and distributed without hassle. This will contribute to fewer requests and emails requesting digital assets.
Also read: How to save time and streamline your brand online
Total control
Besides providing control, you need the right control. Ensure your solution is simple to administer and allows for role based access control. Securing who sees what enables a user-friendly and up-to-date platform. It’s also beneficial to be able to invite external stakeholders to access the DAM. This way you secure workflows and can for example collect assets created externally right in the DAM system without any additional work.
Predefined file formats and file types
A powerful DAM solution makes your life easier by allowing you to predefine file settings. For example, upload an Adobe Illustrator file and use settings to output high resolution PNG or a web version JPEG with the right dimensions and cropping of the image. This simplifies your file administration significantly. At the same time, your users get full flexibility that reduces the amount of email requests.
Cost and time savings
When working with marketing and brand management the old saying time is money still holds true. Therefore, you should find a DAM solution that reduces the time your company wastes on unnecessary tasks. A huge challenge for most companies is that files are often lost, there is uncertainty as to where files are located, and employees are constantly searching for assets. With a digital solution, the employees in your company do not have to wonder where the files are and even better, won’t need to recreate any material.
Time consuming tasks and other smaller expenses that rack up over time are often invisible in our day-to-day work. But just imagine how much time you actually spend on creating or looking for assets for yourself or your colleagues. Making adjustments, no matter how small, also takes a lot of your time. All of this is avoided with a proper DAM solution.
In short, having a Digital Asset Management solution provides total control of your brand and all assets, resulting in both time and cost-efficiency.