We live in a digital world. Digital channels have largely replaced physical channels in most walks of professional and personal life. Digital news is replacing physical newspapers. Many businesses do not have a physical representation to engage with clients. But most have a website which is on and ready for business, 24x7. Websites, online stores, applications and platforms require one factor in complete order to remain competitive: properly managed digital assets.
A digital asset is an asset that exists in a binary format and comes bundled with the right to use it. Assets include photos and images, files, videos and multimedia, text etc. Your company has the right to use digital assets if:
Digital assets fuel the economy. It is likely that your business houses an abundance of digital content, comprising thousands of files scattered over folders, shared drives, emails etc. Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems help resolve this chaos by allowing business users to search and find the approved and current version of digital content in a relatively short period of time. Without robust DAM practices, processes and technologies in place, business users waste copious amounts of time locating assets. This lowers productivity, increases time expenditure in labour, increases inefficiencies in the business, ill-impacts operations and has an eventual impact on both top and bottom line.
DAM systems add value to your business processes by centralising access to assets and streamlining workflows. In short: DAM is not a nice-to-have, it is a must-have.
To build customer trust and loyalty, every brand must create unique and consistent customer experiences. Content is a key component to drive these experiences. It educates your audience about your brand and communicates your personal brand story. But to achieve this, you need brand consistency.
In a saturated market, consistency is critical when shaping brand perception. Your brand’s values and identity make you stand out from your competition. Consequently, it is vital to ensure your branding is consistent across your website, social media accounts and marketing assets. Producing high-quality content is expensive and time-consuming, so efficiency must be at the centre of your processes.
Leveraging a DAM system and the associated best practices, help ensure brand consistency by:
Solidifying brand recognition requires the aligning of your messaging with your brand identity, values and strategy. Consistency involves repeated exposure of the organisational core messaging and visual branding to target audiences. Over time these elements become ingrained in the minds of consumers evoking positive emotions through carefully crafted words and imagery. A sitecore digital asset management system ensures that your marketing and sales teams do not create assets without brand consistency in mind.
Time-to-market is the time between producing assets and the eventual distribution to customers. A comprehensive DAM system achieves faster processes which reduce time-to-market for a product launch.
DAM reduces time-to-market by:
The processing time-to-market for digital assets can be lengthy and costly. A DAM system has built-in tools to assist with the distribution of digital assets. With an automated DAM system, the entire process of formatting and sending digital files is straightforward, decreasing time-to-market.
From social media to downloadable PDFs, brands must be aware of how they manage their digital assets because they contain confidential and sensitive information. Hacks, data theft and loss, and accident leaks are increasing. Most brand managers have assets spread across different digital devices, with little control over them.
File-level security is not easy to manage and set for asset permissions. What typically happens is someone enables open access to a digital asset collection. The content is exposed, and anyone can access or take it. With a DAM system, you control access via a combination of permissions and roles so unauthorised users cannot gain access and misuse your content. DAM provides a proactive approach to security with built-in security features and multiple back-ups of your digital assets. For example, they are stored in the cloud and have features such as AI and rights management.
In-built DAM security offers:
DAM systems store assets in both metadata and binary formats which offers enhanced safety and security. DAM works with you to secure files, protect public assets via watermarks and define control lists for customised permissions, so assets are only usable to those who require them. DAM offers end-to-end security by classifying assets with keywords, metadata, digital rights and other unique criteria based on use cases; for example, mock-ups versus production files. Further, collaboration and approval processes are safe with defined access rights.
Security and privacy regulation around personal data have increased in recent years. The initiation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) places compliance at the forefront of digital transformation. DAM is not a one-time project; it is an on-going process of governance to manage data safely. Most DAM systems have agreements in place which require compliance. Non-compliance of these agreements can incur penalties and reputational damage. Using your digital assets per relevant licensing terms is essential to the success of your business. Copyright infringements are costly, even if they happen by mistake. DAM has in-built Digital Rights Management (DRM) features which ensure that your copyright information and licensing agreements are up to date. DAM helps you to administer all licensing information and avoid non-compliance.
DAM is more than storage space. It provides an organised and searchable environment that facilitates management of a digital asset’s entire lifecycle, from creation to archival. These assets must be available on-demand to employees across the organisation. Additionally, DAM maximises asset value, providing a substantial earning potential. With the right tools, DAM allows your business to forecast revenue, conduct market research, and carry out data analysis.
If you are considering a DAM system, there are certain factors you should consider:
A DAM system evolves with your team and changing requirements, roles and asset types. It is not a standalone application but a sophisticated platform that unifies your organisation’s marketing and brand activity. Additionally, DAM unifies your marketing teams to promote collaboration and brand consistency. When managing a significant library of files, security must be at the forefront of your organisation and DAM controls user access for you. Finally, it is crucial you are compliant with security and privacy regulations, and DAM manages the copyright information of your assets.
Creative Folks guides organisations through the planning and implementation stages of a DAM solution. Our technical consulting and integration services ensure the data in business systems is augmented into the platform to add value, and the content reaches the distribution platforms with reduced steps. We focus on outcomes and guide the change of management, so business objectives are met on time and on budget.
For more information on how Creative Folks can help you implement a DAM system, visit our DAM solutions page.