If a company uses digital assets, it needs a way to keep them organized.
Otherwise, marketers and content creators spend hours finding or accidentally using the wrong assets.
The most widely used sharing solutions lead to asset abuse or loss.
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According to a study, employees share assets via:
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email (71%),
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USB sticks (69%) and
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public drives, like Google Drive (55%).
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A digital asset is a graphic, logo, audio file, or short video that can be shared with colleagues, clients, and global marketing campaigns to create a consistent brand experience.
A digital asset management strategy is essential when teams are part of a large enterprise, as many moving parts require optimal coordination to operate more efficiently. Presenting smooth, attractive visuals and audio materials which are easy to open, use, find, retrieve and share on social media and with partners is no easy task.
Ultimately, using DAM software will make your business more efficient and reduce costs by up to 80%. Here, we’ve compiled 9 ways in how DAM software creates operational efficiency.
In-house communication
DAM software is one of the most effective ways to communicate continually with teams on specific projects.
When teams communicate with each other, organizing assets becomes easier (and faster). Since a DAM platform can help collaborate on tasks, teams can share information, assets, and suggestions. Alternatively, it can help divide complex workloads easier.
Indeed there is little to be lost in improving inter-organizational communication. Poor internal communication is linked to employee turnover, payroll inefficiency, reduced employee engagement, and more.
By providing feedback on assets when created or sharing insights efficiently, teams can stay on track throughout the entire project without having to stop, back up, and redirect.
Collaboration with external partners
It’s no secret that companies use a combination of both in-house and agency-based resources. A quarter of DAM software users are external to the company they are working for. When companies bring in external collaborators, getting them on board and up to speed is easy by allowing them access to their digital assets.
Rather than waste time by tracking down who has what and where to go to find something, DAM allows outside collaborators access to what they need quickly. This reduces wasted time and enables in-house employees to focus on their tasks rather than babysitting a contractor.
Outside contributors often bring a different and more diverse brand of creativity when brainstorming ideas. Often, those contributors leave those assets behind for reuse when they are done with the project.
Easily track all assets
A business can store thousands of images, documents, sounds, videos, and more on their work computers and employees’ devices. A solid DAM strategy allows companies to manage brand assets from a central location, where they can automate tasks in real-time.
Suppose an employee loses track of a digital asset (and 90% have admitted to losing an asset at one point in their lives). It could take them hours, maybe even days, to locate it.
Nevertheless, if the assets are stored in DAM software, they can find what they need when required, making the content more accessible. It also means content creators do not have to recreate assets that have been lost.
Improved project status visibility
Using DAM software eliminates the need for seeking ‘project status updates.’ Rather than resorting to email and copying an entire team to stay up to date, users can use the DAM software to get a live look at where the project is and see what is coming next.
When someone needs an update on the project, they can take a live look at it themselves. Using cloud-based DAM, companies and employees can check in on the team while on vacation. This way, DAM software helps keep projects running smoothly and allows each vital team member to view essential updates.
Security permissions
The only way to prevent unauthorized asset edits, creation, or exchanges is by encrypting said assets with permissions. DAM software allows admins and power users to add passwords or lock authorization based on roles, campaigns, or seniority.
This prevents assets from landing in the wrong hands.
Using DAM software, employees will know where to go when looking for assets, what is an approved asset, and what assets they should avoid. What is more, DAM software can restrict access, so employees can only access the assets they need. This saves time and prevents risk to the project or company.
A study found that businesses see an average of 23% reduction in risk by preventing non-compliant use of the content, the wrong (or unapproved) assets being used, and intellectual property being leaked or stolen.
In that same study, it has been shown that 86% of organizations have reduced risk by 10% or more with DAM. 18% have reduced risk by 40% or more simply by implementing DAM software.
Version control
Often, company projects go through a detailed review and editorial process.
Sometimes when all is said and done, a single project has gone through several editorial boards and winds up being almost an entirely different project than it started with.
With a DAM, editors and senior members immediately know when something changes or an older version becomes obsolete.
By having one cohesive place to store all work and files that teams can use throughout the entire building process, managers can check in periodically to adjust, add comments, and keep teams on track during the whole process. If and when changes are made, everyone is aware of them and can be on the same page.
Avoiding workflow bottlenecks
Traditional content management systems can cause bottlenecks when employees wait to continue a project.
DAM software will help organizations avoid labor disruption by eliminating the review and editorial process. Few people enjoy the stand-still that comes with waiting for the green light from senior managers. Nobody likes having to delete something they have spent hours working on.
By monitoring team projects, teams can continue working through tasks while receiving suggestions and direction from their superiors rather than having multiple stop and review points throughout the project.
Streamline content creation
Most content is created internally, and while this is great for security control, the need for reviews and approval can take additional time. As mentioned above, removing workflow bottlenecks, constant checks, and a greater ability to find, locate and retrieve existing assets mean that content creation is faster and more streamlined.
According to research, marketing departments are seeing a 34% improvement in productivity because they use DAM software, meaning they can create more marketing campaigns quicker. The same study found that this has led to a 24% increase in revenue.
Automatically remove and delete assets
DAM software can update users on what assets should be used, are outdated or no longer unusable with the platform. Through content automation, DAM software can automatically delete assets after a predetermined time or after a project or campaign is no longer relevant – helping you manage the entire content lifecycle with ease.
Using DAM software increases operational efficiency
Using DAM software by your company can positively impact how productive teams and individual employees are.
From communication to continual review and updates, quickly deploying projects, and having all the digital assets secured in one place, it is without question that digital asset management is one tool marketers and content creators do not want to be without.
Contact us today if you can relate to the challenges highlighted or want to learn more about DAM. A Digizuite specialist will show you our platform.
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