Digital asset management (DAM) is the process that keeps all your content and classified assets securely organized. If your organization is struggling with clunky workflows, miscommunications, or compliance issues, you’ll benefit from a digital asset management system.
A great DAM platform makes all the difference for your team’s productivity. These tools come with a wide range of benefits for businesses of all sizes, including cost reductions and increased content output. The question is: Do you need a DAM system? Here’s your guide to assessing your business’s needs and deciding when it’s time to invest in the right DAM platform.
What Is Digital Asset Management?
Your organization already participates in digital asset management even if you aren’t aware of it. DAM is the processes and tools you use to store, share, and collaborate on digital assets.
What is a digital asset? Essentially anything that belongs exclusively to your organization. Some examples of digital assets are:
- Branded materials
- Graphics
- Photos
- Videos
- Social media posts
- Blog posts and articles
- Website content
- Hiring contracts
- Sales contracts
DAM is crucial to all departments within your organization, including HR, sales, and management. Marketing teams in particular benefit from smart DAM, as it supports creative processes and helps them meet increasing content demands.
What Is a DAM system?
So, every business participates in digital asset management, but not every business has a DAM system. What’s the difference? A DAM system is a designated platform to streamline your digital asset management processes. These systems come with specialized tools to:
- Keep digital assets organized
- Share assets within the platform
- Securely store assets with encryption
- Collaborate with internal and external team members
- Limit access by department
- Automate certain organizational and creative processes
There are two main types of DAM systems: centralized and cloud based. Centralized DAM platforms are installed on site and can only be accessed through an in-office network. Cloud DAM, on the other hand, is a decentralized software solution that can be accessed from anywhere. Most businesses today opt for a cloud-based DAM to reduce upfront costs and allow remote work.
The Benefits of Digital Asset Management Systems
A great DAM system comes with tons of benefits for all kinds of businesses. These platforms don’t just keep your content organized but can also have a profound impact on collaboration and workflows. Here are a few of the most notable benefits of digital asset management software.
Increased Security & Compliance
If your team members store digital assets on their private devices or share them through public networks, they are putting your brand at risk. DAM systems help improve brand safety and compliance by:
- Preventing data breaches
- Monitoring for AI-generated content
- Limiting access to classified documents
- Designating asset rights for different content types
- Detecting industry non-compliant content
These security measures help businesses avoid fines and legal fees. They also help to protect your brand’s reputation, which in turn builds trust with your customer base.
Simplified Collaboration
DAM platforms make it easier for teams to collaborate internally and with external partners. That’s because they eliminate the need for multiple storage and sharing channels.
For example, in a typical collaborative process, a writer might send content to a designer, who adds graphics before sending it to an editor for review. That means three versions of the same piece of content, each stored on a private device. The writer may email the designer while the designer communicates via Slack to the editor. All that back and forth leads to miscommunication and version control issues.
With a DAM system, every team member can collaborate on the same document in a shared platform. Some systems also come with monitoring tools to detect and erase old versions of an asset, ensuring everyone has the latest draft. This expedites the content creation process and reduces the risk of errors.
A Consistent Brand
Consistency is one of the most vital elements of a successful brand. It helps establish trust and ensures your online content stands out from others’. DAM systems can support brand consistency by:
- Providing access to brand templates and guidelines
- Streamlining review and editing processes
- Detecting off-brand content
- Automating time-consuming processes, leaving more time for creative work
Reduced Costs
There are countless apps and subscriptions out there to help businesses manage their workflows. As helpful as those services are, many of them have a limited reach. For example, your business may rely on customer relationship management (CRM) software, team communication platform, private email server, and content editing platform throughout the content lifecycle.
A DAM platform helps reduce costs by limiting the paid services your business relies on. It can also reduce the need for additional hiring or outsourcing as your content operations grow.
Do I Need a Digital Asset Management System?
As your business grows, you may face challenges with your digital asset management. More team members and increasing content demands can slow down growth without the right solutions in place.
Wondering if now is the time to invest in a digital asset management system? Here are a few tips to assess your needs and decide if you’re ready to implement a DAM platform.
Define Your Current Challenges
What challenges is your business facing? What is holding you back from growth?
While a DAM platform can’t solve every problem, it can address some of the most common challenges new businesses face as they scale. Those include:
- Inefficient processes
- Poor communication between departments
- A stressful work environment
- Overburdened team members
- Inability to meet deadlines
- Reliance on expensive apps and services
- Lack of a consistent brand voice
Make a list of your biggest challenges and take some time to consider their root cause. If the problem stems from poor asset management, a DAM system will help.
Outline Your Goals
A DAM system can also help you meet your long-term goals. Remember that with a growing customer base comes an increase in demands: more content, more contracts, and more day-to-day tasks for your team. The right DAM tools will help you meet those demands without overspending or outsourcing.
However, you shouldn’t wait until growth puts stress on your business to invest in a new DAM system. Implementing your system today will set you up to seamlessly scale your operations in the future.
Don’t plan on growing your customer base in the next year? You’ll still benefit from a DAM system if your goals include reduced costs, better customer retention, or increased marketing efforts.
Assess Your Content Output Needs
Content marketing investment is on the rise in nearly every sector, with over 90% of businesses including digital content in their marketing strategies. To keep up with the competition, your business may need to increase its content output.
But there’s a catch: More output without a significantly higher budget can lead to off-brand, inconsistent, or low-quality content. A DAM system can help you increase your content output without compromising creative processes.
Some ways DAM helps expedite content creation are:
- AI-powered features to automate certain tasks
- More efficient collaboration
- Integrations with third-party apps
- External access to easily share content with clients and partners
If you plan on investing in content marketing within the next year, now is a great time to implement a DAM platform. It will help you meet your content output goals without extensive hiring or outsourcing.
Talk to Your Team
If you’re on the fence about investing in a digital asset management platform, try talking to your team members. Ask them about the biggest challenges holding up their daily workflows and find out what would make their jobs easier. Talk to them about the benefits of a DAM system to see if they might be interested.
Even the best DAM platforms only work when every team member is on board. Make sure everyone involved with your digital asset management process is:
- Ready to make a change
- Interested in trying a new system
- Aware of the benefits of effective DAM
- Willing to reassess current workflows
Open communication is the best way to make sure everyone is on board with a change. You may want to meet with multiple departments, send out anonymous surveys, and encourage questions before jumping into your new DAM journey.
How To Implement a DAM System
You’ve decided now is the time to invest in the best digital asset management tools. Now what? Implementing a new DAM system isn’t as simple as just buying the software and logging on. Especially for larger organizations, it’s important to take your time, set up a smart strategy, and carefully transition to your new system. This will help optimize the benefits of a great DAM platform.
Here are a few steps to implement a DAM system without disrupting your business.
Choose Your Platform
First, find the best digital asset management software for your business. Not all DAM platforms are the same — some offer minimal features while others come with a wide range of tools to support multiple processes.
The right platform for you depends on your business’s needs. However, there are a few standout features you’ll want to look for, including:
- Customizability
- Advanced security
- Integration with third-party apps
- Ease of use
- Scalability
- Automation
- Monitoring and review tools
Don’t be afraid to shop around before choosing your DAM platform. You can always book a demo of the best DAM software to make sure it’s a good fit for your team.
Make a Plan
You should have a solid digital asset management strategy in place before you implement the new system. Although the platform will take care of a lot of the busy work and organization, a strategy ensures that you’re making the most of your new system’s features.
Your DAM strategy should cover:
- File naming protocol
- Who has access to each department’s assets
- Who is responsible for oversight in each department
- Protocol for sharing with external recipients
- Content creation, editing, and review workflows within the system
Meet with department leaders and other relevant team members to develop this strategy. After implementing your DAM system, it’s important to track your progress and make changes to your strategy as needed.
Train Your Team
Next, train your employees to use the DAM system. Take care not to rush this step — it’s crucial that every team member understands the system so they don’t circumnavigate it and continue sharing and storing assets through other channels.
Depending on your business size, you may want to hold multiple training sessions. Appoint team leaders to answer questions and support employees as they get used to the platform.
Make the Switch
Once everyone is on board with your new DAM system, it’s time to import all your digital assets. To maintain security and version control, you’ll want to delete old versions of assets in other storage solutions. Now is also the time to end your unneeded subscriptions and set up integrations with the third-party services you will continue to use.
Scale and Grow
The best DAM platforms are designed to scale with your business. As you take on new team members and increase your content output, you may need to adjust your DAM strategy.
Be sure to track your progress so you know the new system is helping you reach your goals. Check in with department leaders, troubleshoot issues, and continue adapting to make the most of your DAM platform over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a digital asset management system worth it?
The best DAM systems can help you reach your business goals, streamline workflows, and reduce costs. Your investment in a new DAM system will pay off with a smart strategy and careful implementation. However, it’s up to you and your team to decide when you want to make that investment.
Can fully remote teams use a DAM system?
Cloud-based DAM platforms are accessible from any device, anywhere in the world. If your team is fully remote, a DAM system is a great way to support collaboration and reduce communication issues.
Is my business too small to invest in DAM?
DAM platforms are designed for organizations of all sizes. Your plan and features will scale with your business as it grows. Even small marketing teams and nonprofits will benefit from a great DAM system.