Every business organization from the smallest to the largest will, at some point, make use of digital assets. Most are doing so already. Your digital assets are all those critical documents you use daily, such as marketing assets, templates for correspondence, your logo in different formats, videos, and the plethora of other digital formats that consumers read, encounter, and digest all day, every day. We’re living in the digital age, after all, so it’s not surprising that the majority of media consumed by most people is in some digital form.
As a business or a marketer, if you don’t properly manage your digital assets, operations can get chaotic quite quickly, regardless of the size of the business or the number of people on your marketing team (yes, that means even you solo-professionals). Digital asset management (DAM) aims to solve the problems you’re sure to encounter when it comes to organizing, finding, utilizing, and making sense of your growing volume of assets – namely, the problems involved with preserving, protecting, editing, and controlling access to digital assets.
A Simple, Real-World Example
You have just approved a new logo. Now across your business letter templates, e-mails, marketing documents need to be updated with the new logo. Different staff members are going to need to access the new documents. What would normally happen? Hundreds of e-mails would be sent out to different teams and everyone would need to coordinate to implement the use of the new logo.
What if everyone could access the new document from any device without having to e-mail around various departments or teams. Wouldn’t that be great Well, that is just one of the things DAM can achieve.
DAM can also allow you to control the permissions you give to documents, so you can control who can view, edit and access your files. DAM can enable all members of staff access to the documents they need from wherever they are in the world.
DAM can even be used to track file changes so a group of people can work on a file even if they are in different locations or on different teams.
CampaignDrive by Pica9
CampaignDrive is a comprehensive DAM system tailored for marketers. Easily store, create and manage all your digital assets from anywhere.
Key Features:
- Tailored to fit the needs of digital marketers
- Well-received features–print templates, digital templates, e-mail templates
- Reporting on your digital assets and their performance
- Workflow management–approvals, editing and budget management
- Integrates with programs you already use
MerlinOne
MerlinOne is a long-established DAM system who started by offering their services to publishers. They have since expanded and have integrated AI technology to ensure seamless use and management of all digital assets.
Key Features:
- Proven system
- Uses AI to make locating content easy
- Files can be edited quickly
- Track changes and make comments
- Offers solutions for businesses of all sizes and industries
- Fully HIPAA-compliant
Canto
Canto is one of the most widely-recognized DAM vendors with a reputable business and a large client base. In fact, businesses rely on Canto for their dependable and robust system.
Key Features:
- Established business
- Easy and quick integrations
- Choose between an on-premises system, a cloud-based system or a hybrid cloud – making files easily accessible with options to suit every business
- Supports any platform and device
- Track file changes, easily.
Brandfolder
Brandfolder is well-known for their focus on customer service. In addition, they offer simple, effective solutions.
Key Features:
- Clean, clutter-free interface
- Strong customer service for every client
- Ranked “Most Implementable”
- Easy to find files, simple access, permissions management
- You can set up brand templates
- Easy integrations with a wide variety of applications
Extensis
Despite being established for 20 years, Extensis has the feel of a young company. They take innovation and future-sighted thinking seriously. Their main strong point is the ease of organization and locating files.
Key Features:
- Established business
- Easy to find documents – a Google-style search method. Thumbnails make the system visual
- Clever automatic assignment of metadata, saving a lot of time with system setup
- Flexible organization
- Control over permissions and rights over files, images and more
- Full customer support
WebDAM
WebDAM is both easy to use and easy to set up. They also have three packages: “creative project management,” “digital asset management” and “dynamic brand management.” Essentially, they have a solution for every business.
Key Features:
- Modern innovative company – aims to make tech less technical
- Manage and perfect workflows – a system to track file changes and track improvements
- Locate documents easily with in-document search tool
- Granular permissions to control access
- Crop or convert files during download
It’s time for a DAM solution
Using a DAM system to manage your digital assets offers the perfect way to streamline your workflow and to improve business processes. In a modern technical age, even the smallest enterprise will have a need to use, store, edit and access their digital assets. DAM can help provide an advantage by giving you control over your digital assets and time back to do what you do best.