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Practical guide: What is Digital Asset Management?

Digital Asset Management can refer to both the practice and the platform. The best DAM platform tool for you should be the one that helps you do the process without learning it.

Practical guide: What is Digital Asset Management?

It's about DAM time!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Digital Asset Management, or DAM, as you may hear it called. Even if you don’t know much, you are already a Digital Asset Manager without realizing it. An effective Digital Asset Management workflow can transform the way you handle assets.

When discussing about Digital Asset Management tools, it doesn’t matter what you call them – assets, media, content, or files. As long as there is a centralized repository for organizing, managing, and sharing them – and everyone who needs them can access them.

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What is a Digital Asset Manager?

Whether you contribute, organize, distribute, or use digital files, you are a Digital Asset Manager. We are managing organizing digital assets to make them easy to find, share, and use. This may seem complex at first. However, it is a straightforward process.

Think of DAM as File Management software, but built in a way that actually helps you find what you need.

Why is Digital Asset Management important?

Content has never been easier to create, and there has never been more of it - but managing digital assets has never been harder.
You’ll likely be looking for Digital Asset Management solutions for one of two reasons...

The reason to use Digital Asset Management software #1

The reason to use Digital Asset Management software #1

You are used to managing files using Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, or OneDrive, but are frustrated by confusing folder structures, duplicate files, and a lack of visual reference that makes finding the files you need a pain.

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The reason to use Digital Asset Management software #2

The reason to use Digital Asset Management software #2

The DAM platform you currently use is too expensive, takes too long to set up, and has low adoption because of the first two things.

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What is the difference between DAM platform and file management software?

Asset organization and metadata management

File Management (Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, etc.)
Primarily, it focuses on basic file and folder structures for organization. The system limits metadata capabilities to file names and comments.

DAM (Stockpress, Brandfolder, Bynder, etc.)
It offers advanced asset organization with customizable metadata fields, tags, and taxonomies. It supports complex categorization and detailed metadata management for efficient asset retrieval.

Duplication of files

File Management:
Creating a new folder relies on duplicating files within the platform. This leads to confusion over which file is the correct one, and artificially increases storage needs.

Digital Asset Management:
One file can live in multiple ‘Collections’ without being duplicated. Access to files is controlled by permissions that support asset tracking and file security and helps reduce storage needs.

Version Control:

File management:
Relies on new files being added to folders with amended naming conventions, e.g.:

sales brochure.pdf01
sales brochure.pdf02
salesbrochure.pdf03
etc…

Digital Asset Management:
Features robust version control with detailed version histories that can be restored, deleted, or archived.

Asset Distribution and Sharing:

File management:
Focuses on straightforward file sharing and syncing across devices. Sharing options include links and limited permissions for collaborators.

Digital Asset Management:
Designed for broad and secure asset distribution with customizable sharing options, download presets, and customizable access restrictions. Supports multiple file formats and resolution options for different needs.

Search and Retrieval Capabilities:

File Management:
Basic search functionality primarily relies on file names and limited metadata.

Digital Asset Management:
Advanced search functionality utilizing extensive metadata, keywords, filters, and AI-driven search capabilities. Designed to handle large volumes of digital assets with precision and speed.

How to choose a Digital Asset Management system?

Often, the best DAM solutions will align with an age-old metaphor surrounding successful teams - “run at the pace of the slowest runner.” The end-users are ultimately the most important because they can’t use assets that they can’t find. A great DAM should help your team:

Increase ROI

Increase their use of digital content and drive content-led revenue.

Enhance usability

Teams should be able to upload files and find the assets they need, when they need them – on the go or at their desks.

Quickly see value

Get everyone on the same page quickly to unlock success from day one.

Increase collaboration

Get their work done by collaborating with complex networks of staff and external partners all in one place and sharing files easily with others.

When selecting a DAM, you should think about these things as well as ask yourself: is it scalable, can I start small and grow it, can I stand it up quickly so it gets good adoption, and is it easy enough to start using to make the assets you create for your next campaign, project or event, easier to manage than your last?

For more information please visit our blog post: How to find the best Cloud-Based File Sharing platform for your team

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Questions you should be asking Digital Asset Management Vendors:

  • How long will it take me to set up the DAM?
  • Is there a cost for getting support to implement the DAM?
  • What is the cost of the Digital Asset Management software?
  • Do you charge per user?
  • Can you replicate your folder structure from Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, or OneDrive?
  • Can you deduplicate files easily? And not just off using their file name?
  • Can you scale your usage as you go?

Stockpress - simplified Digital Asset Management software for teams whose content means business!

Stockpress is on a mission to demystify DAM. We believe that simplified Digital Asset Management can make all the difference to an organization and that access to DAM shouldn’t break your budget.

Suppose you are part of a marketing and communications team that feels overwhelmed with managing and finding your marketing content quickly, a sales team where finding the latest sales materials quickly is a constant headache, or a creative team that finds it a challenge to organize and retrieve creative assets efficiently, or run an organization and want to make it easy for everyone to get on the same page. In that case, we’d love to hear from you. Implementing an efficient DAM workflow can significantly improve the way you manage, find, and share your digital assets.

With unlimited users and admins, teams that make organizing users a breeze, and pricing starting from just $39 per month, Stockpress is a DAM that teams love, and that’s built for the way they work.

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