How Digital Asset Management Works (2024)

If your corporation creates media files, you could need assistance organizing, storing, and sharing your organization’s digital assets in a centralized hub where the proper people can access them.

Digital asset management platforms are content management systems for all of the technical, logistical, financial, and inventive files your corporation generates. Here’s more on how a digital asset management system can make it easier to secure, maintain, and access your useful mental property.

What’s digital asset management (DAM)?

Digital asset management (DAM) refers to organizing, storing, retrieving, and distributing digital assets inside a corporation. Digital assets include text documents, images, video files, audio files, presentations, and other media assets.

A digital asset management solution features a centralized repository for storing these assets, allowing easy search, access, sharing, and management of digital files. Digital asset management systems run on specialized DAM software that rapidly sorts, archives, and distributes digital content with minimal human intervention.

As brand assets are created and saved on company computers, the digital asset management software can upload these files to cloud storage after which categorize and store them in a digital asset library. Once this is completed, the suitable internal and external stakeholders in your organization can quickly access digital assets.

Forms of digital assets

DAM systems handle anything in a digital format. Digital asset examples include:

• Documents. Text-based files include PDFs, Word documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and ebooks.

• Images. Photographs, graphics, illustrations, and visual content in various formats (including JPEG, PNG, and GIF).

• Videos. Recorded or animated visual content, including video files, animations, and wealthy media featuring motion graphics.

• Audio files. Music tracks, podcasts, sound effects, dialogue recordings, and other audio recordings in formats like MP3, WAV, or AIFF.

• Presentations. Slide decks, keynote presentations, and similar visual content for demonstrations, talks, or business pitches.

• Design files. Source files used for design work, including Adobe PSD (Photoshop), AI (Illustrator), and INDD (InDesign) files.

• Code files. Source code files, scripts, programming languages, and development-related assets like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

• Software. Complete programs owned, leased, or otherwise utilized by your team, including project management software, design software, image editing software, content management systems (CMS), and more.

• Metadata. Details about digital assets, including descriptions, tags, keywords, and other identifying data to assist organize and seek for files.

What does digital asset management software do?

Digital asset management (DAM) software is important for organizing, storing, retrieving, and distributing your digital company assets. Listed here are eight key functions you’ll typically find in a digital asset management platform:

Asset organization and storage

DAM software provides a centralized repository for all of your digital assets. It categorizes assets using your chosen parameters, making it easier to locate specific files quickly.

Search and retrieval

DAM platforms offer robust search capabilities, allowing you to quickly find assets using various search criteria, similar to keywords, metadata tags, file types, or custom attributes. Advanced search functionalities help locate specific assets inside extensive collections. As an example, you might use DAM search criteria to search out a PNG image uploaded by your marketing director in January 2021 tagged as “spring campaign.”

Metadata management

A DAM solution means that you can add, edit, and manage metadata related to digital assets, including meta descriptions, keywords, usage rights, creation dates, and other relevant details, facilitating search and retrieval.

Version control

DAM tools allow you to track and manage different versions of digital assets. You possibly can access previous versions, track changes, and make sure the use of probably the most recently updated content.

Facilitating collaboration

DAM systems facilitate collaboration by allowing employees to share digital assets across your network. You possibly can set access permissions to enable file sharing between teams. You may also restrict access.

When you’ve enabled asset access, team members can comment, review, and approve files, streamlining project workflows and communication.

Rights and permissions management

A digital asset manager may also help manage usage rights, permissions, and licenses associated together with your digital assets, which helps ensure compliance with copyright regulations and control access to sensitive or restricted content, stopping unauthorized usage.

Distribution and publishing

Some digital asset management tools offer distribution functionalities, allowing you to publish or distribute assets to numerous digital channels, platforms, or integrated systems. This feature streamlines sharing content across web sites, social media, marketing campaigns, and other outlets.

Brand management

Making a centralized digital library helps maintain brand consistency throughout your corporation operations. This centralization ensures copywriters and graphic designers maintain a consistent brand identity because they work from a comprehensive library of existing digital assets that meet brand guidelines.

Who uses digital asset management?

Professionals from various industries can use digital asset management to prepare digital assets efficiently. Listed here are five use cases for DAM systems:

Ecommerce retailers

Ecommerce retailers must manage product images, videos, descriptions, and marketing materials across various online sales platforms. DAM systems help organize product catalogs, manage high-quality images and videos for products, and ensure consistent branding. This integrated functionality could streamline the launch of recent products and update product listings.

Publishers and content creators

Publishing houses and content creators produce written content, illustrations, multimedia, and layout designs for books, magazines, and digital publications. By providing a central repository for digital files, DAM software helps organize editorial content and ensure version control for publications. You may also integrate a DAM system with a content management system (CMS) and other tools to quickly generate material for web publication.

Sales and marketing organizations

Marketing teams coordinate visual content like images, videos, and logos and assuredly craft marketing copy, often in partnership with clients. DAM systems help organize, store, and manage marketing materials in a centralized location. Marketers can use these tools to access branded assets and ensure consistency across campaigns.

Media and entertainment firms

Media firms create and manage digital assets like videos, audio files, promotional images, and archived content. Media firms leverage DAM systems for efficient cataloging, archiving, and distribution of their media assets. DAM tools could be a key component of asset creation, as different team members contribute to multimedia uploaded to the database.

Consider a movie studio using video files to make a theatrical trailer, or a team of music producers sharing audio stems. They use these tools to retrieve footage, optimize production workflows, and support rights management for licensing and distribution purposes.

Large corporate enterprises

Large corporations have many digital assets, including brand materials, training videos, documents, worker records, and internal communications. DAM systems may also help large corporations maintain up-to-date assets, making them available in document search across various departments and global offices. Centralized assets may also help employees manage worker records, streamline an approval process, or create branded content for external use.