The number of customer segments that organizations need to cater to is rising, showing no signs of slowing down. Naturally, this has created the need for personalized experiences that can only be fulfilled by customized content. However, this has resulted in businesses facing a whole new set of challenges in managing the massive volume of content generated. By deploying the right Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution, a company can manage, store, retrieve and share all its content assets, including images, audio, video, and text, with its internal and external users.

A DAM platform helps businesses save time, effort, and resources in the complete management of their digital assets, right from when it is created and through its entire lifecycle. And it does that in a structured and secure manner.

Does your organization need a DAM solution?

Before finalizing the asset management software, you need to understand what your business requirements are. Your customer demands are unique, and therefore, your content needs will be different. Only after you evaluate your needs can you choose the right DAM for your business needs.

1. How do you manage your digital assets currently?

Typically, digital assets are managed on online file share sites, individual computers, or folders on the intranet. However, managing and retrieving individual content from these becomes time-consuming and tedious. DAM can help you store and catalog all data in a single place, making it easier to retrieve any asset instantly.

2. Can anyone access your digital assets?

Allowing everyone in the organization to access your digital assets can compromise the safety of your files. With a DAM, you can assign permission rights to users, both internal and external, to ensure limited access to your indispensable digital assets.

3. How do you retrieve a digital asset?

Do you rely on memory when it comes to searching for a particular file you’ve saved? What about other users? A haphazard file storage system makes file retrieval exceedingly difficult. DAM helps you create a metadata structure and add filters that simplify digital asset search.

4. How do you assign responsibilities to the assets?

At every stage of the digital asset’s lifecycle, different people are required to step in and fulfill specific roles. This needs to be managed effortlessly and seamlessly. With the DAM’s history feature, you can control workflows and manage each step of your media files’ execution perfectly.

5. Can your team access the digital assets remotely?

In a traditional digital asset sharing scenario, where team members are spread across offices or even time zones, employees waste a lot of time waiting for team members to respond to file-sharing requests. DAM is a transfer alternative that does away with the back and forth and gives all authorized users real-time access wherever and whenever they need it.

6. Does the content creation process require collaboration?

Usually, there are a host of people involved in the content creation process. And to manage this efficiently, you need collaboration. The right DAM solution allows you to tag specific users, store comments, and ensure that you are working on the latest version of the digital asset. Different stakeholders can collaborate on the content piece in real-time, remotely.

Selecting the right DAM for your company

There is a confusing abundance of Digital Asset Management platforms in the market today, with each one offering attractive features. To select the right DAM, however, you need to find one that suits your organization’s requirements and not focus just on the features.

Start by defining your key business objective for starting on the DAM journey. Keep this objective in mind at every stage as you select the DAM platform and the vendor to ensure you get the best fit for your digital asset management needs.

Identify the users of the DAM system

Not everyone who has access to the asset is a DAM user. Users have more control and are involved in the upkeep of digital assets.

You will need an administrator of the DAM solution who will be the final authority on keeping the digital assets updated. Next, you will need to identify the departments that will need to access the DAM on a regular basis. These users can then share digital assets with those people not authorized to use the DAM system. Knowing the number of users can impact the cost of the DAM solution.

Involve your partners

By giving your partners access to the DAM system, you can help speed up business processes, remove inefficiencies and bring down errors. Edits and approvals will happen much faster, mails will not get lost in the information overload all of us are victims of, communication and file transfer are streamlined, and costs will be reduced.

Is the DAM solution scalable?

Check to ensure the DAM solution is flexible and scalable to take care of your changing business needs. You have the option to choose from a SaaS or cloud-based platform, an on-premise solution, or a hybrid one. Either way, examine the solution against your business goals and make the right choice.

Does the DAM support all file types?

Every organization has different content requirements and could use a combination of text, images, audio, and videos in different file formats. Select a DAM that allows you to easily manage all your digital assets in your preferred file type.

Lastly, what’s your budget?

Even when you find the right DAM system, the most significant business consideration is the cost. It’s not only crucial that the DAM platform fits your budget, but you also need to take into consideration the ROI perspective. You must see an increase in your income, either through improved productivity or reduced overhead costs.

DAM has the potential to completely transform the way a business manages its digital assets. When choosing one for your business, make sure to select the best fit for your organization.

Scatter Content Box is a purpose-built digital asset management solution to help digital teams to manage, store and retrieve assets at a large scale seamlessly.  Want a quick demo?  register here.