The digital transformation didn’t just affect the ways in which everyone does business; it also created a need for managing digital assets in an efficient, secure way. Digital asset management (DAM) is essential for marketers, creatives, and other professionals who need an efficient solution for getting content to market and engaging their audiences faster and better. There are various schools of thought on digital asset management, and companies that are just realizing they need a DAM solution often struggle with knowing where to begin.
To help you cut through the digital asset management noise, we have rounded up 50 of the top tips, presentations, and resources from leading authorities, experts, and marketers. We have included articles, blogs, guides, podcasts, tips, and other resources that provide DAM insight and information from those who understand it best. To help you simplify your search for just the right information, we have categorized the resources and listed them alphabetically; thus, they are not ranked or rated in any way.
Jump to:
- Digital Asset Management Tips
- The Best Digital Asset Management Presentations
- Articles and Guide on DAM Best Practices
- The Best Digital Asset Management Blogs
- Top Podcasts, Videos, and Webinars on Digital Asset Management
Digital Asset Management Tips
1. Artificial Intelligence is becoming critical to digital asset management.
“We are hearing from our customers that they would like us to prioritize Artificial Intelligence (AI) used both for inputs and for searching and thus selection. Content could be more self selecting (e.g. user inputs – show me vertical photos that look like this that have a high rating and/or a high memorability).” – Fergal Glynn, Expert Opinion: DAM Featuring Fergal Glynn, MarTechExec; Twitter: @MarTechExec
2. Because people with different roles use DAM systems differently, good DAM systems give users only the features they need.
“A good DAM system allows an administrator to configure the system so that a person in a given role sees only and exactly the features and assets they need to do their job. The result for employees is higher productivity, lower stress, and a less cluttered work environment.” – Andrew Forber, The Four C’s of DAM, MerlinOne; Twitter: @MerlinOne_Inc
3. Content is growing exponentially, and organizations need a DAM solution to manage it all and save time and money.
“The digital asset management, today, I guess today, is becoming more and more important in organizations. And the reason for that is if you look at what’s happening out there in the market, and at what people are doing, the development and the content that most organizations are delivering is growing exponentially. Globally, it’s set to be growing every two years.
“So, what that means is, if I have to develop lots and lots of content, my budget doesn’t go up, my resources don’t go up, and I’ve got to do it all with the same. And, I’ve got all the different channels coming in. You know, average people tend to work across 23 different channels. I now kind of have to take the content I develop and get the maximum value out of that particular content.
“So, how do I manage it so that it’s relevant for all the different channels that I work in? How do I make sure that actually as I lifecycle content through different campaigns and different activities that we don’t lose stuff, we don’t have to go back and get stuff reshot or go back and buy stock imagery or whatever it is. Actually, we’ve got an asset repository, a digital asset management system where we can go and quickly find the assets and the information that we need, and we can lifecycle it in there so we get the biggest bang for our buck.” – Jon Williams, How Digital Asset Management Maximizes Content Value, Which-50 Media; Twitter: @Which50
4. DAM system implementation requires a team and time.
“We are still implementing, really. We’ve launched the product at the end of 2015 after procuring it and setting it up and reached out to some pilot departments… The implementation stage we are at, at the moment, I would say is, it’s not yet mature. It’s still young. It’s still developing.
“We’re still adding parts of the organization to the DAM, but also adding different taxonomies to the DAM as our needs grow… we are quite unusual because we have a fairly varied number of use cases. So, we have the poetry library who have their own sort of materials that are not really directly connected to the events work, for instance, which the artistic programming team would have. So, the top-level team and the implementation are quite complex and quite big. And, it will take us awhile before we get there, but we should get there in the end.” – Michal Obuchowski, Michal Obuchowski Discusses Digital Asset Management Implementation at the Southbank Centre, Henry Stewart; Twitter: @henrystewartda
5. DAM systems must evolve to meet multi-channel marketing needs.
“As DAMs continue to become more widely adopted, working across the distribution channels associated with the content stored in the DAM will also become more important. While traditionally DAM systems have been designed to support online first with the offline experience as an afterthought, they will need to evolve to support multi-channel marketing, connecting both online and offline distribution channels.
“Ultimately, having a DAM alone will not be sufficient to manage multi-channel efforts, but connecting it to tools like print-on-demand software to deliver customized local printed materials and ads across a distributed network will be an essential step towards having a complete marketing solution.” – Amy Galabinski, Expert Opinion: DAM Featuring Amy Galabinski, MarTechExec; Twitter: @MarTechExec
6. Digital asset management systems are not just for companies; they also solve problems for higher education institutes.
“Over the past year the Information School’s Communications Department has experience an increased ingestion of digital photographic material; these images, which total over 5,000, were being stored on an internal network drive with no standardized naming, organizational schema structure, or embedded metadata information. As these images are imperative in promoting the iSchool’s accomplishments, achievements, advances, and offerings – in a variety of print and digital media sources – the Communications Department sought to create a digital asset management system.” – Irma J. Vela, iSchool Digital Asset Management, Information School, University of Washington; Twitter: @UW_iSchool
7. Digital asset management systems are useful for nearly any department or company.
“Then when I was appointed by the CEO to investigate the DAM system, I actually didn’t know anything about the DAM system. As a designer, I wasn’t sure how this system was going to be helpful to our company.
“But now that we implemented the system, I can see that the DAM system is really useful to, not only the company like us, but to design and then produce the product by a design agency, or any other design-related company. Actually, our company is pretty small, so the graphic design department is small.
“Then what we were doing was, we are putting everything into our company server. But as our company starts to grow, we realize that, if we don’t organize these digital assets eventually, it’s going to get really messy.” – Mikako Ito, Another DAM Podcast Interview with Mikako Ito on Digital Asset Management, Another DAM Podcast; Twitter: @hgg101
8. Getting stakeholder buy in for a DAM system is a must.
“Identifying and engaging with your key stakeholders – everyone who creates, manages or needs access to digital files – is an essential step in the process. The more champions you have lobbying for the successful use of your DAM system, the more likely you are to achieve widespread adoption.” – Joe Staples, 5 Tips for Making the Most of Digital Asset Management, MarTech Advisor; Twitter: @MarTechAdvisor
9. Sales reps benefit from quickly linking digital assets to leads and contacts.
“With the Merlin integration, sales reps can quickly attach links to the sales collateral they need while staying in the Salesforce.com product. They can distribute the latest approved or versioned material quickly and efficiently to their leads or contacts.” – David Farrell, Merlin Adds Salesforce to Its List of System Integrations, MerlinOne; Twitter: @MerlinOne_Inc
10. Successful DAM projects depend on people.
“Establish a core team. People with the right skills and attitudes. No more than five. More than five, that’s a party. Five people will get it done. Empower them to make the decisions. Give them the tools they need to move ahead. Your implementation will be successful.” – Douglas Hegley, Douglas Hegley of Minneapolis Institute of Art Sharing a Tip for a Successful DAM Launch, Henry Stewart; Twitter: @henrystewartdam
Top Digital Asset Management Presentations
11. Digital Asset Management Best Practices
@DAMGeek
The DAM Learning Center provides Digital Asset Management knowledge and inspiration. Edward Smith, the DAM Learning Center editor and product marketing manager at Extensis, covers DAM best practices in this presentation from the Digital Asset Management Forum. The presentation covers initiating your DAM project, evaluating solutions, implementing DAM, daily use of DAM, and more.
Three tips we like from Digital Asset Management Best Practices:
- To identify and involve stakeholders, find champions, create a project team, involve your IT department, and obtain executive-level support
- When evaluating DAM systems, focus on solving problems rather than on features
- Prioritize metadata field entry to include crucial information, what is nice to have, and what you can live without
12. Five Ways to Encourage Your Employees to Use Your Digital Asset Management Software
@BrandworkzWorld
A brand management platform enabling brand, marketing, customer service, and other internal teams to deliver a unified brand experience, Brandworkz sahres this digital asset management presentation on encouraging employees to use your DAM system. As the presentation points out, marketing and brand teams rely on DAM platforms regularly, and businesses can encourage all employees to use them.
Three key tips we like from Five Ways to Encourage Your Employees to Use Your Digital Asset Management Software:
- A DAM system should be used by every team because everyone is responsible for representing your brand accurately
- Integrate your DAM with the corporate intranet; make it easy for employees to access by using single sign-on
- Build a brand portal to communicate your brand visually and turn employees into brand evangelists
Digital Asset Management Articles and Guides
13. 7 Considerations to Choose Digital Asset Management Right
@Digitaldoughnut
DigitalDoughnut shares research, best practices, insights, and technology trends for marketers. Rajneesh Kumar, digital marketer and growth hacker, explains that digital assets fuel the new economy and claims there are seven key factors you should consider when choosing a DAM platform in his DigitalDoughnut article.
Three key points we like from 7 Considerations to Choose Digital Asset Management Right:
- DAM plays a critical role in improving brand consistency across campaigns and channels
- Your DAM solution should integrate well with the existing infrastructure of your organization
- DAM systems should reduce time spent searching for assets, streamline approval processes, and drive collaboration with external stakeholders while providing better visibility of current status
14. 10 Reasons Why Digital Assets Rule the World
@cmswire
@ekolvitz
CMSWire is a trusted source for the latest information on customer experience, MarTech, the digital workplace, information management, and more. Digital asset management librarian and consultant Emily Kolvitz and CMSWire contributor examines the power of digital assets in this DAM article.
Three key points we like from 10 Reasons Why Digital Assets Rule the World:
- Digital assets influence people every time they have screen time
- Marketing collateral, sales enablement, products, services, tweets, blogs, photography, graphics, illustrations, and videos are built upon digital assets
- Digital assets have social influence and significantly impact work and business
15. Best DAM Practices: A Digital Asset Management Philosophy
@DAMGuru
DAM Guru Program is a free service connecting digital asset management experts with those new to the practice and employers looking for help with it. Adam N. Hess’ DAM Guru Program article shares librarian tips for DAM managers and examines best practices when developing a philosophy for digital asset management.
Three key points we like from Best DAM Practices: A Digital Asset Management Philosophy:
- Successful DAM implementation requires developing a strong organizational philosophy on digital asset management
- It is helpful if you use multiple resources to develop a well-informed ideology for your DAM rather than being tied to one policy, standard, or solution
- Your DAM should fit with your organization and mission instead of fit into an existing model
16. Closing the DAM Expectation Gap
@cmswire
@DAMlibrarian
Deb Fanslow is a CMSWire contributor covering digital asset management and information management. In her article, she explains that digital asset management is not as easy as installing a DAM system and waiting for it to manage all your organization’s assets. The danger of believing the myth is that the resulting expectations gap undermines the success of your DAM initiatives.
Three key points we like from Closing the DAM Expectation Gap:
- It is critical to manage stakeholder and user expectations from the beginning of a DAM implementation project
- Do not throw a DAM solution at your information challenges without considering the people, process, and information architecture required to help users find and reuse assets as effectively as possible
- Achieving maximum ROI from your DAM system entails recognizing that a minimum viable product includes much more than simply procuring and deploying the system; basic information management principles must be understood, standardized, configured, maintained, and governed with your DAM tool to make this happen
17. DAM Innovation is Finally on the Horizon: From Value Chains to Blockchains
@cmswire
@daydreamuk
Ralph Windsor, project director for digital asset management consultants Daydream and a contributing editor for DAM News. He also is a CMSWire contributing author covering digital asset management and exploring the long-awaited innovation in DAM in this article.
Three key points we like from DAM Innovation is Finally on the Horizon: From Value Chains to Blockchains:
- Some DAM systems have helpful additions like APIs, scripting facilities, hooks, and more enhanced metadata modeling
- It would be helpful if the DAM industry offered components loosely to allow users to customize solutions based on their requirements
- End users care more about generating maximum ROI from a DAM system than its cost
18. DAM Mid-Year 2017: ECM is the New Black
@TheresaRegli
Theresas Regli is a digital asset management expert, content technologist, author, and chief strategy officer. In June, she wrote this article reflecting on the Henry Stewart Digital Asset Management even in London and the state of DAM at the half-way point of 2017.
Three key points we like from DAM Mid-Year 2017: ECM is the New Black:
- In many cases, DAM tools are more than that; they reside inside larger content management tools that tailor to specific industry verticals or use cases
- DAM tools cannot solve challenges without people
- Everyone tries to solve the same problem: getting content from point A to point Z and making findability and distribution efficient
19. The DAM Truth: All You Need to Know About Digital Asset Management
@CMIContent
@MoxieMktg
The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) is on a mission to advance the practice of content marketing and offers practical, how-to guidance along with insight and advice from experts and a community actively discussing the latest industry news and information. IO Integration marketing VP Jill Talvensaari, in her CMI article, explains why companies and marketers producing loads of content and delivering it to audience across multiple channels should rely on DAM systems rather than cloud-based sharing and storage options.
Three key points we like from The DAM Truth: All You Need to Know About Digital Asset Management:
- DAMs help organizations meet the challenges of modern content marketing by offering benefits spanning the content life cycle
- DAMs join together people, processes, and data to make content marketing workflows streamlined and efficient
- Reach more customers on more platforms with more targeted content by allowing your team to create once and then customize for delivery across media channels
20. DAM: The Guardian of Your Brand
@cmswire
@jkottcamp
John Kottcamp is a CMO who appreciates the relationship between Big Data, marketing technology, and dynamic brand marketing. He’s also a CMSWire contributing author covering digital marketing and customer experience. In this DAM article, John looks at the key reasons for implementing a DAM, including its influence on customer experience.
Three key points we like from DAM: The Guardian of Your Brand:
- DAM is the key to managing content, and content drives customer experiences
- Your brand suffers if content is loosely managed, inconsistent, or hidden; DAM is the most critical system for content management and for the brand itself
- Investing in DAM results in improved operational efficiencies, brand compliance, legal compliance, brand evolution support, navigation of rebranding, and findability
21. Devising Strategies for Consolidating DAM Solutions Using a Service-Oriented Model
@DAMNEWS
DAM News offers digital asset management news, reviews, trends, and opinions. DAM News editor Ralph Windsor presents this special feature, which helps readers assess their DAM requirements from a service-oriented perspective that offers benefits of consolidating DAM solutions while minimizing risk.
Three key points we like from Devising Strategies for Consolidating DAM Solutions Using a Service-Oriented Model:
- Companies consider consolidating DAM solutions to aggregate assets into one location, replace unsupported or legacy applications, remove duplicated costs, enhance asset reusability, simplify application support procedures, and reduce procurement complexity
- Consolidation makes solving your DAM challenges appear simpler, but there may be undesirable consequences such as creating even more fragmentation
- One solution may be dissecting your DAM strategy and analyze it as a series of integrated services rather than as a single product
22. Digital Asset Management and the Role It Plays in Marketing
@thebalance
@laura_lake
The Balance shares expert practical advice on financial matters to help you earn more, spend smarter, invest well, and build a more secure future. Marketing consultant Laura Lake, who has more than 15 years of online and traditional marketing experience, examines digital asset management’s role in marketing in this article for The Balance.
Three key points we like from Digital Asset Management and the Role It Plays in Marketing:
- Marketers don’t have time to track down finalized, approved assets, which is why they need a DAM that makes content accessible
- DAM addresses common issues such as lack of brand control, having multiple vendors and agencies creating assets for one company, and the inability to quickly repurpose content as necessary
- DAM systems help marketers tell a complete story and create a stronger impression
23. Digital Asset Management Best Practices
@SpiralScout
Spiral Scout’s designers and skilled engineers create websites and mobile apps that are easy to use. Their guide to digital asset management outlines best practices for companies looking to manage their assets and includes everything from creating an efficient workflow to setting up categories, folders, and tags.
Three key tips we like from Digital Asset Management Best Practices:
- An organized, well thought-out workflow is critical to keeping track of assets and ensuring the right people have access to the files and permissions they need
- Your DAM solution should be customizable to help your company organize, track, and share digital assets efficiently enough to save you time and money
- Create a parent-child hierarchy within your DAM to make it easier to name and then locate your assets
24. Digital Asset Management: (DAM)n, it Makes Life Easier!
@MarTechAdvisor
@T_Toon84
MarTech Advisor’s Abhinandan Ghosh understands the struggle of marketers who want to quickly find a piece of digital content but have to spend too much time finding it. The solution is a DAM system that consists of multiple users and assets with a range of capabilities.
Three key points we like from Digital Asset Management: (DAM)n, it Makes Life Easier!:
- You need a solution to make dealing with digital content both internally and externally more efficient
- Opting for a DAM system helps reduce cost, effort, and time
- DAMs also increase productivity in decentralized teams who need to access the right content at the right time without needing to rely on someone else to help find it; and, they eliminate the temptation for team members to create their own versions of corporate content
25. Digital Asset Management: Why It’s Something You Should be Doing
@TheNextWeb
@jackiedove
TheNextWeb is a source for opinionated perspectives on tech news. Jackie Dove’s opinion is that you should be using digital asset management, and she explains why in this TNW article, which highlights the benefits of adopting a proper DAM system.
Three key points we like from Digital Asset Management: Why It’s Something You Should be Doing:
- Asset management is important for companies of all sizes
- Companies waste too much time and money gathering creative assets for marketing projects and then having them wasted through inappropriate use or no use: one-third of marketing assets go unused or underutilized
- Having a DAM in place boosts revenue, reduces asset creation costs, reduces risk and increases productivity by at least 10%, according to one study
26. Everything You Need to Know about Digital Asset Management (DAM)
@MarketingB2B
@mt_king1
B2B Marketing is the leading content, events, and training resource for B2B marketers. Michael King, content officer, provides a comprehensive overview of digital asset management and includes answers from the experts in his B2B Marketing article.
Three key points we like from Everything You Need to Know about Digital Asset Management (DAM):
- Digital asset management systems enable marketers to securely store and organize all files with metadata to make them searchable for future use, sharing, and distribution
- Adoption of DAM as a practice will increase as the need for content increases and time to market shortens
- DAM has evolved from a means of storing and finding marketing assets to a system encompassing the content lifecycle
27. Five Tips on How to Get Started with Digital Asset Management
@roxen
Roxen provides content management and editorial software solutions. They also share this article on digital asset management by Carl Petruson, who founded QBank and loves digital thinking. The article reminds readers of the importance of using images and videos in marketing communication and provides tips for getting started with a DAM solution.
Three key points we like from Five Tips on How to Get Started with Digital Asset Management:
- DAM drives multiple channel communication and enhances the user experience
- Smart small but have a vision in mind
- Get control of existing assets and define the workflow
28. Forrester Releases Its Very Brief List of Digital Asset Management Best Practices
@cmswire
If you are new to the world of digital asset management, this CMSWire article is a good place to start because it was written in 2011, when most people were new to DAM. At that time, Forrester released a report defining three best practices for DAM; the article delves into those best practices.
Three key points we like from Forrester Releases Its Very Brief List of Digital Asset Management Best Practices:
- The necessity for DAM solutions is growing because enterprises have increasing amounts of rich media and digital assets
- Keep in mind that DAM is a tool; activities like search, asset reuse, ensuring brand consistency, and collaboration with external agencies occur with or without the technology, but they become easier when you adopt a DAM solution
- Forrester’s three best practices for DAM include developing a taste for the various flavors of DAM, applying rich media-specific governance, and making rich media metadata management your religion
29. Guide to Implementing Digital Asset Management Systems and Strategies
@sContentMgmt
With an introduction to DAM and sections and additional resources exploring digital asset management issues and considerations, SearchContentManagement’s guide is a comprehensive resource for individuals looking to learn more about the practice. As the guide points out, DAM solutions help organizations in multiple industries manage their growing digital asset libraries, multimedia, and rich media content.
Three key points we like from Guide to Implementing Digital Asset Management Systems and Strategies:
- One of an organization’s biggest challenges is tracking content and ensuring it’s accessible to business users
- DAM solutions provide search capabilities to help users identify, locate, and retrieve digital assets
- Assess your needs to determine whether you need a standalone DAM system or a web content management solution
30. How Digital Asset Management Can Make a Big Impact on Your Content Marketing
@CMIContent
@cmcphillips
In this Content Marketing Institute article, CMI marketing VP Cathy McPhillips examines how DAM impacts content marketing. Companies that struggle with knowing and remembering all they have, tracking down content assets efficiently, struggling to collaborate with others, and reusing existing content turn to a digital asset management solution.
Three key points we like from How Digital Asset Management Can Make a Big Impact on Your Content Marketing:
- DAM enables you to manage your portfolio of content assets and automate much of the process so your team can use and reuse content efficiently while minimizing errors and inconsistency
- When set up correctly, DAM tools function more like a dynamic storage and delivery system than a card catalog
- Companies attempting to piece together free and low-cost DAAM options should scale up to an enterprise system for continued growth and increased efficiency
31. Justify Investments in Digital Asset Management Tools to Your CFO
@sContentMgmt
@DonoFluckinger
Executive editor of TechTarget’s SearchCRM, SearchSalesforce, and SearchContentManagement, Don Fluckinger shares tips for justifying the cost of DAM tools in this article. As Don contends, the benefits of DAM are worth the capital and bandwidth they require.
Three key points we like from Justify Investments in Digital Asset Management Tools to Your CFO:
- Forward-thinking organizations use DAM systems to make content stores available for internal and external use via the web and the cloud
- Two challenges to DAM implementation include the investments DAM tools require for building searchable repositories and driving awareness and exciting among internal users to the company reaps a reward from DAM investment
- According to Donna Bible, senior digital asset manager at Rosetta Stone, there are four main DAM benefits CFOs can appreciate: stock photos and other creative costs decreased by 80%, maintaining brand continuity despite marketing staff turnover, helping legal staff with documentation, and helping build a clearly defined digital corporate legacy
32. Signs Your Current Digital Asset Management Process is Failing
@MarTechExec
Kathi Furman admits that businesses investing in DAM solutions often find themselves disappointed. If you think that your DAM process is failing, you need to be sure: Kathi’s five signs will help you make an accurate assessment and then make adjustments to get the most from your investment.
Three key points we like from Signs Your Current Digital Asset Management Process is Failing:
- If you are missing publishing deadlines, your DAM software may not be set up properly
- Move assets to the DAM software if your graphics keep disappearing
- Don’t ruin messages with outdated or irrelevant graphics; schedule training so your team can update existing graphics in the software and remove irrelevant ones
33. Successful Digital Asset Management in Seven Steps
@BlueSkyETO
BlueSky ETO develops web-based brand resource centers and asset management systems for multi-channel marketers in hospitality, retail, banking, and franchises. Vincent VanOss’s BlueSky ETO article emphasizes the need to properly manage marketing assets and make them accessible for use. It also offers suggestions for focusing your DAM efforts more effectively.
Three key points we like from Successful Digital Asset Management in Seven Steps:
- To improve digital asset management, get leadership on board to make adoption easier
- Develop an effective asset library in a centralized location
- Involve team members from all departments and value everyone’s input when implementing DAM
34. Top 10 Best Practices for Digital Asset Management (DAM)
@DOCUMENTmedia
DOCUMENT Strategy is a focused media company covering communications, enterprise content management, and information management strategies for superior customer experience. They share the 10 best practices for DAM in relation to customer experience in this guide by Stephen Powers, research director and principal analyst at Forrest Research.
Three key tips we like from Top 10 Best Practices for Digital Asset Management (DAM):
- Consider DAM a piece of the customer experience management puzzle
- Navigation is key to DAM; use effective navigation schemes that will expose users to the entire menu of possibilities from which to choose
- Apply DAM governance with a rich media-specific twist
35. Top 7 Reasons Creative Directors Need Digital Asset Management
@MarketingProfs
@Leslie_Weller
A community of more than 600,000 marketers, MarketingProfs delivers marketing advice and insight through newsletters, templates, guides, courses, online seminars, conferences, and research. In her MarketingProfs article, Canto director of marketing Leslie Weller explores how DAM has evolved to include digital workflow management and digital rights management. She also offers seven reasons creative directors need DAM; use these to justify an enterprise DAM investment as needed.
Three key points we like from Top 7 Reasons Creative Directors Need Digital Asset Management:
- If you are wasting resources hunting for, locating, reformatting, and emailing assets, invest in DAM to remove workflow bottlenecks
- A robust DAM system engages distributed teams and enables final versioning of the new collateral to be shared with team members
- A DAM system ensures compliance and protection against infringement and liabilities
36. What is Metadata? And What are the Best Practices for Using Digital Asset Management Software to Manage It?
@MerlinOne_Inc
It’s difficult to discuss DAM without talking about metadata, and this article from MerlinOne thoroughly addresses metadata and the need for metadata management. It also offers more information and background on metadata models for DAM.
Three key points we like from What is Metadata? And What are the Best Practices for Using Digital Asset Management Software to Manage It?:
- The appropriate metadata model depends upon context and the intended use of the content
- Consider the need for a partnership between metadata suppliers and consumers to ensure everyone uses the same vocabulary
- Prioritize metadata consistency
37. What’s the Value of DAM? Let Me Tell You a Story
@cmswire
@AlexStruminger
CMSWire contributing author Alex Struminger is an entrepreneur, technologist, and digital media strategist who covers digital asset management and information management. In this article, Alex asserts that aligning DAM with the business vision is easier when companies support digital storytelling through integrated content management.
Three key points we like from What’s the Value of DAM? Let Me Tell You a Story:
- Metadata remains important to DAM
- Two key components must be present within an organization for DAM to work as successfully as possible: humans and integrated supporting technology such as a CMS, DAM, production and post-production systems, social media platforms, user-generated content, data and infographics, and analytics
- It’s important to link assets and people across departmental silos, vendors, and agency partners
38. Why Your Marketing Team Needs Digital Asset Management Software
@Capterra
@CLineMalamut
Capterra helps companies find the right software so they can get back to business. Capterra vendor marketing manager Caroline Malamut examines the benefits DAM software delivers to marketing teams in this article, with the help of IntelligenceBank CEO Tessa Court.
Three key points we like from Why Your Marketing Team Needs Digital Asset Management Software:
- Marketers often hesitate to use DAM software because they don’t realize how much it simplifies marketing processes; it provides you with a centralized online hub to create, manage, share, track, and find digital assets
- DAM systems enable you to manage all digital files in a central location
- DAM software is a must for serious content marketers, especially those sharing digital content across multiple channels
The Best Digital Asset Management (DAM) Blogs
Henrik de Gyor, a vendor-neutral consultant who works with all DAM systems, metadata, rights management, and user adoption, is the man behind Another DAM Blog. He covers all aspects of DAM in his posts, which makes the blog ideal for digital asset management beginners and experts alike.
Three posts we like from Another DAM Blog:
- Where is That Metadata Coming From?
- Ten Core Characteristics of Digital Asset Management: Is It Really a DAM?
- Do I Need People to Run a Digital Asset Management Solution within My Organization?
40. CMSWire – Digital Asset Management
@cmswire
By the Simpler Media Group, CMSwire is a robust blog and resource sharing the latest on customer experience, MarTech, the digital workplace, information management, and more. The blog includes more than 2,500 posts and articles on digital asset management.
Three posts we like from CMSWire – Digital Asset Management:
- Digital Asset Management Readies for Its Fourth Era
- Brace for Aerial Digital Asset Management with Drones
- Managing Virtual and Augmented Reality Assets as Content
41. DAM Guru Program Blog
@DAMGuru
The DAM Guru Program Blog includes educational digital asset management articles, links, program information, and calls for gurus. Categories include DAM education, DAM events, featured news, and more, and readers especially benefit from reading Guru Talk entries that include insight from leading DAM gurus and other experts.
Three posts we like from DAM Guru Program Blog:
- Guru Talk: Mark Leslie – Adidas
- Guru Talk: Kim Phillips – Bass Pro Shops
- 7 Tips for Digital Asset Management (DAM) Meetup Group Sustainability
42. DAM News: Digital Asset Management News, Reviews, Trends and Opinion
@DAMNEWS
DAM News is a resource for all the latest news, reviews, and more on digital asset management. Their posts cover a slew of topics, from ROI and business cases for DAM, to emerging DAM technologies, to industry news and opinion.
Three key points we like from DAM News: Digital Asset Management News, Reviews, Trends and Opinion:
- DAM and AI Growing Pains: Ingestion or Indigestion?
- Blockchains for Content DAM: From Myth to Reality
- Using Digital Asset Supply Chains and AI to Generate Superior Automated Metadata
43. MerlinOne Digital Asset Management Blog
@MerlinOne_Inc
MerlinOne’s digital asset management blog archives date back to November 2009 and covers several categories such as AI, DAM and social media, DAM for government, DAM resources, and getting started with DAM, among others.
Three posts we like from MerlinOne Digital Asset Management Blog:
- How a DAM Can Help Marketing Leaders Unite Teams
- Version Control and DAM
- In a DAM, Speed is All That Matters
The Top Podcasts, Videos, and Webinars on Digital Asset Management
44. Another DAM Podcast
@hgg101
Henrik de Gyor, chief consultant with Another DAM Consultancy, also is an advisor and writer with years of experience in digital asset management. His Another DAM Podcast features episodes with other digital asset management experts. Transcripts from episodes are available if you’d prefer to read them rather than listen to them.
Three episodes we like from Another DAM Podcast:
- Another DAM Podcast Interview with Jonathan Phillips about Digital Asset Management
- Another DAM Podcast Interview with Mark Leslie on Digital Asset Management
- Another DAM Podcast Interview with Dan Piro on Digital Asset Management
45. DCG Podcasts: The Role of Digital Asset Management
@Just_Clarity
The Digital Clarity Group is a team of research-driven industry analysts focused on digital transformation. They cover the technology and agencies that enable consumer engagement and the social enterprise. The DCG Podcasts cover all things digital, and one episode in particular that we like is this one, on the role of digital asset management, with answers from Cathy McKnight, VP of consulting services and DAM expert.
Three key points we like from DCG Podcasts: The Role of Digital Asset Management:
- There is much more to digital asset management than the photo album of images and videos that people traditionally thought DAM was
- DAM systems can support the complete process form ideation through archiving
- DAM is where companies should handle cataloging, archiving, and storing digital assets
46. Digital Asset Management (DAM): A Foundation for Digital Strategy
@Optimity
Optimity Advisors is a global team designing and delivering human experiences that transform the way companies do business. Their webinar focuses on using digital asset management as a foundation for digital strategy and features John Horodyski, a partner with Optimity Advisors who has more than 15 years of experience in information management, metadata and taxonomy strategy, information governance, digital asset management, rights management, and social media marketing and brand strategy, and Holly Boerner, an active member of the digital asset management community with 14 years of experience working in DAM, knowledge management, and business intelligence.
Three key points we like from Digital Asset Management (DAM): A Foundation for Digital Strategy:
- Companies gain intellectual and operational control of digital assets with a DAM system
- The foundations for digital strategy include metadata, taxonomy, workflow, digital rights management, digital preservation, governance, and building a business case for DAM
- DAM is a workflow tool for assisting in marketing operations that are critical to your organization’s needs
47. Digital Asset Management Workflows: From Content Creation to Long-Term Storage
@DAMGuru
This digital asset management webinar is presented by Corey Chimko of Cornell University. Viewers will learn about content creation, asset processing, metadata, ingesting asset into the DAM, and much more over the course of the 56-minute long webinar.
Three key points we like from Digital Asset Management Workflows: From Content Creation to Long-Term Storage:
- Metadata is an important piece of a data administration; it can be handled by a DAM administrator or with a collaborative metadata application
- The benefit of taking a DAM administrator approach is that it ensures consistency and adherence to established standards and best practices and provides a single point of contact and knowledge
- Asset ingestion approaches and considerations include large batch versus controlled ingestion, In-DAM drop-box or holding folder versus integrated ingestion, and DAM tools such as drag and drop, upload wizards, and monitored folders
48. How Digital Asset Management is Like a Grocery Store
@the7dials
Dan McGraw is a digital maturity, media, and marketing advisor. He’s also the author of Solving the DAM Puzzle and the man responsible for this short DAM video. As the video shows, DAM can be like a well-run store, or it can be a disaster.
Three key points we like from How Digital Asset Management is Like a Grocery Store:
- A digital asset management system is a simple place offering what we need and what we want
- Media files should be put into the DAM system in a predictable way, and be grouped in predictable categories, or taxonomies
- Each asset should have a label, or metadata, giving users information about exactly what the asset is
49. Live Briefing: The Right Way to Select Digital Asset Management
@realstorygroup
@jarrodgingras
Real Story Group exposes the real weaknesses and strengths of digital workplace and marketing technologies. Their webinar is a live briefing that guides viewers through the process of selecting digital asset management technology. The webinar features Real Story Group managing director and analyst Jarrod Gingras.
Three key points we like from Live Briefing: The Right Way to Select Digital Asset Management:
- There is no one-size-fits-all digital asset management technology; you need to choose what will work for you
- Consider your culture, skill sets, types of content, and audience when looking for the right DAM system fit for you
- Asking your IT department for DAM system recommendations may not be fruitful because they likely will tell you to use technology for which you already have licenses
50. Tips for Managing a Successful Enterprise Digital Asset Management Project
@henrystewartdam
Henry Stewart Global DAM Events are dedicated to digital asset management from the user’s perspective. Their webinar features speakers Sid Subramanian, senior professional services DAM consultant at Canto, and Jonathan Thorn, archivist for the Dallas Cowboys. The Rockefeller Foundation digital assets manager Lauren Philson moderates. Please note, to view the free webinar on-demand, you will need to register your name and email address.
Three key ideas we like from Tips for Managing a Successful Enterprise Digital Asset Management Project:
- If your team is wasting time searching for files, you need a DAM or you’ve outgrown your first-generation DAM
- File searching, file sharing, and enterprise DAM interoperability provide a competitive advantage
- You need to know who your stakeholders are and get their buy-in if you want to successfully implement a DAM system