Today, media management has become a major challenge for companies, which have to store, organise and share their digital content efficiently. That is where Digital Asset Management (DAM) comes in — an essential solution for meeting these growing needs. In this article, we will present the benefits and features of DAM software, and how Digital Asset Management can help you manage your digital resources.
What is Digital Asset Management (DAM)?
Digital Asset Management (DAM) is a technology designed to store, classify and make digital multimedia resources easier to access. A DAM tool is a single repository that centralises and manages all of your company’s marketing and communication content.
How does a DAM work?
At present, the DAM solutions available on the market mainly take the form of integrated libraries hosted in the cloud. These solutions make various types of digital assets (images, videos, text) available to members for different channels such as websites or social networks. To do this, the DAM offers a search function that makes it easier to identify, locate and retrieve content thanks to metadata. This metadata can also be automated using AI, in particular through automatic tagging or subtitle generation.
What is more, these tools adapt to different devices such as smartphones, tablets and computers.
Who can benefit from a DAM?
DAM is aimed at a wide range of companies and organisations, particularly in the fields of content creation, marketing, advertising, publishing, e-commerce and many others. In short, any company or organisation that manages a significant volume of digital resources can benefit from using a DAM to optimise their storage, organisation, searchability and distribution across different channels.
What is a digital asset?
A digital asset refers to any item of value held by a company in digital format, including access and usage rights. It is a key element of the DAM process. You most likely have many types of brand or product digital assets to manage:
- Images: photographs, illustrations, logos, infographics
- Videos: adverts, promotional videos, tutorials, event recordings
- Documents: PDF files, reports, brochures, slide decks
- Audio files: voice recordings, podcasts
- Written content: blog articles, e-books
- Interactive content: applications, games, quizzes
- Data: databases, spreadsheets, CSV files
As you can see, the list is a long one!
What is a DAM used for?
The main purpose of DAM tools is to make digital resources easier to manage and use within an organisation. Assets can be stored securely and in compliance with laws and contracts, which makes them easier to find and reuse later. Thanks to advanced search features, members can quickly find the content they need, saving time and optimising productivity.
DAM also makes it possible to control access rights and permissions, thereby guaranteeing that only authorised people can access sensitive assets (media security).
Digital Asset Management software also makes it easier to create and share content with internal colleagues, external partners or clients, by providing secure distribution and sharing features. For example, they can be very useful when setting up an approval process, thanks to the management of different access levels.
They also make it easier to produce different formats — white background, grey background, square or rectangular — thanks to clipping or cropping functions, with a view to distributing company content across various channels such as social media, third-party marketplaces, content management systems, and so on.
Finally, centralising multimedia assets allows them to be used more effectively, particularly externally. They make it easier to distribute company content across different channels, which helps strengthen brand consistency (the same product photos, approved internally, will appear on every medium and in every store).
How do you choose DAM software?
Choosing a Digital Asset Management solution for your company represents a financial investment and takes time. It also has an impact on the way your team works and on its productivity. For a smooth transition, you can prepare for this change!
To do so, it is important to carefully assess your company’s specific needs by asking yourself the right questions. In addition, some considerations are essential: When is the optimal moment to carry out this software transition? What are the key steps to follow? Do we need a brand DAM or a product-oriented DAM, or both?
To begin with, assess the features offered by the DAM software and make sure they meet your company’s needs. This may include metadata management, advanced search, collaboration, access rights control, integration with other tools, and so on.
Next, take into account important factors such as security, cloud architecture, integrations, the implementation process, professional services and customer experience.
Generally speaking, a DAM must fulfil the following functions:
- Store / centralise: bring together all of the organisation’s digital resources in a single place.
- Secure: ensure data protection by using multiple backups in the cloud.
- Organise: index, sort and classify all content efficiently.
- Enrich: add new content to the company’s arsenal or make changes where necessary.
- Manage contractual aspects: ensure contracts are respected in the use of media.
- Search: allow content to be searched using keywords or filters.
- Share: use an approval process involving the relevant teams and enable easy, secure sharing of content with stakeholders.
- Publish: the DAM must make it possible to distribute relevant content across the various channels.
Once you have narrowed down your options, you can request demonstrations of the DAM software from the shortlisted companies. To assess how well they fit your needs, try the DAM software out during trial periods and carry out an in-depth comparison.
How much does a DAM cost?
Wondering how much Digital Asset Management software costs? Well, be aware that it can vary enormously depending on several factors, such as the size of your company, the number of users, the features required and the deployment model chosen (cloud or on premise).
DAM solutions can be offered as monthly or annual subscriptions, with pricing adjusted to your company’s specific needs.
A few examples of solutions on the market:
- Wedia
- Bynder
- Keepeek
- Quable (PIM/DAM solution)
- Nextpage (PIM/DAM solution)
Please note: the cost of a DAM can also include additional fees relating to customisation, team training, technical support and maintenance. Contact us for more information!
Focus on the Keepeek solution
Founded in 2008, Keepeek is a French Digital Asset Management software vendor that quickly built a solid reputation in the DAM market, despite it being dominated by large players. With a portfolio of more than 300 clients, Keepeek works with well-known organisations such as PSA, Bpifrance, the French Ministry of Culture, Intermarché, the Orange group and Club Med.
The DAM solution developed by Keepeek offers a multitude of benefits.
With Keepeek, you benefit from advanced search and powerful filters to quickly find the resources you need. You can control access and permissions to keep your assets secure. The asset library also allows you to store and organise your content in a structured way.
In addition, asset classification makes it easier to browse and retrieve resources, and asset sharing is simple and secure.
Keepeek also allows you to keep control of your assets by managing versions, tracking changes and ensuring compliance. You can manage metadata to enrich and describe your content precisely.
In terms of services, Keepeek offers online technical support to assist you in using the platform. It can be integrated with other software such as G Suite, Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office 365, which makes it easier to manage your content in a connected environment. As SaaS software, Keepeek is accessible from any operating system via a web browser, which makes it flexible and compatible with a wide variety of platforms.
As for pricing, this is available on request and may vary depending on the number of users and the options activated. Keepeek also offers a free trial period so that you can discover its features.
Are you convinced of the value of equipping yourself with a DAM? Do not hesitate to contact us to see how Keepeek can meet your needs. Our teams of experts are trained in integrating Keepeek as well as other Digital Asset Management solutions. Whatever your project, we will support you in implementing solutions tailored to your organisation.
