Get On Board with Digital Asset Management (DAM)

Digital Asset Management systems are the central hub around which distributed marketing teams – as well as their agencies and partners – operate.

That being said, in a lot of companies, budget decisions are made by individuals who probably won’t use digital asset management in their day-to-day work.

It may be hard for them to relate to the complexity of working with hundreds or thousands of digital assets, and they may not be familiar with what it takes to coordinate the development, approval and distribution of marketing assets with different teams and partners.

Read on this guide to find out the five essential steps to give your decision-makers a detailed explanation of the time and money spent managing these files and demonstrate the ROI of a digital asset management system.

Content Summary

Use this guide to build your case
Step 1: Build a team of DAM supporters
Step 2: Identify business reasons for DAM
Step 3: Measure DAM ROI
Step 4: Understand key talking points
Step 5: Make the case that DAM is necessary for your success
DAM case closed

Sometimes what’s obvious to you isn’t so obvious to everybody else. You can see that a digital asset management (DAM) system can help you and your team be more efficient and productive and, ultimately, build a stronger brand. But the people holding the money don’t necessarily have the same priorities.

Use this guide to build your case

DAM systems are now a key part of marketing operations infrastructure. As marketing organizations work to keep pace with digital lifestyles, their communication programs have to move faster and connect to more and more channels. DAMs are the central hub around which distributed marketing teams – as well as their agencies and partners – operate.

That being said, budget decisions are made by individuals who probably won’t use digital asset management in their day-to-day work. It may be hard for them to relate to the complexity of working with hundreds or thousands of digital assets, and they may not be familiar with what it takes to coordinate the development, approval and distribution of marketing assets with different teams and partners. You need to spell out exactly what makes the process timeconsuming and inefficient when presenting your argument.

It’s also likely that budget decision-makers don’t grasp the total cost and value of all the digital assets you work with. Follow these five steps to give your decisionmakers a detailed explanation of the time and money spent managing these files to demonstrate their actual worth.

Step 1: Build a team of DAM supporters

Gather a wide variety of stakeholders to create a project committee – a DAM support squad, of sorts – to push the project forward. Bring together representatives from different departments to identify and discuss the opportunities and pain points that a DAM would address. Your case will be much stronger and more convincing when you have stakeholders from marketing, creative, sales, IT and other relevant teams making the case for a DAM.

Step 2: Identify business reasons for DAM

With your team of supporters, list out the ways marketing operations can be improved and exactly how a DAM system will address these issues. For example, if your design team spends hours searching for the files they need to complete projects, their skills and time aren’t being well utilized. Sales professionals need easy access to the most up-to-date, approved files so audiences are always presented with a consistent brand. Marketing teams can work faster when creative files are automatically converted and optimized for different channels. Identify every area that a DAM platform will make simpler and more efficient. Not only does a DAM help individuals and departments work more efficiently, it coordinates activities and streamlines processes across functions and with outside collaborators.

Step 3: Measure DAM ROI

Next, translate all these benefits into terms that decision-makers understand: return on investment. It’s a good idea to consider conservative, moderate and aggressive calculations for DAM ROI. Be sure to include all the tangible and intangible benefits that result from the DAM.

Step 4: Understand key talking points

You will want to be familiar with the most compelling reasons why organizations choose to work with DAM systems. Here are some must-have talking points to support your case:

DAM helps you work smarter. Digital asset management software drastically improves efficiency by keeping all valuable rich media files accessible in one centralized location. DAM software takes care of the routine tasks tied to managing large collections of assets so your team will spend less time hunting for files. This is a low-value activity and not the most effective use of time for your professionally trained staff.

The time saved with a DAM platform can now be used towards high-value activities like creating and deploying key projects. You’ll end up with happier employees who spend their time doing what they enjoy – developing valuable materials that drive results for your company.

DAM eliminates bottlenecks, silos and other roadblocks that slow down projects. Anytime, anywhere access to your entire digital asset collection eliminates the bottlenecks and silos that delay time-sensitive projects. This means teams can collaborate more effectively and hit critical deadlines.

DAM software also simplifies the process of distributing and updating creative files across various channels. Between numerous social media accounts and web pages, keeping branded materials up to date and consistent is time-consuming.

With DAM software, updates to assets are reflected across all sites, saving you from having to manually update these assets everywhere they are used. DAM also saves time by automatically converting files to the format, size, and quality needed for any project.

DAM saves money and opens up new revenue opportunities. Implementing DAM software makes it easier to repurpose files – a better use of your team’s time and resources than re-creating assets from scratch. Additionally, it keeps your content organized and secure so you won’t waste money repurchasing licensed files.

DAM manages all metadata (like license details) so assets are always used correctly, reducing the risks and costs of potentially violating usage rights.

DAM protects your brand. Marketing organizations today rely on lots of people to help carry their messages to their customers – agencies, partners, distributors, franchisees, etc. Your brand guidelines have to be easy to access and easy to use. A DAM platform will allow you to make your brand guidelines accessible to anyone on the web with permission-based control. Updates can be managed in one central location.

Step 5: Make the case that DAM is necessary for your success

Finally, bring your DAM support team together with management to demonstrate exactly how DAM will make your team more efficient while saving time and money for your company.

Include concrete examples of how DAM will help teams from all different departments. Present your ROI measurements and identify specific areas of opportunity that the DAM will address to further improve your case.

When you present the business case for DAM to decision-makers, use terms they can easily relate to. Present realistic and specific goals, and include a business plan if you introduce new sources of revenue.

DAM case closed

Getting approval for a DAM platform can be challenging when managers and other decision-makers don’t necessarily relate to your needs or understand the true cost of managing large collections of visual assets. It can be an even greater challenge when the most valuable benefits of DAM are often the most difficult to articulate.

However, a well-thought-out strategy and support from all relevant stakeholders will make the case clearer and more compelling. With concrete examples and the backing of a team of supporters, you can successfully make the case that DAM is necessary for your brand’s success.

Source: Bynder