Selling is a lot more complex than it used to be. Gone are the days when a little wit, a few product samples, and a firm handshake would close the deal. Sellers today need to do more. They need to communicate with and win the attention and trust of buyers. They need to “make the sale,” but do it in a way that upholds the integrity and image of the brand they represent. And they need to move fast. Doing all of this requires 24/7, on-demand access to the latest marketing brochures, demo videos, one-pagers, pitch decks, and more. 

Teams have been working remotely for a while now. While many are venturing back into the office, it likely doesn’t look the same as it did three years ago. While COVID-19 prompted the swift switch, it appears that many are embracing working from home as the new normal. 

It’s likely teams have settled into a rhythm by now, but there are still opportunities to optimize your remote workflow, especially when it comes to digital asset management (DAM). With dispersed teams, it’s more important than ever before to have quick access to on-brand content that can be easily and safely used by teams across the company. That’s why many organizations are investing more in DAM and other marketing technologies (martech). 

Locating the current version of a creative file — be it for a white paper, image, or event banner — can often feel overwhelming. You might have a dozen to choose from, each with a slightly different headline, or logo, or font. Why have they all been updated recently? Did the company font change? Which one do you use?

Trying to manage various versions of brand assets can be downright maddening. 

Fortunately, version control can help you easily organize every last asset and retrieve the one you need instantly. Leveraging version control functionality can help you keep tabs on the latest version and can even display notes as to what changed and why. Staying on top of each of your asset versions will help ensure you’re not wasting time or money recreating assets or misusing old ones.

More on that later. Let’s get into exactly what version control is first. 

With the growth of online shopping during the COVID pandemic, the digital world became the dominant customer environment. And post-2020, e-commerce continued to expand — in fact, the global e-commerce market size is projected to have a 14.7% compounded annual growth rate from 2020 to 2027. To be competitive today, you need to create a consistent brand experience across every channel — both physical and digital. And that means you’ll have to coordinate some of the in-person experiences that used to happen naturally with strategic digital interactions.

Impactful visual imagery — from logos to mascots — is crucial to today’s brands. What would Nike be without the swoosh or Frosted Flakes without Tony the Tiger? Well, they wouldn’t be the brands we know and love. Marketers need to have easy, secure, and reliable access to these assets. And this is possible by using image metadata. But what exactly is image metadata?

In this guide, we explore what image metadata is, why it’s so important, and how to manage it. Let’s get started.

The foundation of search engine optimization (SEO) starts with the content that makes up your pages. Digital assets like images and videos can add SEO value to your website pages when they have keyword-relevant information associated with them and are published in the appropriate format and size. Often, managing images for SEO can seem daunting but a digital asset management (DAM) system makes it easier to optimize all these crucial SEO factors at scale.

That’s because DAM features enable you to fill out the specific digital asset SEO details that build maximum value on a page once they’re published. You can use a DAM solution to do tasks such as standardize file names; add alt text to images and videos; and resize your assets to optimize page load speeds. 

Here are the main things to consider when it comes to using DAM to support your SEO strategy.

With freelancers, marketing agencies, internal teams, and many others using your brand in communications and content, it's easy for inconsistencies and misuse to arise, such as applying an outdated version of your logo, misusing colors, or uploading an off- brand image. 

A brand kit can help by providing teams and stakeholders with the tools and information they need to uphold your company’s brand consistently. In fact, a brand kit is an absolute must-have for all organizations.

Understanding how and when to use copyrighted materials like stock photography, logos, videos, and more can be a full-time job. Using a piece of content incorrectly could result in a fine or even a lawsuit. On the flip-side, there’s also the possibility of someone using your materials without proper permission. Neither scenario is desirable — and without consistent copyright management, you might not even know it’s happening.

With new material being created at a rapid pace, having a single gatekeeper to keep track of everything is unrealistic — but you need some way to easily see how your content’s being used. That’s why many companies are turning to digital rights management (DRM) tools to keep tabs on their digital content.

Go to a Major League Baseball game and you’ll be hard-pressed to make it out of there without a bag of peanuts (allergies permitting) and the familiar jingle of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” playing through your head. Talk to any digital asset management (DAM) vendor and you may not get snacks and a catchy tune, but you will hear at least one member of the vendor team proclaim in a singsong voice that “no two DAM implementations are alike.” And it’s true. 

Your organization’s structure, bandwidth, workflows, assets, and technologies will factor into your unique implementation experience and strategy. That said, there is one major characteristic all DAM system implementations share — and that is their importance in driving the long-term success of DAM within an organization. So given their monumental importance, how do you ensure your DAM implementation is a success?

Selling is hard. The roller coaster of wins and rejections alone is enough to make the most seasoned sales professional consider running for the door some days. But ups and downs aside, there’s a lot of “stuff” standing between a salesperson and their sale. 

Competition is fierce. There are internal dynamics to navigate. And with so many channels and touchpoints, sales has to work extra hard to shape positive and consistent buyer experiences. Plus, they have to communicate really well. They must tell their brand’s story using content that’s compelling, convincing, and relevant to buyers at each and every stage of the customer journey. It’s no easy feat, especially if marketing and sales teams aren’t totally aligned.