The Marketing Communications unit at the University of Georgia is responsible for capturing photographs that highlight what’s going on across campus. Their team of four photographers produce a lot of images, from student features to campus scenes. These photos are used in various channels and repurposed by many of the schools and colleges.

Photographers shoot and deliver images for a specific job. For example, an environmental portrait of a professor for a specific story. And as part of this job, they might capture other scenes — like the professor doing research or interacting with a graduate student. While some of these additional shots get used, Rick O’Quinn, Operations Manager at the University of Georgia, says “a lot of good images were kind of falling through the cracks.”

Compelling images move people. Marketers and creatives have known this for a long time and rely on strong visuals as a foundational element of brand storytelling. They also rely on dependable, easy-to-access tools, so they can spend more time crafting the story itself and less on a cumbersome process.

If you’ve ever managed digital photos you already know many of the challenges. Like how organizing hundreds or thousands of photos can quickly get out of control. How time-consuming it is to search endlessly for the right photo. Or how risky it can be to use a photo that you may or may not still have permission to use. The bottom line is ⏤ if you want to make your brand story more effective, you can’t afford to compromise on managing your assets. You need a robust photo management software solution.

We’re delighted to announce Widen has been named a WorldBlu Freedom-Centered Culture™ for the fifth consecutive year. WorldBlu, a global community of organizations devoted to freedom at work, awards this honor to organizations that have built workplace cultures on principles of organizational democracy.

“Our main goal with implementing the DAM was distribution. How is this going to surface on the web? On our mobile apps? That was really our goal.” – David Anthony, Technology Consultant

Widen and WNDYR announced today that they are partnering to simplify martech integrations for companies that use Widen’s digital asset management (DAM) platform. As Widen’s full-service integration deployment partner, WNDYR will handle managed and custom integrations. The partnership will improve the speed, quality, and variety of martech integrations available to Widen customers.

When’s the last time you took a step back from planning and creating content to evaluate the content you already have? Conducting a content audit is an important part of maintaining your content library and optimizing your future content.

While there is no single content audit template for every team’s needs, there are four major steps that any team or business can use. Plus, there are certain content audit tools that can help facilitate your process – just like this free, downloadable content audit spreadsheet that you can use to get started right now!

“I think if you can dedicate a specific person to be the admin that’s one of the best things in terms of success that you can do.” – Lauren Castellanos, Shiseido

“The first thing you want to do when starting the implementation is simply build it on paper...a combination of drawings and spreadsheets, so you know from every angle what it should look like, what it should feel like, what its properties are, what it would do if you poked it with a stick.” –  Robert Noble | KEEN footwear

Your brand is your company’s most important asset. It’s more than just words on a page or images on a screen ⏤ it’s how you communicate with and attract your audience. From your logo to every customer interaction, it’s the identity of your organization.  

To stand out in a competitive market, consumers need to easily understand who your company is and what you provide. Brand consistency helps consumers feel confident in their decision to become a customer because they know exactly what to expect from you with every interaction.

So, how do you ensure a consistent experience that builds brand loyalty? Develop strong brand guidelines.

In about 15 years social media has gone from an entirely new concept to an integral part of everyday life. Now, any marketing mix that doesn’t include social media is unusual. With nearly 80% of Americans possessing a profile on a social networking platform, marketing through social media is one of the best ways to reach members of your target audience — no matter who they are. Plus, almost all prominent social platforms have paid advertising options that brands can leverage to increase exposure to relevant audiences. If you want to reach potential customers and key stakeholders, you need to be using social media.

But that doesn’t mean that social media marketing is easy, or even altogether straightforward! You and your team have probably struggled with how to create the right kind of content to engage the right people, and how to best measure success online. Don’t worry, you’re not alone — social media is a difficult and confusing tool for many marketing teams. A great step toward demystifying social media marketing is to streamline your social media workflow.