Staring at the analytics section of an application wondering “What do I do with this?” can be anxiety-inducing. Leaders and teammates often want to know “What does the data tell us so we can make informed decisions?” But it’s not always that simple. So let’s take a step back and explore how to gain actionable insights from your data.  

All true digital asset management (DAM) systems have great features and functionality. Capabilities like robust searching, AI-metadata support, version control, digital rights management (DRM), workflow automation, content analytics, and more. More sophisticated DAM solutions meet the complex needs of enterprise organizations with granular governance controls, scalability, security, and enterprise platform integrations with creative tools, product information management (PIM) systems, agile content management systems (CMS), and others. The Widen Collective^® does this and more.

Video continues to grow as a vital resource in digital marketing and e-commerce. According to HubSpot’s 2021 State of Video Report, 94% of people report watching explainer videos to learn about products, and 84% of those viewers are swayed to make purchases. All signs point to continued growth in video’s role through 2022 and beyond. With approaching 5G download speeds predicted at 1GBS to 10GBS, video consumption is going to skyrocket and brands need to keep up. 

Companies could soon find themselves with hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of video files to manage — if they don’t already. Any brand that wants to spend more time making high-quality videos and less time trying to find the right files needs to understand video asset management and the technology that makes it possible. To get a better understanding of what video asset management entails, let’s start by defining what it is. 

People expect a consistent and relevant digital experience from their home office to every place they bring their smartphone. Your customers might encounter you on a website, app, chatbot, social platform, customer portal, in-store kiosk, digital stadium billboard, and wearable all in the same day. And they’ll want each of those experiences to reflect any interactions they’ve had with you since they woke up and drank their morning coffee.

To create this kind of customer experience you have to get your content and customer data to interact with, update, and trigger personalized events in real-time across all of these channels. Integrating all the required marketing technology (martech) solutions to make this possible is one of the biggest challenges all brands face. That’s why companies across all industries are turning to a combination of digital asset management (DAM) and digital experience platforms (DXP) to power their ever-evolving customer journey.

When managing and accessing digital content, it’s essential to know what metadata is and how it works. When used intelligently, metadata makes it easier to organize, share, and use libraries of images, videos, documents, and other digital assets. This leads to workflow efficiencies, increased collaboration and productivity, and improved digital experiences on every channel. 

Hundreds of brands — from NFL teams to global e-commerce companies — rely on metadata to make content findable and searchable. Metadata is a foundation of digital asset management (DAM) but its benefits reach far beyond the DAM platform itself.

This metadata guide for DAM outlines the most important things to know about what metadata is, why it matters, and how to use it strategically. Let’s start by defining metadata. 

Between endless marketing channels, new technologies, and responsibility overload, it’s easy for businesses, large and small, to lose sight of the big picture. As a content marketer in this busy world, you need to regularly step back, look up from the weeds, and think about your strategic goals. To do this, and to do it consistently, you need a content mission statement.

Although all teams that produce brand and marketing content use content operations, not everyone does it strategically. While it can be intimidating to create and implement a content operations workflow, doing so pays dividends. The right workflow can streamline processes, save significant amounts of time and money, and deliver higher-quality content for a better customer experience. 

Smart businesses of every kind know that they need a content strategy to create a stellar customer experience and succeed in today’s information-overloaded world. They need a guiding beacon, a North Star that’ll steer the development, delivery, and management of their content.

In this simple, four-step guide, we’ll share how to develop a content strategy plan that will help you make the most of your content. By asking the right questions, creating quality content, and leveraging useful tools like a digital asset management (DAM) solution, building a content strategy doesn’t have to be elusive!

The Best DAM Contest is always a highlight of the annual Widen Summit^®. Three contestants compete for the prize of Best DAM by sharing their digital asset management (DAM) accomplishments in an eight-minute presentation, and then attendees vote for the most impressive and inspirational story.

Not only do attendees hear about DAM successes directly from their peers, but each presentation is packed with ideas to apply to their own Widen Collective^® sites. All three contestants wowed our virtual audience with unique and actionable DAM strategies. Let’s take a look at key takeaways from each story.

What is a brand? Let me illustrate with a brand I'm partial to — New Balance. I used to think of New Balance as the maker of all-white, extra wide “dad” shoes. Now, as the proud owner of a dozen different pairs, I think of New Balance as a trendy, modern shoe that goes with my jeans and shorts. I can wear them out to dinner or to walk five miles. I can wear them anywhere!

New Balance fits my dad lifestyle. I feel that lifestyle when I check out their mobile app, open an email, see their sponsored posts on Instagram, or when I walk into the New Balance store and try on a new pair of shoes.

New Balance understands me well enough to offer suggestions for shoes I don’t even know I need – at a time when I’m not necessarily looking for new shoes – and I still want them!

The creative and marketing team at New Balance laced together an incredible string of technologies and workflows in order to create my omnichannel experience. They have shaped my impression of New Balance through a series of purposeful, memorable moments. Simply put, New Balance has mastered brand asset management.