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.

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!

Instead of a physical retail shelf full of choices, the digital shelf is made up of every customer experience your buyers have with your product — search results, mobile apps, websites, social media, in-store shopping, etc. If you want to win on the digital shelf in e-commerce you need to stock every location with high-quality product information. 

This change from physical to digital is challenging for some, but it also presents a big opportunity. You now have more control over the appearance of your product and story (e.g. branded videos and 360º photography). To start stocking your digital shelf, identify and prioritize your most important products, clarify price points, invest in search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, and garner as many reviews as possible. 

The right set of creative assets can make or break your next marketing campaign. Coming up with a clear strategy around creative asset management can be a game changer for content production, campaign execution, and overall results.

Without a strategic approach to managing creative assets through their lifecycle, you can easily waste resources and diminish the impact of your team’s work. With a solid strategy, you can deliver engaging omnichannel marketing campaigns that convert and build brand loyalty. Here’s a look at what creative assets are, what asset management entails, recommendations for software, and some tips on how to get started. 

Many nonprofits use digital asset management (DAM) systems to coordinate marketing efforts between chapters, partners, and volunteers. Our case study of YMCA England & Wales showcases how they use the Widen Collective^® across 101 local organizations to create collateral that aligns with national campaigns and brand guidelines. 

In this article, we’ll explore how their evolving use of the Collective advances broader organizational initiatives and goals.

Marketing teams are always looking ahead, preparing for deadlines that will bring the next big campaign or project to life. But it’s important that they also periodically look back, and review all of the content that’s been created. Conducting a content audit gives teams a holistic view of their content inventory, helps them identify gaps, and surfaces opportunities for repurposing or reuse.

While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to a content audit, there are four major steps that any team or business can do. Plus, there are tools to help make the process more manageable.

Marketing organizations today are in constant competition to deliver the absolute best customer experience possible. But in a mad dash to achieve excellence, many businesses fall short. They are focused more on speed for the sake of speed, rather than ensuring their teams, assets, and processes can move more nimbly — and therefore more quickly when their customers need it most.