'Purchasing a Digital Asset Management system is one thing, but that doesn't automatically solve your problem.' Speaking is Erwin Klinkenberg, co-founder and owner of Comrads Solutions. 'What mainly determines success in a DAM implementation is determining the right metadata convention. After all, a file by itself doesn't mean much. It only becomes an "asset" when you add metadata to it. Think of things like; who owns it, what its rights are, what category it belongs in, etc. And that's exactly where the crux is: you can have a system, but if you don't have the metadata right, it doesn't solve anything. You just shift the problem to another system. After all, the trick is to ensure that users can search and filter from their own point of view. So think three times before you implement too quickly.

Precious time

'Time is precious, which is why we help companies put their files into the system upon delivery. That way there is a good foundation. During the workshops, customers often also focus on time saving based on new technologies they have heard of, such as image recognition. Unfortunately, their application in practice is still limited. This applies to several technologies that can all be useful, but need explanation and background in order to be applicable to customers. The management of quitclaims, as a result of the AVG/GDPR, the use of hidden information in files: this can all be arranged with a DAM, but this is often still underexposed by the customer'.

Different perspectives

'Companies report to us from different angles. The most common, however, is that people can hardly find files. Usually because they are stored 'everywhere and nowhere'. This often has unpleasant consequences, for example when the wrong versions or outdated files are used, not to mention the loss of time. I advise marketers to do marketing above all and not get bogged down in a maze of disorganized files. They are better off turning to us so we can help bring structure to the chaos. This always takes time initially, but once properly organized, your DAM really becomes a success. And if not? Then you have another system, but nobody uses it," says Erwin. That is why we put their processes under a magnifying glass together with the customer during the preliminary phase, and only when all relevant information is above water do we dive in together. After all; the motto is still 'think before you begin.'

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