A DAM system. What is it and do I need it?
If you google DAM system you get over five million results. Apparently, the whole world is talking about DAM. But what exactly is it and why would you need it in the first place?
DAM, what is it?
A digital asset management system - also known as DAM - enables organizations to easily create, store, find, manage, distribute and analyze digital content and files. This gives you control and grip over your files, your corporate identity and your brand consistency. In short, it significantly improves your overall marketing performance. Some organizations speak of a Image bank or a media management solution. These equivalents are also created to better manage your digital content.
Why should you use it?
A DAM system creates structure. That means that instead of having to endlessly browse through folders, you can find the right file very quickly. After all, with a folder structure you try to remember where you stored something, with a DAM system you find what you are looking for, no matter how you search. In doing so, you eliminate repetitive tasks, unnecessary time wasted on endless searching and - not - finding, and save operational hours and money. More importantly, you easily guard your corporate identity and it ensures consistency in your brand experience.
Do I really need it?
There are two rudimentary questions you can ask yourself if you want to know if you need a DAM system.
Where are your assets? Are they everywhere and nowhere? On a server, on DVDs, on separate hard drives and on individual computers?
Do you spend a lot of time searching for files? Are you working with a rigid folder structure once devised by someone else, the logic of which you still don't see?
If you answer yes once, then a DAM system will already make you very happy. If you answer yes twice, then you know for sure: a DAM system is for you. But even if you do know where everything is and everything is more or less organized in one location, there are still dozens of reasons why you would gain something from a DAM system. Can you figure out the rights of an image or text, do you have the right quality of an image, do you always have to edit your files to deliver the right format, how often do you send out your logo? A DAM system is not just about structure, it is also about a single source of truth, about certainty, convenience, efficiency, and about easy sharing and distribution.
Storage unit or storage system?
Of course, we are sometimes asked whether sharing files via Dropbox, OneDrive or WeTransfer is actually just as simple. The essential difference is that other digital online cloud solutions are a repository and a DAM system is a storage system. In this blog, we discuss the five biggest differences.
Up for grabs
There is another very weighty reason to consider a DAM system. Within marketing, we sometimes spend a lot of money getting assets created. Then we throw it up for grabs, so to speak, on some hard drive or somewhere in the cloud. That's actually very strange. You create something valuable, go through an often lengthy process and spend a lot of money, and then pay no attention to preserving those valuable assets. Realize that there are scalable and future-proof solutions to manage your assets, solutions that move with the growth and ambition of your organization.
Curious?
Want to talk further about how our complete Digital Brand & Asset Management solutions can support your organization to efficiently manage, communicate and share all your brand elements, logos, fonts, colors and guidelines? Feel free to contact us or request a free demo right away. We like to think along with you. Now and in the future.