Is your organization about to move to a Digital Asset Management (DAM) system? Are you looking for practical advice for an effective and smooth implementation? In this blog, Sebastiaan de Ruiter shares some tips and best practices for a successful transition.

Why a DAM system?

In our current digital world, efficient management of digital assets, such as videos, text and images, is essential. A DAM system is like a central hub for your organization. This leads to increased efficiency, improved collaboration, strengthened brand consistency, and savings in time and money. You get more return on your assets and save on simple operational costs, such as searching for files and structuring them. Already convinced of the value of DAM for your organization? If so, you may still be dreading its implementation like a mountain. If you approach it the right way, it can be a smooth process. Here are some tips and best practices to get you started.

Tip 1. Think about your goals beforehand

It is important to have your goals and requirements clear up front. What do you as an organization want to achieve with a DAM system? Which functions are really necessary and which are not? It may seem like an open door, but if you only start thinking about what you actually want during implementation, it causes significant delays.  

Tip 2. Engage the right stakeholders

It is important to involve the right people in the process. These are not only the people who will be working with it, but also other stakeholders. Also be sure to include some skeptics early on. Their early involvement can provide valuable insights. And remember, it's worth a lot when they tell an enthusiastic story about the new DAM system at the coffee machine.

Tip 3. Choose the right DAM system

The market offers several DAM systems, each with unique features. Choose a system that fits well with your organization's specific needs. If you choose too quickly, driven purely by budgetary considerations, you run the risk of running into limitations within a year. This brings me back to tip 1: Think carefully about your objectives beforehand.

Tip 4. Create a thorough migration plan

A well-thought-out migration plan is essential. It may sound very tough, but this is the time to come clean. Decide what content you want to transfer and where it comes from. You can decide to take only the most current content with you, or you can transfer everything because of its archival value. You need to think about this early on as well.

Tip 5. Include your employees

During the process, there should also be time to train your employees. Make sure everyone is aware of how to use the DAM system. The transition is quite drastic. You can't "just" launch a DAM system on a Friday afternoon and then cross your fingers that everyone will start using it on Monday. It is better to organize a nice launch and make sure everyone knows how, what, where and especially why they should use DAM. Also, repeat this annually to keep everyone on their toes.

Best practices

In addition to these tips, here are some best practices that have proven their worth with other organizations.

1. Start small

Start small. A good DAM system has so many features. It's tempting during the preliminary stages to get excited about all kinds of add-ons and fancy features you didn't know existed. But do you really need those extras right now? Moving from a chaotic directory structure to a streamlined search method is already a huge step forward. Do keep in mind possible future needs so you can continue to grow, but try not to make the system too complex from day one.

2. Communicate in a timely manner

It is important to communicate efficiently and timely with all stakeholders before, during and after the implementation process of the DAM system. Just launching a DAM system overnight is bound to lead to resistance.

3. Be patient

Patience is a virtue. Implementing a DAM system takes time. It is an illusion to think that you buy a piece of technology and tomorrow all the chaos will be gone. Yes, you can technically rig up a DAM system in a day, but then you will undoubtedly make wrong choices.

Learn from others

You are not the first to implement a DAM system; many organizations have gone before you and with success. Ask the DAM vendors you have your eye on to share customer experiences. Don't settle for a standard demo environment; ask for a customized demo and live customer case studies. Ask to be shown how similar organizations do it. Delve further by reading available case studies and download a white paper to expand your knowledge.

Inspiration and information hand in hand

Implementing a DAM system can be a gamechanger for your organization. Comrads is ready to personally support you with our valuable insights and practical tools. So request a no-obligation demo that we tailor to your needs and discover how we can help your organization achieve a successful DAM implementation.