Why metadata is key to smart digital assets
ls SaaS provider of Digital Asset Management (DAM) software, we at Comrads know better than anyone how important it is to organize digital assets properly. But we also understand that no human being is happy to spend hours adding metadata to an endless number of files. Yet it is critical to the success of your DAM solution. In this blog, Sebastiaan de Ruiter explains why.
Why is metadata so important?
Imagine: you have a treasure trove of beautiful assets. Razor-sharp photographs, telling product shots, iconic videos, valuable corporate identity files and other marketing materials. But without the right metadata, these files are nothing more than a collection of untraceable items, stored in a collection of folders on a random computer or - very hip - somewhere in the cloud. They are only real assets if you can quickly find them when you need them. And that's where metadata comes in.
The benefits
With metadata, such as tags, reference numbers, descriptions and categories, you ensure that everyone in your organization has access to the right files. It makes digital assets (re)usable, manageable and findable. A few benefits:
Time Savings: With a well-organized set of metadata, you can find the right file for your next marketing campaign in seconds.
Increased productivity: You reuse existing assets and save both time and money.
Better collaboration: Everyone on your team has access to up-to-date assets and works with the same, correct versions.
Brand consistency: Always using the same assets keeps your brand communications consistent, whether it's print, web or yet another social media channel.
Compliance: Metadata also helps you easily comply with laws and regulations. Consider managing copyright or usage rights for images.
Why no one likes metadata (and how to change it)
I know: metadataing is soporific, time-consuming and sometimes downright frustrating. There seems to be no end in sight. But what if I told you there's a tool that automates this process for you? Because a good DAM solution does much more than just share and store your files like you do with Dropbox, OneDrive or WeTransfer. It offers smart features that make it easier to add and manage metadata. For example, you can perform bulk edits, which allow you to edit the metadata of multiple files at once. That saves you an enormous amount of time. You can also use fixed lists of terms, ensuring that everyone on your team uses the same terms. That helps ensure consistency in your metadata. In addition, you can use AI to automate the process even further. With image recognition, tags can be added to files automatically, without you having to do anything more. And as icing on the cake, you can create templates, so you don't have to fill in the same data every time you add a new file. That makes the whole process not only a lot more efficient, but also a lot more fun.
The game-changer: AI
Let me zoom in a bit more on AI. Artificial intelligence has completely changed the way we add metadata. Where you used to have to manually tag each file, AI can now automatically recognize images. Imagine this: you upload a photo of a product and the software instantly recognizes whether it's a t-shirt, a bottle of water or a landscape. As a result, files are already partially tagged for you, even before you have placed them in the system yourself. This makes the whole process faster and more reliable.
A better DAM system starts with yourself
What you do with metadata today will pay for itself more than once later. A well-structured approach opens the door to further automation. Without good metadata, any system is "dumb. Take a Web shop like Zalando. When someone searches for a pink t-shirt, the right item comes up only if you have the right metadata associated with it. And that's becoming increasingly important. You not only make it easier for people to find content, but also for systems. That's how you set a solid foundation for working more efficiently.
The importance of a good DAM solution
Metadata is the invisible force behind a successful DAM solution. It ensures that your digital assets are findable, accessible and reusable. And with the right tools, adding good metadata is not a task at all. In fact, it can even become a fun and efficient activity!
Want to discover how our DAM solution can help your organization?
Want to know how to get the most out of your content creation with our DAM system? Download the white paper: How to make content creation scalable. Discover how Comrads can help your organization? Request a no-obligation demo right away. We like to think along with you. Now and in the future.