One of the crucial beneficial instruments for eCommerce manufacturers is digital asset administration (DAM) software program. Why? DAMs should not solely much better at storing and organizing property than primary instruments like GDrive and DropBox, however they’re additionally full of options to help the effectivity of your groups and operations. (So not solely can you retain monitor of your digital content material, however a DAM helps you discover and use that content material to get your job completed extra rapidly.)

Image this. You handle an internet retail model and fall is correct across the nook; meaning it’s time to replace your web site with fall merchandise and transfer your summer time choices to the sale web page. With a easy storage drive, you’re left:

• Looking by way of your asset library for product pictures (oftentimes weeding by way of previous or outdated asset variations and checking with any person else on which asset to make use of)
• Downloading them out of your storage drive and importing them to your web site
• Navigating backwards and forwards between instruments for product info to make use of for posting
• Assigning duties to others and checking on their standing through e mail, messenger, or workspace collaboration instruments
• Ensuring everyone throughout your group has entry to the supplies and knowledge they want for the autumn merchandise and promotions
• Double-checking the entire updates to make sure all the things appears good

In a digital asset administration platform, this course of is approach smoother. You possibly can:

• Energy your entire web site content material straight out of your asset library so updates are automated
• Use permissions and share hyperlinks to distribute digital recordsdata, so everyone who must entry your property can discover and use the content material they want once they want it
• Share model pointers, product info, and asset particulars with entrepreneurs, gross sales groups, retailers, or anyone else who makes use of your property
• Join your asset library with mission administration instruments (and the entire different software program you’re employed in) so you may assign duties, push property straight into your tasks, and talk on process standing inside one platform

On this publish, we speak extra in regards to the other ways eCommerce manufacturers can leverage our digital asset administration answer, Brandfolder, to 1) hold all of their groups and staff on the identical web page, 2) enhance productiveness and make crossing duties off the to-do checklist simpler, and three) preserve model consistency amongst everyone who’s utilizing your property. All through, we’ll additionally cowl a number of the extra options inside our DAM system that allow you to handle the complete asset lifecycle, from content material creation to updating to publishing.

Brandfolder is without doubt one of the hottest digital asset administration software program in the marketplace; we’ve helped eCommerce companies throughout all completely different industries and verticals higher handle their digital content material and presence throughout the online. To be taught extra about the advantages of digital asset administration software program and the way Brandfolder can help your groups, get in contact with us for a free demo.

1. Brandfolder Lets You Energy All of Your Web site Content material from Our Platform & Automate Model Administration Duties

Brandfolder connects with a content material supply community (CDN) system so you should utilize our platform as a single supply of reality. That means, you may energy your web site content material and e mail advertising and marketing campaigns straight from Brandfolder by pushing product pictures, advertising and marketing supplies, and different model property out of your asset library to the online.

To do that, embed the asset’s distinctive CDN hyperlink in your eCommerce website (and anyplace else you wish to host the asset). The asset will mechanically populate anywhere the hyperlink lives. Then, when property expire or are up to date in Brandfolder — extra on expirations and updates beneath — they mechanically expire or replace in your web site (and each different place the place the asset is hosted). This ensures that your content material is all the time up-to-date and prevents the burden of combing by way of your web site and different on-line platforms to manually swap property.

2. Brandfolder Lets You Manage Belongings in a Approach that Makes Sense for Your Groups

Brandfolder’s organizational construction is particularly helpful for eCommerce companies as a result of it helps you to simply set up property by model and group subsets of property collectively (i.e., property for various product classes, companies, tasks, use instances, finish customers, and many others.).

In Brandfolder, you may set up property by:

• Brandfolders: The central repository for all property associated to a particular model. Should you handle a number of eCommerce websites or promote merchandise/companies beneath completely different model names, you may create devoted Brandfolders of property for every web site or model.
• Collections: Teams of associated property that dwell inside Brandfolders. You possibly can create Collections of property for various merchandise or product traces; promotions and gross sales; advertising and marketing and social media campaigns; branded content material like logos, colours, and fonts; and extra. Collections mean you can higher set up your model property for simpler search and sharing.
• Model Portals: Teams of property for particular finish customers. You possibly can create Model Portals for various departments, similar to your design or advertising and marketing groups, or you may arrange Model Portals for retailers or different companions. Then, customers can login to those portals and see solely the property which might be related to their tasks or roles.

You may also create asset containers inside Brandfolder to consolidate comparable property; that is helpful when you have a number of variations of product pictures for one product.

For instance, say you carry a particular model of snow boot, however you promote the boot in over a dozen completely different colours: It can save you one product picture of the boot inside Brandfolder, after which retailer the entire images of that boot in several colours beneath the principle product picture. By merging property right into a container, you received’t have a dozen boot pictures to scroll by way of in your asset library.

We’ve additionally seen manufacturers use asset containers to merge product pictures and product documentation collectively; this makes it so the entire related product info is saved in a single place. Considered one of our purchasers, FINIS (a worldwide swim product and swimwear model), makes use of asset containers to arrange all product info like spec sheets, gross sales supplies, and imagery on the asset degree.

*Observe: Earlier than transitioning to Brandfolder, our crew will aid you map out the best way to set up your asset library in one of the best ways on your groups/customers. When it comes time to maneuver your entire digital content material over to Brandfolder, property will mechanically set up to match the construction you set. *

3. Brandfolder’s Strong Search Makes Discovering Belongings Fast and Straightforward

Regardless of the way you retailer your property, our search performance can discover the recordsdata you’re on the lookout for with out requiring you to dig by way of folders or keep in mind precise file names.

Brandfolder’s flat search function analyzes your complete asset library — not less than the entire property you’ve gotten entry to — while you kind a phrase or phrase into the search bar. Then, when looking your library, our search performance makes use of picture recognition to scan the precise content material of your property and pull the entire recordsdata which might be related to your search.

4. DAMs Let You Preserve an Up to date Asset Library

One of the crucial handy issues about Brandfolder’s DAM software program is that it’s designed with options like duplicate asset detection and built-in collaboration instruments so you may effortlessly preserve an up-to-date asset library.

You possibly can replace product pictures, gross sales supplies, advertising and marketing collateral, and many others. from year-to-year or season-to-season and your asset library received’t be cluttered with dupe property or previous content material. In consequence, anyone accessing your asset library can simply discover the appropriate variations of your model property. (So that you and your groups can start utilizing property as quickly as you discover them — no extra ready on inventive groups for approvals!)

Plus, DAMs monitor the precise adjustments that had been made throughout updates and hold an in depth document of every asset’s model historical past. That approach, you and your crew members can come again into Brandfolder, click on into an asset, and take a look at the way it has been modified over time. Brandfolder helps you to click on to obtain previous variations of property or mechanically revert an asset again to a earlier model.

Brandfolder additionally lets customers set property to run out once they’re not wanted. Expired property don’t delete utterly, so that they’ll nonetheless dwell in Brandfolder however they’ll be labeled as “Expired” and unavailable for obtain. eCommerce manufacturers who launch seasonal merchandise or run limited-time advertising and marketing campaigns can profit from expirations as a result of they make it simpler to let everyone who accesses your property know which of them are outdated and which of them are new and authorised to make use of. Expirations may also assist automate sure model administration duties so you may all the time hold your web site present (extra on these beneath).

Observe: Since you may customise consumer permissions, you may select which customers have the power to add new property. We additionally mean you can arrange a overview and approval course of for all asset uploads. This allows you to management which property are added to your library and prevents customers from going rogue with uploads.

5. Brandfolder Provides Groups Freedom to Create New & Distinctive Digital Content material

Along with needing simpler methods to handle current model property, many eCommerce groups additionally want straightforward methods to create contemporary, distinctive (high-quality) collateral to allow them to put collectively advertising and marketing property to mirror new promotions or merchandise and share brochures or gross sales decks with retailers on the fly. Brandfolder’s answer? Dynamic templates.

With our templating function, the inventive crew can push templates over from InDesign and management precisely how they’re personalized in Brandfolder. By permitting designers to decide on what can and may’t be personalized inside every template, it’s straightforward for different customers to create on-brand and polished content material (that doesn’t require a overview earlier than it may be used). That approach, even customers with no design expertise can discover a template that matches what they want, fill it in, and obtain it to be used.

Brandfolder mechanically refreshes templates between customers, too, so your customers all the time have a clear slate to get began.

Observe: Regardless that our templating function is designed so customers can customise, obtain, and go, you can too put a overview and approvals course of in place for all new property from templates. Then, you may overview your entire new model property earlier than they’re revealed or printed.

6. Sharing & Receiving Belongings (From Each Inner Groups & Exterior Companies) is Approach Smoother

Brandfolder simplifies file sharing whereas additionally supplying you with further choices to regulate how property are shared. Let’s elaborate.

In Brandfolder, there are solely two methods to share digital property:

Should you’re sharing property with different Brandfolder customers (a.ok.a. Your co-workers or different groups inside your group), you may add them to the Brandfolder, Assortment, Portal, or particular asset you’d prefer to share utilizing permissions. You possibly can learn extra about how permissions work right here.

Should you’re sharing property with non-Brandfolder customers (a.ok.a. Folks exterior of your group), you may ship property through a share hyperlink. All share hyperlinks in Brandfolder are customizable, you may:

• Give the share hyperlink a reputation
• Require customers to enter an e mail deal with to view property, so you may monitor who’s opening your share hyperlinks
• Set the hyperlink to run out so your property are solely accessible to view/obtain for a particular timeframe
• Block asset downloads or add watermarks to property to forestall others from utilizing the property you’re sharing
• Add (or take away) property to hyperlinks you’ve already shared
• Monitor when shared property are considered or downloaded
• View which property are at present being shared (and with whom)

We additionally allow you to customise asset portals along with your model’s colours, logos, and fonts so anyone you share your property with (through share hyperlink) are directed to a clear, polished net web page to view your digital media property.

You should utilize Visitor Add Hyperlinks to obtain property from third events like photographers or inventive businesses and stakeholders who’re non-Brandfolder customers. When making a Visitor Add hyperlink, you may select the place you need the asset uploaded, so after the top consumer uploads their digital file(s), you may overview and approve the asset with out doing any further group after. Brandfolder permits free limitless visitor customers, so you may share and obtain property with none restrictions or further charges.

7. DAMs Let You Management Asset Utilization, Share Model Tips, & Retailer Information on the Asset Degree for Fast Reference

Other than granting you higher management over asset sharing (i.e., user-based permissions, expirations, watermarks, the power to dam asset downloads, instruments to handle share hyperlinks), our Brandguide function additionally helps you to create model pointers inside Brandfolder to raised management asset utilization. That is particularly helpful for eCommerce manufacturers who promote their merchandise in several retailers and wish to ensure that their messaging, product info, and model expertise is constant for all potential clients.

Inside these model pointers, you may embrace all the things out of your model mission, tone, and persona to information on the place your organization’s digital property may be posted and the way they need to be used — we’ve seen manufacturers go so far as together with specifics about the best way to promote sure merchandise and including directions for deploying omnichannel advertising and marketing methods slash publishing on completely different social media channels.

Along with organising model pointers, you can too embrace details about asset utilization within the Asset Overview (a.ok.a. The asset description) to enhance model consistency.

Inside every Asset Overview, you may view the asset preview, description, metadata, tags, model historical past, consumer feedback, utilization analytics, and extra — you may even arrange customized fields or use integrations to retailer product knowledge on the asset degree.

We’ve additionally seen many eComm manufacturers embrace directions — or “Dos and Don’ts” — for selling particular merchandise, companies, gross sales, and many others. inside the asset overview, as effectively. However you should utilize this asset overview to incorporate any info that you really want about an asset.

Observe: The Asset Overview can also be the place you may view asset containers and comparable property, so you’ll find associated property with out doing one other search.

Brandfolder additionally lets groups collaborate on the asset degree and higher handle asset updates. In the identical Asset Overview we mentioned within the final part, customers can entry a Workflow tab that lets them:

• Touch upon property and tag different customers in for suggestions
• Learn again by way of the asset’s remark thread to overview previous notes and crew communications
• Take a look at property for updating
• Push property again to Brandfolder for approval as soon as updates are full
• Evaluate the asset’s model historical past to see the way it has modified because the preliminary add

Brandfolder additionally makes collaborating on property straightforward on your complete group by blocking downloads on “checked out” property and displaying a banner to let different customers know when an asset is present process updates.

Then, as soon as an asset is checked again in and authorised, it’s mechanically up to date in Brandfolder (so customers are viewing the latest model of the asset) and it turns into accessible for obtain once more.

9. Knowledge & Analytics Give You Detailed Information On Asset Utilization & Efficiency

Many eCommerce manufacturers additionally like the truth that DAMs, like Brandfolder, present knowledge and analytics round asset utilization and engagement, to allow them to monitor which property are considered/downloaded/used most frequently, the place property are embedded on the net, how customers interact with property on-line, and extra.

These insights assist eCommerce manufacturers monitor how and the place property are used, and so they additionally present higher perception about what property resonate with clients (and which of them don’t) so manufacturers can tweak their promotional methods and refine advertising and marketing content material.

Brandfolder is constructed with dozens of out-of-the-box integrations so you may simply sync it along with your eCommerce platform (like Shopify) and the opposite instruments you employ in your day by day operations. A number of the instruments we combine with embrace:

• Content material creation instruments like Adobe Inventive Cloud
• Collaborative productiveness software program like GSuite and Microsoft Workplace
• Content material administration programs (CMS) like WordPress
• Buyer relationship administration (CRM) programs like HubSpot
• Undertaking administration and workflow instruments like SmartSheet and Trello

You possibly can view our full checklist of Brandfolder integrations right here.

Give Your eCommerce Operations a Increase with Brandfolder

Need to give our digital asset administration instrument a strive? Brandfolder is without doubt one of the best DAMs to make use of and undertake as a result of our options are intuitive and our buyer expertise crew is hands-on throughout the complete onboarding course of. (We’ve got a 98% retention charge due to our devoted help by way of the transition.)

Plus, Brandfolder accepts all property and file sorts, together with wealthy media recordsdata like audio and video property, pictures, paperwork, enterprise playing cards, gross sales brochures, templates and Adobe recordsdata, and many others. so you should utilize our software program to accommodate your entire branded content material in a single central spot, as a substitute of storing various kinds of property in several places.

To be taught extra about Brandfolder’s completely different options and the way our platform may be tailor-made on your eCommerce enterprise, get in contact with our crew for a free demo.