Whether or not you’re working with photographs, movies, audio information, written paperwork, templates, advertising supplies, or gross sales decks (the record goes on), a digital asset administration (DAM) resolution can assist your groups…

A.) Set up and retailer digital information in a approach that everybody can entry them with out bothering 5 teammates earlier than discovering what they need B.) Make higher use of on-brand digital belongings all through the corporate and in collaboration with exterior contacts (like distributors, franchisees, retailers, and many others.)

We put collectively this purchaser’s information to make purchasing for digital asset administration options simple. In it, we discuss….

Which groups get essentially the most from digital asset administration programs
What to search for when evaluating digital asset administration software program options
Seven prime digital asset administration instruments

Let’s dive in!

Need to see how Brandfolder simplifies digital asset administration? Schedule a demo with a DAM knowledgeable to stroll by means of Brandfolder’s options, be taught extra about the advantages of utilizing a DAM platform, and get solutions to your entire digital asset administration questions.

Whereas digital asset administration software program is beneficial for a lot of firms, not all groups actually want it. If your online business is small and also you don’t have plenty of digital content material to maintain monitor of or share, you might get alongside simply nice storing your information in functions like Google Drive or Dropbox.

DAMs are particularly useful if:

• You’ve an expansive asset library (100+ digital belongings)
• Your belongings are tough to seek out, and your library is cluttered with duplicate asset variations
• Your inventive groups are clocking hours responding to asset requests every week
• You share model belongings with a number of exterior events
• You obtain belongings from outdoors sources or work with inventive businesses

Digital asset administration software program is sort of all the time a necessity for inventive groups as a result of it eliminates the necessity to share asset hyperlinks manually with different staff or stakeholders: No extra fielding asset requests or sharing up to date belongings each time a file is tweaked.

However actually, all departments can profit from a DAM system as a result of they manage your digital information (of all file varieties) in a central repository and make it simpler to share, collaborate on, and replace digital belongings.

Accounting groups can retailer their spreadsheets in a DAM; gross sales groups can share gross sales decks with crew members and purchasers; content material and social media entrepreneurs can manage graphics and pictures for posting; designers can touch upon asset updates and preserve monitor of various variations; administration can monitor how belongings are used and carry out over time.

Most DAM options are extremely customizable to suit your crew’s particular use case. Lots of the greatest digital asset administration programs are constructed with add-on options, integrations, and open APIs so groups can sync their programs and use their DAM as a “single supply of fact” for managing and distributing digital belongings.

Different Advantages of a Utilizing a Digital Asset Administration Platform

The largest advantage of utilizing a digital asset administration system is saved time. Other than assuaging burdens on inventive groups, DAMs make your belongings simple to seek out and manage them so that you’re all the time viewing essentially the most up to date variations of your information.

Listed below are a number of different methods DAMs are useful:

• Robotically tags belongings and provides metadata (quick descriptions based mostly on their content material) so that they’re simpler to seek out
• Makes it simple to share digital information with out leaping backwards and forwards in electronic mail threads
• Retains monitor of any modifications to belongings so everybody makes use of the most recent model of an asset (learn extra on model management)
• Enhances crew collaboration
• Supplies instruments to repurpose outdated inventive information
• Permits groups to obtain digital content material in numerous file codecs
• Simplifies modifying and watermarking
• Eliminates considerations round asset safety

What To Look For in a DAM Answer

When researching and evaluating the greatest digital asset administration options, preserve these standards in thoughts:

• Ease of use: A DAM system with a transparent, intuitive interface and simple performance is simple to be taught and undertake. DAMs with a clunky UI and over-the-top options could also be difficult for your entire customers to navigate.
• Collaborative instruments: Groups work extra effectively after they have simple methods to speak on asset updates, the place belongings are shared, and the way belongings ought to be used. Search for software program that permits groups to go away feedback on belongings, add model tips to asset descriptions, and look at model historical past and asset analytics.
• Integrations: You need your DAM to sync with the opposite instruments you’re employed with on a day-to-day foundation. Examine every DAM’s built-in integrations and examine to see if they’ve an open API for additional customization.
• Pricing: By the point you’re achieved including customers, selecting add-on options, and choosing cloud space for storing, DAMs might be fairly expensive. Search for software program that provides free visitor seats and look previous the preliminary sticker worth to seek out out what a software program prices when it consists of every thing you need.
• Help: There are two main hurdles when adopting a digital asset administration system: 1) ingesting and organizing your entire belongings, and a couple of) coaching your groups to make use of the software program. DAMs with good buyer assist can present help with onboarding and implementation so the transition goes easily.

With that in thoughts, listed here are seven DAM software program choices, beginning with our personal — Brandfolder.

Digital Asset Administration in Brandfolder

We could also be biased, however we predict the proof is within the pudding in the case of exhibiting Brandfolder is the most effective digital asset administration device for many groups. Its uncomplicated options reduce coaching occasions and the platform scales as you develop. Now we have 40+ integrations and an open API so you’ll be able to customise the device to work to your particular wants.

Brandfolder’s buyer expertise crew can be the most effective within the digital asset administration trade to assist guarantee adoption (and we’re not simply saying that as a result of we’re happy with the crew) — we’ve got a 99% retention price as a result of we by no means depart our purchasers hanging after they want assist. You’ll have a devoted crew out there 24/7 that will help you rise up and operating, which received’t take so long as you assume — and whereas each model’s implementation is completely different (accurately) our course of goals at 30 days for groups to get arrange and absolutely converted to our software program.

Let’s discuss extra about managing digital belongings in Brandfolder to find out if it’s the best match to your group and customers.

Storing & Looking for Belongings in Brandfolder

Storing your digital media information in Brandfolder is so simple as dragging and dropping information out of your pc or importing them from one other asset storage system. Our software program accepts all file varieties, together with pictures, Photoshop information, PDFs, texts, fonts, templates, phrase paperwork, spreadsheets, and wealthy media like video and audio information. Actually, the one information our software program doesn’t settle for are HTML and Java information.

Inside Brandfolder, information are organized in Brandfolders, Collections, and Model Portals.

• Brandfolders: Organizing belongings in numerous Brandfolders is useful should you handle a couple of model.
• Collections: Collections enable customers to arrange belongings for various departments, initiatives, or finish customers. We take group a step additional inside your collections and group belongings by sort (logos, fonts, colours, pictures, and many others.).
• Model Portals: Model Portals are useful if you work with outdoors distributors or retailers and wish a spot the place these exterior events can entry all branded pictures, advertising sources, and product info.

Upon asset add, our machine-learning provides metadata to your information and auto-suggests tags to enhance searchability. In fact, you can even add your personal asset description and supplemental info so it’s clear how, the place, and when belongings can be utilized.

Our superior search performance makes it simple to seek out any asset in a matter of minutes. As an alternative of getting you search inside Collections or Model Portals for digital information, our flat search analyzes your total asset library.

Within the search bar, you’ll be able to sort something a few media asset, together with colours, fonts, textual content, product names, picture parts, and many others., and our search engine will pull all associated digital information. That approach, you’ll find belongings based mostly on their content material (no extra memorizing file names!), even when it’s a phrase like “Pepsi can” to seek out a picture that you just keep in mind has that object.

Our default thumbnail view permits you to rapidly scan outcomes and discover the precise file you want. There are such a lot of other ways to floor belongings based mostly on search queries that it’s nearly unattainable to not discover the asset you’re searching for with a number of search phrases.

Updating Belongings in Brandfolder

Conserving monitor of asset updates and file variations is one other headache that Brandfolder mitigates. Inside each asset — even video and audio information — customers can depart feedback for different crew members (and look at that remark historical past), push information again to their native modifying apps for updating, examine belongings again in for assessment and approval, and look at asset model historical past.

After an asset has been up to date, customers can view, share, or obtain the newest model with none questions or confusion round, “Am I utilizing the best asset?” Whilst belongings are up to date, customers can scroll by means of an asset’s model historical past and look at or obtain prior variations for reference.

One other useful characteristic: Brandfolder has an non-compulsory templating device that permits customers to create distinctive, up to date content material from standardized templates. Creatives can put collectively a template in Adobe InDesign, lock the editable fields, and add it to Brandfolder for different customers to personalize, obtain, and share. We hear gross sales and advertising groups discover this characteristic most helpful as a result of it permits them to simply repurpose advertising content material for various audiences.

Sharing Belongings in Brandfolder

As an alternative of downloading information and sharing them by way of electronic mail, groups can share digital belongings with different customers and exterior teams immediately from Brandfolder utilizing permissions and customized share hyperlinks.

• Permissions: Permissions allow you to add registered customers to Brandfolders, Collections, and Portals to allow them to view, obtain, or share the belongings inside. You don’t usually have to do that manually; if somebody belongs to the gross sales crew, for instance, they’ll robotically get entry to something set to be shared with gross sales.
• Customized Share Hyperlinks: To share belongings by way of customized share hyperlink, choose the asset(s) you need to share and who you need to ship them to. You can provide your customized hyperlink a reputation, set the hyperlink to run out, or limit obtain entry for finish customers.

You may as well use Brandfolder to share your belongings on-line. Each asset has a sensible CDN hyperlink so you’ll be able to embed the asset in your web site, in electronic mail advertising campaigns, on social media, and extra. Then, you’ll be able to examine asset analytics to see the place the asset lives and the way it’s getting used on-line. (Observe: This additionally improves model consistency — when an asset is up to date on the Brandfolder stage, it updates throughout the board, so that you don’t need to comb by means of your on-line content material manually and make modifications.)

Lastly, should you obtain digital information from an exterior collaborator (company, freelancer, and many others.), you’ll be able to ship them an asset request hyperlink to allow them to add their information proper into Brandfolder. The sender can select the place in Brandfolder they need the uploaded asset to reside, and as soon as the file is acquired, they will assessment and approve the asset so it’s out there to different customers.

Brandfolder Pricing

We preserve pricing easy by basing quotes on space for storing, variety of customers, and assist packages. We provide all of our purchasers free visitor seats — making us a terrific choice for mid-size and enterprise firms who share their digital belongings with numerous outdoors customers — and we don’t cost additional to make the most of our integrations. We do provide some add-on options like templating for an extra price, however all of our options to arrange, search, replace, and distribute digital information are included within the base worth.

Our costs keep static year-to-year, solely rising or lowering should you modify space for storing, variety of seats, or assist packages.

Different Main Digital Asset Administration Options

Now that we’ve coated digital asset administration in Brandfolder, let’s assessment a few of the different top-rated DAM instruments so you’ll be able to weigh your choices and make the only option to your crew.

Canto

Canto was one of many first digital asset administration programs to hit the market. Since its launch, Canto has launched cloud-based, on-premise, and hybrid variations of their software program to suit all person teams. Their software program is full of options to help crew collaboration, and the software program integrates with quite a lot of completely different instruments. For essentially the most half, Canto’s software program is easy and simple to make use of; nevertheless, when speaking with purchasers who’ve switched to Brandfolder from Canto, many say that Canto’s interface is a bit cluttered.

Canto is available in at an inexpensive worth level, however they do cost customers for visitor seats, which may make this software program somewhat too costly for manufacturers who share their belongings with plenty of customers.

Advice: Canto works for small companies who want an on-premise resolution for managing digital belongings.

Bynder

Bynder is among the hottest digital asset administration options as a result of it’s constructed with dozens of options to enchantment to completely different groups and desires. Given it’s expansive number of options and performance, Bynder is among the tougher digital asset administration options to implement, and it’s additionally a bit expensive. For essentially the most half, Bynder attracts bigger companies with groups who’ve the necessity for all of Bynder’s options and the finances to afford the software program.

When speaking with potential purchasers who’ve used Bynder prior to now, we hear Bynder is just like Brandfolder as a result of it has a clear, intuitive interface and integrates with most of the identical instruments as our software program. Nevertheless, purchasers say Bynder’s crew isn’t as useful or responsive as Brandfolder, so ironing out points throughout implementation and studying learn how to use sure options might be difficult.

Advice: We advise Bynder for enterprise firms who’ve a bigger finances and an inside IT crew who can help with answering questions and rolling out the software program.

IntelligenceBank

IntelligenceBank is a digital asset administration platform particularly designed for entrepreneurs. Along with appearing as a DAM, IntelligenceBank serves as a model portal software program, advertising operations software program, and advertising useful resource administration (MRM) device as a result of their software program accommodates options to maintain entrepreneurs on model, rapidly transfer belongings by means of the approval course of, and higher handle and monitor advertising campaigns.

In critiques of IntelligenceBank, customers touch upon the software program’s ease of use, choices for personalization, and sturdy advertising administration options. Nevertheless, some critiques say that the platform could also be somewhat too sturdy in its choices, offering instruments that groups don’t want or use.

Advice: IntelligenceBank is greatest for advertising groups who need quite a lot of instruments to hone in on model consistency and wish higher methods to trace advertising campaigns and the way they carry out.

Nuxeo

Nuxeo is definitely a content material administration system that aids with doc administration, undertaking administration, information administration, and case administration. For essentially the most half, Nuxeo is healthier for enterprise firms who want all of that superior performance.

Nuxeo customers say that the platform has a really fashionable really feel and so they like that the platform is well customizable. Some critiques of Nuxeo level out that primary digital asset options price additional and usually are not included in Nuxeo’s most important choices.

Advice: Nuxeo works for enterprise firms purchasing DAMs that additionally need extra tooling across the creation of digital belongings and establishing a digital paper path.

MediaValet is a digital asset administration system marketed for groups of all sizes. Nevertheless, they attempt to enchantment extra to enterprise companies with their superior applied sciences and functionalities to supply higher management over the asset lifecycle, promote asset discovery, and encourage crew collaboration. Their software program comes pre-built with quite a lot of integrations and critiques of the software program say it’s simple to set-up and customise with MediaValet’s assist crew.

When studying critiques of MediaValet, we seen numerous reviewers commenting on the dearth of reporting options and problem with file sharing. With that, it might not be the most effective device for customers who need higher insights on how belongings are used and carry out on the internet or for customers who share belongings with quite a few exterior teams.

Advice: MediaValet is a stable choice for inventive and advertising groups in enterprise firms and international manufacturers who want a greater option to collaborate on belongings.

Widen Collective

Widen Collective is a digital asset administration and product info administration (DAM+PIM) software program designed for mid-size and enterprise firms with tons of of staff. As well as, Widen features as a advertising workflow, useful resource administration, and model administration software program by means of its many built-in integrations. Many customers like that Widen is tailor-made to their particular wants; they will decide and select the options they need in order that the software program isn’t cluttered (and so they aren’t paying for options they don’t want).

Like most DAMs, Widen manages belongings by means of their total lifecycle, from creation to retirement. Since product info administration can be an enormous a part of Widen’s software program, customers can even benefit from the capability to make use of Widen as a “product catalog” the place they retailer all related product info to promote merchandise by means of quite a lot of channels.

When critiques of Widen, we seen a number of complaints with the software program’s ease of use and the dearth of assist from Widen’s buyer success crew. Not solely that, however Widen can be one of the costly DAMs on this record, which is why it’s actually solely an choice for enterprise manufacturers who’ve a hefty finances.

Advice: Widen Collective is barely a stable choice for enterprise firms who desire a DAM+PIM resolution to handle each their digital content material in addition to their merchandise and repair choices.
Did You Discover the Finest Digital Asset Administration Software program for Your Workforce? Discovering the most effective digital asset administration software program entails extra than simply studying critiques. Begin by creating a listing of the options you need in your DAM software program. Then, slim down your choices by pinpointing DAMs who’ve these options in your record.

You possibly can examine DAMs by studying person critiques and requesting demos, however as you cross choices off your record, preserve our purchasing suggestions in thoughts:

• Search for software program that’s simple to make use of and undertake
• Hold collaborative instruments in thoughts
• Take a look at every software program’s integrations (and if the software program is constructed with an open API)
• Ask about pricing and further prices
• Gauge the helpfulness of every DAM’s buyer expertise crew to find out in the event that they’ll present immediate, worthwhile assist throughout implementation

To see Brandfolder in motion and be taught extra about all of our options and performance, request a free demo with our crew.