How to make digital assets available for local teams in different countries

Managing digital assets can be straightforward when your team is based in the same location.

Conversations about the next marketing campaign over a desk and approving the next company logo are easy tasks when you have people located together.

But, many of today’s businesses have teams based across the globe–making the best of creative skills while gaining a deep understanding of local cultures. It’s why 80% of businesses use collaboration tools to optimize their business operations.

Local teams in different countries come with challenges – increasing the demand for real-time and remote collaboration tools like digital asset management (DAM).

Language barriers, miscommunication, and poor collaboration are just a few of the difficulties businesses face when they have their people across the globe.

This guide shares how to make digital assets available for local teams in different countries. Feel confident that your people can access digital content when needed, regardless of location.

Why is it important to have digital assets available for everyone?

DAM technology provides a centralized solution for storing, organizing, and sharing digital assets such as product images, videos, documents, and other important files.

Productivity technology like DAM gives organizations the tools to allow creatives to perform their jobs anywhere, increase business growth, and compete with global markets.

When digital assets are easily accessible for local teams, it saves time and reduces costs associated with searching for or creating assets. Sales and marketing teams can quickly find and recover the assets they need, preventing duplication of effort and streamlining workflow operations.

Give local teams the right tools and technology and boost creativity and innovation.

Reduce time-to-market and get your product or service in front of the end consumer fast with these best practice tips on how to make assets available for local teams based in different countries.

GET CLOUD-BASED DAM TECHNOLOGY

Did you know that the global cloud storage market is projected to grow from $108.69 billion in 2023 to $472.47 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 23.4%? 

Source: www.cloudwards.net/cloud-computing-statistics

But what is driving that increase?

Firstly, a cloud-based DAM system, like Digizuite, serves as a single source of truth for all digital assets. Local teams hop onto the platform and access the digital assets they need without waiting for colleagues to come on duty or navigate time zones.

• Plus:

  • A staggering 94% of businesses saw an improvement in security after switching to cloud-based software. Have greater security around loss, theft, or misuse of the cloud. Have greater control and reduce data loss and breaches. Confidential information is stored on the cloud, not on personal computers.
    
    

  • Get automatic software updates. Give local teams access to the same software updates regardless of location. Make sure Eddie, based in Europe, works with the same software as Mike in the US – complying with the agreed procedures.
    
    

  • Cost savings. Switching to cloud-based DAM software offers the flexibility to choose which features you need and save money buying additional security software.
    
    

  • Faster time to market. Enterprise users can get digital assets to market quickly without worrying about underlying costs or maintenance charges, such as buying additional backup programs.

HAVE UNIFORMED DIGITAL ASSETS

Branding gives customers a distinct, consistent, and easily recognizable set of identifiers to remember you by.

Great branding communicates with a target audience by using every opportunity to express why people should choose your business over a competitor.

Considering 71% of consumers prefer products and services from brands they know, consistent branding builds customer trust and loyalty.

Source: www.globalbankingandfinance.com/71-of-consumers-more-likely-to-buy-a-product-or-service-from-a-name-they-recognise

Customers appreciate it when a business has a consistent brand.

According to Forbes, being consistent when you present your brand can increase your revenue by up to 23%.

That said, consistency is challenging when you have local teams based across the globe. Creative teams often have digital content saved on various platforms, like images, pricing information, and customer contact details.

Sharing accurate information with the right audience every time takes more effort.

Let’s imagine your business has updated a company logo. Your customer service team based in a different country has shared a case study containing an old logo and data chart. The post has blown up, with many new and existing customers commenting about the latest product features.

Removing an inaccurate post and resharing the correct information costs time and money. Not to mention negatively affecting your business reputation.

The best way to have consistent branding is to remove people working in silos. Create brand guidelines that specify how to unify distinct elements, like company logos, for local teams.

DAM technology offers a centralized platform that gives your business a uniform approach when managing your digital assets.

Remember: consistent branding matters. No matter how, where, or why customers interact with your organization and where your team is based, the experience should be the same.

LOCALIZE ASSETS FOR DISTRIBUTION

More and more enterprises rely on a geographically dispersed workforce to stay competitive in today’s markets.

Local teams offer deep knowledge about markets, drawing on the benefits of diversity and culture to give different perspectives. Local teams can influence sales and marketing decisions and move quickly as part of a faster speed-to-market strategy.

That said, an enterprise with local teams can be tricky when you have thousands of digital assets to manage.

Cultural differences and the use of appropriate language, such as tone and formality, can alienate your audience or build trust.

For situations where assets need to be adapted or translated for different markets or regions, businesses can leverage DAM software to manage localized versions of digital content.

Get your message heard more effectively with DAM software. Tailor digital assets around local customs, beliefs, and values.

COLLABORATE WITH LOCAL TEAMS

It’s difficult to do anything these days without collaboration tools.

DAM solutions streamline your entire content management lifecycle, saving a ton of time by bringing together local teams to work on shared projects virtually.

DAM software ensures local teams never have to wait for the assets they need.

Provide dispersed teams with the collaboration tools to share digital assets, reduce repetition, and meet statutory requirements seamlessly.

Digizuite DAM’s in-built and extensive asset library streamlines content management processes, such as asset approval, eliminating administrative effort and reducing the risk of human error.

By implementing Digizuite DAM, Focus Brands was able to reduce repetitive tasks, streamline creative workflows, and offer much-needed focus and structure–leading to an increase in workplace productivity.

“An automation is there to make sure that you eliminate repetitive work…that was the reasoning for tackling certain integrations”.

-Thomas Korthuis, Digital Content Manager, Focus Brands

Deliver personalized and consistent media across different geographies and verticals across the omnichannel. DAM technology offers local teams secure access to digital assets anytime and anywhere.

SET USER PERMISSIONS AND ACCESS CONTROLS

User permissions grant local teams access to digital assets like PDF files, videos, or social media accounts.

But did you know that 33% of digital folders in a company remain unprotected? Even more shocking is that 94% of businesses that experience a severe data loss never recover.

Considering local teams can work miles apart, DAM solutions allow large enterprises to improve data security by setting up role-based permissions.

• For instance:

  • Greater control of digital assets.  Assign role-based permissions for specific actions, such as editing or approving articles. Reduce the number of people with access–saving time for constant monitoring.
    
    

  • Improved data security. Limit the impact of local teams accessing confidential information or certain applications with specific user permissions. Reduce the potential for sharing personal information, for example, customer profile data, in error.
    
    

  • Reduced confusion. Give local teams a better understanding of their roles by assigning privileges based on their role. Administrators, for example, oversee and manage DAM software so it runs smoothly.

That said, creating, managing, and fine-tuning roles and user permissions is no mean feat. DAM technology can simplify setting user permissions with simple fields and tick boxes.

INTEGRATE WITH OTHER TECHNOLOGY

Investing in various integrations that meet your business needs costs money. Not only is it expensive, but you need to make sure technology can connect seamlessly and fit for purpose.

Let’s imagine local teams need an image fast to add to the next company newsletter. Systems that don’t integrate seamlessly make finding what you need time-consuming and frustrating.

Having spent a long time searching, you need to email a colleague working in a different time zone to ask where the image is saved. You have to wait until the next working day for a response.

Since friction between people, processes, and systems impact workflows, get your product or service in front of the end consumer quickly by integrating software and custom apps, such as Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud applications, and YouTube.

Look at Etex Group, the global construction company with over 15,000 people spanning 40 countries.

The Digizuite DAM media library enables thousands of employees to collaborate through one centralized platform–simplifying the search for product information, from product guides to technical documents.

By leveraging Digizuite DAM and integrating with Optimizely, Etex Group now shares better quality and higher amounts of content that reaches its global market faster and more efficiently.

Give local teams access to digital assets

DAM technology manages your content management lifecycle and gives local teams access to digital assets whenever needed. A DAM solution should be simple to use and able to satisfy creative teams from around the world.

Follow the advice we’ve shared here. Make working with global teams thousands of miles away feel like they are sitting next to you.

Want to learn more about how Digizuite DAM can make digital assets available for local teams in different countries?

Book a demo with us here.