10 Best Practices For Sharing Digital Assets Across Multiple Departments
Departments working at a large organization understand how complicated cross-team asset sharing can be.
They will share assets with photographers, external agencies, marketers, designers, managers, developers, campaign coordinators, legal professionals, reviewers, approvers, and many others.
According to research, employees share digital assets via:
email (71%),
USB sticks (69%) and
public drives, like Google Drive (55%).
However, how often will they scroll through countless emails and shared drives to find the digital files they need to use?
The average employee spends 50% of their time looking for information shared with them.
Employees get frustrated at their colleagues and external parties who ask for the latest digital assets, not because they do not want to help them but because they cannot remember what the file is called or what folder it is in.
It is why digital asset management (DAM) platforms were created to make asset sharing easier.
Nevertheless, how do you use a DAM effectively for sharing and approving digital assets with other departments? We have put together a guide to the best practices for companies with multiple teams.
File searching
One of the essential features of a DAM platform is finding digital content quickly. Users will not have to scroll through shared drives or get lost in file names like 'F24371_FY20.jpg.
A best of breed DAM will auto-tag with relevant metadata and have filters to ensure digital content is located fast and efficiently, no matter who is searching for it or what team or location they are in.
Uploading
Uploading digital assets is the first thing employees do when they use a DAM.
However, colleagues, external agencies, and freelancers will be uploading too. So everyone must ensure the assets go into the correct folders and are correctly tagged.
Users will get auto-tag suggestions when they upload into a DAM, as we have already mentioned. However, they can also add custom tags, fields, titles, and descriptions.
Moreover, a DAM will screen for duplicates so that if multiple departments attempt to upload the same asset, they are warned and can check if it has already been uploaded, deciding whether to continue. This avoids clutter (like users get on network or shared drives like Dropbox).
DOWNLOADING different sizes and formats
Downloading is a core feature of any digital asset management. Furthermore, just like uploading, users can make their downloads as relevant to them as possible.
Need a .png rather than a .jpg?
Need a different asset size because of where it will be used?
No problem.
Using a DAM means the same image can be used across various channels or as part of an omnichannel marketing strategy.
Thus, users will not have to waste time attempting to reduce their video or image size or adjust it for social media platforms. Now they can download the dimensions they require and share them with those who need them.
Share with departments, agencies, and partners
Sharing brand assets is effortless within a DAM, and users can use several ways.
DAM platforms can generate shareable links from a selection of assets. Send it to a recipient via Slack, email, or whatever method they communicate within a team.
Unlike email providers, DAM users can send up to hundreds of assets in one go - and are not limited by file size.
Asset commenting
Asset commenting is similar to other shared drive comments except that it can be used to mention other users related to the delivery of an asset.
Need to ask the photographer who created it or where they took it?
Do you need to mention the developer who needs to know it's ready for inclusion in the code?
Asset commentary keeps everyone in the loop, leading to faster and more reliable shared assets.
Internal and public portals
Do you want to give your users a place to search and find your assets but not give them full access to all company assets?
Using a brand portal (with or without a password) will provide access to the same filters and search capabilities. Departments can share the same access without editing rights, so specific users or departments cannot stray from the taxonomy already in place.
DAM software like Digizuite can also have a public channel portal that companies can share with partners and distributors. Users will see that it looks like a regular Digizuite account but only with select assets. It gives external teams that professional, on-brand feel every time they log in but ensures the asset taxonomy is not changed.
User permissions
Another core feature of digital asset management is being able to assign permissions to users. Imagine a company receiving some hot-off-the-press product images that have come in from a photographer.
Not all assets are suitable for social media or online. So managers or admins might want to hide specific images from the marketing team.
To do this in a DAM, they can set up groups of users and hide specific folders from others, thus making thousands of images instantly manageable.
Approve and reject assets
It is easy to keep digital files free from clutter within a DAM. With approval workflows, departments can ensure everything uploaded is precise as they would like.
This digital asset management software feature is handy for anyone dealing with external content creators like freelancers, agencies, or photographers.
Suppose a brand manager is responsible for ensuring all photography follows a brand's guidelines. If a freelance photographer uploads something that does not meet current brand guidelines, admins and managers can reject it and request that it is amended - improving overall brand management.
Version control
It also pays to have a copy of all versioned digital files that can be called upon as needed.
When updating a graphic or logo and then after reviewing a previous version is liked, then rather than starting again, departments can revert to an earlier version.
Furthermore, users can upload a new version of an asset, which will automatically replace an older version. Anyone who downloaded it will get an email notifying them to use a shiny new version - imperative for consistent brand messaging should a logo or brand is updated.
Set usage rights and expiry dates
Users do not want to get into trouble using expired images or video files. Managers or legal departments may know that the digital files they used previously are no longer valid to use, but are other departments aware?
With DAM, managing rights is straightforward because admins and managers can add expiry dates and usage rights to individual files.
When an expiry date is reached, anyone downloading the file will get notified, advising them not to use that file or use an alternative, helping ensure a consistent brand experience.
Admins can even retire expired assets, so they will no longer appear in search folders.
Digizuite - a DAM that grows with your brand
Digital asset management is a team effort.
When everyone involved can share and approve efficiently, there's no question that operational efficiency is improved. It is why a DAM always wins compared to other sharing platforms because they offer a better interface for storing and using digital assets across multiple departments.
As a brand grows and evolves, it will need a digital asset management tool to adapt to maintain sharing and approving efficiency.
That could be anything from increasing users adding additional integrations, or new features to meet your needs.
With Digizuite, you will get all the core DAM features, including searching, sharing, uploading, and deploying. Companies can then add extras like portals and custom presets as and when they need them.
Our DAM specialists will walk you through our platform and discuss your departmental sharing needs.
