Edward Boatman • Jun 23rd, 2022
A digital asset is anything that can be bought, traded, sold or used online. This can include anything from web domains to personal email accounts. In general, digital assets fall into four main categories: financial, legal, marketing and personal assets. Once you understand what a digital asset is, you can then dive into what a digital asset management system can do for your business.
While the meaning of “digital asset” remains general on the web, for the purposes of this article, we will be referring to marketing assets.
Digital marketing assets are files that companies can use to promote their brand and value proposition. This could be a logo, infographic, video, e-book or something else. For something to be considered an asset, it needs to serve a purpose or bring some value to a company or person.
Take this example: A company hosts an employee appreciation party and brings in a professional photographer. While that photo of Jim at the dartboard may be a funny memory, if it sits on the camera forever, it wouldn’t be an asset.
Now, if the company used that photo of Jim in promotional materials — like on their website’s job application page — it would become a marketing asset.
Now that you know what they are, what are examples of digital assets?
Looking for some inspiration on how you can use digital assets in your business? Here are a few examples of digital assets along with some ideas on how you can best use them.
Photos are like the building blocks of your visual language. By curating a library of photos that speak to your target brand, you can then mix and match those assets across other materials, like your website. The best part of having a library of branded photos already curated is that your brand will automatically show in whatever secondary assets you create with them.
With 87% of marketers saying video produces a positive ROI, it’s not hard to see the value of video in your marketing campaigns. This media allows for quicker, more personal communication with your audience — two qualities that are even more important in an increasingly digital world.
Your logo is a quick and easy way to communicate your brand to your consumers. Take the McDonald’s golden arch logo as an example. Not only does the logo bring to mind the restaurant’s name, but it also reminds customers of its product: golden french fries.
Brand fonts and colors allow you to add a little personality to your marketing materials. Sans serif fonts are typically considered more casual, while serif fonts are more classic. Colors can evoke different emotions. Blue tends to be more calming and yellow tends to be energizing. Depending on how you mix and match your brand fonts and colors, your brand can find its voice.
Icons are a great way to call attention to something important on your website. Here, Lou Haverty of Enhanced Leisure uses icons to call out site value propositions, like a price match guarantee. By making the most important things textual and visual, it helps ensure that customers won’t miss them on your site.
Photographs and video aren’t the only way to visually communicate with your audience. Code snippets can help you create a consistent, branded experience on your website or app. Having the same table of contents code across all your blogs, for example, is a great way to use company code snippets to your advantage. You could also create a branded scrolling effect, like we use on our website.
Depending on who your target audience is, spreadsheets can also be a great way to offer value. This spreadsheet by Quicken Loans breaks down how much it will cost to build your own home by organizing common expenses. Potential home builders can add their estimated cost for each category and see what their bottom line will be.
If you’re in the fashion or interior design industries, you know how important it is to keep track of your sketches. Many designers nowadays sketch digitally with the use of graphic design software. Sketches are usually used to create and share ideas before developing the final product.
E-books can be effective lead generation tools. These assets tend to be more detailed than a simple blog post and can be offered in exchange for a consumer’s email address. E-books are great because the user can receive instant access, and landing page software can make the lead generation process happen in your sleep.
Infographics communicate data in a visually appealing way. They tend to be skimmable, making them perfect for breaking up text-heavy blog posts. Check out the infographic below from OnePageCRM, which tells the story of how to fix a broken sales strategy.
While both physical and digital marketing assets can be invaluable to a company’s success, digital assets do have several benefits over physical ones.
According to James Holland, founder of Life Part 2, “There are a number of benefits to using digital assets in your company instead of physical ones. First, digital assets can be easily shared and accessed by employees anywhere in the world. They can also be easily edited and updated, which is helpful for keeping information current. Additionally, digital assets can be used in a variety of formats, such as online ads, social media posts and email campaigns. This allows you to reach a wider audience with your marketing materials.”
By using digital assets across formats, your company can save time and money (especially on printing materials). It’s also more environmentally friendly, which could help you appeal to more eco-conscious audiences.
In addition to these benefits, Max Benz, founder and CEO of Banking Geek, says, “Digital assets are easy to track and measure. This allows businesses to see which assets are performing well and getting the most engagement. As a result, businesses can make more informed decisions about their marketing efforts.”
After putting forth the time and resources to create your digital assets, it’s important to make sure that your assets can be easily found. You can make your assets discoverable in three main ways:
By using a digital asset management system (DAM), your company can make storing and finding images quick and easy. DAMs allow you to keep all your assets in one centralized location, so your teammates will always know where to find files. DAMs can manage all kinds of assets, from photos to online brand guideline platform and more.