Edward Boatman • May 9th
Digital asset management (DAM) plays a key role in branding and content creation and helps you keep internal and external teams on the same page. Implementing a digital asset management system can save you a significant amount of time and money, but it can be a lot of work to upload, organize, and distribute your digital assets.
Streamlining digital asset management workflows is the key to simplifying digital asset management. The more time you spend uploading and organizing files, the less time you have to focus on being efficient and growing your business. Streamlined DAM workflows allow you to save time managing your digital assets, and automation can take that a step further.
If you’re new to digital asset management, you might be wondering what a digital asset management workflow is and why it’s important. Keep reading to learn how you can use Lingo to streamline digital asset management workflows and save time.
A digital asset management workflow is a process used to perform a DAM-related action. Each workflow includes a number of steps you have to follow, and workflows are repeated on an as-needed basis.
When thinking about a digital asset management workflow, it’s important to think of the lifecycle of a digital asset. Digital assets are uploaded to your asset library where they can be organized and tagged. Once stored, digital assets can be retrieved from your digital library and distributed across multiple channels, including your website and social media accounts.
We mentioned the importance of the digital asset management lifecycle, but what are the actual stages and what role do they play in digital asset management? You can learn more about the six stages of the digital asset management workflow lifecycle below:
Streamlined digital asset management workflows allow you to move seamlessly through each stage, saving you time and reducing the risk of human error.
There are a number of different types of DAM workflows, including project-based workflows and asset-based workflows. In this section, we’ll take a closer look at the different types of digital asset management workflows.
An asset-based workflow is centered around a particular asset, such as an image or video. These workflows are often an individual part of project-based workflows, with many project-based workflows involving multiple asset-based workflows.
An example of an asset-based workflow would be uploading new product information and graphics and tagging them with relevant keywords. The asset can then be approved and distributed across the appropriate channels.
For example, The Cannabist Company uses tags and relevant keywords to tag assets and automatically include the asset in product catalogs using the Lingo Gallery feature.
Project-based workflows focus on what you need to accomplish to complete a project. In many cases, this involves the creation, storage, and distribution of assets, which is why asset-based workflows are often part of project-based workflows.
A project-based workflow might include several stages, such as market research, asset creation, and social media posts.
For example, language learning app, Duolingo, leverages kits and assets to display details around updating LinkedIn for a new role. Here a new hire can download brand-appropriate images to use with their announcement and even assets to change their header image.
Approval workflows are specifically focused on the approval of assets. If you have strict approval standards for creative assets, you can use approval workflows to quickly move assets through the approval process.
Collaborative workflows allow multiple users to create or manage assets and projects at the same time, using shared processes and timely communication to ensure collaboration every step of the way.
If you’re selling an asset such as a video or song, that’s considered a transactional workflow. Transactional workflows involve distributing an asset from within your DAM and transferring the digital rights to the new owner.
Archival workflows are for removing and preserving digital assets within your digital library. This is the final step in the digital asset management lifecycle.
Whether you’re new to digital asset management or looking to increase efficiency, streamlining digital asset management workflows is a good place to start. Here are some of the biggest benefits of streamlined digital asset management workflows.
Deadlines are a major obstacle for nearly every business. Whether you’re trying to launch a marketing campaign or develop a new product, deadlines will often loom and will be missed. The more time you have to spend uploading and organizing assets, the harder it is to meet tight project deadlines.
A streamlined digital asset management workflow allows you to streamline the uploading, storage, and distribution of digital assets so you can get your projects done on time.
Resource allocation is one of the biggest challenges when you own a business. You have a limited amount of time and money, and there are only so many team members you can assign to various tasks. When you have to spend those resources uploading and organizing digital assets, your resources become even more limited.
Digital asset management workflows allow you to streamline the storage, organization, retrieval, and distribution of digital assets so you can free up valuable resources to focus on getting more done.
When you’re manually storing and organizing digital assets, it can be difficult to organize files in a consistent manner that makes them easy to find. You might use slightly different variations of tags by accident, or a misclick could result in moving a file to the wrong folder.
With streamlined digital asset management workflows, you can streamline the process of storing and organizing files to reduce the risk of human error. Automated workflows mean you don’t have to worry about misclicking, and Lingo’s AI-enhanced search allows teams to find the assets they’re looking for without the need for manually adding tags.
The ultimate goal of digital asset management is to distribute those digital assets across various channels. For example, you might distribute a video or a marketing graphic across all your social media platforms. Manually distributing these assets means sending them to the appropriate social media managers and marketing teams. With Lingo, you can streamline multi-channel distribution by distributing all your files through your digital asset management system.
Lingo is also designed to integrate with various third-party tools and software, including content management systems (CMS) and design software. As a result, it’s easy to resize, reformat, and distribute assets across several platforms.
Collaboration is one of the biggest keys to success in the modern business world. If you want to be efficient, you need all your teams to be on the same page. Automating digital asset management workflows gives everyone access to the latest versions of digital assets at all times, allowing team members to collaborate seamlessly.
It can be challenging to collaborate through DAM software because you don’t want to overwrite another team member’s changes or accidentally remove or change tags team members have added. When you automate digital asset management workflows, you can reduce the risk of overwrites and other interference.
There are several ways you can streamline digital asset management workflows to save time and enhance efficiency. Here are a few tips to consider:
You know how important digital asset management can be for your enterprise, but that doesn’t mean you’re maximizing the value of your DAM system. Streamlining individual workflows — especially repetitive tasks — can save you a ton of time that can be better spent on other tasks.
With Lingo, streamlining digital asset management has never been easier. You don’t have to worry about manually adding tags thanks to Lingo’s AI-enhanced search, and Lingo automatically converts your file to alternative formats in case you need them.
When it comes to efficiently managing digital assets, Lingo has you covered. Book a demo to see how Lingo can help you streamline your workflows or start your free trial today.