Digital assets—like patents, trademarks, images, videos, etc.—must be collated in one location for easier management and retrieval. You may experience workflow issues without an asset repository, even if your business is still tiny. For instance, you may need a folder when presenting business propositions to investors.
If you can’t find these files immediately, you must move the meeting or lose the funding opportunities. With an asset library, you can minimize workflow issues and improve collaboration.
An asset library is a software that streamlines digital asset storage, categorization, and retrieval. Most entrepreneurs use digital asset management software (DAMS) to ensure consistency in using their brand assets.
Aside from that, it streamlines asset production and distribution through automation. It speeds up the creation of high-quality marketing materials while building trust between brands and consumers.
Now how do you apply these benefits to your startup company? It all starts with establishing and maintaining an asset library. The following is a four-step guide to doing it:
Table of Contents
Organize The Assets In The Library
Before using the library, you need to develop an asset inventory. Categories typically included in this inventory are asset names, keywords, and other relevant information that will help you locate each asset in the future.
Asset listing can be done by either manually entering the information or automatically scanning through existing documents for a given type of data.
This stage also involves organizing the assets into folders. For instance, if you have an image of your logo, you must place it in the same folder with similar other images and then name the folder appropriately. That way, you know where to find it later on if needed.
You can also add tags or descriptions for each asset if needed. This allows you to search for specific items within the library much more quickly.
You can create a document with columns for each asset category, such as ‘File Name,’ ‘Date Created,’ and ‘Date Last Modified.’ You may even include its source file location and label each file as sensitive.
After creating this inventory, try organizing it in an easy-to-read format. Doing so allows you to spot duplicate entries or missing files quickly.
Look For A DAM Software
Once you successfully organize all assets in the library, it’s time to look for DAM software. This software allows you to effectively organize, manage, and track your assets. A good DAM software offers the following advantages:
- Saving time through existing workflow integration
- Boosting productivity with faster marketing material deployment
- Facilitating brand consistency
- Controlling revision
Make sure you search well for a DAM software vendor and talk to them. Ask whether the software has a user interface (UI) design that reflects your brand. Aside from that, assess if they prioritize the user experience (UX) to ensure that your employees can efficiently accomplish their tasks.
Additionally, you should know if the software can scale with you to meet your changing needs. Ask the vendor whether the software can support your storage demands to accommodate your goals for business growth.
Also, check for how long the provider has been around. With a longstanding reputation, the vendor can better accommodate your needs.
Knowing this is important as the technology industry is volatile, meaning companies have a higher risk of collapsing without warning. Overall, choosing an unreliable DAM vendor can put your assets at risk.
Manage The Life Cycle Of Digital Assets
After finding a trustworthy DAM software provider, organize the life cycle of the digital assets. In simple terms, it’s a process of categorizing at which stage an asset is in its life cycle—for production, distribution, archiving, etc.
So this process may involve asset acquisition, quality inspection, and metadata information extraction. The following steps include asset formation conversion, ample file storage, and asset distribution.
You can manage each life cycle by creating a project folder in your DAM software provider. This helps you manage your assets efficiently in one place and access them anytime you need them.
Create A Workflow For Your Business
After setting up the project folder for your business needs, it’s time to create a workflow for the entire team! You can use an existing template or make one from scratch, depending on your business needs.
Once you have created a workflow, invite all employees to join in so they know what information they should add when uploading files or creating new assets.
However, you still have to implement change management. This is about considering how the users will adapt to the new system, which reduces downtime during the transition. Doing this requires providing the staff members with training for growth.
You can assign power users and let them handle their teammates so everyone can adjust well.
Summing It Up
An asset library is vital to an organized, efficient, and profitable business. It is a collection of valuable resources that your employees can use to complete their tasks. In addition to helping maintain brand integrity, it ensures you have access to all the resources you need to run your small business.
The goal of an asset library is to keep everything you need to run your business in one place. Whether looking for marketing materials, search engine optimization (SEO) information, or employee handbooks, an asset database makes storage and retrieval much more straightforward.
Only authorized employees can access the information whenever they need it. In short, it speeds up all operations while keeping brand consistency intact. This, in turn, translates to organizational growth over time.