Videos and podcasts soar in popularity with every passing year, making them the content formats of choice for forward-thinking teams. Having a robust media asset management strategy in place, then, is essential for marketing leadership to succeed with these audience favorites.
Does my company need a media asset management tool?
Media management software is a digital tool that stores, manages, and distributes video and other large multimedia files. In most cases, users are companies that specialize in video media, such as companies in the news and entertainment industries, according to MediaValet.
Earlier in this century, media corporations struggled with meeting the demands of digitizing earlier work and integrating industry-specific tools into all-purpose digital asset management solutions.
Media Asset Management Software Pros and Cons
Media asset management (MAM) software solved that problem with built-in integrations with video production tools, the capacity for long-form video content, and workflows whose design better accommodate the industry’s specific needs.
If your company’s work lies mainly in the entertainment or broadcasting space, MAM software is a tool you shouldn’t go without. However, for enterprises in other industries, a digital asset management (DAM) system is usually the better choice since these platforms are designed to be more content type agnostic, meaning they can handle visuals and written content as well as video and audio media.
And, as MediaValet points out, MAMs “lack[s] the ability to effectively manage, preview, and distribute smaller files,” such as written articles, infographics, and images that form the bulk of most marketing teams’ work.
Digital Asset Management Software Pros and Cons
Most digital asset management (DAM) software solutions, however, can easily manage these smaller media files, storing them in an easily searchable database along with other digital assets, such as audio content, images, digitized versions of documents, animations, and presentations.
Marketers tag these digital assets with metadata, making it easy to classify them by usage rights, audiences for whom they’re relevant, publishing date, asset type, versions, access permissions, and other pertinent metadata.
Furthermore, if your DAM software can handle video files (and many do), it makes better sense to choose it over a media asset management tool.
Other benefits of using a digital asset management solution include:
- Better communications among teams – in-house, freelance, and other departments
- Saving time and money by reusing existing media assets
- Faster approvals and revision requests
- Quicker conversion of media files into different formats or sizes
- More efficiency in removing media assets that are outdated or have expired licenses
- Better enforcement of brand guidelines and values across channels
- Easier tracking of costs and ROI of each asset
But what if I need both?
Many major news outlets or film production companies also publish blog posts, still photos, and graphics. In that case, you’ll need to find both a MAM and DAM that can easily integrate with each other so that your teams can easily pass on assets among themselves.
Prepare Before You Buy
Finding the right asset management tool, though, isn’t as easy as you might think. Before you begin the search for media asset management software, prepare beforehand by updating your content operations and governance protocols, as Content Marketing Institute’s Jodi Harris advises.
Since DAM solutions that accommodate media assets vary widely in features, knowing how you plan to use the software and how to organize it will help you select the right media asset management solution for your needs.
Identify the Processes You’d Like to Streamline
Do your content teams spend an inordinate amount of time searching for media assets to reference in blog posts or static web content? Or is one of your top challenges a lack of cohesiveness in messaging across departments?
Jot down all the ways that an asset management tool can help your teams streamline media production and publication. Then number them by priority. Use this list as you sift through your software choices.
Outline How You Want to Organize Your Media Assets
What criteria are most important to you in your media asset organizational scheme? Having an organizational plan – at least a rough draft of a plan – before you look for media asset management software will help you find a system that aligns with your organizational needs.
If you already have a content marketing platform, look for an asset management system that integrates easily with it. Since some of the functions of both tools overlap, it’s essential they can work together smoothly.
Look for the MAM or DAM That’s the Best Fit for Your Needs
Now that you’ve done your preparation and know exactly what you need in software, compare various tools to find one that’s the ideal match for your needs. Here are some MAMs and DAMs that you might want to consider.
Toon Boom Producer
Designed specifically for animation projects, this media asset management system allows you to do much more than store and track media assets. Toon Boom Producer allows you to manage the entire production process across all departments, including team management, progress on the overall production, departmental efficiency, and much more. And, it integrates seamlessly with Harmony and Storyboard Pro, two must-have media industry tools.
Tracking3
This versatile media asset management system works well in a variety of media industries, including live-action events, commercial production, film, animation, VFX, video games, and many more. Like Toon Boom Producer, Tracking3 allows you to manage both assets and production processes. Even better, it’s a feature-based tool, allowing you to pay for only the features you need to use.
MediaValet
An all-around digital asset management system, MediaValet is a centralized solution that accommodates a broad range of digital assets, including video, documents, images, and 3D files. With its AI-powered search feature, it can find the right asset for your project at light speed. It also allows teams to create and collaborate on files within its library, streamlining the creative process even further.
Brandfolder
Designed with enterprise-level companies’ needs in mind, Brandfolder is an intuitive, user-friendly DAM that allows you to store, share, manage, and analyze a wide variety of digital assets, including videos, images, 3D projects, documents, and more. It offers collaborative workspaces where creators can partner with other stakeholders to produce more valuable content in various file types.
Canto
While Canto is best known for its digital image management, it’s equally adept at managing video, audio, and other media files. Like Brandfolder, it’s user-friendly – and it even has online tutorials to get your teams up to speed quickly. With a wealth of integrations, including Adobe Creative Cloud, Vimeo, YouTube, and more, it’s an ideal solution for marketing teams who want robust media management without a dedicated MAM.
Whatever digital or media asset management solution you choose, having a content platform like DivvyHQ that integrates with hundreds of other platforms – including Canto – is a must for busy content teams. And, with its customized white-glove content analytics, you can see how your media content performs with your target audience without even leaving the platform.
With its dedicated content ideation area and metadata management capabilities, DivvyHQ is the ideal content management platform for enterprise content teams. But don’t take our word for it. Try it yourself free for 14 days starting today!