Images, design files, documents, videos. They’re all valuable to your marketing and communications teams. But what’s the best way to store them, manage access and get them to the people who actually need them?
Digital asset management (DAM) software isn’t for everybody, but if you’re in higher education,
chances are you have enough people, brand assets and marketing communications that it
should be a part of your regular Web workflows.
In essence, DAM software software serves as a repository, a dispensary and a gateway. You
use it to store your assets, deliver them to the people who need them, manage access to them
(so that, for example, people aren’t using old logos), and more.
Nina Brakel-Schutt of Widen Enterprises (a provider of software-as-a-service DAM software
and premedia services) and Lee Stadler of Ottawa University will walk you through what DAM
software is, what the benefits are, and what the use of these solutions actually looks like in real-
world settings.
Lee Stadler is the administrator of Ottawa’s Widen-powered DAM system, so he knows all about
higher education branding, managing university media, and ensuring that webmasters (as well
as those building other media) are finding the assets they need, in the correct format, and at the
correct time. In his words:
“Universities face unique challenges because of multiple colleges co-existing under one
brand, decentralized assets, and the inability to easily share those assets. This leads to
an inconsistent presentation of the university’s story and, eventually, instability within the
organization. DAM is a great strategy for your website. It can serve as a hopper to unify
your assets – the lifeblood of your brand – and build consistency in the presentation and
telling of your story. DAM enables you to unfold your story in a relevant and meaningful
way on your website, and serves as a cataylst for delivering on your brand promise.
Strong brands and strong stories are believable and draw a more loyal following.”
Organizations that grow understand these things. The more yours does, the better positioned it
will be to capitalize on new opportunities and tell its story right.