What Are the Digital Asset Creation Tools?

The myriad of digital assets that companies have associated with their products needs the same level of organization used for product data. Digital asset management is an essential part of any business today.

So, what are the digital asset creation tools and digital asset management software needed for business? Learn more about them in the following sections.

What Are Examples of Digital Assets?

The digital assets a company maintains for its product lineup include the digital files it uses to supplement product data. Some of the most common digital asset examples include:

Video Files

Product videos can include product demonstrations, maintenance instructions, and troubleshooting. Occasionally, the content in videos may overlap some of the text-based information. However, having the same information in different formats makes it more accessible to a greater number of people.

Audio Files

While not the most common type of digital asset associated with a product, audio files are still used by many companies. These files may include music clips, podcasts, radio ads, or customer testimonials.

Images

Digital images include the product photos, drawings, and logos used on a company website, in a digital catalog, or an e-commerce store. These images may also appear in documents for the products or alone.

Text Files

Though many people associate text-only files with documents, the two types of digital assets can differ. Text documents include plain text or rich text files with product information. These files do not have pictures. Documents can have more complex data within them.

Documents

Documents have a greater variety of formats and data within them. PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and spreadsheets all fall under the umbrella of documents, which a digital asset management system can keep track of.

Companies once had to maintain large filing systems that included product manuals, photos, and physical catalogs for everything they sold. While digital assets don't require the same amount of physical space, they do need the same level of organization and storage security as physical assets. The multitude of these sources often end up stored in scattered locations, such as online, on hard drives, or on servers. This inefficient storage method causes more problems, including missing or lost files, than it solves. However, software for handling these assets can make organizing and storing the digital files easier for all users.

Digital asset management (DAM) software offers an efficient means of storing and organizing all the digital components of product information. This type of system can also directly link product information to associated digital files when a DAM connects to product information management (PIM) software.

What Are the Digital Asset Creation Tools?

Photographers, artists, video producers, and writers working for a manufacturer are those who most often use digital asset creation tools. With these tools, they produce and edit the photos, logos, instructional videos, and product manuals that sellers need to accompany the products.

Once these individuals produce their work, companies that manufacture or sell the products must have a means of handling these digital assets. The solution is digital asset management software. This program establishes a central location to manage, store, and share these virtual assets.

Businesses that optimize their digital asset management system will share access to the files within and without the company. Marketing, service, and sales are only a few of the departments that can more efficiently do their jobs by having access to digital product files. Outside the company, the business may grant channel partners access to its DAM software to ensure that everyone selling the products has the same digital files available.

What Are the Digital Asset Management Companies?

Digital asset management tools are not the same. A variety of companies produce DAM software, but the solutions offered may have downsides, such as needing additional software to create brand experiences or manage product information.

Some well-known digital asset management companies that also have downsides to their use include:

Adobe

While Adobe DAM has the renown of its brand name backing it, this DAM solution comes at a very high price and long onboarding time. While Adobe has numerous tools used for digital asset creation, it lacks the means of effectively managing and sharing these. For businesses looking for a cost-effective, full-featured solution to handling their digital assets, Adobe is not the best digital asset management system.

Brandfolder

Brandfolder is another popular DAM brand. This solution offers a customizable means of handling digital files. The downside to Brandfolder is that it requires the purchase of another software to create digital product experiences.

Bynder

Bynder provides users with the ability to integrate with third-party software to manage their digital files. However, users cite high prices for integration and add-ons and some technical difficulties with generating reports and locating files.

Canto

As with other digital asset management programs, Canto has some hurdles to overcome. The worst part of using this system is finding files. This difficulty defeats the purpose of having one of the best digital asset management systems – easily managing, sharing, and locating files.

While the above top digital asset management systems rely on their names to establish a customer base, they are not the best options for companies that need a cost-efficient, full-featured solution.

Lumavate is a relative newcomer to the field of DAM vendors, but this software includes not only DAM but also Product Information Management (PIM) and a Digital Experience Platform (DXP) in the same package. Companies don't need to search for the best DAM systems and still budget for extra PIM and DXP software when they use Lumavate, which includes all these systems.

The Lumavate DAM seamlessly integrates into the PIM and DXP to effortlessly create digital experiences and associate digital files with product records. Using Lumavate is so simple that it does not require technical resources to implement.

What Does a Digital Asset Manager Do?

The task of using the DAM software is part of the digital asset manager job description. Though many people in a company will have access to the files in the DAM program, the digital asset manager takes full responsibility for the DAM software.

Because this position is usually in the marketing department and not IT, the DAM system the company uses should not require a high level of technical expertise to manage. For many digital asset management platforms, integrating with DXP or PIM software or effectively using the DAM often necessitates the assistance of IT experts.

Once again, Lumavate excels among DAM solutions for its ease of use and built-in functionality, making the task of a digital asset manager easier.

Experience the difference Lumavate DAM software makes in handling digital assets. Book a demo today.