Marketing asset management: how to find everything you've got

"Where is the blog post we have to publish this week? " You shout across the desks from your office. You've searched for the draft for 15 minutes with no results. To top it off, the person who wrote the draft isn't sick.

This is a common occurrence for some marketing teams. They do not properly store their assets and therefore cannot find what they are looking for when they need it.

There is one thing that can help: marketing asset management.

In this guide, we've got what marketing asset management is and the step-by-step process you can use to make it easier to find what you're looking for.

Marketing Asset Management: How to find everything you need (quickly)

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Download your marketing asset management templates

Make managing your elements easier with these downloadable resources:

• Element naming convention template : Make sure that the elements are clearly and systematically labeled.
• File Naming Convention Documentation Template : Provide instructions for you and your team on how to name items and where to find them.
• Marketing File Folder Structure Templates : A set of ready-made file folders to organize your items.

Download all three items in this bundle, then read on to learn how to organize files and resources on your team.

What is marketing resource management?

Still unsure what "marketin g asset management " really means?

The sophisticated definition of marketing asset management is the prostorage and organization of assets used by your marketing team, such as:

• Logos
• Image templates
• Podcast episodes
• Videos
• Photos
• Brochures
• Event posters
• Presentations
• Ebooks
• Blog posts

It should be noted that these items may be intended for internal or external use. It's just a matter of storing them and making sure they're easy to find.

Why is it important to manage my marketing resources?

There chances are you have a bunch of files on your computer. You know exactly where each asset is, so you wonder why marketing asset management is important.

Besides the fact that it helps your colleagues to find your assets, it solves these three problems:

1. Membersof the team stop asking other staff for assets

Picture this:

Your marketing manager, Sophie, is looking for a picture to share on social media created by Jane. However, Sophie can't find the picture, so she asks Jane and disrupts her workflow.

This type of multitasking leads to as much as a 40% decrease in productivity , not only for Jane, but also for the people around her.

Marketing asset management software would allow Sophie to find the image she is looking for without the disruption. She can let Jane finish her job and find the item faster than with Jane's help.

2. Save time when creating assets

Did you know that employees spend 1.8 hours a day search and collect information?

Did you know that employees spend 1.8 hours a day researching and collecting information?

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Your staff will probably be looking for something when creating a new item. However, they don't have to waste time creating the same items over and over again.

They can check your files in your item management software and see if you have created one before. If so, they can edit this one - instead of starting from scratch or creating a duplicate, which is a waste of everyone's time.

3. Maintain brand consistency

By properly storing your resourcesMarketing sources, staff can browse their library before creating anything new. Not only does this sto p create them twice, but it gives them the chance to see your style or standards.

Do you have a branded color set? What fonts do you use? Do your blog post layouts follow a similar format?

When staff can consult an item library before creating something new, they can follow these guidelines. This creates brand consistency, which means brands can be 3 to 4 times more likely to benefit from brand visibility and an average increase in income of 33%.

Recommended reading: Marketing project management software: how to choose and use thebest option

How to Implement Marketing Asset Management Effectively

Now that we understand the benefits of Marketing Asset Management, you might be wondering how to organize your files .

Here's how to implement your own processes:

1. Pick a place to store the items

The first thing you need to think about is where you store your elements.

You'll want to use software that makes it easy to organize files, create folders, and invite new people (like new hires or staff from another department).

This can be your project management tool, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc., but things can get confusing easily.

The simplest option is a element organizer , which makes it easier to 'display and storageof your items.

If you're unsure about using a tool like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, our asset organizer syncs with them. This means you can import your items into these tools as usual and then insert them into your item organizer to make it easier to find what you are looking for.

2. Develop a clear folder structure to organize them

The goal is to make it easier to find a specific asset without going through tons of files.

So create a structure folder which makes it easy to find what you're looking for, such as having folders for every marketing channel you have. This may include:

• E-mail
• Content
• Social media
• Branding
• Templates

You can also add folders within folders to make it even easier.

For exemple: let's say you have a blog post titled "How to start a blog ". To make it easy for someone to find it, store the file in these folders:

Assets> Content> Blog> Topic: Marketing> Title: Blog Tips.

No matter what you stock up on yourself, make sure your element folder names make sense . It should be easy for someone to think of the item they want to find and choose the most relevant folder names to get there.

No matter what you 're storing, make sure the names of your item folders make sense.

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3 Establish clear file naming conventions

Just like folder names, you need to define a rule for staff to make the name of the asset itself meaningful. Remember: the goal is to make the items easy for someone to find.

You can use naming structures that explain the format of the element, such as "Blog Post: Blogging Tips " or "Image: CEO Profile ", for example example.

Or, you can add the name of the person who created it, such as "Blog Tips - Blog Post [Annie] ".

4. Define a process for version control

Imagine you want to post a blog post written by a member of your team, then look in your files to find it. Only problem? You encounter these files:

1. Blog post 1
2. Final blog post
3. REAL FINAL blog post
4. Blog post REAL FINAL 2

Which option is the current final draft ?

Defining a version control process can help avoid this issue. Indeed, adding a number to the name of the file every time you make changes to an item can be confusing.

Is the old file deleted, stored in an archive folder, or stayed there under a different name?

Make sure your whole team is aware of these version control rules to keep things from getting confusing, or worse yet, publishing the wrong thing.

Recommended Reading: How To Get A Better Return On Investment Of Your Marketing Assets With Digital Management Software

5. Audit of existing assets

There 's nothing worse than 'having a bunch of assets in your library that nobody is using.

Not only does this clog everything up and make it harder to find what you are looking for, but some stock softwareage in the cloud charge you for the extra space .

Combat this by regularly checking your items. Set a reminder to clear all old, unused items every six months. Check the file history: Has anyone opened the file within this time? If not, it's probably time to empty it.

However, beware of files that have been opened recently, but not necessarily in use. want to throw away an item that someone has account on, send an email or Slack notification before deleting the file. If no one shows up to save it, send it to the archive or the recycle bin.

The goal is to determine what is still usable, what needs to be updated and what needs to be deleted. Do not keep items that you will not useprobably never again. It is a waste of space (literally).

6. Establish a system of tagging and tagging items

We already have some smart folder and file names, but there is an even easier way to find what you are looking for: labels.

Adding tags to your assets makes it even easier to find and view similar files. You can use them to show what needs to be done with each one, and if they are ready to be used in marketing materials.

Start by using these three labeling categories:

1. Up to date
2. Must be updated
3. Obsolete / Archive

Let's put this into practice, audited your organizer element, and found a picture that your social media team created a year ago. Post a message in your Slack channel and see if anyone still needs it.

You will label the element according to what it says:

• "I use this file regularly . "> Updated tag
• " I forgot this item. I would love to use it, but it needs some tweaking. "> Tag to update
• " This was for a campaign that we used and that we will never broadcast again. "> Obsolete / archive tag

Like tagging, you can also add tags to indicate the type of item or who it is for. For example, is the item for your customers, prospects, website, or internal use only? Add a tag to your item to prevent it from being used for a bad thing.

Moreyour team has to work with information, the better.

The more information your team has, the better.

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7 Make it easy to share your marketing assets

Your assets are perfectly stored. Each file has a distinctive name, is stored in a specific folder, and is labeled to indicate whether it is usable.

Let's say you are in a marketing meeting and you are talking about a new campaign that you are planning . Your marketer wants to see a list of the marketing resources your team created before they upload them.

You can make it easier for it to find these resources, without having to dig through files.

Some marketing resource management tools have a shareable link that you can send interborn. You can use the same process to direct marketing staff to an asset they need.

Our active my management software can do this through a secure link. Just click the “Share Folder” button and set permissions for the people who can access the folder. Then copy the URL and send it to your marketing manager.

The link will take them directly to the elements:

8. Obtain the team 's membership in the use the software

You don't have to have a marketing asset management tool if your team isn't using it.

So invite your whole team to join the software and give a mini tutorial on how to use it, including how to:

• Upload / download items
• Naming files
• Share links to assets

You noticed how I said invite your whole team, not just yourthe marketing department?

Perhaps your sales team will ask for an item, or your graphic designer needing to stock a model they created. By inviting everyone, you don't have to waste time adding people one by one every time they request.

The goal is to make this tool part of your team's routine. It should be the first place they check when they need something, whatever the type of item or what it is used for.

To do this, add the item organizer to your process documents. Tell everyone to upload new assets in there, and make it a common practice to check if there is something similar in your library already before creating a new item.

Stop losing track of your marketing assets

An effective management processon marketing assets is something that every business needs, regardless of the size of your department.

You always regularly create new assets. Don't waste time creating the same thing over and over again. Look back in your library and see if you can work on it instead.

April 13, 2020