Effective brand asset management allows your company to develop a consistent image and message across every touchpoint. As an organization grows, those select assets will build layer upon layer and can become overwhelmingly complex, especially in instances of collaboration that must span across teams, departments, or even organizations. If unmanaged, brand assets become scattered, inconsistencies mount, and confusion can occur within your brand’s messaging. This is where Brand Asset Management and Collaboration tools and strategies come in.
In this article, the importance of managing brand assets effectively will be discussed, along with some of the tools that can help smooth the process and some key strategies for success.
Why Is Brand Asset Management Important?
Brand assets include all the visual, verbal, and written elements of your brand identity. These range from logos to fonts and images, taglines, messaging templates, and even social media posts. Well-managed brand assets ensure that the brand is represented consistently in all platforms, which is where the trust and recognition with audiences are built.
If brand assets are scattered and/or difficult to locate, it results in:
Inconsistency: Your logo or messaging becomes outdated, being used in different versions by various departments.
Inefficiency: Much time is spent in searching for existing material or re-creating rather than using it.
Dilution of brand: Mismatched visuals and/or messaging erode the identity and message of your brand.
A good Brand Asset Management and Collaboration system can nip these problems in the bud. It stores all the assets at one place and thereby makes them accessible to all who need them.
Tools For Effective Brand Asset Management
The key to managing your brand assets is applying the right tooling for organization and updating. To make brand asset management more straightforward, some of the key tools include:
1. Digital Asset Management Systems
DAM systems are designed for storing, organizing, and sharing digital assets, such as logos, images, videos, and documents. These systems will let teams find and use the right versions of brand assets with ease, therefore applying the same across all channels.
Some Popular DAM Systems Include:
Brandfolder: Offers asset organization, sharing, and collaboration tools that make it easy for teams to stay aligned.
Bynder: A central platform for managing all types of digital content, including version control and asset tracking features.
Widen Collective: Multi-purpose DAM able to accommodate workflow customization, while being in full control of your assets.
2. Cloud Storage Solutions
Cloud storage services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive are other general solutions for file sharing and collaboration. Admittedly less specialized than DAM systems, they offer a simplified method of storing and accessing brand assets in a common location.
3. Project Management Tools
Asana, Trello, and Monday.com are examples of project management tools used to facilitate organizational work with teams in brand-related projects. These can be integrated into your DAM or cloud storage system to make sure everyone gets just the right assets at the right time.
4. Design Collaboration Platforms
Collaboration tools like Canva and Adobe Creative Cloud have been developed to let users create, edit, and share brand designs in a single spot. Such collaboration tools make working in real time on creative projects effortless for your team, and further allow them to ensure consistency with the brand guidelines.
Strategies For Successful Brand Asset Management
Besides having the proper tools, one needs to have a good strategy for managing brand assets. The following can be some of the strategies that might help the brand in staying organized and consistent:
1. Establish Clear Brand Guidelines
For brand consistency, create a well-rounded brand guide that describes how your assets should be used. This includes specifications on the size of logos, color palettes to use, typography, and even tone of voice. This guide should be provided to everyone-from internal teams to external partners-who interacts with your brand.
2. Centralize Your Assets
Utilizing a centralized system, such as a DAM, ensures that all individuals are working with the most recent versions of your brand assets. This could reduce confusion and ensure that proper usage of your assets is occurring.
3. Utilize Version Control
Apply version control so that all teams have the most updated versions of your assets. While many DAM systems have version control baked right in, if you’re leveraging cloud storage, make sure your files are named and organized appropriately to prevent the use of obsolete assets accidentally.
4. Permissions and Access Levels
Control who has edit rights or file modification permissions in order to keep the integrity of your brand assets intact. Permissions and access level should be clearly defined and different teams or individuals should not be able to make unauthorized changes.
5. Regular Review of Assets and Keeping Them Up-to-Date
Your brand assets should evolve with your brand. It is important that, from time to time, you schedule a plan for reviewing and updating your brand assets to see whether they are applicable or relevant to your current brand strategy. This may include refreshing the logos, revising messaging templates, and updating product images.
Enhanced Collaboration On Brand Asset Management
Effective brand asset management is a collaborative process. Marketing, design, and sales teams, not to mention agencies, should all contribute to and utilize the brand assets. For this seamless collaboration to occur, you need a tool and processes in place that make updating easy and in real-time, with sharing equally as simple.
1. Utilize Collaborative Platforms
As previously pointed out, design collaboration tools like Adobe Creative Cloud and Canva allow for collaboration to take place among its team members. Ensure all participants in the creation of brand assets have access to these types of collaboration tools to collaborate smoothly.
2. Set Up Shared Workspaces
Set up collaborative workspaces within your DAM or cloud storage where teams can upload, review, and approve assets. This will ensure that everyone is working on up-to-date versions, so miscommunication will be minimal.
3. Keep Communication Open
It’s not just about sharing files, but clear communication between teams. Use project management tools to be able to create deadlines, tasks, and track the progress of each member so that everyone will be on the same page.
Conclusion
Consistent brand asset management and collaboration go hand in hand in ensuring consistency, efficiency, and professionalism in communications of your brand. The right tools and strategies put in place mean that any business can avoid this slippery slope of disorganization within its assets to ensure its brand remains cohesive and impactful on all platforms. To this end, investing in a robust system of brand asset management is highly instrumental for both growing startups and established enterprises alike.
