29.03.2024

Why Your Digital Transformation Project Should Start With Content

With content being the driving force behind most companies today, the need to properly manage it has never been higher. Here’s why content should be your first consideration when you’re looking for a digital asset management solution.

Digital ecosystems are similar to fingerprints – no two are exactly alike. Therefore, the reason behind digital transformation and investing in a holistic digital platform is unique to each company. Are you trying to increase efficiency of your teams? Retire legacy technology to save costs? While the catalyst for change might be different, the end game of digital technology is usually similar – more efficient communication and collaboration, better relevancy within your industry, and defragmentation of a too siloed company are typically the expected end results.

What isn’t unique to individual companies is the mechanism used to propel a company: content. Content can be a strategic differentiator for many companies so it should stay at the center of the conversation all the way through the technological procurement process.

From the sales cycle, to marketing automation, to training material, to standard operating procedure (SOP) documents, almost every step of a business requires a multitude of content creation. In today’s business climate, promotional content of all multimedia types, whether it be images, videos, articles, brochures, or sales collateral, are created on a daily basis. The accuracy of the content is of utmost importance if it is prospect-facing and could have severe business and even legal implications if it is not compliant. The accessibility of the content needs to be as easy, quick, and accurate as anything people search for online.

Being able to manage the flow of content easily, ensuring that documents are not only up to date, but also that the most up-to-date content is in circulation, should be basic functionality of a digital infrastructure. Not only will employees not fully utilize a system that they find too onerous but the time wasted while people search for accurate content has a dollar value associated with it. Looking for a content management system? Check out our recommendations on our best picks page.

Content Publishing Is Everyone’s Industry

Regardless of the industry you are in, publishing is a secondary business within many companies because of the constant creation and dissemination of content. For example, just because Random House or the New York Times isn’t printing it doesn’t mean that it’s not just as relevant on your site, in your SOP manual, or across your social media feeds. Once the realization sets in that every piece of content needs a home and someone within your organization needs to be responsible for finding its proper place, then the idea of centralized digital management system becomes clear.

The first business of any company is, of course, industry-specific. There are strict processes in place to make sure that items are routed properly and sold, that customer service is impeccable, or that money is managed correctly. Whatever the case might be, the supply chains that act within an industry come second nature and going rogue on tasks for the case of simplification of a particular process without going through proper channels would be unheard of.

With content being more pertinent than ever to companies, why is it still common to put content in forgotten folders? Or use email for approval processes? Or have no clear delineation of processes?

It’s simply because content, like data, becomes cumbersome when a certain amount is amassed. Consider the fact that different departments have different uses for content and have different content managers who have a multitude of cheap storage options that are merely Band-Aid solutions that only cause more fragmentation within an organization and you have a publishing house with no possibility of success.

The DAM Solution

Digital asset management (DAM) is a hot topic right now, because companies are seeing the light on the value of content. DAM is technology that allows content to be the center of your digital strategy, but is only part of the digital ecosystem that will allow your content to flourish.

While DAM is the engine that fires your strategy, to actually implement it, the right solution becomes quite personal, which is why digital transformation is truly unique to each company and what makes the procurement process so challenging. It encompasses much more than one solution. A DAM is as powerful as everything it can manage beyond content as well, and will have to be integrated with any number of solutions along your specific supply chain.

A digital transformation isn’t something that comes together overnight, but without a starting point it will never come together. Focusing on the universal business of content publishing will allow you to begin your transformation with software that will assure that you remain competitive.

Douglas Eldridge

Douglas Eldridge is the marketing manager at censhare US, Inc in Denver, CO. In his role, he is responsible for the digital marketing strategy and execution of all marketing actions. Marketing is an ever evolving discipline with new challenges and solutions popping up daily. Doug keeps up with as many digital trends as he has time for, currently markets for a digital asset management company and formerly worked at a marketing agency. He’s learned a thing or two about the industry and loves sharing it with the world.

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