DAM Best Practices

File Version Control Within Digital Asset Management (DAM)

Like Hollywood rebooting famous movies, brands consistently update and change their branding, creating tons of different versions of assets. Learn how to manage these versions of files with digital asset management.
DAM 101

Breaking Down the DAM Tools in Your Digital Asset Management Toolkit

Many of us have tools at our disposal that we aren't even aware of that have the ability to make our professional lives easier. This is especially true of Digital Asset Management (DAM), a field growing daily in relevance and value to organizations. Learn the DAM tools at your disposal here.
Culture

The 5 Most Important Digital Asset Management Roles and Responsibilities

People in any organization, on any team, and running any program need to understand their role in the initiative and the responsibilities they are accountable for. This allows employees freedom and ownership to grow the program and elevate issues that arise. Learn the most critical DAM-related roles today!
Technology

What is a DAM, PIM, CMS, CRM, & MRM and How Do They Fit Together?

What is a CMS? What about a PIM? A CRM? All these acronyms can get confusing when discussing how your technology fits together into a cohesive, holistic system. Learn how a healthy DAM program helps you fit all of your systems together and increase efficiency.
DAM 101

5 Essential Digital Asset Management Workflows to Create and Perfect Today

Every great organizational program runs on great processes. Digital asset management is no exception. Learn more about the essential processes and workflows that create the foundation of a scalable and effective DAM program.
Planning and Strategy

A Guide to Issuing and Managing a DAM Request-for-Proposal (RFP)

Collecting information and comparing technology vendors can be difficult. That's why many organizations choose to build and issue a formal request-for-proposal, forcing vendors to submit information in the same way to make evaluation easier. Managing a DAM RFP can be difficult, however. Here, we outline a few best practices in this process.
Planning and Strategy

5 Steps to Prepare for a Successful DAM Platform Implementation

The last thing you and your team want after going through the process of finding or changing to a new DAM platform is a lengthy and labor-intensive implementation and onboarding process. To ensure this doesn't happen, we've outlined 5 steps your team can take before making a buying decision that will make your implementation smoother, no matter what platform you choose. Learn how to save your team time today!
DAM 101

How Does Digital Asset Management Apply to Marketing?

Marketing is hard. Every day, new content is needed on new channels, in new formats, and appealing to new audiences. Juggling all these variables is hard enough without also having to manage the planning, implementation, and governance of a DAM program. Learn how DAM can simplify and enable your marketing efforts today.
Technology

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Digital Asset Management

In digital asset management, the Artificial Intelligence vs Humans debate continues to gather steam as the machines get smarter and smarter.
DAM Best Practices

What Is Metadata?

DAM Resources: When it comes to finding your digital assets, metadata is king and today, we explain what it is, and why it matters.
Creative

The Impact of DAM on Brand Consistency and Marketing Campaigns

A strong brand identity works wonders for achieving your goals and creating a lasting impact on consumers, but how do you achieve it? Read more to see how to build consistency in your content through digital asset management.
Technology

Digital Asset Management for E-commerce: Boosting Sales and Efficiency

E-commerce is the future of consumer goods brands all over the world, no matter what they sell. Learn how DAM can empower your e-commerce tools, workflows, and platforms.
DAM 101

Understanding Metadata and its Role in Digital Asset Management

Metadata gets talked about and thrown around and praised a lot in our world today, but what is it? Learn about all the relevant metadata definitions and best practices here.
Technology

The Benefits of Implementing a Cloud-Based Digital Asset Management Solution

With the rise of remote work, the growing importance of marketing the digital assets that drive it, and the amount of other systems assets move between, cloud-based DAM platforms are growing in popularity. Before choosing and implementing a platform, make sure to understand their strengths and weaknesses, as well as best practices for moving from a server-based DAM platform. Learn more today!
DAM Best Practices

Stacks’ Proven Process for Successful Large-Scale File Migrations

Large-scale file migrations are one of the biggest headaches your organization could possibly face. They are also inevitable for almost any business in today's content-driven world. Given both of these things, how should you navigate these headaches to minimize risk and maximize ROI?
DAM 101

The 5 Pillars of a Healthy DAM Program

One guaranteed way to lose momentum is to have too many priorities. To maintain focus, Stacks has outlined the five core pillars of a healthy DAM program that is effective, efficient, and scalable. Learn more today!
DAM 101

The Importance and Process of Centralizing Digital Assets in a Single Location

Often, digital assets and other data are decentralized, meaning they are spread across the organization, dependent on employee's memories to ensure they don't get lost. Centralizing your assets can save time, money, and increase the value of these assets to your organization. Learn how to gather your assets into a single source of truth today!
Technology

Exploring the Pros and Cons: Folder-Based and Folderless DAM Platforms

Determining the right type of DAM platform for your organization is vital to your program's overall success. Learn about the advantages and limitations of folderless and folder-based DAM platforms to guide your decision-making in the future!
Partners

How Stacks Works with Acquia DAM to Maximize the Value of Digital Assets

A healthy DAM program consists of people in the right seats, well-thought-out and documented processes, and a platform capable of supporting these people and processes. Stacks consistently works with platforms like Widen, an Acquia company, to guarantee all three of these pillars are in place for brands of all shapes in sizes, maximizing the value of their digital assets.
Technology

How Generative AI Impacts the Present and Future of Your DAM Program

Ever heard of ChatGPT? If you're reading this on LinkedIn, the answer is yes. In this article, we explore how Generative AI tools like ChatGPT impact the present and future of your DAM program with the help of Aprimo! Learn more today.
DAM 101

The Differences Between Embedded and Custom Metadata

You've likely heard of metadata. If you have, you may have heard people talk about different kinds of metadata such as embedded and custom metadata. In order to effectively manage your digital assets and scale your DAM program, understanding the differences is vital. Learn more here!
Technology

Using Microsoft Excel to Empower Your DAM Program

Excel is one of the most powerful tools in the business world. DAM is one of the important programs in any organization. What if you could use one to make the other more powerful and efficient? Learn how to do just that today!
Technology

How to Implement DAM Best Practices in Google Drive

When we say "digital assets" many immediately think of photos, videos, and graphics, but what about the docs, sheets, and slides that you use every day? Learn today how to implement DAM best practices and standards in Google Drive.
DAM Best Practices

Elevate Your DAM Program with These 5 Special Projects

If you want to get better at a sport, you likely get in the gym and work out, practice, and train. In order to train properly, however, you need to know the right drills and exercises to do. In the same way, improving your DAM program requires knowing what special projects are worth the time. Find out here!
DAM 101

Best Practices for Using Custom Metadata Keywords to Make DAM Search Extremely Simple

Everyone wants a Google-like search experience when it comes to digital asset management, but how do you make that dream a reality? Learn how to enable this kind of simple search for your users today!
DAM 101

Understanding the Differences Between Digital Asset Management (DAM) and Media Asset Management (MAM) Systems

What are the differences between digital asset management (DAM) and media asset management (MAM)? Which systems are right for which organizations? How can the two types of programs work together to maximize the value of all of your digital assets? Learn more today!
Technology

Can AI Do That For Us?

AI algorithms can help to complement human efforts by providing consistency, speed, and scalability to the process of tagging digital assets. When your DAM program embraces human intelligence married with artificial intelligence you can create a magical, cost-effective combination. This can be extremely fruitful to your DAM program as long as you understand the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches.
Creative

3 Ways Digital Asset Management (DAM) Integrates Marketing Communications (MarCom) Efforts

Marketing Communications (MarCom) has quickly become one of the most impactful departments and many organizations with the rise of social channels and digital marketing. Learn how Digital Asset Management (DAM) can integrate your MarCom efforts and strategies and help your organization achieve its goals.
DAM Best Practices

Best Practices for “Moving In” to a New DAM Platform

We all know the headache that moving from one place to another can be. Large-scale DAM migrations can be the same. There are ways to minimize the pain and maximize the return on investment in both moving and migrations, however.
Creative

How does Digital Asset Management (DAM) Apply to Creative Operations?

The job of creating compelling and on-brand content, consistently, in the correct format, and in a place others can easily find it is often overwhelming to individual creatives. Learn how digital asset management (DAM), its strategies, principles, and best practices can support your creative teams and ensure that content strategy and brand guidelines are easy to follow.
DAM Best Practices

3 Real-World Digital Asset Management Examples

How does DAM help your team overcome challenges in real life? What are common struggles that DAM can solve for your brand and its employees? How did some of the world's largest brands use external and internal resources to develop a DAM program that enables growth across the business? Learn how here!
DAM 101

The Four Pillars of a Healthy Digital Asset Management Architecture

We talk a lot here at Stacks about healthy DAM programs, how to manage and govern them and the assets that live within them. We wanted to take a step back, though, and take a look at what makes up a good, healthy DAM program. Read more about the 4 pillars of DAM architecture here!
Technology

Defining Your Tech Stack: What is a CRM?

How can you enable your sales team to track and send high-quality, compelling materials to prospective customers in a consistent, standardized, on-brand way? By connecting your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems! Learn more about these programs and how they work together today.
Technology

Defining Your Tech Stack: What is a CMS?

Producing compelling content is the secret to success in today's market. Managing that content effectively is the key to sustained success. Using that well-managed content to design and build an actionable and attractive website is the secret to achieving your goals today and in the future. Learn how to do all of the above with a well-managed DAM program and CMS.
Technology

Defining Your Tech Stack: What is an MRM?

Marketing Resource Management (MRM) systems are one-stop-shops for all things marketing operations and enablement, but often they are useless without a solid digital asset management (DAM) program serving as the foundation. Learn here what MRMs are and how they can connect with your existing DAM program.
Technology

Defining Your Tech Stack: What is a PIM?

You may have heard of a PIM. You may have heard of a DAM. Other than a collection of letters, what do these acronyms mean? How do they work together to empower your e-commerce efforts? Learn more today.
Culture

7 Tips for Finding and Applying for Digital Asset Management Jobs

With the ever-changing state of the job market and the rise of digital asset management's value to many organizations, finding the right digital asset management (DAM) job, applying, and getting an offer is difficult. Stacks works with brands big and small that with needs in this area and offers a few ideas for making yourself stand out in the process.
Culture

How the Future of Remote Work Impacts Your Digital Asset Management Decisions Today

Remote work isn't going anywhere. Employers and employees alike have experienced the freedom and flexibility it offers now that technology has made the dream a reality. Supporting a remote workforce isn't without its challenges, however, for individuals and organizations alike. Read more to learn what the future may hold and begin preparing your organization to face what comes next.
Culture

How to Fill Your Open Digital Asset Management (DAM) Positions

As the importance of digital asset management becomes more and more prevalent across industries and brands, the need for DAM professionals does too. Learn how plan for and hire the perfect fit for the digital asset management role your company has need for using Stacks' best practices for filling your open DAM positions.
DAM 101

The 5 Stages of the Digital Asset Lifecycle

Each stage of the digital asset lifecycle has its own set of challenges and opportunities. Learn about each stage and what you should be thinking about when planning your DAM program’s workflows and standards.
Culture

How Stacks Facilitates Growth by Making Digital Asset Management Easy

How does our team of creatives, DAM managers, and consultants approach building DAM programs that are successful for the long-term? Why does this work get us out of bed in the morning? Read more about how to facilitate growth through DAM in your organization!
Creative

How DAM Empowers Your Content Marketing Campaigns

Content marketing builds trust and loyalty in consumers as you consistently provide valuable content that tells your brand's story. Find out how your team can empower these efforts and unify your content to get these efforts off the ground.
Planning and Strategy

5 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to Measure DAM Success

In order to effectively manage and scale your DAM system, develop key performance indicators to track ROI and identify bottlenecks.
DAM 101

Check the Temperature of Your DAM Program with a DAM Health Score

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to look at one number to quickly know whether something is wrong with your DAM program? With a DAM health score, you can quickly diagnose issues and deploy resources to fix them. Here's how to build it.
DAM Best Practices

Establishing Folder Structure Best Practices

Establishing folder structure best practices will help you find the assets you need quickly and efficiently. Today we take a look at the best way to build out a folder structure from scratch and launch it within your organization.
DAM 101

Understanding the Differences between a DAM System, DAM Platform, and DAM Program

You may have heard the phrases DAM system, DAM platform, and DAM program used interchangeably. At Stacks, all of these things are different, so we went to the trouble of defining all of them for you.
DAM 101

Demystifying DAM: What does “Taxonomy” Mean?

You may have heard the term "taxonomy" thrown around as you began building your DAM program and been confused or lost as to what it meant. Read more below to understand the definition of taxonomies and how to build them.
Culture

Tips for Convincing Your Organization of the Value of DAM

You may know that your organization needs a healthy, scalable DAM program, but convincing others that the time and money required to build it is worth it can be difficult. We lay out some best practices for building buy-in across the business of the value of DAM.
Planning and Strategy

The DAM Grocery Store: Taxonomy & Keywords

Using a simple analogy, your team can create efficient and effective search by developing an internal taxonomy and master keywords.
Planning and Strategy

Working with a Digital Asset Management Consultant

Learn the benefit of working with digital asset management consultants and the value they can bring your assets and organization.
Creative

What Is Culling and Tools That Can Help

The process of culling is one that photographers of any skill level are all too familiar with. In a perfect world, every capture is perfectly in focus, our compositions follow every rule to the T, and our subjects never have to blink.
DAM Best Practices

How Does Stacks Work with NFL Teams and Sports Leagues?

How does Stacks work with NFL teams and other leagues to optimize gameday workflows and overall DAM programs so that highlights and stunning photos find their way to your feeds as soon as possible?
DAM 101

Answering “What is Digital Asset Management (DAM)?” with 3 Simple Definitions

In our intro to digital asset management, we look at core concepts, questions DAM answers and what DAM looks like in practice.
DAM Management

3 Ways to Determine Your Unique DAM Requirements

You may know the baseline metrics that make up the health score of a DAM program, but do you know your organization's unique DAM needs? Are you managing your DAM in a proactive or reactive way?
Creative

Common File Types and Best Practices for Managing Them

File types are confusing. Read more about the differences between file types, as well as the nuance of managing these different types of assets to grow your brand.
DAM 101

What is a Digital Asset…and why should I care?

When you hear the term "digital asset", what do you think? Some of us probably think of Bitcoin or a picture on our company's CMS, but digital assets are so much more. Read here to find out the true value of your brand's digital assets.
DAM 101

10 Things to do Before Searching for a DAM Platform

DAM platforms are very valuable and important if you want to expand and scale your organization's overall DAM program. However, there are activities your team can take to ensure that the people and processes surrounding the platform are prepared.
DAM Best Practices

Managing File Formats and Asset Templates with Digital Asset Management

Nowadays it seems like every platform your team uses to leverage digital content requires different file formats. Managing these requirements without cluttering your DAM system or personal hard drives with many versions of the same file is difficult. Read here to find out the five steps your DAM manager can take to make formatting easy.
Creative

7 Ways To Capitalize on Your Organization’s Valuable Video Content Using DAM Principles

Video content is some of the most shared and viewed in today's marketplace. This means that the high-quality video assets in your library are among some of the most valuable. Make sure that you capitalize on this value by implementing a robust DAM program into your business.
Technology

What is a DAM Platform?

What is a Digital Asset Management platform? Take a deeper dive the system that can be the centralized home for all of your digital assets that is protected, customizable, and the central hub of all your creative and content-oriented workflows.
Beginner's Guide to DAM

How Digital Asset Management (DAM) Helps Sports Teams and Leagues

In sports, content may be king more than any other industry. Learn how to capitalize on the buzz your team creates on the field, ice, or court by putting digital asset management to use.
DAM Best Practices

File Naming Best Practices: What Should My File Names Look Like?

Anyone who has spent an afternoon cleaning out their downloads folder knows that file names matter. Creating a standard convention, applying them, and managing them is complex, though. Learn the best practices for file naming here!
DAM Best Practices

How DAM Enables Secure File Sharing No Matter Your Platform

Sharing files is a vital piece of almost every workflow nowadays, especially in the era of remote work. Learn here how to share files securely and effectively no matter what systems you use through DAM processes and best practices.
Culture

Is Digital Asset Management Consulting Worth It?

Consulting for any field can be a large financial and time investment. Make sure that investment is worthwhile by taking a few steps beforehand and identifying the perfect time to bring in third-party expertise.
Partners

DAM Resources to Empower and Energize Your Branding Efforts

With branding efforts growing increasingly important to customer engagement and retention, and depending more and more on compelling content, digital asset management practices also grow in importance. Use these resources to optimize your DAM program to ensure a flourishing brand.
DAM Best Practices

Ensure Brand Consistency Through a Unified Asset Approval Process

With a proper DAM program, there are many built-in lines of defense against off-brand content reaching the marketplace. A formal asset approval process, however, all but guarantees this doesn't happen. Learn how to built that process here.
DAM 101

Understanding the Upstream and Downstream Workflows of DAM

You may have heard the terms "upstream" and "downstream" when discussing your organization's creative workflows. In this article, we clear the air about what those terms mean and how they relate to the lifecycle of your assets.
Planning and Strategy

A Guide to the Three Phases of DAM Development

Like Danny Ocean laying out his plan for robbing casinos, we lay out the phases for building and implementing a new or improved DAM program.
Culture

How DAM Helps You Identify and Communicate Your Core Values

Core values are the secret ingredient that makes everything in your organization run more smoothly, but they don't just apply internally. Consumers want to see and know your core values as well. Learn how DAM can help you identify and communicate your values in an authentic way.
DAM 101

How Digital Asset Management Saved Christmas: A Stacks Story

Stories are great ways to identify how we can solve our own problems, as well as bring some much-needed cheer to the office. Read how Santa's elves used DAM to save Christmas this past year.
Technology

5 Tips for Managing a Folderless DAM Effectively

Folders are something we all know how to use and manage, but what about a system that doesn't use them? As folderless interfaces and systems gain traction, learn their benefits, challenges, and a few tips for implementing and managing them effectively.
Technology

What’s a “Headless” DAM and Is It Right for My Organization?

As you go about gaining DAM expertise and knowledge, you'll likely hear about "headless" systems. Rather than try to navigate through technical jargon and confusing language, Stacks makes understanding if this kind of system is right for you.
DAM Best Practices

3 “DAM Therapy” Practices to Avoid Breaking Up with Your DAM

Due to the cost and headache of breaking up with your current tools and methods of managing digital assets, it's worth it to put time into running your organization through "DAM Therapy". Get thoughts out in the open, identify challenges, and create a plan for change.
Culture

How Do I Get My Team to Use Our DAM?

Just like that ugly, ill-fitting sweater you get for Christmas, DAM systems sometimes sit in the closet unused, despite the time, money, and energy invested in building them. Learn how to motivate your end-users to adopt new and improved systems.
Planning and Strategy

What Goes Into My DAM?

Photos are the only kind of digital asset that needs proper management. Before you implement a DAM system, think through all the kinds of assets that could benefit from improved management.
Planning and Strategy

Common Mistakes Made When Changing DAM Platforms and How to Avoid Them

Breaking up is hard to do. Take a look at the most common mistakes made when changing DAM platforms and some best practices on overcoming them.
Planning and Strategy

10 Most Important Criteria When Evaluating a DAM Platform

When your team agrees on the most important boxes your DAM platform needs to check, the evaluation process becomes far easier. Read our top 10 most important criteria when evaluating a DAM platform.
DAM 101

Three Visual Asset Management Issues Companies of Any Size Face and How to Fix Them Today

Do you feel alone in your struggles to manage your organization's valuable digital assets? We've got a secret for you: You're not. Find out what the most common issues organizations of all shapes and sizes face and how we've seen them overcome them.
Creative

5 Ways Photographers Help Their Clients Beyond Producing Stunning Images

Stacks explores the five ways photographers can help their clients more than just producing stunning images. Let's dive in.