Digital asset administration templates are nice for file storage, group, crew collaboration, and model management. Whether or not you’re working by your self or with a crew, centralized property make it straightforward for everybody to seek out what they want.
Listed below are the most effective templates for various instruments and use instances.
monday.com: A digital asset administration template with built-in crew collaboration
monday.com is a good challenge administration system for small and mid-sized groups. The free plan comes with simply two seats, which is sufficient to strive it out however restricted in comparison with different suppliers.
To get probably the most out of this DAM template, you’ll probably have to improve to a paid plan.
Extra on monday.com: monday.com Evaluation | monday.com vs Jira | monday.com vs. Notion.
I like this template as a result of it centralizes your artistic property, making it straightforward for advertising and marketing and gross sales groups to rapidly discover what they want. You too can retailer a number of variations of every file, so you may change between completely different variations of the identical file if you’ll want to.
Not solely does this assist maintain issues organized, it additionally ensures everybody on the crew is utilizing the suitable recordsdata.
Nonetheless, the most effective half about monday.com is that you could handle the creation course of of recent property from the identical platform. You’ll be capable of tag crew members if you want a brand new artistic, and you may handle the workflow utilizing activity dependencies, automations, and notifications.
The template makes it straightforward to type by file sort (like picture or video), class, proprietor, standing, or another customized fields you determine so as to add.
Regardless of being highly effective and versatile, this digital asset administration template is extremely straightforward to make use of. It takes just some minutes to arrange and general feels very intuitive.
Wrike: A digital asset administration template for businesses
Wrike is a strong challenge administration system particularly for businesses, freelancers, and service-based companies that deal with purchasers. It’s a extremely scalable answer for managing property, requests, and model management throughout dozens and even a whole lot of purchasers.
There’s a beneficiant free plan that helps limitless customers and exterior collaborators. Nonetheless, you’ll have to improve for visitor approvals and third social gathering integrations.
Extra on Wrike: Wrike Evaluation | Wrike vs monday.com | Wrike vs. Smartsheet.
First, you’ll be capable of arrange completely different folders for all your artistic property. You possibly can create a folder for every shopper after which sub-folders for particular initiatives or you may set up it nonetheless you’d like.
From there, Wrike helps you to customise dynamic consumption kinds. When a shopper wants one thing, they’ll fill out and also you’ll routinely get a activity assigned to the suitable particular person.
Say you need a particular particular person in your crew to deal with video requests for a selected shopper. Possibly you additionally need another person to deal with branding components like logos, shade schemes, and font decisions.
This setup makes it extremely straightforward with out lengthy e-mail threads backwards and forwards.
And since Wrike is a challenge administration system, you’ll be capable of monitor requests from begin to completion, set due dates, depart feedback, and tie all the things collectively.
Knack: An no-code template for project-based property
Knack is a no-code app builder that’s a reasonably new participant on this area. It really works nicely in the event you’re at present utilizing a spreadsheet to handle digital property, however you’re prepared for an improve or want a greater strategy to keep organized.
Sadly, Knack doesn’t supply a free plan.
However you may strive any plan with a 14-day trial. And in contrast to different suppliers, Knack doesn’t cost per consumer, making it extremely reasonably priced whilst your crew grows.
As a result of Knack is constructed utilizing databases, it’s extremely versatile. This template makes it straightforward to prepare property by challenge, however you may simply adapt it to prepare them nonetheless you’d like.
Nonetheless, organizing by challenge is sweet as a result of all the things’s straightforward to seek out. Engaged on a selected challenge? You recognize precisely the place to go to see the entire property out there, obtain the one you need to use, and get again to work.
This additionally means there’s no confusion you probably have related property being utilized in alternative ways for various initiatives.
The template affords versioning, customized tagging, and seamless collaboration between groups. You too can designate challenge managers and customise admin controls — additional advancing the project-centric strategy.
My solely criticism is that Knack’s interface feels a bit clunky in comparison with different choices.
Airtable: A complicated template for managing a number of manufacturers and sub-brands
Airtable is a complicated database platform that’s extremely scalable, versatile, and highly effective. It really works equally to Knack, with databases being the muse of all the things. Very similar to a spreadsheet, this strategy works very well for asset administration.
Plus, Airtable has a strong free plan with as much as 5 editors, 1,000 information per base, and 100 month-to-month automation runs.
That is greater than sufficient to check it out and smaller groups can keep on the free plan for some time.
Extra on Airtable: Airtable vs Asana | Airtable vs Smartsheet | Airtable vs. monday.com.
This template works nicely for bigger libraries and property with strict utilization pointers. Nonetheless, you may simply take away, edit, or add fields to make it give you the results you want.
For those who’re a big media firm, for instance, you will have a dad or mum firm that owns a number of web sites, magazines, and different digital properties. This Airtable template makes it straightforward to maintain all the things separate whereas implementing common model requirements throughout the board.
The setup additionally helps simplify issues you probably have model managers or content material creators working throughout your complete portfolio of manufacturers.
It eliminates confusion and ensures they use the suitable recordsdata for the suitable initiatives.
With pre-configured tags, you’ll be capable of mark recordsdata for inner use solely, which is a pleasant function if you wish to guarantee some property aren’t out there to exterior customers.
The most important downside of Airtable is its complexity. Whereas you can begin utilizing this template in just a few clicks, you’ll probably need to customise it. In any case, that’s the true energy of Airtable. Having the ability to customise and the truth that there are a dozen alternative ways to do all the things could make getting began really feel like a problem.
However when you’re up and operating, it’s pretty straightforward for each day use.
Stackby: A easy template for categorizing digital property
Stacbky appears to be like and feels quite a bit like Airtable as a result of it’s — it’s constructed on relational databases, making it good for managing digital property as nicely. Nonetheless, Stackby is newer and fewer developed, leading to a cheaper price.
It’s solely free for people and small groups with just a few limitations, however you’ll get quite a bit additional on the free plan than you’ll with Airtable.
General, it’s an important alternative in the event you don’t want Airtable’s superior options and need to save.
Stackby’s digital asset administration template is a good stepping stone in the event you’re at present utilizing a shared Google Workspace folder or Dropbox account to share recordsdata. It’s easy sufficient that it doesn’t really feel overwhelming but versatile sufficient to make sure you received’t have to improve to one thing higher later.
Every asset has its personal identify, file sort, matter, and related collaborators. You’ll additionally be capable of monitor standing, language, final up to date date, and extra.
Out of the field, it has nearly each discipline you’ll want. However you may simply add new ones, edit current ones, or take away these you don’t want. On prime of that, you may type and group property nonetheless you’d like, whether or not that’s by standing, date, or file sort.
This template additionally comes with a database for monitoring initiatives. That is good as a result of it lets you tie property to initiatives.
Not solely will you be capable of monitor asset statuses, you’ll additionally be capable of see all property that belong to a selected challenge in a single place. No extra looking or digging via dozens of folders to seek out what you want.
Stackby’s search function isn’t as superior as different platforms, however it’s there in the event you do find yourself needing assist discovering one thing.
Softr: A customizable template optimized for the tip consumer
All of the instruments we’ve coated to date are extremely customizable however that may make for a complicated expertise for the tip consumer. In plenty of instances, they’ll be capable of transfer columns round, delete information, and probably make errors that might break all the system.
Softr is completely different. It helps you to construct an interactive consumer interface on prime of your information.
The tip consumer can see and work along with your information however they received’t have entry to all the things or be capable of change how your information is structured.
It really works very well for customized CRMs, stock monitoring methods, challenge administration purposes, digital asset administration instruments, and different forms of enterprise apps in the event you’re keen to take the time to study it.
Softr has a free plan for one app and as much as ten customers. It’s greater than sufficient to get began with the template under and take it for a check drive.
As talked about, this template goes on prime of your current information, so that you’ll have to have a database created with one of many instruments Softr integrates with (Airtable, Google Sheets, monday.com, and so forth.).
From there, your crew can use Softr so as to add new property, edit current property, obtain recordsdata, create new variations, and extra with out entry to your underlying information. This provides you full management and suppleness over how your customers view and work together along with your property.
You’ll get modular entry controls, too. This may be helpful for managers vs staff, purchasers vs inner customers, freelancers, and even individuals who work on one or two initiatives at a time.
The template is a good place to start out however is extremely customizable, letting you create nearly any type of workflow you’d like.
The most important draw back? It’s arduous to study and it could actually take a very long time to get all the things arrange.
Are you able to handle digital property with Excel, Phrase, or a PDF file?
It could work okay at first however I don’t advocate it long-term. Particularly in the event you’re working with a crew. You received’t get any collaborative options nor will you truly be capable of retailer something.
At finest, you’ll be capable of add a hyperlink to the asset, however you’ll must retailer it some place else. This received’t actually work for model management, approval flows, or something like that. It’s actually extra of a listing of property, which affords no extra advantages vs utilizing a folder in Google Drive or Dropbox.
Fairly than a spreadsheet that received’t work, I made a decision to incorporate a template that’ll allow you to determine in the event you want a full digital asset administration system.
In lower than 5 minutes, you’ll know in the event you want a full system. All it’s important to do is reply every query with a sure or a no. It routinely provides up your rating.
However the calculations aren’t so simple as “each yes answer equals five points”. It’s weighted primarily based on significance and the worth {that a} full system will carry in numerous conditions. For instance, having a delegated price range is necessary, however not as necessary as needing model management.
For those who rating over 25 factors, there’s an excellent probability a DAM answer will add plenty of worth and assist streamline asset administration.
What’s the distinction between a digital asset administration template and DAM software program?
Digital asset administration templates work with varied forms of instruments it’s possible you’ll already be utilizing, like challenge administration software program, on-line collaboration options, relational database platforms, and enterprise app builders.
Digital asset administration software program, however, exists solely for managing property.
In different phrases, templates make different forms of instruments work — devoted software program has each bell and whistle you possibly can ever want, like inner storage, metadata monitoring, and different superior options.
Most companies get by simply high-quality utilizing a template, particularly in the event you’re simply beginning to care about having extra visibility into your property.
That is typically truly most popular as a result of it’s simpler to combine into your current processes and workflows.
Bigger companies or these managing a whole lot or 1000’s of property with granular permission necessities and model management will probably want (and have the price range for) devoted software program as an alternative.
The right way to set up your digital property
Whether or not you’re utilizing a template or full-blown software program, you need to be capable of add tags, classes, and different info to every asset so it’s straightforward to seek out what you want.
Some groups desire organizing by challenge, others might have separate classes for model property, social media content material, and featured photographs for weblog posts. Companies might desire organizing by shopper and having sub folders nested inside.
Most templates and devoted instruments allow you to add customized fields to maintain monitor of no matter info you want. This might embody issues like:
- File sort.
- Subject.
- Standing.
- Mission.
- Date uploaded.
- Date final edited.
- Homeowners or collaborators.
- Model.
- Shopper.
- Utilization rights.
- Crew or division.
- Model quantity.
- Key phrases or tags.
The extra info you retain monitor of, the longer it takes so as to add new property. Nonetheless, extra granular particulars makes it simpler for everybody to seek out what they want.
As you may see, there are plenty of choices — you will have to strive just a few to see what works finest.
