MARKETING
A 12-step guide for implementing a digital asset management system
Launching an enterprise-wide digital asset management (DAM) program is no easy thing. W.L. Gore and Associates, best known for its Gore-Tex fabric and products, found itself having to do just that. At The MarTech Conference, Rachel Edwards, the company’s Enterprise DAM librarian, walked us through how they did it. She also explained why the minimum viable product (MVP) strategy they chose was key to its successful launch. (There’s a video of her talk at the end of this article.)
The problem. Gore needed a DAM because its assets were all over the place. Shared drives, external hard drives, SharePoint sites, folders on individual PCs. There was no centralized repository of assets, no standardized process for finding assets and no content governance. Each division, and even in some cases, smaller subdivisions within those primary divisions, had their own way of doing things. There was no consistency. This was especially painful for users who worked across multiple divisions.
What is MVP? “It’s the version of a product that has just enough features to attract and be usable by early adopters,” said Edwards. “Those early adopters can then validate the product and provide feedback and ideas for future enhancements and development. Using the MVP approach to launch your DAM has many benefits, especially if your company has never had a DAM before.”
1: Find out the requirements
Edwards says don’t ask stakeholders what they want, ask what they need. The fact is they may not have any idea about what they want. “They may not have any context for framing the question if they just found out what a DAM is and have only a high level understanding of how it might benefit them in the long term,” she said.
When that’s the case, they often tend to err on the side of wanting everything they think a DAM system can possibly do, just in case, regardless of what they actually need the DAM to do in order to meet business requirements. “This can quickly lead you down the dangerous path of over-customization,” she said. “Over-customization can not only negatively affect your site performance, but it can significantly hinder your ability to upgrade and enhance your DAM further down the road.”
2: Separate the needs from the wants
Begin with filtering the requirements down to the needs versus the wants. The MVP is essentially the smallest unit of delivery that provides value to someone. And who is that someone? “Focus your energy in creating your DAM on pleasing the innovators and the early adopters of technology who will be your noisy minority and your pool of end users,” she said. “Please your noisy minority and let them gradually pull in the others with their enthusiasm for the success of the DAM. They’ll be your biggest cheerleaders and one of your biggest PR assets.”
The minimum for a DAM. At its core, a basic DAM is a repository to store assets that have metadata attached to them. That metadata allows you to find the assets through a search mechanism once they’re in the DAM, so you can get them back out when you need them for use. “If you have these three basic functions – upload, search and download – you have your starter DAM,” Edwards said. “You also have the option of installing the straight out of the box version of whatever DAM system you’ve purchased. See what the system can do right out of the gate without worrying about customizations.”
It took about six months to pick the right DAM vendor and platform. Much of that time was spent analyzing the overall business needs the DAM must meet. Because this was an enterprise-level effort, the solution had to be robust enough to accommodate the requirements of the company’s four diverse divisions: Fabric, Apparel, Medical and Performance Solutions.
Read next: 20 questions to ask digital asset management platform vendors during the demo
3: Define the stakeholders’ role
Next, the team determined who the stakeholders were in each division. It was essential that they understood their roles on the project and the time commitment involved. “We needed to make sure that they could and would remain fully engaged for the duration of the work,” Edwards said. “The participation of your stakeholders can significantly help or hurt the progress and timeline of your project. So set clear expectations right from the start. And don’t be afraid to remove or replace stakeholders who are not meeting your expectations.”
The focus of the kickoff meeting with the stakeholders was assessing the specific needs of each division. “We knew that our user base was not sophisticated when it came to using DAM systems, so we kept the conversation relatively high level,” she said. “We also used this as an opportunity to explain the MVP process and set expectations. We were very clear that the product they would receive on day one was not the final product.”
MVP wasn’t the only new thing being tried on this project. This was also the company’s first time using the agile methodology of breaking tasks up into multiple short phases and delivering work in frequent smaller increments. “The DAM project is now frequently commended as Gore’s first agile success,” Edwards said. “It ultimately encouraged other project teams at the company to adopt the agile style of working.”
Key to success: Clear communication right from the kickoff meeting was a major factor in that success. Edwards said it got the stakeholders thinking in terms of smaller deliverables. explaining that we would be delivering updated functionality faster but in smaller packages.
- TIP: Creating a communication plan is vital. Define how you’ll be informing stakeholders of both progress and blockers.
4: Determine which needs are enterprise-wide
Once you have the requirements, split them into two groups, those specific to one division and those which apply to all divisions.
The Gore team decided to do a phased rollout starting with the Medical division. There were two reasons for this. One was because Medical had the best grasp of where their assets were located and had already begun using some naming conventions for them. The other was that they had very specific legal and regulatory compliance requirements around their content that had to be accounted for right from the start. “We realized that if we accounted for the strictest rights management case right from the beginning,” said Edwards. “We could be confident moving forward that if it worked for Medical it would work for everyone else.” This determined the baseline asset management tool that the other divisions could use and build on later.
5: Prioritize time, money or output
Edward’s team set a 13 week time frame for building this first version of the DAM. They budgeted $25,000 a week for each week’s work. “Taking into consideration time, money and output, we knew that we couldn’t maximize all three,” Edwards said. So, having set the time and the budget, they then pared the output down to what they absolutely needed.
- TIP: Get advice from early adopters. “Out of our 10,000 employees, we had a noisy minority of 13 engaged early adopters in the Medical division, and we leaned on them for defining must haves versus nice to haves for the MVP.”
6: Meet with stakeholders during the build
Throughout these 13 weeks, the team met regularly with the stakeholders in order to continually adjust, recalibrate, and agree on changing priorities. That meant
- Daily stand-up meetings with the core project team and implementation partner.
- Weekly status meetings with stakeholders.
- Demos displaying progress and updates were held about every two weeks.
Because requirements, plans and results were reevaluated frequently, this allowed the team to respond to changes and blockers quickly.
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7: Start training as soon as you launch
Once they officially launched the MVP DAM, the team began end-user training. “In each of those sessions, we not only explained what exactly a DAM is for those who maybe hadn’t been exposed to one before, but we also stress the fact that this was the MVP version,” said Edwards.
8: Do everything you can to get user feedback
It was essential for users to understand that the DAM was a work in progress. Its functionality would continue to grow and expand overtime. The team also emphasized users would help determine this through their feedback. The team made it clear who users could reach out to with questions and suggestions and provided several methods for them to do so. They made it clear they wanted any and all feedback, big or small, good or bad.
9: Let it simmer
“Once your MVP DAM is live, have users live with it for a while and not just for a few weeks,” said Edwards. “It takes months for users to really dig in and for you to gather usage statistics that are giving you an accurate enough picture of how the DAM is being used to be useful. Have your users see how it fits into their work and how it fills their needs and then they can start thinking about how it could do those things better.”
Questions to ask users. As they’re using the DAM, check in with your users regularly. Your initial questions:
- What’s working?
- What’s not working?
- What features would you love to have that aren’t currently available?
10: Find out what users aren’t doing
A good DAM system will provide you with data about what your users are doing with it. That will also tell you what they’re not doing that they could be. Ask them about that.
- TIP: “When your users are being actively encouraged to provide feedback when they know that their feedback is being listened to, and that they’re a valuable piece in the improvement planning process, it really helps to drive user engagement and happy, engaged users can help bring in more happy, engaged users.”
11: Find out where else they’re getting assets
Your DAM is your central repository for all of your company’s assets. For it to be successful, it needs to be the single source of truth for all of your content. If your users aren’t getting their assets from the DAM, find out where they are getting them from. How can those other systems integrate with your DAM? Can the DAM replace those systems? If there was a system they were using as a pseudo-DAM before, turn it off. If turning it off isn’t possible, make sure all the assets that are now in the DAM have been removed from it.
“There are likely more places out there where users are obtaining assets than you realize,” said Edwards. “Keep asking the questions. The answers they give you today about how the DAM is or is not working for them may not be the answer they give you next week, next month, or even next year. At Gore I stay in regular contact with our stakeholders and we have monthly meetings with our super users.”
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12: Have business units do surveys
In the year following the MVP DAM’s launch, divisions sent quarterly surveys to their users, asking them what they liked and didn’t like about the DAM, when they used it and when they didn’t, but should have. That feedback was used to both enhance the DAM’s functionality and to assist the divisions with streamlining and improving their content and metadata. “We have an analytics dashboard that enables us to measure asset usage and effectiveness so we can continually improve the asset production process,” said Edwards. “We can see what’s working and get rid of what isn’t.”
Information your system’s dashboard should provide:
- How are each business units’ users searching?
- Are they just using the free text search box, only the search filters provided for them, or a combination of both to find their assets? “If they’re not utilizing the search filters, we can discuss how we might be able to improve them.”
- Downloads by asset type and a list of the most frequently downloaded assets in each unit.
- Search terms that were entered by users that returned 0 results. This helps determine if metadata needs adjusting, or if there are new assets could be created to meet users’ needs.
Conclusion
A DAM isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it system. New users will bring new questions and new needs. Your work is never done. Keep your eyes on your metrics and remain actively engaged with your users to make sure that your DAM remains successful as that single source of truth for all of your companies assets today, tomorrow and beyond.
“The DAM program is ongoing and sustained,” said Edwards. “There’s always something you can do to improve the way people work. What content they need and how they obtain that content is always evolving.”
About The Author
MARKETING
Tinuiti Marketing Analytics Recognized by Forrester
Rapid Media Mix Modeling and Proprietary Tech Transform Brand Performance
Tinuiti, the largest independent full-funnel performance marketing agency, has been included in a recent Forrester Research report titled, “The Marketing Analytics Landscape, Q2 2024.” This report comprehensively overviews marketing analytics markets, use cases, and capabilities. B2C marketing leaders can use this research by Principal Analyst Tina Moffett to understand the intersection of marketing analytics capabilities and use cases to determine the vendor or service provider best positioned for their analytics and insights needs. Moffett describes the top marketing analytics markets as advertising agencies, marketing dashboards and business intelligence tools, marketing measurement and optimization platforms and service providers, and media analytics tools.
As an advertising agency, we believe Tinuiti is uniquely positioned to manage advertising campaigns for brands including buying, targeting, and measurement. Our proprietary measurement technology, Bliss Point by Tinuiti, allows us to measure the optimal level of investment to maximize impact and efficiency. According to the Forrester report, “only 30% of B2C marketing decision-makers say their organization uses marketing or media mix modeling (MMM),” so having a partner that knows, embraces, and utilizes MMM is important. As Tina astutely explains, data-driven agencies have amplified their marketing analytics competencies with data science expertise; and proprietary tools; and tailored their marketing analytics techniques based on industry, business, and data challenges.
Our Rapid Media Mix Modeling sets a new standard in the market with its exceptional speed, precision, and transparency. Our patented tech includes Rapid Media Mix Modeling, Always-on Incrementality, Brand Equity, Creative Insights, and Forecasting – it will get you to your Marketing Bliss Point in each channel, across your entire media mix, and your overall brand performance.
As a marketing leader you may ask yourself:
- How much of our marketing budget should we allocate to driving store traffic versus e-commerce traffic?
- How should we allocate our budget by channel to generate the most traffic and revenue possible?
- How many customers did we acquire in a specific region with our media spend?
- What is the impact of seasonality on our media mix?
- How should we adjust our budget accordingly?
- What is the optimal marketing channel mix to maximize brand awareness?
These are just a few of the questions that Bliss Point by Tinuiti can help you answer.
Learn more about our customer-obsessed, product-enabled, and fully integrated approach and how we’ve helped fuel full-funnel outcomes for the world’s most digital-forward brands like Poppi & Toms.
The Landscape report is available online to Forrester customers or for purchase here.
MARKETING
Ecommerce evolution: Blurring the lines between B2B and B2C
Understanding convergence
B2B and B2C ecommerce are two distinct models of online selling. B2B ecommerce is between businesses, such as wholesalers, distributors, and manufacturers. B2C ecommerce refers to transactions between businesses like retailers and consumer brands, directly to individual shoppers.
However, in recent years, the boundaries between these two models have started to fade. This is known as the convergence between B2B and B2C ecommerce and how they are becoming more similar and integrated.
Source: White Paper: The evolution of the B2B Consumer Buyer (ClientPoint, Jan 2024)
What’s driving this change?
Ever increasing customer expectations
Customers today expect the same level of convenience, speed, and personalization in their B2B transactions as they do in their B2C interactions. B2B buyers are increasingly influenced by their B2C experiences. They want research, compare, and purchase products online, seamlessly transitioning between devices and channels. They also prefer to research and purchase online, using multiple devices and channels.
Forrester, 68% of buyers prefer to research on their own, online . Customers today expect the same level of convenience, speed, and personalization in their B2B transactions as they do in their B2C interactions. B2B buyers are increasingly influenced by their B2C experiences. They want research, compare, and purchase products online, seamlessly transitioning between devices and channels. They also prefer to research and purchase online, using multiple devices and channels
Technology and omnichannel strategies
Technology enables B2B and B2C ecommerce platforms to offer more features and functionalities, such as mobile optimization, chatbots, AI, and augmented reality. Omnichannel strategies allow B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses to provide a seamless and consistent customer experience across different touchpoints, such as websites, social media, email, and physical stores.
However, with every great leap forward comes its own set of challenges. The convergence of B2B and B2C markets means increased competition. Businesses now not only have to compete with their traditional rivals, but also with new entrants and disruptors from different sectors. For example, Amazon Business, a B2B ecommerce platform, has become a major threat to many B2B ecommerce businesses, as it offers a wide range of products, low prices, and fast delivery
“Amazon Business has proven that B2B ecommerce can leverage popular B2C-like functionality” argues Joe Albrecht, CEO / Managing Partner, Xngage. . With features like Subscribe-and-Save (auto-replenishment), one-click buying, and curated assortments by job role or work location, they make it easy for B2B buyers to go to their website and never leave. Plus, with exceptional customer service and promotional incentives like Amazon Business Prime Days, they have created a reinforcing loyalty loop.
And yet, according to Barron’s, Amazon Business is only expected to capture 1.5% of the $5.7 Trillion addressable business market by 2025. If other B2B companies can truly become digital-first organizations, they can compete and win in this fragmented space, too.”
If other B2B companies can truly become digital-first organizations, they can also compete and win in this fragmented space
Joe AlbrechtCEO/Managing Partner, XNGAGE
Increasing complexity
Another challenge is the increased complexity and cost of managing a converging ecommerce business. Businesses have to deal with different customer segments, requirements, and expectations, which may require different strategies, processes, and systems. For instance, B2B ecommerce businesses may have to handle more complex transactions, such as bulk orders, contract negotiations, and invoicing, while B2C ecommerce businesses may have to handle more customer service, returns, and loyalty programs. Moreover, B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses must invest in technology and infrastructure to support their convergence efforts, which may increase their operational and maintenance costs.
How to win
Here are a few ways companies can get ahead of the game:
Adopt B2C-like features in B2B platforms
User-friendly design, easy navigation, product reviews, personalization, recommendations, and ratings can help B2B ecommerce businesses to attract and retain more customers, as well as to increase their conversion and retention rates.
According to McKinsey, ecommerce businesses that offer B2C-like features like personalization can increase their revenues by 15% and reduce their costs by 20%. You can do this through personalization of your website with tools like Product Recommendations that help suggest related products to increase sales.
Focus on personalization and customer experience
B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses need to understand their customers’ needs, preferences, and behaviors, and tailor their offerings and interactions accordingly. Personalization and customer experience can help B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses to increase customer satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy, as well as to improve their brand reputation and competitive advantage. According to a Salesforce report, 88% of customers say that the experience a company provides is as important as its products or services.
Market based on customer insights
Data and analytics can help B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses to gain insights into their customers, markets, competitors, and performance, and to optimize their strategies and operations accordingly. Data and analytics can also help B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses to identify new opportunities, trends, and innovations, and to anticipate and respond to customer needs and expectations. According to McKinsey, data-driven organizations are 23 times more likely to acquire customers, six times more likely to retain customers, and 19 times more likely to be profitable.
What’s next?
The convergence of B2B and B2C ecommerce is not a temporary phenomenon, but a long-term trend that will continue to shape the future of ecommerce. According to Statista, the global B2B ecommerce market is expected to reach $20.9 trillion by 2027, surpassing the B2C ecommerce market, which is expected to reach $10.5 trillion by 2027. Moreover, the report predicts that the convergence of B2B and B2C ecommerce will create new business models, such as B2B2C, B2A (business to anyone), and C2B (consumer to business).
Therefore, B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses need to prepare for the converging ecommerce landscape and take advantage of the opportunities and challenges it presents. Here are some recommendations for B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses to navigate the converging landscape:
- Conduct a thorough analysis of your customers, competitors, and market, and identify the gaps and opportunities for convergence.
- Develop a clear vision and strategy for convergence, and align your goals, objectives, and metrics with it.
- Invest in technology and infrastructure that can support your convergence efforts, such as cloud, mobile, AI, and omnichannel platforms.
- Implement B2C-like features in your B2B platforms, and vice versa, to enhance your customer experience and satisfaction.
- Personalize your offerings and interactions with your customers, and provide them with relevant and valuable content and solutions.
- Leverage data and analytics to optimize your performance and decision making, and to innovate and differentiate your business.
- Collaborate and partner with other B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses, as well as with other stakeholders, such as suppliers, distributors, and customers, to create value and synergy.
- Monitor and evaluate your convergence efforts, and adapt and improve them as needed.
By following these recommendations, B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses can bridge the gap between their models and create a more integrated and seamless ecommerce experience for their customers and themselves.
MARKETING
Streamlining Processes for Increased Efficiency and Results
How can businesses succeed nowadays when technology rules? With competition getting tougher and customers changing their preferences often, it’s a challenge. But using marketing automation can help make things easier and get better results. And in the future, it’s going to be even more important for all kinds of businesses.
So, let’s discuss how businesses can leverage marketing automation to stay ahead and thrive.
Benefits of automation marketing automation to boost your efforts
First, let’s explore the benefits of marketing automation to supercharge your efforts:
Marketing automation simplifies repetitive tasks, saving time and effort.
With automated workflows, processes become more efficient, leading to better productivity. For instance, automation not only streamlines tasks like email campaigns but also optimizes website speed, ensuring a seamless user experience. A faster website not only enhances customer satisfaction but also positively impacts search engine rankings, driving more organic traffic and ultimately boosting conversions.
Automation allows for precise targeting, reaching the right audience with personalized messages.
With automated workflows, processes become more efficient, leading to better productivity. A great example of automated workflow is Pipedrive & WhatsApp Integration in which an automated welcome message pops up on their WhatsApp
within seconds once a potential customer expresses interest in your business.
Increases ROI
By optimizing campaigns and reducing manual labor, automation can significantly improve return on investment.
Leveraging automation enables businesses to scale their marketing efforts effectively, driving growth and success. Additionally, incorporating lead scoring into automated marketing processes can streamline the identification of high-potential prospects, further optimizing resource allocation and maximizing conversion rates.
Harnessing the power of marketing automation can revolutionize your marketing strategy, leading to increased efficiency, higher returns, and sustainable growth in today’s competitive market. So, why wait? Start automating your marketing efforts today and propel your business to new heights, moreover if you have just learned ways on how to create an online business
How marketing automation can simplify operations and increase efficiency
Understanding the Change
Marketing automation has evolved significantly over time, from basic email marketing campaigns to sophisticated platforms that can manage entire marketing strategies. This progress has been fueled by advances in technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, making automation smarter and more adaptable.
One of the main reasons for this shift is the vast amount of data available to marketers today. From understanding customer demographics to analyzing behavior, the sheer volume of data is staggering. Marketing automation platforms use this data to create highly personalized and targeted campaigns, allowing businesses to connect with their audience on a deeper level.
The Emergence of AI-Powered Automation
In the future, AI-powered automation will play an even bigger role in marketing strategies. AI algorithms can analyze huge amounts of data in real-time, helping marketers identify trends, predict consumer behavior, and optimize campaigns as they go. This agility and responsiveness are crucial in today’s fast-moving digital world, where opportunities come and go in the blink of an eye. For example, we’re witnessing the rise of AI-based tools from AI website builders, to AI logo generators and even more, showing that we’re competing with time and efficiency.
Combining AI-powered automation with WordPress management services streamlines marketing efforts, enabling quick adaptation to changing trends and efficient management of online presence.
Moreover, AI can take care of routine tasks like content creation, scheduling, and testing, giving marketers more time to focus on strategic activities. By automating these repetitive tasks, businesses can work more efficiently, leading to better outcomes. AI can create social media ads tailored to specific demographics and preferences, ensuring that the content resonates with the target audience. With the help of an AI ad maker tool, businesses can efficiently produce high-quality advertisements that drive engagement and conversions across various social media platforms.
Personalization on a Large Scale
Personalization has always been important in marketing, and automation is making it possible on a larger scale. By using AI and machine learning, marketers can create tailored experiences for each customer based on their preferences, behaviors, and past interactions with the brand.
This level of personalization not only boosts customer satisfaction but also increases engagement and loyalty. When consumers feel understood and valued, they are more likely to become loyal customers and brand advocates. As automation technology continues to evolve, we can expect personalization to become even more advanced, enabling businesses to forge deeper connections with their audience. As your company has tiny homes for sale California, personalized experiences will ensure each customer finds their perfect fit, fostering lasting connections.
Integration Across Channels
Another trend shaping the future of marketing automation is the integration of multiple channels into a cohesive strategy. Today’s consumers interact with brands across various touchpoints, from social media and email to websites and mobile apps. Marketing automation platforms that can seamlessly integrate these channels and deliver consistent messaging will have a competitive edge. When creating a comparison website it’s important to ensure that the platform effectively aggregates data from diverse sources and presents it in a user-friendly manner, empowering consumers to make informed decisions.
Omni-channel integration not only betters the customer experience but also provides marketers with a comprehensive view of the customer journey. By tracking interactions across channels, businesses can gain valuable insights into how consumers engage with their brand, allowing them to refine their marketing strategies for maximum impact. Lastly, integrating SEO services into omni-channel strategies boosts visibility and helps businesses better understand and engage with their customers across different platforms.
The Human Element
While automation offers many benefits, it’s crucial not to overlook the human aspect of marketing. Despite advances in AI and machine learning, there are still elements of marketing that require human creativity, empathy, and strategic thinking.
Successful marketing automation strikes a balance between technology and human expertise. By using automation to handle routine tasks and data analysis, marketers can focus on what they do best – storytelling, building relationships, and driving innovation.
Conclusion
The future of marketing automation looks promising, offering improved efficiency and results for businesses of all sizes.
As AI continues to advance and consumer expectations change, automation will play an increasingly vital role in keeping businesses competitive.
By embracing automation technologies, marketers can simplify processes, deliver more personalized experiences, and ultimately, achieve their business goals more effectively than ever before.
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