How to Organize and Use Brand Asset Management

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, having a strong and recognizable brand is more important than ever. However, simply having a logo and a catchy tagline is not enough. To truly make an impact and stand out in a crowded market, companies need to effectively manage their branding assets. In this article, we will explore the concept of brand asset management and provide actionable tips on how to organize and use your assets.

What Are Brand Assets?

Brand assets are both the tangible and intangible aspects that make up a company's brand uniqueness. These can include things like logos, fonts, color schemes, marketing collateral, social media templates, and more. Essentially, anything that helps to visually or conceptually represent your brand falls under this umbrella.

It's important to note that these elements go beyond just the visual aspects of branding. They also include the voice, tone, and messaging that a company uses to communicate with its audience. All of these pieces fit together to create a cohesive and recognizable brand identity.

What Is Brand Asset Management?

At its core, brand asset management is the process of organizing and utilizing assets to create a unified and effective brand identity. This can include everything from creating brand guidelines and templates to organizing files and assets in a centralized location.

Brand managers typically are responsible for overseeing this process. This person ensures that all assets are up-to-date and easily accessible to the marketing team. They also work to maintain consistency across all channels and ensure that all messaging is on-brand.

The Importance of Brand Asset Management

Effective management is crucial for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it helps to maintain consistency across all marketing channels. By ensuring that all assets are up-to-date and being used correctly, companies can establish a strong and recognizable presence in the marketplace.

Additionally, it can save time and money. When all assets are organized and easily accessible, marketing teams can quickly and efficiently create new content without having to reinvent the wheel every time. This can lead to faster turnaround times and a more streamlined workflow.

How to Manage Your Brand Assets Effectively

Now that we've covered what assets are and why they're important, let's dive into some tips you can use right now!

Create Brand Guidelines

One of the first steps is to create brand guidelines. These guidelines should outline how your brand should be presented across all marketing channels. This includes everything from logo usage to messaging and tone.

By having a set of guidelines in place, you can ensure that all marketing efforts are consistent and on-brand. It also makes it easier for new team members to quickly get up-to-speed on the brand and how it should be presented.

Use a Digital Asset Management System

Organizing and managing so much collateral can quickly become overwhelming, especially for larger organizations. Using a digital asset management (DAM) system can help streamline the process and ensure that all assets are easily accessible to the marketing team and anyone else who might need access to branding elements.

A DAM system is essentially a database for all storing all of your assets in a neat and orderly fashion. This can include everything from different logo and image file sizes to marketing collateral and social media templates. By utilizing a DAM system, marketing teams can quickly find the assets they need and ensure that they're using the most up-to-date versions.

Train Your Team

Even with brand guidelines and a DAM system in place, effective management ultimately comes down to the people using the systems and the assets within them. It's important to train your marketing team on how to properly use and present them. This includes everything from how to use the logo to ensuring that messaging is on-brand.

By providing ongoing training and education, you can ensure that all marketing efforts are consistent and uniform.

The Benefits of Using a Brand Asset Manager

Recruiting a brand asset manager can provide numerous benefits to businesses. Here are just some of the advantages:

Consistent Brand Messaging

Ensure that your brand is represented consistently across all channels by designating the task to a dedicated brand asset manager. By providing access to approved assets and guidelines, you can help ensure that everyone in your organization is using the same messaging and imagery, which can help establish a cohesive brand identity.

Increased Efficiency

Your team members can easily access the assets they need when they need them. This can save time and reduce the risk of errors or inconsistencies while saving them time searching for files or recreating assets from scratch.

Improved Collaboration

A brand asset manager strategy can also facilitate collaboration among team members and departments, as everyone has access to the same resources. This can improve communication and help ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals.

Choosing the Right Brand Asset Management System

When selecting a BAM system, there are several factors to consider:

Features

Look for a system that offers the features you need to manage your assets effectively. Some key features to consider include:

• Asset organization options and searchability

• Customizable user permissions and access controls

• Built-in collaboration and approval workflows

• Usage tracking and reporting tools

• Integration with other plug-ins, softwares, and platforms

Scalability

Consider whether the system can grow with your business as your needs change and your asset library grows.

Usability

Look for a system that is easy to use and understand with a user-friendly interface and clear documentation or support resources.

Cost

Consider the cost of the system, including any upfront fees, ongoing maintenance costs, or subscription fees. Factoring in that price point, weigh the potential return on investment from using the system, too.

Now What?

Brand assets are critical for building and maintaining a strong brand identity. By using a management system, businesses can ensure that their brand is represented consistently and effectively across all channels, while also improving efficiency and collaboration. When selecting a system, it's important to consider factors such as features, scalability, usability, and cost to find the right fit for your organization's needs. 

At USA Link System, we have experience helping businesses implement and optimize brand asset management, and we can help you select the right system to meet your unique needs. Contact us today to learn more.