Why DAM CMS integration is important

Digital Asset Management (DAM) and Content Management Systems (CMS) are both essential tools for any organization that manages a lot of digital assets and content. 

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Individually, both systems work efficiently. 

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For example, marketers who have a DAM platform report that they spend 28% less time each week searching for the assets that they need. Conversely, 51% of marketers that do not have a DAM platform say that they waste money producing or recreating assets that become unused because they can’t find them.

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There are also 73 million websites online that use CMS, with WordPress having the largest share of users. This stat alone shows how effective CMS systems are. 

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In this guide, however, we will see why it is important to integrate your DAM system with your Content Management System. Especially if you are a large organization that manages a lot of digital assets and publishes a lot of online content. 

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We will also take a look at the problems you might encounter when you use both systems as standalone tools. Finally, we will see the steps to take to efficiently integrate your Digital Asset and Content Management System. But first, let's see a brief overview of both systems and the key differences between them. 

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What is a Digital Asset Management and Content Management System

A Digital Asset Management system is a software platform designed to store, organize, manage, and distribute digital assets such as images, videos, documents, and other types of files. It serves as a centralized repository, allowing users to search for and retrieve assets quickly and easily.

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DAM systems can be used across a range of industries, including retail, manufacturing, and banking. They are particularly useful for organizations that deal with large volumes of digital assets and need to manage them efficiently.

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DAM systems typically include features such as metadata tagging, version control, user permissions, and asset conversion. 

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A Content Management System on the other hand allows users to create, manage, and publish digital content, typically for websites. It provides a user-friendly interface for users to create and edit content without requiring knowledge of web programming languages.

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CMSs are widely used in e-commerce, content-driven websites, and blogs, where large amounts of content must be managed and presented in an organized manner. Popular CMSs include WordPress, Wix, Drupal, Joomla, and Blogger. They offer various benefits such as streamlined content publishing, easier collaboration, improved website maintenance, and simpler content editing.

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The primary difference between Digital Asset Management systems and Content Management Systems is that DAM systems are designed for managing and distributing digital assets, while CMSs are specifically designed specifically for website content management and delivery.

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Advantages of DAM-CMS Integration

We’ve seen the benefits of having both systems in your business’ toolbox. Let’s see the benefits you get from integrating them with each other. 

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1. Centralized storage: Integration ensures that all digital assets and content are stored in a centralized location, making it easier for users to find and access what they need. 

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2. Efficient content creation: With the integration of DAM and CMS, users can easily access and use digital assets for content creation without leaving the CMS platform. This saves time and improves the content creation process.

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3. Improved collaboration: Integration promotes better collaboration between teams, as team members can easily access digital assets and content within the same platform. This eliminates the need to move back and forth between systems, leading to better communication and streamlined workflows.

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4. Increased brand consistency: Integration ensures that all digital assets and content, including logos, colors, and images, are consistently used across all channels and platforms. This will help ensure brand consistency.

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5. Simplified publishing: The integration of DAM and CMS simplifies the publishing process by providing users with a single interface for all publishing tasks. This, in turn, reduces errors and improves productivity.

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6. Content scoring: The ability to have a detailed overview from with the DAM environment of all the assets that have been published across different platforms in order to understand content performance and how to adapt communication strategies. 

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Overall, integrating DAM and CMS systems can lead to greater efficiency, improved collaboration, and increased brand consistency, making it a worthwhile investment for organizations.

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Here is a case study on Decathlon, a leading sporting goods retailer in France that shows the advantages of integration. 

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Decathlon was looking for an effective way to centralize and manage an exponential volume of content and digital assets. The brand had 73 websites powered by various CMS, including e-commerce websites. They also had a product information management system with a lot of digital assets. 

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To make it easy to centralize and distribute all the digital elements related to the brand’s product, they integrated Wedia’s Digital Asset Management solution into their global information system.

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By integrating the DAM with their CMS and more than 30 other applications thanks to Wedia API, they had a centralized media library for all of Decathlon’s sites. With this, users could easily manage and distribute more than 12 million pieces of content all over the world.

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If you are in the market for an efficient DAM system that will easily integrate with your Content Management System, check out Wedia. Learn more about Wedia now.

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Challenges of Managing Digital Assets without DAM-CMS Integration

A. Manual handling and uploading of assets

Without integration, digital assets in your DAM system will have to be uploaded manually to the CMS platform. It can involve copying and pasting a link or uploading the file from a computer. This process is time-consuming, especially if you are uploading multiple assets. It also increases the likelihood of human error. For instance, an uploaded asset might not meet the brand's style guides or dimensions, leading to delays and costly revisions.

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Manually handling assets also makes it difficult to organize and track your digital assets. Without a DAM system, it can be challenging to categorize, tag, or label assets. This lack of organization will make it difficult to find the assets you need when you need them.

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B. Inconsistencies in asset metadata 

Metadata is the descriptive information about an asset; for instance, the file type, size, author, creation date, and resolution. 

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When metadata is inconsistent or missing, it can lead to confusion and lost files. And with manual handling and uploading of assets to a CMS, there is a higher likelihood of inconsistencies in metadata.

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For instance, each team or individual involved in the content creation process may have different standards for labeling, categorizing, or tagging assets when uploading to the CMS platform. This will make it difficult for people outside the team to find assets. But with a DAM system, metadata is centralized and managed under consistent standards and protocols across the business. And by integrating both systems, your metadata will become centralized and less time will be spent searching for the files. 

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C. Difficulty in maintaining version control

Achieving version control can be challenging without a centralized system to manage assets.

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When managing assets manually, collaborators may work on various versions of the asset and send their updates to different team members. It will be difficult to know which version of a file is the latest or which collaborator made essential changes to the digital asset. 

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Users have to spend extra time communicating with each other to decide which version is the latest and/or most accurate copy. This process is inefficient and time-consuming. It even gets more complicated if you are dealing with a large number of files.

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In contrast, version control is more controlled and smoother with a DAM-CMS integrated platform. Users can see the changes made in the same centralized system and even leave comments and feedback. 

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Steps for Integrating DAM and CMS Systems

1. Evaluate DAM and CMS systems compatibility

The first step in integrating a Digital Asset Management system with a Content Management System is evaluating the compatibility of the systems. It is vital to ensure that both systems can work together seamlessly.

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Incompatibility issues can hinder the success of an integrated DAM-CMS system and lead to inaccuracies and inconsistencies. For instance, if the DAM and CMS systems require different file types or codecs, there could be issues when sharing assets between the two systems.

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When evaluating the compatibility of DAM and CMS systems, it's essential to ask some crucial questions.

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• Do both systems support the same types of files?
• Do the systems have similar workflows or integration methods?
• Do they have APIs or existing integrations that can be used?

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Asking these questions will help you ensure that you invest in systems that will work perfectly together. 

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Wedia integrates seamlessly with CMS platforms like WordPress, Drupal, and Adobe Experience Manager. And with our advanced REST API, you create custom integrations. 

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2. Choose a suitable integration method

Integration methods can vary depending on the specific needs of the organization and the systems being used. Here are some common integration methods to consider:

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1. API Integration: API integration is the most common and reliable method of integrating DAM and CMS systems. This involves using the API (Application Programming Interface) of the systems to exchange data between them. With API integration, the two systems can “talk” to each other in real-time, allowing for automatic updates and streamlined workflows.

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2. Plug-in Integration: Many DAM and CMS systems offer plug-ins that can be installed to facilitate integration. These plug-ins act as a bridge between the two systems, allowing for seamless communication and data exchange.

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3. Custom Integration: In some cases, a custom integration may be necessary to meet specific business requirements or to integrate systems that don't offer out-of-the-box integration options. Custom integration involves creating a custom script or application that facilitates data exchange between the two systems.

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4. Middleware Integration: Middleware can be used to mediate the data exchange between the two systems. This method involves utilizing a third-party software application that sits between the DAM and CMS systems, translating and routing data between them.

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Ultimately, the best integration method will depend on factors such as the specific needs of the organization, the systems being used, and the budget available for integration. It is important to carefully evaluate the pros and cons of each integration method before making a decision. By choosing a suitable integration method, you can ensure that your DAM and CMS systems work together seamlessly, maximizing their value and improving your team’s workflow efficiency.

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3. Setup metadata

Setting up metadata is important for several reasons. Firstly, metadata provides crucial context to digital assets, making them easier to find and manage.

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Secondly, metadata helps standardize asset management and improves consistency across an organization. It ensures that assets are accurately labeled and that consistent standards and practices are followed for file naming, description, and other important details. 

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Lastly, metadata can also help with asset security and compliance. It can be used to control access to sensitive assets and also track usage rights/license information.

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There are four main categories you can group metadata into.

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Descriptive metadata

Descriptive metadata provides information about the content of a digital asset. This metadata is used to describe the subject matter, purpose, and context of the asset. Descriptive metadata is typically created by the author or creator of the asset.

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Examples of descriptive metadata might include information about the title, author, date, and format of a document. Descriptive metadata can also include information about the intellectual property rights associated with an asset, such as copyright or licensing information.

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Structural metadata

Structural metadata defines the relationships between different components of the asset. For example, the different pages within a document or different chapters within a book. Structural metadata can be particularly useful for digital assets that are composed of multiple parts or that have a complex organization, such as multimedia collections or web pages.

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Examples of structural metadata might include the hierarchical structure of multi-page documents, navigation metadata for websites, time-based metadata such as timecodes and markers for videos and audio recordings, etc. Structural metadata may also include other information about the asset, such as its file format, file size, or creation date.

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Administrative metadata

Administrative metadata is used to describe the history, context, and provenance of an asset. 

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Provenance (noun): the place of origin or earliest history of something.

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Examples of administrative metadata might include technical information about file formats, resolution, and storage location, as well as information about permissions, access rights, and security settings. 

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Generative metadata

Generative metadata is a type of metadata that is created automatically or programmatically based on the content of digital assets. Unlike descriptive or administrative metadata, which is typically created manually by human users, generative metadata is generated automatically using algorithms, machine learning, or other computational methods.

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Examples of generative metadata might include automatically generated tags or keywords that describe the content of images, videos, or documents. For example, machine learning algorithms might be used to automatically identify faces or objects within an image and generate metadata to describe them.

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By setting up metadata, organizations can ensure that assets are easily searchable and accurately organized within the integrated DAM and CMS system.

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4. Customize permissions settings

Permissions help to control who can access, modify, and delete digital assets stored within the DAM and CMS systems. Here are two considerations to note when customizing permissions and security settings:

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• Define user roles: Define user roles and access levels based on the workflows within your organization. This will ensure that each user has the appropriate level of access to perform their specific tasks.
• Set access controls:  Set controls to restrict access to sensitive assets. This ensures that only authorized users have access to these assets.

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After integrating your DAM and CMS, the final step will be to train and onboard members of your organization on the features and functionality of the integrated systems. 

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Conclusion

Integrating DAM and CMS systems helps organizations better streamline their workflow, boost productivity, enhance collaboration, maintain brand consistency, and ensure proper management of their digital assets. This powerful combination of technologies can provide businesses with a competitive edge in the digital marketplace.

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If you want to make your business more efficient and customer-oriented, it's time to take action and explore integrating your own DAM and CMS platforms. By doing so, you'll be able to make the most of your digital assets, optimize your content management, and enhance your overall business operations. 

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