Digital asset management solutions (DAM) are becoming more widely used throughout a variety of industries and organizations. Because of the enormous amount of digital assets being created and used daily by businesses, some have employed full-time digital asset managers.
What is a Digital Asset Manager?
A digital asset manager is a team member who oversees, implements and maintains the DAM; they are not the software itself (more on that here). Responsibilities of a digital asset manager include acquiring, organizing and cataloguing digital assets, along with overseeing the security of digital assets, such as:
- Photos,
- Videos,
- Graphics,
- PDFs,
- Presentations,
- And more.
What Does a Digital Asset Manager Do?
Since digital asset managers are essentially the administrators of DAM systems, you’ll often see their roles include governance - overseeing the guidance of the rest of the team, enforcement of DAM best practices, and even research and development. The day-to-day role of a digital asset manager includes managing all digital asset management tasks, including but not limited to:
- Managing asset access (setting up user groups and permissions)
- Encouraging user adoption
- Proving DAM training and retraining users
- Implementing and enforcing metadata strategies
- Organizing and cataloguing assets
- File naming and maintenance
- Optimization of asset metadata
- Approving (or denying) asset usage or changes
- Ensuring alignment with security and compliance
- Testing, updating and auditing policies
A digital asset manager typically works in the IT department under a senior director or manager; working closely with legal, creative, marketing and sales departments.
How do You Become a Digital Asset Manager?
The core skills needed to become a digital asset manager include:
- Project Management Skills: The role of the digital asset manager intersects with many different departments, often with various projects happening simultaneously. Excellent organizational and time management skills are a must.
- Technical Skills: Familiarity with certain software and systems (such as CMS, PIM, ERP and project management tools) and markup and programming languages will often be needed to administer the DAM and set-up certain integrations.
- Interpersonal Skills: A digital asset manager works with various departments across an organization, and also trains those who will use the DAM. They must have excellent people and communication skills.
- Analytical Skills: As the individual in charge of file naming, organizational structure, maintenance and cataloguing, a digital asset manager must also have a quick, analytical brain.
Both formal education and experience are usually required to be hired as a digital asset manager. Typically, a degree in information science, computer science or a related field is preferred, along with one to three years of related experience in an entry-level role. Entry level roles could include IT support, digital asset coordinator or product manager. According to PayScale, a typical career path for a digital asset manager could include moving on to web development, then to software engineer, front-end developer or senior web developer.
Who Needs a Digital Asset Manager?
Any kind or size of company using a DAM could benefit from a full-time digital asset manager. However, larger companies with more sizable creative departments typically have the most to benefit from hiring a dedicated person to manage the system, as a high volume of assets are being made and distributed every day.
Is It Time for a Digital Asset Manager?
The landscape of digital asset management has changed. It’s not enough for enterprise organizations with various departments using a DAM to try and organize themselves and the system - a digital asset manager is needed.
The digital asset manager acts as the system’s administrator, overseeing, implementing, training and retraining everyone using the DAM. The right person in this role can help an organization get the most from their DAM across all departments, by implementing effective governance, improving productivity and speeding up workflows.
MediaValet is a leader in cloud-based digital asset management that helps organizations manage, organize and share their digital assets, improving productivity and increasing ROI. See MediaValet in action today.
