Digital assets are an important part of any company’s marketing strategy. However, managing these assets can be difficult, especially if they come in different formats.
In this article, we’ll discuss the most common types of digital assets and how companies use them. We will also provide some examples of good digital asset management practices. Finally, we’ll explain why digital files are so important and how OpenAsset can help manage them!
Why Are Digital Assets Important?
Digital assets are now integrated into all aspects of the digital world. Not only are quality digital assets essential for companies to develop successful marketing campaigns and brand awareness, but they also play a pivotal role in generating sales, onboarding new hires, and streamlining workflows.
Large corporations and small businesses alike are starting to realize that tapping into the value and power of these assets all hinges on their ability to utilize them efficiently. When marketing teams are equipped with an efficient process for managing and distributing digital assets, the ROI begins to grow. In fact, some marketing execs will argue that ROA (Return on Asset) is the new ROI!
The Value of Digital Images
The right digital images are memorable and can communicate meaning faster than words or ad copy ever could.
And it’s not just product photography that can be used to great effect. The use of digital assets like lifestyle images that show your products being used in real-life situations enhances your online presence. Marketing images keep readers around, and carefully curated digital formats in your marketing campaigns can boost open and engagement rates.
The Value of Video and Audio
Video and audio are two digital formats that have proven to be effective in marketing campaigns for all types of businesses.
These formats have become a mainstay in digital marketing and for good reason. They can be used to show off a product in use, walk customers through a complicated process, or simply tell your brand story in an engaging way.
However, video and audio files tend to be much larger than images or text-based files, which can make them difficult to manage without a premier digital asset management solution.
Common Formats of Digital Assets
Your digital content is valuable. Your marketing team spends time and energy developing uniquely branded logos, creating marketing campaign materials, and managing a wide range of digital assets, but they come in all different formats. Here are some of the most common formats for digital marketing assets and how companies use them.
Digital Asset Format One: Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)
Images are one of the most commonly used digital asset types. They can be used for everything from website design to social media posts to email campaigns. JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is a lossy compression image format standard for digital photography. Developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group, it is the most common image file format used on the internet.
Examples of digital assets in JPEG:
- Stock images for website design
- Lifestyle images for social media accounts
- Product images featured in email campaigns
- Screenshots
Because JPEGs are a lossy format, some quality is lost when the file is compressed. This format is better for images with less detail, such as photos of people or landscapes. However, JPEG compression is much more efficient than PNG compression, which means that you can usually get a smaller file size without a noticeable loss in quality.
Digital Asset Format Two: Portable Network Graphics (PNG)
Think images with transparent backgrounds. The Portable Network Graphics (PNG) format was created as a replacement for the GIF format, and one of the key features of PNG is that it supports transparency. This means that you can have a transparent background on your image, which can be extremely helpful for website design and social media posts.
Popular Uses for Portable Network Graphics:
- Brand logos
- Images that contain text like infographics
- Graphics with hard edges such as digital ad banners
- Explainer photos contained in email campaigns
PNG is best used for images with a lot of detail, such as a company logo or product photos. It offers lossless compression, which means that there are no risks of loss of quality when the file is compressed.
Digital Asset Format Three: Portable Document Format (PDF)
PDFs are a very versatile file type that can be used for everything from digital marketing collateral to product manuals, documents, and user guides. They are also commonly used as eBooks and whitepapers.
Popular Uses for Portable Document Formats:
- Downloadable content on a website
- Email attachment
- Spreadsheets and legal documents
- Smart contracts
- Intellectual property
Digital Asset Format Four: Adobe Illustrator File (AI)
Adobe Illustrator files are used for vector graphics, which are images that can be resized without losing quality. This makes them ideal for logos, icons, and illustrations. They can be opened and edited in Adobe Illustrator, which is the industry standard software for creating vector graphics.
Common Marketing uses for Adobe Illustrator Files:
- Branding elements
- Social media graphics
- Website mockups
Digital Asset Format Five: Tagged Image File Format (TIFF)
One of the newer frequently used formats, TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) files are used for high-resolution images, such as photographs. They can be compressed without losing quality, making them a good choice for storing and sharing large image files.
Common Marketing uses for Tagged Image File Formats (TFFF):
- Product photos
- Headshots
- Event Photography
Digital Asset Format Six: MOV or QuickTime File Format (QTFF)
Like images, videos are a valuable digital asset that can be used in a variety of ways. MOV is a file format that is typically used for videos on Apple products like the iPhone and iPad. It is also a popular format for uploading videos to the internet as it offers high quality while still being a relatively small file size.
MOV video files use cases:
- Brand & Culture videos – promote the company culture and values to both prospective and current employees.
- Explainer videos – explain products, services, or processes in a simple and engaging way.
- Event videos – capture all the happenings and speeches at in-person conferences, conventions, and other company gatherings.
- How-to and Instructional videos – provide step-by-step instructions on how to use a company’s product or service.
- Promo videos – generate excitement and create a call-to-action around a new product launch or sale.
- Testimonial and Customer Story videos – feature customers talking about their positive experiences with a company’s products or services.
- Thought Leadership and Interview videos – company leaders share their insights and expertise on topics related to their industry.
- Animated explainer videos – simplify complex concepts and make them more relatable for viewers.
- Product demo and tour videos – show potential customers how a company’s products work and can be used in real-world scenarios.
How to Manage Different File Formats, With Examples
To run relevant successful multi-channel marketing campaigns, you need to leverage a variety of digital assets in different formats. Time is money, and you can’t afford to waste it searching for up-to-date digital files that are haphazardly filed into google drive.
Luckily, there are platforms to make your digital assets more accessible. Investing in a digital asset management software like OpenAsset will help you streamline your creative processes, and make it easy for your team to find, use and reuse the different types of digital assets they need. A top-rated digital asset management solution will help you manage all types of digital assets including images, videos, logos, illustrations, and more, giving your business a competitive advantage.
Let’s take a look at some industry best practices for managing different digital asset file formats.
Taxonomy: How to Process Digital Assets Into Categories
This is the process of classifying your digital assets into categories. This can be as simple as creating folders for each product category or project on your website.
With OpenAsset’s DAM solution, you can add permissions to each folder and file. This means you can control who has access to what, making it easy to keep your digital assets library organized and secure. This comes in handy to help marketing teams keep continuity in branding.
Metadata: How to Add Information to Help You Categorize Digital Assets
One of the most important aspects of digital asset management is incorporating metadata. This might sound like a daunting task, but it’s quite simple. Metadata is simply “data about data.” When it comes to your digital assets, this means adding information that will help you categorize and search for files more easily.
For example, let’s say you have a folder of product images. If you add digital data to each image indicating the project name or building type, you’ll be able to quickly find the exact image you need without having to scroll through dozens of files.
Harness the Power of Your Digital Assets with OpenAsset
The digital asset space has never been more complex or exciting. Harness the power of new digital formats in your next marketing campaign by utilizing a variety of formats across multiple channels and staying organized with OpenAsset. Get started today.
