Content production is becoming increasingly decentralized. What strategy should you adopt to get content producers to integrate their media into your Digital Asset Management solution?
Increasingly decentralized production of corporate media content
Originally, the production of corporate multimedia content was essentially the responsibility of communications departments. They organized photo and video reports, and commissioned their agencies to produce web, print and advertising content. The agencies or the communications department itself then integrated the content into the DAM for distribution. This historical pyramid model is tending to disappear. For many companies, a new collaborative organization is being put in place, with new types of content:
Collaborator content
Teams in the field take photos and videos directly from their phones. This is the case, for example, in the construction industry, where engineers and workers document their work on site. It's also the case at events, where employees take pictures. This content is then shared directly on social networks.
Graphic content created online via applications
PlayPlay, Canva, Genially... apps that make it easy to create infographics, videos, illustrations and more are multiplying. It's no longer necessary to call on the services of a graphic designer or communications agency. Now, anyone in the company who needs to create media can do so autonomously and obtain a final file that can be distributed.
User-generated content
Brand users or customers produce their own content and publish it on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc. Holidaymakers take photos of themselves by the pools at Club Med. Influencers shoot videos with the latest Guerlain perfume. Bloggers share images of press tests for the latest Citroën... This content is a godsend for brands, because it often incurs no cost for marketing and communications departments. All that remains is to negotiate the rights to reuse it...
New issues
These new types of content create new problems for DAM administrators:
Content quality
Photos and videos taken over the phone don't necessarily meet the same quality criteria as those produced by professional photographers and directors. The same goes for more or less automated graphic creations. They can't meet the same standards as those of professional graphic artists and designers. Communicating with poor-quality media can have a negative impact on a company's or brand's image. So it's important to make sure that content complies with the organization's charter.
Linked data
Media are often what we call "dumb" content. They are impossible to find without associated data, unlike text content. Without qualified information or context, images become unusable. What can you do with a hundred photos of an event, without being able to identify either the people pictured or the event itself? How can you find an illustration, in the midst of thousands of other media, if it has simply been integrated into the DAM under the name 'untitled.png', without any other indication?
Rights and compliance
Professionals know the basics of managing copyright and image rights. When they take photos, they remember to obtain the necessary authorizations to use the images without litigation. They can also ensure that the people or places depicted are not identifiable. These are not the automatisms of ordinary employees, who are not necessarily aware of these issues.
For some sectors, product media have to tick additional boxes. One example is the construction industry. In this sector, photos of construction sites must show workers wearing their safety equipment. No photo of an employee without a helmet, gloves or reflective vest may be shown.
Quantity
The quantities produced are constantly increasing. Whereas we used to take just a few photos of an event, today we can easily end up with hundreds of images. Not all content has the same value. It becomes necessary to edit the content that offers the greatest added value. Keeping everything is not a sustainable solution: drowned in useless content, your relevant media are harder to find.
Collection
Last but not least, there is the issue of media collection. Media producers rarely add their own content to the DAM. How can we identify who is producing media relevant to the company? How do you go about collecting them and obtaining contextual and descriptive information? How do you get resource people to contribute to your DAM?
The challenge of media centralization
Today's DAM managers have their work cut out for them. You have to find the sources of the media produced throughout the company. But above all, they have to be able to harvest them for distribution in the DAM. Those in charge of photo or media libraries have to find media wherever they are in the company. They need to communicate with all departments to find out who produces which media, and for what purposes.
Once the content producers have been identified, the hardest part remains. You have to convince them to take the time to transmit their media WITH the related information, a task often perceived as time-consuming and tedious. So how do you convince them?
6 ways to get image, video and other content producers to centralize their media on your DAM
1. Simplify processes as much as possible
The longer it takes to integrate content, the less likely people are to contribute. By simplifying the process as much as possible, you make it easier for people to contribute. Forget document files with 15 fields to enter: nobody will fill them in. Simplify as much as possible, and focus on two or three key pieces of information that you can then complete the indexing yourself.
2. Automate contributions where possible
Even better than manual contribution is automatic integration of content into your DAM whenever possible. Import scripts can be set up. They enable content deposited in directories or published in certain applications to be integrated into the DAM. For example, Keepeek integrates with applications such as Grand Shooting or user-generated content management platforms such as Stackla.
3. Bringing value to contributors
There's no better way to get resource people to contribute than to show them the benefits they can bring. To do this, ask them about the content they need in their daily lives. If they find useful content in the DAM, they'll be more inclined to make their own media available. Show them that the DAM is a tool that will save them time, not waste it!
Similarly, try to retrieve as many different types of content as possible. To win over users, they need to say to themselves: I'm looking for this content, it must be in the DAM. The more exhaustive your DAM is in terms of the content it offers, the more users will automatically go looking for content... and the more they'll have the reflex to integrate their own productions.
4. Leading, coordinating and supporting
Show that your DAM is active, that it offers new media on a regular basis and that everyone is contributing. Regularly send out information on new content in a simple newsletter, for example. You can also personalize the home page with newly integrated content. Seeing that the DAM is constantly enriched, contributors will be more eager to improve the completeness of the content available.
If some contributors don't integrate their content, try to dig deeper to understand the root causes. Go and see them in the field. They'll usually tell you they don't have the time. Try to dig deeper: do they know how to import into the DAM in the best possible way? Is the DAM url easy to find? What could you do to help them? Could a simple one-page guide solve their problem? Analyze their bottlenecks sympathetically and find solutions to make their lives easier. They'll be more inclined to help you if you show them that you're ready to support them too.
5. Enhance and promote
Remember to rely on your driving forces. You'll always find one or two people who contribute and understand the value of DAM: make them your ambassadors. Value their contributions. Thank them in front of their teams and managers, and show everyone that they bring value to the company.
Give use cases where content has saved someone time or added value to the company. Giving concrete examples will make it easier to convince contributors to add their content.
6. Involve your sponsor/management
Sometimes, all it takes is the support of the company's management or communications department to change the situation. When a manager communicates the importance of centralizing content, and supports the process of sharing and capitalizing on the media produced, teams become more aware that the DAM is a strategic axis for corporate communication.
How do you convince your contributors to upload their content to the DAM? Would you like to share your experiences and best practices in a themed workshop with other DAM administrators? If so, fill in the form below and we'll get back to you to arrange it!
