Are you a digital asset hoarder? Why you should have an organised deletion strategy

16th September 2025

From your organisation’s website and social media channels, to all of the printed collateral you create for internal and external use, digital assets are at the heart of everything you do.

Creating all of this material requires content, a lot of content, and over time that library of assets can start to get hard to manage and keep organised—and this is why developing an organised digital asset deletion strategy is so important.

What is digital asset clutter and why is it a problem for your organisation?

The volume of digital assets owned by organisations across every industry has grown exponentially, even when compared to just 10 years ago. 

For the most part, businesses, public institutions and non-profits have benefitted from the new and exciting ways they can communicate with key stakeholders, market themselves online and the fact they no longer have to store and organise physical documents.

However, this has led to a new issue, digital asset clutter, the accumulation of unnecessary, redundant and disorganised digital files, such as images, videos, documents and other assets that an organisation has acquired over time but no longer uses or needs.

Digital asset clutter creates significant challenges for these organisations, including: 

• Making it harder for teams to find the materials they actually need, while this wasted time reduces productivity and slows down important projects. 
• Increasing cloud storage costs
• Making it difficult to identify which versions of files are current and approved for use. 
• Increasing the risk that outdated assets are shared externally, which can damage brand reputation. 

By addressing digital asset clutter, organisations can streamline workflows, improve efficiency and ensure teams always have access to the correct materials.

5 steps for creating a Digital Asset deletion strategy

Removing digital clutter sounds easy enough, but to do so efficiently and effectively requires a comprehensive digital asset deletion strategy. Let’s take a look at the five steps you need to follow in order to get it right.

Step 1: Set rules for asset lifespan

The first step in creating a digital asset deletion strategy is to define the lifespan of each new asset you create or acquire, and how long it should be retained in your Digital Asset Management system.

Defining rules on how long different types of digital asset should be kept for, and when they should be audited, helps DAM Managers to recognise when an asset has served its purpose and prevents outdated files from taking up space.

These rules should take into account compliance, licensing and permissions, and organisational needs.

Step 2: Review and archive regularly

A deletion strategy isn’t just about removing assets but also about ongoing DAM housekeeping. 

Scheduling regular reviews ensures that assets are evaluated consistently, with those that need to be retained for reference—or that could be useful in the future—archived, and others flagged for deletion. 

These reviews only need to be quarterly or biannually, but by doing so organisations can prevent digital clutter from building up and make sure only current and relevant files are kept in active use. A structured review process also encourages cross-team collaboration and engagement with the DAM system, as different departments can confirm what they think should be kept and what can be safely removed.

Step 3: Use metadata to flag expiry or review dates

Metadata is essential for keeping your DAM organised, and it also plays a crucial role in your deletion strategy. 

By assigning expiry or review dates to assets through metadata, teams can automate reminders and ensure that review cycles are never missed. This reduces the risk of outdated content being used in campaigns and ensures compliance with licensing restrictions or consent agreements. 

This structured approach eliminates guesswork, saves time and ensures assets are always evaluated at the right stage in their lifecycle, improving efficiencyand making it easier to remain compliant.

Step 4: Assign deletion ownership

To ensure the deletion strategy is executed effectively, ownership of the process needs to be clearly defined. This will most likely sit with the DAM Manager, but other key stakeholders will probably be involved to some extent.

Assigning responsibility to specific individuals or teams ensures accountability and avoids disputes over who makes the final decision on whether to keep, archive or delete specific assets. For example, the DAM Manager might oversee the process while content owners, communications officers and marketing teams can confirm whether assets are still valuable. 

By formalising ownership, organisations can establish consistent rules across all departments, rather than leaving deletion to ad hoc decisions. This reduces the likelihood of either keeping unnecessary clutter or deleting something that’s still needed.

Step 5: Implement a soft delete / approval workflow

One of the biggest concerns when it comes to deleting assets is the risk of accidentally removing valuable content that took time and money to acquire. 

To mitigate this risk, a ‘soft delete’ or approval workflow could be implemented within the DAM. Instead of being permanently removed straight away, assets marked for deletion are placed into a holding state or recycle bin, where they remain accessible for a set period. This allows the DAM Manager or other stakeholders to review and approve deletion suggestions before files are gone for good. A soft delete approach not only prevents costly mistakes but also builds confidence in the process, encouraging teams to actively manage clutter without fear of losing something important.

Want to find out how you can create an effective digital asset deletion strategy within your ResourceSpace instance? Get in touch with the team today.