ResourceSpace has changed the way the DEC uses content, making it much easier for us to quickly make assets available both internally and externally during our emergency appeals.
Your content management system probably already has a Media Library, so why do you need a separate system to store those website assets?
Put simply, your CMS was designed to create and publish web pages, not manage a growing, organisation-wide library of images, videos, documents and brand assets intended for use across a range of media.
A Digital Asset Management system is the dedicated asset layer behind your CMS that works alongside it, rather than replacing it. A DAM provides you with a central location to manage your content with advanced metadata, granular access permissions, version control and usage information stored within the assets themselves, while the CMS handles web publishing.
This is where a DAM and CMS integration comes in, creating a seamless link between both of these crucial platforms and making the lives of DAM Managers, Marketing Managers and web teams much easier.
4 things that go wrong when your CMS and DAM are disconnected
Wrong file versions going live
When your CMS and DAM operate separately, it makes it much more likely that someone uploads an outdated version of an image or logo. Marketing teams might have several different versions saved locally or in the CMS Media Library, with no clear indication of which is the latest, approved asset.
Publishing held up waiting for someone to find the right image
Publishing a new webpage or updating an existing one can be held up when the required image isn’t immediately accessible. Marketing managers might have to contact designers or Campaign Managers to simply locate a single asset.
Connecting your DAM to the CMS allows publishers to find and access approved (and only approved) assets as part of the publishing workflow.
Duplicate files across platforms
Siloed systems can often lead to duplication, and when the DAM and CMS aren’t connected the same asset can end up in multiple places. For example, the Marketing Manager might download an image from the DAM to use on the website, but later creates another copy for a different channel. Over time, this duplication wastes storage space and makes version control much harder.
Brand inconsistency across channels
Brand inconsistency is one of the biggest challenges caused by poor DAM practices, weakening the overall brand experience.
What’s more, brand inconsistency can actually cost you revenue, with studies showing that consistent brand presentation increases revenue by up to 23%.
What a CMS-DAM integration actually looks like day-to-day
So if those are the problems caused when your CMS and DAM aren’t connected, what does it actually look like when they are? Here are three key benefits.
Metadata-driven search: finding the right file in seconds
Instead of having to search through CMS Media Library folders and rely on filename searches, marketing and web teams can use metadata to find exactly what they need.
For example, if an asset is tagged with its campaign name, intended channel and approval status, it can be filtered with other relevant fields. This saves CMS and Marketing Managers a lot of time otherwise spent scrolling through hundreds of images.
Permissions and approvals built into the workflow
A DAM uses role-based permissions to control which assets different teams can see, download or use, meaning someone creating a web page doesn’t need access to every asset in the organisation’s library.
DAM approval workflows also ensure that content has been checked and approved before it becomes available for wider use, reducing the risk of accidentally publishing an unapproved image or an asset whose usage rights have expired.
For organisations working with brand guidelines, licensed imagery or regulated content, these controls are an important part of responsible publishing.
Copyright and licensing
A DAM can store copyright and licensing info alongside the assets themselves, including when permission to use an image or video expires. When an asset is approaching expiry, ResourceSpace can also flag it for review and automatically block it from being accessed when this date is reached.
How to evaluate your integration options
There are three main approaches to connecting a CMS with a DAM. The right choice depends on your CMS, internal technical resources and how much control you need over the connection.
1. Native CMS connectors
The easiest option is usually pre-built, off-the-shelf integrations made available for the DAM vendor. Because the integration has already been designed to connect the two platforms, implementation is generally more straightforward.
Note that ResourceSpace has native integrations with WordPress, Drupal and Joomla.
2. API-first integration
If your organisation has access to developer resources, APIs can allow for integration between the DAM and a CMS platform not supported by pre-built connectors.
ResourceSpace provides a full REST API, giving developers access to functions including upload, download, transcode, edit and search, making it easy to create integrations with other CMS platforms. We work with a range of partners who can build these integrations for you too, if you don’t have resource in-house.
3. Middleware tools
If it’s not possible to build your own integration, middleware can act as the bridge between your CMS and DAM.
These tools connect different systems and pass information or files between them without requiring you to build the entire integration yourself.
Explore the other native integrations offered by ResourceSpace, as well as the bespoke connections you can create thanks to the REST API.
To find out more about what you can do with ResourceSpace, book a discovery call with one of our experts below.
Talk to a ResourceSpace Specialist
A short consultation to understand your current setup,
challenges and objectives.
