A marketing agency is a web of creative ideas, strategic messaging and differentiating concepts. Its people, its processes and its workflow must be shielded from the mayhem that confuses, but also free from the rigidity that confines. Organized chaos is a good thing in the marketing world, and a document management software system that allows for this organized chaos is a diamond in the rough for the unshakeable marketing agency.
Toeing the line between robotic automation and lackadaisical inconsistency is marketing asset management that primes both efficiency and innovation. Hard to find? Yes. But when you’ve got that perfect document management system, your marketing agency won’t look back.
Here are the eight document control essentials to look for in your marketing asset management system.
1. CUSTOMIZE YOUR CATEGORIES
No marketing agency is the same – that’s for sure. Customizable document indexing is crucial: You must be able to categorize documents in a way that makes sense to your organization.
2. DEFINE YOUR INFORMATION
In order to keep track of, find and preserve information, you need to keep track of, find and preserve the information about the information. Your system must allow you to assign your own metadata fields and decide which are critical enough to be “required.”
3. CHECK IN, CHECK OUT
Organized chaos is just chaos without document version control software. You must have the ability to check in and check out of documents so only the “current version” of documents are able to be published.
4. KNOW YOUR DOCUMENTS’ STORIES
If something is changed, you need to know all about it. You need to know each document’s story: keeping track of what changes were made, who made those changes and if/when those changes were approved.
5. REV UP REVIEW AND APPROVALS
Reviewing and approving, approving and reviewing, etc., etc. Both of those processes tend to run rampant at any agency. You need to rein them in. Your system must allow you to build out customizable workflow automation for the review and approval of content and graphics.
6. DON’T GET IN TROUBLE
You don’t want to mess with creative and intellectual property. If you don’t have the right to use something, and then you use it, you could be staring down a mess of fines and penalties. Make sure your system allows for full-throttle marketing campaign management, and that you’re able to prove you have the permission or license to use photos and other purchased assets.
7. KEEP IT TOGETHER
Go ahead, let your ideas run free… but that’s not the way your information should be. You need to manage documents and content in one secure, permission-based repository – not on freelancers’ or employees’ desktops, and not on content-management systems (CMS), cloud-based folders or networks that aren’t metadata driven.
8. MAKE IT MANDATORY
If it’s optional, only the dedicated few are going to use it. Make the use of (and training for) your document management system required by policy.
Remember: These are your company’s assets – not just your information, but your ideas – so get serious about protecting and preserving them.
If you have never used a real document and asset management system and have no idea what we are talking about contact us and we will show you the difference!
Click below to register for DocuVantage’s free Webinar: Beyond The Folder Barrier to learn about game changing document management breakthroughs.
