Digital resources can be of any format or type: text, images, video, audio, 3D or VR environments, various documents (e.g., spreadsheets, presentations, projects, PDFs ...), or structured or unstructured data stored in a database.
The semantic value of a digital asset can be greatly enhanced by enriching it with further classification elements such as metadata.. The more metadata assigned to the resource, the easier it will be to classify and filter it and the more value (both semantic and economic) it will assume.
Metadata
Thanks to metadata, i.e., data on other data, it is, in fact, possible to define properties and relationships of digital resources such as the extended properties of a photographic image (the date and time of the shot, the GPS coordinates, the chromatic scale, as well as those contained within it as people or things).
Each digital resource (elementary information unit - chunk) will therefore be represented by a structured object enriched with a set of extended properties that will allow it to be read or distributed according to use, target, media, path, and profile.
Solutions for Digital Asset
There are different types of solutions for the management of digital assets, based on the purpose they can be divided into:
- Product Information Management - PIM
The Product Information Management solutions are a system for the centralized management of all the information that describes the products from the customer's point of view and allow the marketing department to distribute digital resources with maximum speed and precision through multiple channels, feeding catalogs, websites, and e-commerce sites, applications for sellers, mobile apps, social networks, totems, online advertising, mailing, ...
- Web Content Management System - WCM or WCMS
A web content management system is a system aimed at the centralized management of specific content for the web world, such as institutional sites, e-Commerce, web applications, mobile apps, web marketing, etc. and allows you to create, organize and manage specific digital resources in order to increase the control and efficiency of communication.
- Digital Asset Management - DAM
Digital Resource Management solutions are an integrated system for the strategic and centralized management of digital content that allows you to create, organize and distribute resources on different channels in order to increase control, efficiency, and effectiveness of communication.
- Digital Commerce Platform
Digital commerce platforms are systems that facilitate and support sales on multiple online channels at the same time (retail, wholesale, mobile, direct and indirect, call center, ... or e-Commerce, the marketplace, social network, Google Shopping, ...).
The key features of these solutions include the creation and management of product catalogs, web showcases, suggestions, and product customizations.
All these solutions have the automatic distribution of resources in common. Based on specific needs, they provide content selectively (for example final customers, reseller, technical assistance, language, geographic area, device, resolution, skills, abilities…) or feed and update satellite systems, drastically reducing time-to-market and offering personalized shopping experience in multi-channel and real-time environment.
The Distribution of Digital Resources
Digital distribution means the dissemination of information and content in digital format, distribution understood as a process for the planned dissemination of content on multiple online channels, to keep the information up-to-date and reach the greatest number of users.
The channels for promotion can be classified into three categories:
- Owned
Owned channels are all those channels controlled directly and in total freedom such as website, blog, newsletter and social media.
- Earned
The earned channels are channels where third parties share or promote other people's content, it is word of mouth online.
Whenever a company is mentioned on social media, blogs, or forums by its customers or followers, we can talk about earned media.
This type of channel helps to reach a wider audience and increase trust
- Paid
Paid channels are those where you must pay to have visibility and reach a certain audience.
The classic example is paid advertising on the Google search engine (Google Ads), or advertising posts on social networks and in general all display and video advertising activities.
Influencer marketing is also part of paid media
The Enterprise Information System
From the Digital Integration perspective, the solutions for the management of digital resources are an important step in a company's digital marketing strategy and are an integral part of the company information system.
The solutions for the management of digital resources represent, in most cases, the border or the external ring of the company domain (catalog management, order collection, customer assistance, …) and are essential to offer innovative experience and services to the customers.
These solutions act as an interface between the external world and the internal corporate world and are essential when it comes to digital transformation and the adoption of new models, or simply when you want to allow all the IT resources to work in a single environment.
The integration between the digital resources management system and the company information system is not limited to a simple connection but adds value with new functions obtained from the connection of various systems.