Video content is exploding in popularity, and managing all those assets can be quite the challenge. That's where video asset management software comes in, acting as your secret weapon for organizing, sharing, and protecting your valuable video content.
Whether you're a seasoned content creator or just dipping your toes into the world of video, streamlining your workflow and optimizing efficiency is crucial. With a myriad of video formats, platforms, and storage options, it's easy to get overwhelmed.
We're going to explore six compelling reasons to invest in video asset management software that will transform your video creation and sharing process. Enhancing collaboration, ensuring content security, and being able to share video files - we'll delve into all the factors to consider when handling digital video files.
What we'll cover
Table of contents
The move towards video means the companies involved in producing these assets are under pressure to get the job done. With the increase in workload, it's crucial video producers find a way to store, create, collaborate and produce videos strategically.
Our research shows that video projects have the longest average project review turn-around time of any media type, taking about 65 days to complete.
To increase efficiency, video producers need to look beyond gated solutions like Dropbox and Google Drive. Video asset management platforms can make it easier to access, edit and collaborate on all their video content and ensure compliance.
In this article, we’ll cover the struggles agencies are facing with video production, what video asset management is all about, and what makes up the ideal video asset management solution.
Why Many Agencies and Brands Struggle to Organize, Share and Remain Compliant Around Their Video Assets
Running a successful agency means juggling lots of moving pieces.
With the rise in video production also comes a host of issues for agencies and brands. Producing videos requires organization where everybody can access and collaborate as a team. Beyond that, companies need to make sure they're following their client's branding guidelines, while maintaining a level of compliance.
On average, businesses now have 293 videos in their library. Keeping all of this content on an internal server or cloud-based solution like Dropbox can clog up storage. While tools like Google Drive seem to be a solution on the surface, all to often these systems fall short because:
- It's hard to find files
- There is no easy way to collaborate
- Things have to be continuously edited and re-uploaded into the cloud
- No easy way for teams to collaborate/comment and review
Beyond these reasons, internal servers and cloud-based storage systems like Google Drive aren't suitable for creatives working on a project. It takes a lot of time for them to search for files in the right format or know if a file is a draft or one that's been approved for publication.
So how can agencies make sure that their team members are accessing the video content they need, in the right format and right version?
The answer is Video Asset Management.
What is Video Asset Management?
Video asset management is an administrative system companies can use to organize and store a substantial amount of content in a single place.
A video asset management platform allows teams to:
- Store all of your files so they can be accessed from anywhere
- Make it quicker to find, share, collaborate and access any video file
- Save precious time by giving your team all the info they need in one centralized library
Using a video asset management solution also helps with legalities around content compliance. A (decent) video asset management platform will make it easier for teams to produce videos while also sticking to legal restrictions such as copyright infringement. These functions are often automated, so creatives can spend their time producing, editing and collaborating on content, instead of focusing on legal issues.
However, like any tool, not all video asset management software is made the same. If you are looking to invest in the software yourself, there are some features you need to look for.
Want to learn more? Read how Linney updated their video asset management process to create a 12-hour turnaround time for video production.
Benefits of a Video Asset Management Software
A good piece of video asset management software helps teams do more than just store and find video files. Agencies and brands need security, transparency, and a way to collaborate, review and approve creative not only in-house but for their clients.
Here are six features to put on your checklist when looking for a good piece of video asset management software.
1. Comprehensive and Secure File Storage
One of the main draws for agencies looking to use a video asset management system is its storage capabilities.
Platforms like Google Drive and Dropbox are obvious options to store content. Yet video asset management software can give agencies a way to store terabytes of information in any file format.
For example, Ziflow allows agencies to store videos alongside a wide range of static, audio, HTML, and other file formats. This means creatives can quickly create content from the most common project media types such as; AI, PSD, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX, JPG, JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIF, TIFF, GIF, PDF and a wide range of audio/video formats.
That's useful when video files are just one component of a broader campaign that might also include static displays and ads, promotional materials. It also means video teams can store all related documentation, such as project briefs, alongside actual video assets for complete project auditing and reference
Plus, ay stored on Ziflow are also encrypted data-at-rest and in-transit, and any online proofs are hosted through Amazon Web Services, which has a physical security program with multiple certifications, including SOC 1 and 2 compliance.
2. Easier Collaboration, Less Feedback Chaos
Successfully collaborating on a video takes more than a couple of back-and-forth emails. Finding the best way how to share video files is key.
As agencies become busier, emails and Google Drive suggestions just don't cut it anymore. To get the final product perfect, creatives need to have the tools to review, manage feedback, collaborate and approve on any content that's in their pipeline.
Using video asset management software, teams can review and approve content while simultaneously sharing and collecting feedback across video asset file versions. Collaborating on a single platform allows creatives to:
- Speed up project completion
- Eliminate back-and-forth feedback on channels like email and Slack and collaboration directly on video assets
- Have a greater knowledge of version control and version comparison
- Improve compliance by ensuring key stakeholders are involved in every step of a project
Let's see what all of this looks like on a real-life project.
Using Ziflow, creatives can collaborate on a project by adding comments and annotations while tracking feedback and action items right on a video file. Everybody working on a project can also use online proofing to visually compare previous versions of a video file to make a quick evaluation and see its progression in real-time.
An example of video version comparisons using Ziflow
As every version of file is kept in a single place, creatives can progress with their project without worrying if they're working on the right file or version.
3. Seamless Upload & Sharing Speeds
The speediness of a video asset management system is an essential yet overlooked function of the software.
The time it takes for creatives to find a file or collaborate across multiple platforms all adds up, especially with complex files like videos that often have several versions or revisions. If your team is using an inefficient workflow like this, it can eventually erode your business’s competitiveness, where speed and turnaround can make all the difference.
The speediness of a video asset management system can also be linked to upload speeds and encoding. A tool like Ziflow can dramatically improve processing speeds and help teams launch new video review and approval projects in minutes—not hours. With Ziflow, video teams can render and encode project files and sequences as a new video proof or versions with one click directly from their video editing systems
4. Automate Video Asset Review with Video Proofing Workflows
The power of using a video asset management system isn't just in easier file storage, sharing, and markups. By centralizing video assets in one place, video assets can be connected to powerful review workflows that automate key decision points and actions around video files.
In fact, video projects that use an automated workflow can see up a 35% reduction in turn-around time versus videos that didn't use a workflow at all--that averages up to 26 days of time savings in project completion.
For video teams that need to turn assets around quickly for approval, connecting video asset management with automated approval workflow is a major advantage.
When video asset management is connected with automated workflows, video teams can:
- Share files and control video projects based on pre-determined review steps, so the right stakeholders view in-flight video assets only at the right time.
- Create review groups based on different video assets or project types.
- Control the flow of video asset creation based on approval decisions
- Track all feedback and approvals in one place.
- Automate the upload, transformation, and sharing of video assets and create new video proofs based on actions taken in other systems.
5. Seamless Integration with Video Editing Systems
Integrations help you to transform your video asset management platform into a one-stop-shop for everyone on your team.
With integrations like Dropbox and Google Drive, a tool like Ziflow can trigger new proofs automatically when files are created or updated in cloud storage folders. Ziflow can also automate many of the day-to-day file sharing, organizational and conversion tasks that take up valuable time every day.
Platforms like Ziflow allow you to take this one step further and integrate directly with editing systems like Adobe Premiere Pro. You can leverage the integration to complete online proofing actions, notifications, and decisions directly on video files in
- Video file sharing and storage are automated directly from the editing bay. Real-time versions are uploaded directly into online proofing file structures, reducing valuable time and effort spent on exporting and sharing.
- Video editors can see the status of video asset approvals and reviews in the same window as their project file.
- Comments, feedback, and annotations are synced to the video project timeline for crystal-clear change requests.
- And much more
This ultimately helps increase the speed and reduce the chaos involved in reviewing and approving video projects, which always pass through many hands and decision-makers.
Ziflow's integration with Adobe Premier Pro allows agencies to easily share, work with, and proof video assets in real-time directly in their video editing bays.
Ready to Step Up Your Video Asset Management System?
Video content is being consumed at a rapid pace, so it's no surprise content producers need to answer the challenge.
While agencies and brands have traditionally looked to in-house servers to store and collaborate on projects, and more recently, cloud-based tools like Dropbox and Adobe Premiere Pro, these solutions are struggling to keep up with the pace. With a video asset management system, agencies have a way to store and collaborate on projects using a single piece of software
Teams no longer have the luxury of spending their time searching for content and dragging out feedback through lengthy email chains. In an industry where time is money, the question is—can you afford not to invest in video asset management?
