Give A DAM: How  Digital Asset Management can Scale Content Production

When producing a content strategy for 2025 and beyond, we all have creators and brands that we want to emulate. Creators and brands that just "get it."

They know how to speak to the channel they’re on. Their content always looks perfect and they always seem to deliver helpful, just-in-time solutions to a hungry, grateful audience.   

And if you are like me, your internal monologue is screaming: 

WHERE DO THEY FIND THE TIME?! 🥵

There are a ton of content scaling strategies out there. And most of them will tell you some very obvious things:

• Focus on a few core channels
• Align your core messages with funnel placement (Top, Middle, Bottom)
• Build repeatable frameworks for your chosen content types
• Leverage content repurposing

None of these strategies, however, will tell you the biggest reason why content strategies fail:

Your existing content assets are not organized enough to execute a modern content strategy.

Take content repurposing for example. There isn’t a content strategy you will find that doesn’t suggest this. How are you repurposing content?

If you said “finding an existing blog post and rewriting it,” you’re doing it wrong. 

If you said “finding an existing blog post and turning it into an infographic,” you’re also doing it wrong. 

True content repurposing should save you time. If your repurposing efforts are causing you to create entirely new assets from scratch, say it with me:

You’re doing it wrong.

So how do they do it? How do the influencers and brands and content strategists you love keep up with the rapid pace of content deployment that this current moment demands? 

Organizing Your Content For Efficiency

One of the first things chefs learn in culinary school is the concept of Mise en place.

Mise en place (pronounced meez en ploss) is a French culinary term meaning “everything in its place.” For a chef, the practice of preparing and organizing all ingredients, equipment, and even your work space before you begin cooking is just as important as not burning the sauce. 

Why is that?

Because, as anyone who has seen The Bear will tell you, chefs manage a massive volume of incoming orders. As the complexity and quality of those orders increases, fulfilling all that incoming would be impossible without a little mise en place.

So how does this apply to your content strategy?

If your content strategy (and the tools, automations and possible AI models used to execute it) are going to save you time, they have to help you do a few things first: 

• Find content applicable to a certain topic: This helps you know your company’s past positions on certain topics, what Sales is telling prospects, how your positions have evolved over the years, etc. 
• Find elements used in telling that story, independent of the content assets themselves: This means not only are your blog posts tagged to the topic(s) they relate to, so are your graphs, images and videos.  
• Build templates with both guardrails and governance: This means that, while templates telling you the font size of your headlines and the size of your images is great, they need to be paired with task management, deadlines and accountability so relevant stakeholders across departments can get into repeatable processes for delivery. 
• Keep content organized without a ton of manual work: This one should be self explanatory. If it’s everyone’s job to keep content organized, then it’s no one’s job. Automation can help with this but initial setup and well-documented user testing are key.

If your content strategy has created a ton of needless complexity and content mise en place sounds like the solution, there are a ton of tools to help you. Your content management system, CRM and Email platforms can all be organized to save your content creators time.

But those systems (and their strategies) are widely known.

I want to talk about an under-utilized, but desperately-needed and rapidly growing corner of the martech universe–the Digital Asset Management system. 

What is a DAM?

A Digital Asset Management (DAM) system is software that stores, organizes, and makes it easy to find and share digital files—such as images, videos, documents, audio, and design files. It typically includes metadata tagging, version control, access permissions, and search capabilities to help teams manage content efficiently and maintain brand consistency.

Nice little infographic explainer from imagekit.io.

The global DAM market was valued at $4.22 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16.2% through 2030 (Grand View Research). This surge in adoption isn’t just enterprise-driven—startups are embracing DAM principles to build systems that grow with them.

The DAM is breaking.

Making DAM Accessible for Startups

You don’t need enterprise-level software to start managing your digital assets like a pro. Tools like Airtable, Notion, and SmartSuite have lowered the barrier to entry. These platforms let startups build structured systems that include asset tagging, version control, and content pipelines—all without draining your resources on complex onboarding modules.

Other tools worth mentioning:

• Trello or Asana – Great for visualizing content production workflows.
• Frame.io – Collaborative review tool for video teams.
• Canva for Teams – Brings design and asset sharing into one ecosystem.
• Miro and Milanote – Useful for mapping campaigns and content strategy.

The key here is intentional setup. Even without a formal DAM, you can mimic the best parts of one by introducing organizational structures that fit your business.

For example, if your content strategy has identified different content types for different points in the customer journey (TOFU, MOFU, BOFU), you can house your content in the specific tools designed to produce that content type. If your top-funnel prospects get eye-catching content created in Canva, but your mid-funnel prospects get personalized product demos through Loom, your workflow allows for siloed content repos. It’s important to keep a record of how your content is performing but full unification may not be necessary. 

Different moments in the customer lifecycle require different content assets. Some content teams choose to create different workflows for each stage to maintain strategic advantage, while others strive to be more flexible and hands-on. S/o to PointVisible for this graphic.

If, on the other hand, you have a longer sales cycle or a more complicated product, unification may be necessary. If your sales reps need to share reports on specific topics or you want to create searchable documentation, unified asset management is key.

If your content creation process involves templates, sorting content by topic AND template block so they are easily accessible will speed your time to publish significantly. If your team has the bandwidth, stockpiling or creating interesting assets for these template blocks is a worthwhile endeavor. Bonus points if you can tie it all together with a content calendar that keeps everyone on the same page. 

Key Features

So what are the key features startups should be looking for? And what are some popular startup tools actively addressing the needs of content teams trying to keep pace?

For startups, the name of the game is versatility within reason. Many software providers will promise the sun, moon and stars, “all in one user-friendly platform.” That is rarely the case. Most products are good at a few things and, when they try to get out of their lane, the results aren’t up to snuff.

So when you find the ability to extend the use of a tool within your stack (whether through integration, clever organization or both), you’re playing with house money.

It’s common for startups to rely on Google Drive, Dropbox, or SharePoint to store assets. That’s fine—until those folders turn into black holes. If your team spends more time hunting for files than creating content, it’s time for a system refresh.

Google Drive, for example, provides versatility as it is commonly used to manage email, shared documents, employee onboarding and more. But Google Drive lacks some key features that startups may need to manage content at scale.

No metadata or tagging, no workflow integration, templating or status tracking, and the only organizational structure on offer is folders. Dropbox and Sharepoint have similar shortcomings.

Things like organizing by tag, status or owner, and integrating with workflows and content calendars to stay on top of completion are essential.

Here are just a few of the key DAM features startups may require, and some popular startup tools who offer them.  

1. Centralized Asset Repository

What it does: Stores all digital files (images, videos, PDFs, design files, etc.) in one searchable hub.

Why it’s important for startups: Prevents content sprawl across email, desktops, and chat apps. Speeds up retrieval and keeps branding consistent.

Popular Tools with this Feature:

Notion: Embed/upload files directly in pages, keep them organized by project or use case.

SmartSuite: Upload and manage files at the record level across solutions (projects, assets, campaigns) with native file support.

Airtable: Attachment fields store assets in a centralized, tabular format.

2. Custom Metadata & Tagging

What it does: Lets you add tags, categories, and custom fields to each asset for better search and filtering.

Why it’s important for startups: Helps small teams find the right assets fast without relying on folder hierarchy.

Popular Tools with this Feature:

Notion: Custom properties on databases/pages. 

SmartSuite: Highly customizable field types (tags, dropdowns, people, statuses) with metadata modeling across assets and solutions.

Airtable: Custom fields, multi-select tags, linked records, filters.

3. Version Control

What it does: Tracks changes to assets, allows rollbacks, and ensures the team always uses the latest version.

Why it’s important for startups: Prevents using outdated files in campaigns or client materials, which can hurt credibility.

Popular Tools with this Feature:

Notion: Page version history.

SmartSuite: Field-level and record-level revision history with audit trails.

Airtable: Record revision history (on higher-tier plans).

4. Permissions & Access Control

What it does: Controls who can view, edit, or share certain assets or collections.

Why it’s important for startups: Protects sensitive or in-progress content from being edited or shared too early.

Popular Tools with this Feature:

Notion: Page sharing with view/edit/comment access.

SmartSuite: Role-based access control at the workspace, solution, and record level.

Airtable: Base- and view-level access controls.

5. Visual Previews & Media Support

What it does: Displays thumbnails or full previews for images, videos, and design files without downloading.

Why it’s important for startups: Makes it easier to find and validate assets visually—especially for design-heavy teams.

Popular Tools with this Feature:

Notion: Native image, video, and PDF preview support.

SmartSuite: Embedded file viewer for image, document, and media files directly in record views.

Airtable: Thumbnail previews in attachment fields.

6. Asset Linking & Embedding

What it does: Allows linking or embedding assets across different documents, tasks, or databases.

Why it’s important for startups: Keeps documentation, campaign planning, and product development aligned with up-to-date assets.

Popular Tools with this Feature:

Notion: Embed files and link between databases or pages.

SmartSuite: Link assets to other records across solutions (e.g., tie images to marketing campaigns or products).

Airtable: Linked records between bases or tables.

7. Search & Filtering

What it does: Enables keyword-based search and filtering by metadata, tags, or file types.

Why it’s important for startups: Saves time locating assets in fast-paced environments with high content turnover.

Popular Tools with this Feature:

Notion: Full-page and database search.

SmartSuite: Global search across records, attachments, fields, and filters by file types and custom tags.

Airtable: Filter and search within bases using conditions.

8. Workflow Integration / Automation

What it does: Triggers workflows based on asset status—like review, approval, or publishing.

Why it’s important for startups: Automates repetitive tasks and aligns teams around asset readiness and deadlines.

Popular Tools with this Feature:

Notion: Limited native automations, but strong Zapier/Make integrations.

SmartSuite: Built-in automations triggered by status changes, uploads, due dates, and approvals.

Airtable: Automations using triggers and actions (e.g., notify on file upload). 

9. Collaboration & Comments

What it does: Allows team members to leave feedback on assets in context.

Why it’s important for startups: Reduces communication friction and shortens review cycles.

Popular Tools with this Feature:

Notion: Inline comments and @mentions in any block.

SmartSuite: Inline comments on records and files, plus activity timelines.

Airtable: Comments on individual records and attachments.  

10. External Sharing & Embeds

What it does: Securely share assets with clients, contractors, or partners.

Why it’s important for startups: Supports remote and outsourced teams while maintaining control over IP.

Popular Tools with this Feature:

Notion: Public page sharing with optional password or expiration.

SmartSuite: Public link sharing and embeddable views with controlled access (read-only, password, expiration).

Airtable: Shared views and public gallery-style asset access.   

Scaling Video with a DAM Mindset

Most teams think of DAMs as large file and video storage - think Dropbox or Google Drive. But the real power comes from storing the pieces of video production that can be reused and recombined:

• Logo animations
• Watermarks and intro/outros
• Title cards and lower-thirds
• Soundtracks and background music
• Pre-approved b-roll

By centralizing these elements, your team can templatize video creation, allowing editors to produce high-quality content faster and with less friction. Whether you use Frame.io or organize assets by type, the trick is to build modularity into your content.

S/o to Aprimo for the graphic. 

And don’t sleep on Canva. Their video tools seem to get better all the time, and allow teams already using Canva for visual assets to add videos and video elements, keeping content–and its component parts–centralized. 

Using Your CMS as a DAM? Read This First

Startups often use CMS platforms like WordPress, Webflow, or HubSpot as de facto DAMs. But media libraries can quickly become unwieldy. If you're using your CMS to manage files, it’s time to rethink the system.

This is where smart integration and enhancement can help. Wordpress, for example, offers plugins to allow asset tagging and more complex sorting. Hubspot users can integrate with task management platforms to keep content production on track and create internal workflows to enforce production schedules. Hubspot’s native files menu is also better than most, offering access controls, enhanced search, sorting by type, and the ability to add files to Campaigns, allowing a deeper integration between campaign workflows and content assets. 

To optimize your CMS as a DAM:

• Use folders and tagging plugins (e.g. WP Media Folder, FileBird).
• Enforce naming conventions and alt-text standards.
• Limit file duplication and maintain a single source of truth.
• Implement a media asset taxonomy to align content with campaigns.

Final Thought: Start Small, Think Big

You don’t need a six-figure budget to start managing your content like a modern brand. With a few intentional choices—naming conventions, folder structures, and content-first organization—you can lay the groundwork for a scalable content production process.

Digital Asset Management isn’t just for enterprises. It’s for any startup serious about growing their content, team, and brand without creating chaos in the process.