Spring Clean Your Digital Assets
Everyone knows about ‘spring cleaning.’ It’s a great time for renewing your living or workspace. As the days grow longer and the temperatures rise, spring cleaning can help you feel better, boost efficiency, simplify things, and in some cases save you money by helping you focus on essentials. The same goes for our digital workspace.
In today’s digital world, if you have a business, chances are you accumulate vast amounts of digital assets every day. A digital asset is typically a piece of digital content, like images, logos, graphics, videos, documents, spreadsheets, apps, recordings, links, emails, contacts, reports, etc. These assets are essential tools for marketing, communication, and business operations, but can become overwhelming if not properly managed.
Disorganized digital assets can waste time and energy. Searching for files, duplicating work, and dealing with cluttered folders can slow productivity in day-to-day computer work, but there are other types of digital assets you may not have considered, such as social media, online listings, links on your website, or your marketplace on Google.
If you have a business and appear on Google, the information needs to be kept current, such as hours, photos, and industry-specific information (such as menus if you’re a restaurant). If someone shows up at your business because Google said you were open only to find you closed, chances are they won’t be back. Not only will they not come back—you won’t even know you lost them!
The same goes for inaccurate photos, broken links on your website, slow load times, lost documents, difficulty paying online, etc. A well-organized digital system reflects positively on your professionalism and the reputation of your business. It shows you respect your own time and resources, and that you value the time and trust of your clients or partners.
Tips for Digital Asset Organization
Digital asset organization works best when it’s planned. Set aside a week or month to declutter, back up, and restructure your digital assets. Make it easy to navigate your digital asset library by using consistent naming conventions and use a dedicated digital asset management tool or cloud storage platform (such as Dropbox or Google Drive) to keep your assets organized and accessible. Eliminate anything you no longer use such as apps or online services, archive old documents and photographs, and check to ensure all privacy statements or permission regulations are up to date.
When it comes to your social media, website, and online presence, it’s best to hire someone who specializes in maintaining those platforms. Regular scrutiny by a professional will help remove any outdated, duplicate, or unnecessary assets, to keep your system clean and efficient.
Bring In the New
Just like spring cleaning your home is an opportunity to upgrade and refresh, do the same for your business. Such as new photos, refreshing your branding materials, revisiting your mission statement, or having your website redesigned. The amount of assets we create and accumulate is staggering, but with a little organization, you can keep it under control. Take the time to refocus, reflect, and create a balance between productivity and profitability. By working efficiently, you will not only contribute to your financial success, but your business will shine.