Enhancing Acquia DAM With Integrations

Introduction

There are several DAM solutions available in the market with Acquia DAM standing out as a feature rich platform for:

• Centralizing and organizing digital assets
• Streamlining workflows
• Ensuring brand consistency

With the right Acquia DAM integrations, organizations can further optimize their digital asset management workflows, improve productivity, and deliver more personalized digital experiences.

What Is Acquia DAM?

Acquia DAM is a cloud-based solution designed to help organizations effectively manage and organize their digital assets, such as images, videos, and other multimedia files. Acquia DAM helps businesses streamline their creative workflows, ensure brand consistency across marketing materials, and improve the overall efficiency of managing digital assets.

Acquia DAM works as a central repository for various inputs and outputs. It allows approved users to upload media files like images and logos into the DAM. The system ingests the files and enables tagging with metadata.

There are several security features that help control which user groups can access which assets and how. Users can download approved assets and share them with collaborators or partners through shared links, embed codes, and system integrations.

Features Of Acquia DAM

Businesses can use the following features of Acquia DAM to streamline their digital asset management.

Centralize Assets In One System 

Everything from audio files to brand guidelines and product visuals can be stored in one accessible location. This allows seamless interaction with previews of logos, documents, work-in-progress files, videos, 360° photos, and more.

Provide Self-Serve Access

Enables teams, regardless of their location or time zone, to access what they require, when they require. Acquia DAM also allows secure access with permissions and curates asset selections through portals.

Publish Up-To-Date And Approved Assets

Maintains an updated record of assets and implements Digital Rights Management (DRM) effectively. With version control, organizations can update once, and the asset will be automatically published across all shared and embedded links.

Automate Content Workflows

Enables utilization of metadata to enhance content marketing workflows. Establishes no-code, rule-based automation to notify users of new content. And empowers the implementation processes with AI for automatic tagging and metadata application.

Transform And Reuse Content

Easily converts images, videos, and audio files to different formats. Makes it easy to set up common conversions for social media, email campaigns, presentations, and web pages, or adjust size and crop as required.

Monitor Content Effectiveness With Analytics

Enables informed decisions by using site-level and asset-level analytics. The asset-level analytics assists users in distributing, releasing, and reutilizing the team's most effective assets. While the site-level analytics provides access to metrics like searches, shares, embeds, views,, and downloads.

Automate Marketing Workflows

Organizations can integrate their tools and data to extend their assets from a central source, enhancing productivity, security, and brand consistency.

How Acquia DAM Helped Energizer Manage A 560% Growth In Total Assets

Energizer Holdings Inc., one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of primary batteries, portable lights, and auto care products, struggled to manage its digital data. As the organization continued acquiring new companies, it also acquired more content. Energizer needed a solution to help them organize and manage a growing, diverse library of digital assets. 

By implementing Acquia DAM as the central source for all content across its family brands, Energizer ensured that all partners and team members have self-service access. It also enabled relevant system integrations, flexible metadata structure, and centralized over 200,000 digital assets. 

After the implementation of Acquia DAM in 2015, Energizer’s digital assets grew from 200,000 to 300,000. Acquia DAM was able to scale with this growing need while ensuring a unified brand experience and continued ROI for Energizer.

Three Different Ways To Connect And Extend Acquia DAM

Organizations can get more out of Acquia DAM by connecting and extending its capabilities. This can be done in three ways. 

Out-Of-The-Box Integrations

Acquia has a massive library of pre-built integrations that connect DAM with popular marketing automation, CMS, Product Information Management, and creative tools. These integrations act as middleware, enabling bi-directional data and file synchronization between Acquia DAM and the chosen application.

• Marketing Automation: Streamline asset delivery to marketing automation platforms like Marketo or Salesforce Marketing Cloud. This eliminates manual uploads and ensures brand consistency across campaigns.
• Content Management System (CMS): Integrate DAM with Drupal or WordPress to empower editors with easy access to assets directly within the CMS interface. Leverage embed codes for seamless asset placement within content.
• Product Information Management (PIM): Achieve greater efficiency and accuracy in managing and distributing product-related content across various channels by integrating Acquia DAM with PIM.
• Creative Tools: Foster collaboration by integrating with design software like Adobe Creative Suite. This allows designers to directly access and utilize assets within their familiar workflows.

For example, Schusterman Family Philanthropies, a philanthropic organization, was struggling to create tailored web experiences while utilizing all their digital assets. By integrating Salesforce with Acquia DAM, Schusterman Family Philanthropies centralized its assets and efficiently published customized content.

As a result, the organization increased content engagement by 87% and reduced bounce rates by 28%.

Share And Embed Links

Acquia DAM’s share and embed link functionalities are effective in scenarios where full-fledged integration isn't necessary.

• Share Links: Generate secure URLs that grant access to specific assets or collections. Sharing links offer a controlled way to distribute content with internal or external collaborators.
• Embed Links: Embed assets directly into web pages or applications using embed codes. This is effective for showcasing assets within marketing materials, social media posts, or product pages.

For example, Hootsuite’s social media management software is used by 18 million users globally. Due to this massive user base, Hootsuite was struggling to locate the right content. It was also challenging to maintain Hootsuite’s brand consistency due to dated or low-quality content.

Hootsuite used embed links to integrate Aquia DAM with Google Drive. As a result, Hootsuite streamlined the digital asset distribution process while achieving 575,758 embed views, all within a year.

The Acquia DAM API

Organizations can use the Acquia DAM API for maximum control and customization. Developers can use this programmatic interface to build custom integrations tailored to their specific needs.

These Acquia DAM APIs are stored within the Acquia DAM’s Apiary site, which provides comprehensive documentation about implementing these APIs. 

I have worked with many DAM APIs, and Acquia DAM's Apiary site gives much clearer examples and information....Not only is the documentation better, but the API responses are faster. 

Sean O'Kelley | Founder, The DAM Consultants

A few features of Acquia DAM API are:

• Search And Access Assets: Programmatically search, filter, and retrieve assets based on metadata or other criteria.
• Manage Metadata: Create, update, and delete asset metadata, ensuring data consistency across the ecosystem.
• Upload And Download Assets: Automate asset ingestion and delivery workflows using the API for programmatic file transfers.
• Trigger Workflows: Leverage the API to initiate automated workflows based on specific events within Acquia DAM, such as asset upload or approval.

The following table summarizes the three ways of connecting with Acquia DAM. 

Establishing Important Integrations With Acquia DAM

The following Acquia DAM integrations can boost the organizational efficiency and productivity of a brand.

File-Sharing Tools

Organizations can seamlessly share assets by integrating file-sharing tools with Acquia DAM. 

• Integration Types: Share links & embeddable assets.
• Benefits: Securely share assets with external collaborators and clients without compromising DAM security.
• Technical Implementation: Leverage Acquia DAM's built-in sharing functionality. Generate secure, permission-controlled links or embed codes for specific collections or assets. Integrate with cloud storage providers like Dropbox or Google Drive for a hybrid sharing approach.
• Popular Examples: Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box.

Collaboration Tools

Organizations can streamline communications and collaboration by integrating collaboration tools with Acquia DAM. 

• Integration Type: APIs & Webhooks
• Benefit: Facilitate real-time collaboration on projects within the chosen platform. Streamline feedback loops and asset approvals.
• Technical Implementation: Utilize Acquia DAM's RESTful APIs to establish two-way communication with collaboration tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams. Develop custom workflows using Webhooks to trigger notifications in the collaboration platform upon asset updates or approvals.
• Popular Examples: Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Asana. 

Project Management Tools

Organizations can easily visualize the project assets and retrieve them by integrating project management tools with Acquia DAM. 

• Integration Types: APIs & Single Sign-On (SSO)
• Benefits: Enhance project visibility by centralizing access to assets within project management tools. Facilitate asset search and retrieval based on project context.
• Technical Implementation: Leverage APIs to link Acquia DAM with project management tools like Trello or Jira. Implement SSO to ensure seamless user authentication across platforms.
• Popular Examples: Jira, Trello, and Asana. 

Marketing Automation Platforms

Organizations can integrate Marketing Automation Platforms with Acquia DAM to utilize digital assets for personalized marketing campaigns.

• Integration Type: APIs & Webhooks
• Benefit: Automate marketing campaigns by ensuring on-brand assets are readily available within the Marketing Automation Platform (MAP). Personalize email marketing with dynamic asset insertion based on recipient data.
• Technical Implementation: Utilize APIs to connect Acquia DAM with the MAP (e.g., Marketo, HubSpot). Develop workflows using webhooks to automatically push approved assets to the MAP upon specific DAM events like asset approval.
• Popular Examples: HubSpot and Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

Sales Enablement Platforms

Organizations can easily access all the approved sales materials by integrating Sales Enablement Platforms with Acquia DAM. 

• Integration Type: APIs & Content Management Systems (CMS)
• Benefit: Empower sales teams with easy access to the latest sales materials within their Sales Enablement Platform (SEP). Improve sales collateral consistency by ensuring brand-compliant assets are readily available.
• Technical Implementation: Leverage APIs to connect Acquia DAM with SEP. Integrate with CMS so that sales representatives can personalize sales presentations using approved assets directly from Acquia DAM.
• Popular Examples: Seismic and Highspot.

CMS Integrations

Organizations can streamline the content creation process by integrating CMS with Acquia DAM. 

• Integration Type: Acquia DAM Module & APIs
• Benefit: Streamline content creation by enabling easy selection and insertion of assets directly within the CMS. Maintain brand consistency by ensuring only approved assets are used on the website or landing pages.
• Technical Implementation: Utilize the native Acquia DAM module for Drupal or leverage APIs for custom integrations with other CMS platforms.
• Popular Examples: Drupal and WordPress. 

Choosing A Module For Acquia DAM And Drupal Integration

Acquia offers two Drupal modules to enable integration with Acquia DAM.

1. Media: Acquia DAM (media_acquiadam)

Media: Acquia DAM has a 1.x branch and a 2.x branch. The 1.x branch will soon lose support. Users can utilize the 2.x branch to migrate from the 1.x branch.

1. Acquia DAM (acquia_dam)

This is a more modern approach of integrating a Drupal site with Acquia DAM. The module uses embed codes to display files directly from the DAM's Content Delivery Network (CDN), saving storage space.

For example, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), known for providing cancer treatment to children and adults, was struggling to replace its manual system that kept track of all documents. As a solution, DFCI integrated Drupal with Acquia DAM to streamline the data creation, management, and customization process.

Dana-Farber clinicians can now easily collaborate and review patient data. The DFCI administrators are also able to use Drupal and Acquia DAM integration to support their content creation, review, and translation process. 

How Axelerant Helped Transform A Global Composite Decking Manufacturer's Digital Experience Through Acquia DAM Integrations

A leading manufacturer of composite construction materials faced challenges such as:

• Difficulty managing multiple websites
• Suboptimal user experience
• Need for future-proofing
• Lack of ecommerce integration

As a solution, we helped transform their digital experience by building a unified, multilingual DXP using Acquia DAM, Acquia PIM, Drupal Commerce, and HubSpot.

The integration of Acquia DAM enabled the business to efficiently manage and organize their digital assets, ensuring seamless asset linking and enhancing content management capabilities. This streamlined workflow not only simplified the process of updating and maintaining digital assets but also improved overall content quality and consistency across their digital platforms.

The integration with Acquia PIM centralized product data management, providing a single source of truth for product information across different geographies. This allowed the business's marketing teams to effectively manage and update product details, prices, and specifications.

The synergy between Acquia DAM and PIM solutions provided a robust foundation for their digital ecosystem, enabling them to deliver exceptional customer experiences while laying the groundwork for future growth and innovation.

We can help build similar modern composable DXPs. Schedule a call to know how.