Playing well with others
Data maturity is never completely achieved
We may think we understand the impact and importance of data, but there are so many ways data can be queried and used that harnessing it is only limited by our imaginations. Data is a window into the culture of the business or organization, and there is no one-size-fits-all.
Data is a churn. It grows and morphs and requires a continuous commitment to maintain its quality and effectiveness. Talking about data is incredibly boring, but clean, standardized data that is machine readable has the power to sustain the most successful companies in the world.
Making sure the DAM is ready for integrating and interacting with other systems with an eye toward omnichannel distribution is a good sign of data maturity. Like all growth, realizing the DAM is not a stand-alone system, but dependent on other data sets, is the first step to ensuring your data will play well with others.
Understanding the digital ecosystem
Breaking out of siloed systems to create a digital ecosystem is the goal for omnichannel distribution. What is omnichannel? Omnichannel is the creation of an interconnected experience across multiple systems and repositories that provide customers with seamless services regardless of what channel they prefer. It is the separation of Content and Form.
Consider this: a book can now be distributed online, as an audio book, a hardback copy, or printable PDF. The content remains the same, only the form is variable. With marketing materials, content will take the form of the known customer’s preferences. Omnichannel integrates multiple, dependent data sets that can be configured to automate personalized distribution. Instead of having the customer find the products, the products find them.
Digital maturity in the omnichannel environment is awareness of the data dependencies across multiple platforms such as DAM, Product Information Management (PIM), Customer Data Platform (CDP) and marketing content collateral in a Content Management System (CMS). Specific data is managed in different systems but must leverage the info and data from the others to successfully automate delivery.
How to get your data to grow up: preparing for future integrations
- X Strategy: When preparing for omnichannel and automated personalization, a Customer Experience (CX) strategy is a good place to start. Identify the kinds of experiences you think are right for your customer. This can be as creative as your specialists can imagine, and may involve several layers of interactions that can track a customer’s journey from first-time buyer to brand advocate.
- Data Strategy: Once the goals of the CX are defined, a data model will be developed with actionable levels of detail that can be implemented across all the dependent systems. Not all systems have to have the same metadata, but must be aware of their part in the overall orchestration of data. It only takes one non-compliant section or system to derail the whole strategy. Understand where DAM fits into the content delivery strategy.
- Activate omnichannel by integrating traditional and digital channels, scaling with automation where possible, and responding to data insights from customer interactions.
How to get your data to grow up: preparing for future integrations
Data maturity is understanding that your data will be scrutinized, visualized and monetized. Folks will be taking a good look at it so be proud of your data. Beautifully expressed data in the DAM should invite innovation and become a signature of your work.
