New Digital Asset Management Vendor Directory

Last week, we soft-launched a completely revised Digital Asset Management Vendor Directory.  This is replacing our existing simplistic A-Z list, which with close to 90 entries had grown rather unwieldy.  I am pleased to report that our new directory is now fully live.

On the new DAMVendors.com site, you can do basic searches without registration, but to get access to the more advanced options, you need to create a member account.   We have several new features; there is the ability to filter by many different DAM-specific criteria:

• Name
• Licence model
• Hosting
• Technology (including client to access each system, server OS, development technology, web server, database and search technology)
• Search features
• Metadata and embedded metadata support
• Asset processing architecture
• Asset manipulation features (images and video)
• Scripting and API features
• Authentication support
• Multi-lingual support

The first three are available to anyone, the others require registration.

Within each vendor profile, you can review

• Basic vendor details (including descriptions and contact information)
• Key customers and clients
• Trial links
• Screenshots
• YouTube or Vimeo Videos
• Datasheets
• Twitter feeds

As with search, several of these (such as screenshots) do require registration to view.

We will continue to run the old directory for another month or so, but we will be moving that to a subsidiary page and begin listing only those vendors in the new edition soon.  Vendors who have re-registered will have all their existing entries (including any links within articles) re-pointed to the new profile.

I have emailed all the vendors who submitted an entry originally and we have had a number sign up already.  Vendors can create an entry in the new directory very easily, they simply need to sign up as members then click the link to create a vendor profile.  There is no cost to vendors and there are no special ‘premium’ options to purchase a higher ranking than anyone else so it should be a level playing field.  The help page provides some basic instructions and there is a longer PDF available to registered members that explains the process.

Since sending out my email, a few vendors have contacted me to complain about the more in-depth technical questions that the profile and how this is too much work for them.  Two points to make:

• The profile can be saved as a draft prior to submission and does not require completion in one sitting.
• A Word document with all the questions (including any responses once saved) can be downloaded to collect all the information.

Finally, I would need to call into question the sales and marketing operations of any DAM vendor who is unable to get hold of this kind of information for a prospective customer.  Most of the detail asked for should be included on company websites and brochures anyway, this simply draws it together into a single location and should generate more targeted leads.

Any vendors who have left the DAM market or who are not looking for new business need do nothing, their old entries will be automatically removed and redirected back to the main directory search feature so prospective clients can locate an alternative.

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