A robust marketing asset management system is capable of managing and sharing all business content with all audiences that need it. Marketers spend a lot of time, energy, and budget developing content and keeping it updated. It’s important for them to know about real-world usage of their marketing materials: what is and isn’t being used and by whom. This is where reporting and analytics comes in.
In marketing asset management, the value of data collected and reported on for decision-making purposes tends to correlate closely with the volume of use. Large-scale use of the marketing asset management system provides an abundance of actionable information. But even if a company has only a few hundred assets and a dozen or so users, plenty of insights can be gleaned.
Let’s consider the kinds of reports and analyses a typical marketing asset management system provides, starting with a basic category: overall usage of the system.
Useful data for marketers
Marketers typically want to know if sales reps are using the marketing asset management system. They might be interested in finding out which reps are logging in on a regular basis – as well as who has and hasn’t logged in over the past 30 days, and what materials reps have and haven’t viewed. Lack of usage could be a sign that some people need communication relating to the system, or they’re getting materials from unauthorized channels, or existing materials aren’t serving their intended purpose.
Beyond data on who’s logging in (and how often), and what materials they’re accessing, basic statistics include whether materials are being ordered and emailed from the system. Typically, marketing departments track these basic usage metrics on a monthly basis to ensure they’re meeting the fundamental expectations of their users.
Additionally, marketing managers are likely to be interested in viewing particular assets and users at a granular level. A product manager may want to know which sales reps, distributors, or channels are using marketing assets that relate to his or her specific product or prospects. On a monthly basis, that manager might get a report of all usage of assets for which she or he is responsible. A marketing segment manager – someone responsible, say, for a given geography or target market – might be keenly interested in knowing which sales reps and geographies are using the materials, and which specific materials they’re taking advantage of. A sales manager may want to know which sales reps and distributors are and aren’t utilizing the system. The latter could lead to coaching or other training to maintain good sales processes.
These types of reports are typically provided by the marketing asset management system in two ways: 1) Through an online dashboard, where the user or manager logs in to view statistics, reports, and charts as needed or; 2) On a predetermined schedule – daily, weekly, monthly, or at some other interval – with the system automatically creating a report (most often in Excel) that automatically is emailed to the people who need and want it.
Because the marketing asset repository maintains a log of activities and users within the system, it’s also possible to do a deeper dive into analytics and even get real-time notification in areas of intense interest.
Opportunities for a deeper dive
Suppose a product launch is taking place. The launch team might identify a dozen assets within the system associated with the launch. On a given day, those assets are made available to all sales channels, and a multi-channel communication goes out saying information about the product launch is available.
Every day over the next two to four weeks, members of the launch team may want to receive an up-to-date list of who’s using the materials and how they’re using them. They might look for usage patterns across the target audience. Instead of receiving a static report, they may choose to be notified each time someone downloads or accesses information – particularly if they’re running a test and want insight on initial usage patterns of materials for rapid optimization of follow-on communications.
Or suppose a major event is coming up. The marketing communications team might tag particular assets in the system and want to ensure that every sales rep has received the information kit relating to the event and accessed it within a particular timeframe. Here again, the marketing asset management system can be responsible for communicating to sales reps, providing a report of reps who’ve yet to view the material, and even take action, such as resending it to anyone who hasn’t viewed the material.
A robust marketing asset management system will be capable of easily fulfilling essential reporting and analytics requirements. The marketing team with thousands of assets and hundreds of users should be able to quickly generate lists of users of materials. It should be easy to get a simple printout – a listing – from the system. It should also be easy to provide every user with the right access. And ensure that materials are being updated in a timely manner and properly distributed. Reports should be capable of easily being generated on a one-off basis or on a regular schedule.
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