Digital Signage Management | Why Professionals Do It Better

Digital Signage Management | Why Professionals Do It Better

Digital signage has exploded in the past few years. More companies are using digital displays than ever before. The value of digital signage has caught the eye of a wide range of organizations, but many of these companies dive in unprepared.

Getting the full value of your digital signage solution requires comprehensive hardware integration into your infrastructure, as well as the creation of customized content for each screen you’re using.

Professional digital signage vendors and integrators are well-acquainted with the peculiarities and challenges that digital signage provides. Digital signage management experts can offer guidance on selecting a signage strategy that will complement your business. Additionally, they can help install and troubleshoot your system as it’s getting on its feet.

Integration Challenges

Is it ever simple to integrate new tech into your business infrastructure? Of course, the short answer, is no. Anyone who’s dealt with the logistic nightmare of implementing new software platforms or computer systems in a business setting should be shaking their head right now.

Let’s face it, there’s a reason why tech support exists. The minute details of consumer-oriented hardware installation can be a real pain to handle on your own. By the same token, digital signage is no exception. The professional touch of a dedicated digital signage integrator is usually needed to get the most value out of your new digital signage system.

And let’s not underestimate the value of digital signage. 68% of Americans say that in-store messages influence their purchasing decisions. At the same time, 44% of those surveyed admitting that they would switch a product they intended to buy for one being advertised on a digital display.

Selecting a Solution

An investment in digital signage is not insignificant. How can you be sure you’re getting the most out of your system? Firstly, you need to select a digital signage software provider. This is the first of many choices you’ll have to make. Your organization’s needs will determine which features you need and how to apply customization to meet your business goals.

Secondly, you’ll need to think about hardware. Will you use media players alongside your screens? Are these screens consumer-grade or commercial-grade? Do you need digital projectors? What about mounting and cables?

Your digital signage choices can be overwhelming. Thus, you should always feel free to reach out and get help from a professional. Digital signage is an investment, and dedicated signage experts can provide their industry knowledge to help determine the best way to implement your system. Professionals can also offer advice about how to protect your investment and save money. For example, a signage integrator can explain how to automate a screen’s on/off cycles remotely to help reduce your energy use and extend the life of your screens.

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The Perfect Location

Location is everything when it comes to digital signage. For instance, are your screens in a location with high traffic? Is it a comfortable location where your users wouldn’t mind stopping for a minute? Are your screens interactive? What if your goal is to advertise to high school students? Is your signage better off in the gymnasium or the cafeteria?

It can be difficult to know where your signage will have the most impact on your market. In addition, there are environmental factors to consider too. Is your signage indoor or outdoor? If they’re outside, are the humidity levels within the hardware’s limitations? Moisture can creep in to the circuitry of digital screens over time, corroding its interior and reducing the lifespan of your system. Don’t underestimate the impact of your location decision. As can be seen by the research by Nielsen, 80 percent of brands that use effective digital signage experience sales increases of up to 33 percent.

With how important your location is for your advertising goals, it makes sense to get some extra input on the decision. Professional digital signage providers understand the limitations of their hardware and can tell you what locations aren’t environmentally feasible. They’ll also be able to leverage their experience to help you decide how to place your signage for the best possible visibility.

Installing Your Signage

After selecting a signage solution and finding the right location, the next step is installation. Although this might sound like a straightforward implementation that can be done out of the box. We all know that hardware integration isn’t always that simple. Things get even more complex if you’re trying to integrate new signage technology into your existing system. Coordinating the installation of multiple screen systems can be a daunting task. In other words, all screens needs to be placed in the correct or desired location, with adequate wall mounting, a steady power supply, and Internet access for each.

There’s just no question that professionals have an edge here. With years of experience performing installations for clients and troubleshooting communication between devices, expert digital signage management is necessary for a smooth system launch.

Creating Custom Content

Have you ever seen a business use a static image on their digital signage and asked yourself, “What’s the point?” Poor use of content has ruined plenty of signage strategies. Each screen in your advertising strategy must have specific content created for it. Failing to create custom content for your screens leaves you with little more than expensive digital posters that will surely fail to produce a ROI. Value-driving content should be simple, clear, and have a specific purpose. Your viewers must understand your message within several seconds of viewing; people typically don’t stop and stare at posters, even digital ones. The content you use must be designed to catch a viewer’s attention and should be relevant to your signage location. According to FedEx, 80 percent of American consumers have entered a store because of eye-catching signage.

This is one of the primary challenges of integrating digital signage into your advertising strategy. Your software must support the content formats needed for your strategy across video (AVI, MPEG, WMV), audio (MP3, WAV), and images (JPG, PNG). Professional digital signage integrators will help you assess your strategy and ensure that your system is optimized to handle whatever type of content your business needs.

The Right Layout

The layout of your content is just as important as the content itself. Digital signage offers nearly unlimited flexibility with the ways you can display your advertisements. Should you use clear images presented in full screen, or are you better offer showcasing multiple products at once? Does your content need to reflect special offers or promotions based on time of day? And what about video? Basing your layout around a playlist of value-driving content can be a powerful way to drive engagement. Research shows that digital video reaches 70% of the public.

Generally speaking, a badly-designed content layout can be the kiss of death for your digital signage management. If your layout is hard to read or unappealing, your content won’t matter. Therefore, expert guidance can be useful here to help you decide which layout will work best.

Updating the Schedule

Keeping your content fresh with regular updates is the final step of your signage strategy. This is because humans are pretty good at filtering out what we consider to be “white noise” in our daily lives. Advertising and static displays that never change usually fall into this category. Thus, we become desensitized to the messages we see day after day. Digital signage has the benefit of adjustable displays that can rotate on a schedule. Changing your content every so often helps improve viewer engagement and prevents “billboard burnout.” Data by Arbitron Research found that 83 percent of people surveyed were able to recall an ad seen on a digital billboard within the past 30 days.

The best digital signage management strategies go beyond mere rotation, though. Content automation through RSS feeds, real-time social media posts, and news updates provide continuous value over time. Digital signage professionals have an edge here with industry knowledge of how various types of content perform in different locations. Their insight can be a powerful tool for determining a content schedule that accommodates your promotions, time-based triggers, and the regular maintenance that all screens must receive.

An Expert’s Touch for Digital Signage Management

Digital signage management doesn’t have to be complicated. But, it does have to be handled correctly.

The technology is an investment that pays for itself over time. Be that as it may, those who try to tackle it alone find that their efforts don’t generate the returns they were expecting.

If you want to get the most out of your digital signage, you’ll need professional guidance to help you along. Industry experts have streamlined procedures for installing and integrating your signage, and can provide more comprehensive service than in-house installation teams.

This is the secret value of professional digital signage integrators. In other words, getting expert help informs your strategy with best industry practices to ensure a quality outcome. Beyond that, professional input powers your advertising with a competitive advantage that other retailers won’t be able to match. Don’t try to handle it on your own. Reach out for professional guidance before beginning your digital signage implementation.

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