What a business needs to know about digital signage

What is digital signage?

Any form of business communication where a digital messaging device replaces or supplements other forms of messaging is referred to as digital signage.

In very simple and basic terms, digital signage is some sort of a screen (most likely LED or LCD), with some kind of visual message presented in a digital format, and a mediator for the screen to display these messages. While this is just a basic explanation, the digital signage industry is much bigger and offers much more than just that.

Until recently, such communication methods were not viable or cost-effective. But the LED revolution is changing all of that. Digital screens have become so affordable that they can compete with the printing costs of static posters over a period of time. These displays are thin and can hang on walls, and they can communicate with other computers in the network to fetch content.

How does a digital signage system work?

In simple technical terms, if you have a PowerPoint presentation on a pen drive which is played continuously in rotation on a flatscreen TV, this is called digital signage.

A basic digital signage network needs a way to:

• create content
• organize and schedule this content
• transfer content onto the display
• make sure the content reaches an audience.

Costs associated with digital signage

1. Hardware cost
   1. Displays – brand, size, resolution, and features. As a general rule, commercial LED displays are preferred for businesses over consumer displays because these are built to last longer and have more processing power to manage heavy display loads.
   2. Media Players – come in 3 categories: boxes, plug-and-play sticks, and all-in-one solutions. A visual communication network should have one digital signage player per screen.
   3. Mounting hardware – flat wall, tilted wall mount, ceiling mount, video wall mount, etc. The location of your screen and the viewing angles necessary will help determine what kind of mount is needed.
   4. Installation – labor costs depend on the scope and scale of the digital signage solution.
2. Licensing
   Cloud-based digital signage software usually comes with a monthly licensing fee which also provides access to several features such as apps, pre-designed templates, tutorials, and 24-hour support.

3. Personnel and IT
   1. Device provisioning: When setting up a digital signage network, you need to connect all media players and screens to function as digital signage. By doing so, content can be streamed easily across multiple screens.
   2. Integration: hiring experts to take care of this process is highly advisable as you may encounter some unforeseen hiccups which will leave you stranded.
   3. Content creation: training your staff to use digital signage software, content management systems, and create customized content with these.
   4. Maintenance: keep staff on standby to fix any complications that arise with your digital signage.

How can digital signage benefit a business

• Digital signage can attract customers to your location and encourage them to purchase products within your store.
• Educate customers about your best, most popular, and most valuable products and services through digital signage.
• Promotional products, items on sale, and product demos can also be showcased on LED displays.
• Promote lesser known products or services through digital signage and create awareness amongst the public that these too are offered by your company.
• Share information such as brand news, policy changes, and other industry news as well.
• Entertain customers with interesting images and videos to increase the time spent at your outlet and make their wait time seem shorter – particularly important for banks, hospitals, and restaurants.
• Narrate a story about your business, how you got started, or a behind the scenes look to build relationships with your customers.
• Show off your corporate social responsibility projects to convey to those millennials that your company is more than just about business.
• Share appropriate posts from your social media profile, especially those created by your customers. Offer discounts to encourage customers to advertise your brand on social media.
• Online reviews are highly trusted by consumers. Display your online reviews on your indoor digital signage and let customers in-store see what other satisfied customers have to say.
• With interactive digital signage and touch screen technology, you can get your audience to engage with the brand to get more information and provide feedback about your offerings.
• Generate revenue by offering paid advertisement slots to other brands that target the same audience as yours.