Digital signage is more than just a tool. Properly deployed, it’s a transformative force in how businesses connect and communicate with their audiences. It has the power to transform entire spaces and streamline the interactions you have with your personnel, customers, and the public at large.
However, not many businesses know how or where to begin their journey of deploying digital signage solutions.
This comprehensive guide dives into the nuances of getting started, from understanding the basics to strategically planning your digital signage journey. This knowledge will empower you to embrace the potential of this communication medium without many of the headaches.
So, let’s get started.
Understanding Digital Signage
Digital signage is the use of digital displays, such as LCD, LED, or projection technology, to showcase content dynamically. This versatile communication tool allows businesses to replace traditional static signs with engaging, interactive, and customisable content.
Digital signage transforms how information is presented and consumed, offering a modern and impactful way to connect with audiences.
Initially used for basic informational displays, digital signage has evolved into a sophisticated and interactive communication medium. Today, it goes beyond mere advertising, playing a pivotal role in enhancing customer experiences, conveying real-time information, and fostering brand identity.
Benefits of Digital Signage
There are plenty of good reasons why digital signage is taking over businesses of all types across the planet:
Increased Engagement: There’s no arguing that dynamic visuals grab attention more effectively than static displays ever could. The incorporation of motion, interactivity, and multimedia content ensures that viewers are engaged and receptive.
Enhanced Communication: With the ability to display diverse content formats, digital signage facilitates clear and effective communication. Whether conveying promotional offers, event information, or critical updates, businesses can tailor their messaging for different contexts.
Branding Opportunities: Digital signage is highly versatile from a branding perspective, enabling businesses to showcase their identity through consistent and visually appealing content.
Real-time Updates: Unlike traditional signage, which requires laborious and slow manual updates, digital signage allows for real-time content modifications. This flexibility is particularly valuable for conveying timely information, such as changing menu items, event schedules, or emergency notifications.
Common Applications
Digital signage finds diverse applications across industries:
Retail: Enhancing in-store experiences with product promotions, advertisements, and interactive displays.
Hospitality: Providing information on services, events, and local attractions to enhance guest experiences.
Healthcare: Streamlining patient communication with dynamic wayfinding, health tips, and appointment updates.
Education: Facilitating campus-wide communication, event promotion, and educational content delivery.
Corporate Environments: Communicating company updates, announcements, and performance metrics to employees.
Outdoor Advertising: Capturing attention with dynamic displays in high-traffic outdoor locations.
Restaurant/Menu Displays: Serving visually appealing and easily updatable digital displays to drive sales and streamline interactions.
Mass Transportation: Providing the latest arrival, departure and cancellation information at airports, bus and train terminals.
Planning Your Digital Signage Strategy
As the saying goes, if you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.
Having a sound, data-driven strategy in place is key to an effective digital signage solution that aligns with your business objectives. Here’s how you can get started:
Defining Objectives
First, clearly define what you want to achieve with your digital signage installation:
Marketing and Promotions: For instance, plan how you can deploy displays strategically to promote seasonal sales, exclusive offers, or new product launches. An example is a clothing store using digital signage near the entrance to showcase flash sales and limited-time discounts.
Information Dissemination: Utilise it to communicate crucial details such as event schedules, announcements, or important notices. For example, a corporate office, implementing digital signage in common areas for sharing company updates, meeting schedules, and employee recognition.
Enhancing Customer Experience: Elevate the customer experience by integrating interactive elements like touchscreens for product information or wayfinding maps for easy navigation. We’re already familiar with this technology in shopping malls, providing digital directories to help visitors find stores, events, and amenities.
Identifying Target Audience
Next, you need to understand who your digital signage solution is for and how you can best serve them:
Customer Demographics: Tailor your content to match the demographics of your target audience. An example would be an electronics retailer adjusting content to showcase gaming setups for a younger audience and home automation for an older demographic.
Location Analysis: Analyse the physical locations where your digital signage will be placed. Ensure the content aligns with the context of the space and the behaviours of individuals in that location. For example, a fast food restaurant uses digital menu boards strategically placed in high-traffic areas for easy visibility and ordering convenience.
Budget Considerations
Every marketing effort comes with a budget cap, and digital signage is no different. It’s important to know what costs are involved so you can keep your margins clean:
Hardware Costs: Hardware costs vary based on factors like screen size, quality, and interactivity. For a small business, a basic setup might cost around $500–$1,000 per display. These can consist of Amazon Fire TV sticks, Android TVs, or other smart screens. There are also options to rent or lease screens.
Content Creation: This may come in the form of content creation tools or professional services. Depending on complexity, costs can range from $500 to $5,000 or more.
Maintenance: Allocate funds for ongoing maintenance, including software updates and potential hardware issues. A rough estimate is 10–20% of the initial hardware cost annually.
Subscription-based Services: Nowadays, you can also find affordable, flexible subscription-based SaaS services. They typically charge either a few dollars per screen a month or for the service as a whole at up to $50/month. That typically includes content creation tools, cloud asset storage, support, and/or a content management system (CMS).
Regulatory Compliance and Permissions
Even if you’re deploying digital signage on private property, there may be some limitations. Check applicable lease agreements, property management rules, fire and safety codes, building codes, and content restrictions. You may also want to ensure you follow certain accessibility guidelines.
In public spaces, it’s even more important that you make sure you have the necessary paperwork and approvals:
Local Regulations: Research local regulations governing digital signage placement, size, and content. Non-compliance could result in fines. In some jurisdictions, digital signage is also subject to local broadcasting standards.
Permissions and Approvals: Obtain necessary permissions and approvals before installing digital signage, especially in public spaces. This may involve obtaining permits from local authorities.
DIY Digital Signage vs. Digital Signage Services
A pivotal choice you will have to make when deploying digital signage is whether to attempt the DIY route or leverage a professional service. Each has its benefits, opportunities, and challenges to consider:
DIY Digital Signage
A proper digital signage solution involves different components working in unison. This should give you a brief overview of what to expect when deploying your own custom solution:
Hardware Requirements: DIY digital signage necessitates businesses to manage hardware components independently. That includes selecting and setting up displays, media players, and connectivity solutions, amongst others. Not to mention ensuring there is adequate space, power supply, and connections.
Software Options: A variety of software options are available for DIY setups. Open-source solutions, like Concerto and Screenly, and standalone applications provide flexibility but may lack the advanced features of dedicated digital signage services.
Content Creation Tools: This involves everything from graphic design to animation to video editing tools. The level of sophistication depends on the skills and resources you have available in-house.
Challenges and Considerations: DIY digital signage demands a significant time investment for setup, troubleshooting, and ongoing maintenance. Challenges include ensuring hardware compatibility, addressing technical issues, and managing content updates manually.
Digital Signage Services:
Whatever digital signage service provider you choose, most offer comprehensive solutions. They should include a user-friendly platform that combines software and, in some cases, hardware to simplify the digital signage process with professional support and the option to request bespoke systems.
Depending on the service, it may or may not include hardware. But most will offer support for popular devices.
Features and Benefits:
From a software perspective, these services typically cover end-to-end needs:
Content Management Systems (CMS): A robust CMS allows businesses to organise, update, and manage their content efficiently. This central hub simplifies the content creation and distribution process.
Pre-designed Templates: Businesses can choose from a variety of professionally designed templates for quick, low-effort deployment. It also reduces or eliminates the need for in-house design expertise.
Scheduling Capabilities: Businesses can plan and automate the timing of content displays, ensuring the right messages are delivered to the audience at the right times.
Developer API: Empowers business to create their own custom integrations with existing business or content creation tools.
Pricing Models:
Digital signage services typically offer affordable and flexible pricing options. This allows businesses to get up and running at minimal (or no) cost. Additional features and capabilities are unlocked at higher pricing tiers, so you only pay for what you need. Plus, some offer custom enterprise solutions for a truly bespoke solution.
Premium plans typically offer:
Increased storage
Higher level support
Additional templates or design features
Advanced role/user management
Choosing Your Hardware
Selecting the right hardware is crucial for an effective and visually appealing display. Here's some practical advice to guide your choices:
Display Options
You can’t have digital signage without the displays, so this will potentially be the most important decision you make from a hardware perspective.
Commercial Displays vs. Consumer Displays
When choosing between commercial and consumer displays, consider the demands of your use case.
Commercial displays are designed for continuous operation, offering higher reliability and brightness. While they may be more expensive, they are suitable for 24/7 usage, making them ideal for businesses with heavy traffic.
Consumer displays, while budget-friendly, may not withstand continuous operation and could have lower brightness levels, making them better suited for intermittent use.
How to Source and Buy Suitable Displays
When sourcing displays, make sure to engage reputable suppliers and manufacturers. Consider purchasing from authorised dealers or directly from the manufacturer to ensure product authenticity and warranty support.
Evaluate customer reviews, product specifications, and warranty terms. Some businesses opt for specialised digital signage integrators who can provide tailored solutions, ensuring that both hardware and software components align seamlessly.
Furthermore, if you plan to use a digital signage service, ensure that you invest in displays that are compatible with their software.
Different Types of Displays:
Screens and Monitors: Consider factors like size, bezel thickness, and mounting options based on your space and aesthetic preferences. Brands like Samsung and LG offer commercial-grade displays suitable for various environments. Others, like Android TV and its derivatives, offer convenient, low-cost, and versatile alternatives with large app ecosystems.
Video Walls: Video walls can produce an impressive and larger-than-life effect, perfect for events. However, this is a significantly more costly and technically demanding approach. Brands like NEC and Planar specialise in high-quality video wall solutions.
Interactive Displays: If interactivity is a priority, opt for touch-enabled displays. Brands like Elo Touch Solutions and ViewSonic provide interactive displays suitable for engaging presentations or wayfinding solutions. Consider the durability and responsiveness of the touch technology.
Media Players
Media players are what bring your content and digital signage to life by allowing you to play and manage content on your displays. As this so-called “middleman”, choosing a media player is crucial for ensuring the compatibility and functionality you need:
1. Types of Media Players:
Choose a media player that aligns with your content and deployment needs. Brands like BrightSign and AOPEN offer reliable digital signage media players. Consider factors such as 4K playback capability, storage capacity, and network connectivity when making your selection.
No matter the service provider you choose, Android devices, including Amazon Fire TV and Fire Stick, can be easily transformed into digital signage displays. using services like Luna Screens. Some digital signage services also work with browser-based devices, like those running Chrome.
2. Compatibility Considerations:
Ensure compatibility between your chosen media player and display. HDMI and USB connectivity are standard, but you should confirm specific requirements. Some displays may have built-in media players; otherwise, external players should seamlessly integrate. Brands often design their products for compatibility and a hassle-free setup.
Connectivity and Integration
Most digital signage solutions are hooked up to the internet, making it easier to leverage cloud-based systems for centralised control and content deployment. Connectivity is also vital for updates and real-time information.
Depending on the scale and complexity of your setup, you may need a specialised networking solution suitable for digital signage deployments. Cisco Meraki and Cradlepoint are two examples. Consider the bandwidth requirements, especially for content that includes high-resolution images or videos.
Installing Digital Signage Displays
The process of installing displays for your digital signage is a critical step. Whether you choose to undergo a DIY installation or opt for the expertise of professional installers, careful consideration of placement, stability, and visual aesthetics is paramount.
DIY Installation:
This approach gives you total control over the setup process but may be more risky if you don’t have any experience. Here's a step-by-step guide to guide your DIY installation:
Determine Placement: Begin by identifying optimal locations for your displays. Consider factors such as visibility, audience traffic patterns, and the overall aesthetic appeal of the installation.
Prepare Mounting Surface: Ensure the mounting surface is stable and capable of supporting the weight of the display. Use appropriate tools to locate wall studs, providing a secure foundation for installation.
Mounting Bracket Installation: Attach the mounting brackets to the back of the display, aligning them with the VESA (or alternative standard) mount pattern. Follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully to secure the brackets in place.
Wall Mount Installation: Secure the mounting plate to the wall, ensuring it is level for a polished appearance. Lift the display onto the mounting plate, securing it firmly in place.
Connect Cables: Connect power and signal cables with clean and organised cable management. Conceal cables whenever possible for a professional finish.
Power Up: Turn on the display and configure settings as needed. Adjust brightness, contrast, and other display settings for optimal visual impact.
Professional Installation:
Opting for professional installation brings a level of expertise and efficiency to the process, especially for more complex setups. Consider the following pros and cons:
Pros:
Expertise: Professional installers bring more experience and expertise, ensuring that the installation is executed with precision and adheres to industry standards.
Efficiency: Professional installations are typically quicker, minimising downtime and ensuring your digital signage is up and running promptly.
Customisation: Professionals can handle complex installations, such as video walls or interactive displays, ensuring a customised setup that aligns with your specific requirements.
Cons:
Cost: While the investment ensures a high-quality setup, businesses must consider budget constraints.
Scheduling: Coordination with installers may require scheduling flexibility.
Choosing a Contractor
When opting for professional installation, the choice of a contractor is crucial. Here's a guide on how to choose the right contractor for your digital signage installation:
Research: Look for reputable contractors with a proven track record in digital signage installations. Check their portfolio and inquire about their experience with projects similar to yours.
Reviews and References: Check online reviews and ask for references from previous clients to assess the contractor's reliability, professionalism, and the quality of their work.
Quotes: Obtain quotes from multiple contractors, comparing costs and services. Ensure that the quotes provide a detailed breakdown of expenses, including any potential additional costs.
Contract Agreement: Before proceeding, ensure that the contractor provides a detailed contract outlining the scope of work, timelines, and costs. This ensures clarity and avoids misunderstandings during the installation process.
Maintenance and Troubleshooting
Maintaining the functionality of your digital signage system is vital to delivering a seamless and impactful visual experience. Regular maintenance checks and prompt troubleshooting are key to running your digital displays smoothly.
You must proactively identify and resolve issues quickly - before they start affecting your customers’ experiences.
Regular Maintenance Checks:
These checks should be performed frequently to ensure smooth day-to-day operations:
Software Updates: Software updates play a crucial role in the overall health of your digital signage system. Check for updates to your content management system (CMS) and media players regularly. Updates often include important patches, feature enhancements, and improvements that contribute to system stability and security.
Hardware Inspections: The physical components of your digital signage setup require periodic inspections. Examine cables for wear or damage, ensuring they are securely connected. Regular hardware checks can identify potential issues early on, preventing unexpected downtime. Pay attention to power sources, connections, and any signs of wear on screens or media players.
Troubleshooting Common Issues:
Here are some of the most frequently encountered issues and practical steps to solve them:
Connectivity Problems:
Check Network Connections: First, check that all your devices still have an active connection. Then, ensure that all cables are securely plugged in and test for network stability.
Reset Network Devices: In case of persistent issues, consider power cycling network devices such as routers and switches. This simple step often resolves many common issues.
Update Network Settings: Verify your network settings, including IP addresses and DNS configurations. Incorrect settings can lead to disruptions in connectivity.
Content Display Issues:
Verify Media Player Status: Ensure that media players are powered on, connected to the network, and running the latest firmware. A well-maintained media player is essential for smooth content delivery.
Inspect Cables and Connections: Examine all cables connecting the media player to the display. Loose or damaged cables can impact display quality. Replace any compromised cables promptly.
Check Content Formats: Confirm that your content is in a compatible format for both the media player and the display. Mismatched formats may result in display errors or disruptions.
Review Scheduling and Playback Settings: Double-check the scheduling and playback settings in your CMS. Accurate scheduling ensures that content is displayed at the intended times, avoiding any disruptions in the messaging sequence.
Conclusion
In a world where attention is a rare commodity, it’s clear that this dynamic communication medium will continue to reshape interactions between brands and their audiences. Beyond the eye-catching visuals and enhanced communication, knowledge and planning will help you implement a fit-for-purpose digital signage solution.
The true beauty of digital signage lies in its accessibility and affordability. You can revolutionise your approach to communication and disseminating information without breaking the bank. From hardware to software, affordable solutions exist to power your digital signage solution.
At Luna Screens, for example, we allow you to integrate our SaaS solution with a convenient variety of media players. Our content creation and management tools allow you to streamline the creative and deployment process so you can focus on what matters: your business, visual identity, and messaging.