Useful Tips for Choosing the Right Digital Signage Software
Which signage software is right for you? There’s plenty to choose from, and many of those options offer a unique combination of functionality and price. Whether you are looking for your first digital signage project or are an experienced consultant, you must choose the right digital signage software. There are many options, and you will need to estimate the cost, look for the right combination of features, and understand how it will integrate with your existing system. This post will cover the main things you should consider when looking for the right solution.
What Is Digital Signage?
Digital signage is the use of digital media to broadcast information to a large audience. It may take the form of text, images, video, or sound that you can display on digital displays or interactive kiosks. The use of digital signage tools can help businesses save time and money by allowing their employees to create and update content as and when it is needed. Additionally, you can easily manage them remotely using the right software, typically available as a proprietary product with many top digital signage companies. While there are many ways to create digital signage, they all follow similar patterns. The main objective is to deliver relevant information about a business location to its customers and potential customers in an engaging way so that they will want to visit more often.
In Today’s Advertising Landscape, Is Digital Signage Still Relevant?
Digital signage is still relevant in today’s advertising landscape. It is more popular than ever before due to the ability to customize content and create personalized experiences for customers. It also allows organizations to create targeted ads that they can measure and optimize over time. However, the key is being able to update campaigns on the fly and have the ability to measure results. This is why you must carefully consider the company you choose to advertise with, and you must ensure that they offer all of the tools relevant to helping your business achieve its goals.
Choosing Digital Signage Software for Your Needs
When shopping for a partner that can provide you with digital signage, you must consider several factors. Exact specifications will be different for each business, but some aspects remain the same no matter what outcomes you are looking for.
Security Capabilities
The nature of digital signage makes it a target for cyberattacks by malicious individuals (primarily if you work in an industry that raises ethical questions). Consider digital signage software platforms with integrated security features to avoid leaving your network vulnerable. By ensuring these security features, you can be assured that your message is propagated without external influences changing the meaning.
Upgrades Via Remote Access
If you have one of two signs in a particular location, this isn’t too much of a concern. However, if you have several hundred digital signs nationwide, updating the content can be tedious to approach each one individually. Therefore, when selecting a signage company, you must ensure that their software allows remote updating. Aside from the inconvenience factor, this is also an essential feature if you advertise time-sensitive products or services. For instance, if you are marketing a product and building presale buzz, your messages will differ once the product is released. As soon as that occurs, you can update the content to inform the audience that they can now purchase the product. Delays in this communication may result in lost revenue and confusion, negatively affecting your business.
An Excellent Playback Experience
It is crucial that the system playback is of the best quality and is flexible in its use to optimize the visual effect of the message. Poor picture quality has been shown to lead to fewer eyes on a screen, which leads to fewer customers who notice the display. Quality reproduction directly impacts the level of attention viewers will give to digital signage displays. The ability to play content over multiple displays while guaranteeing pixel-perfect quality has become increasingly important in modern times, so any solution you choose must have the ability to play back your message in crystal clear clarity.
Access For Multiple Users
Your business will likely have a team of marketers working on each campaign you create, meaning any digital sign you select should have multi-user access built into their software. In fact, this can be a deal-breaker for many businesses because the need for instant updates can be the difference between encouraging brand recognition and falling by the wayside compared to your competitors.
The Cost Of The Sign Leasing
You can’t use a digital sign company that is too expensive for your budget, no matter how well they perform. On the other hand, you should avoid those who are too cheap. It takes a lot of maintenance to maintain a digital signage collection. If they cannot sustain their own business, they may be out of business halfway through your project, which will inevitably cause issues. Instead, it would help if you spoke directly with your chosen provider to see what their business model entails. It is always better to slightly overspend if you are assured that they will produce solutions that meet your needs.
Take Advantage Of Integrations
By itself, your CMS won’t be of much use. Integration to third-party data sources might be necessary, e.g., a restaurant might need to integrate their POS system with their signage, or a car dealership might want to relay discounts in real-time based on unit sales. It might not be necessary to use these integrations immediately, but they should be determined ahead of time. Thus, it’s crucial to choose a digital signage system that can scale with your needs.
Don’t Forget Staff Training
To use the CMS, you should ensure that you and your staff know how it works and if the vendor offers training in this regard. The training must be customized according to the number and type of employees. Once their training is over, it will fall on them to train other staff members, so it is essential to appoint them accordingly and thoroughly educate them. If your chosen vendor doesn’t offer training or customer support, you might want to look elsewhere.
You can implement digital signage in your business to attract your customer’s attention and provide them with real-time information. However, you must ensure that they provide you with the correct solutions for your needs and relevant training in the software.
