Digital Signage Concepts and Terms
By Gary R
Over the past two years, digital signage has really taken off as a new way to reach consumers when they are out of their homes. We are seeing the digital signs pop up in retail, government, health care, and education. While the larger institutions can outsource the task implementing a digital signage solution, some smaller firms may not have the bandwidth financially to hop on the dynamic signage bandwagon.
If you belong to one of these institutions, you will need to prepare yourself to possibly do some of the work yourself. In order to do the best job possible, you will need to learn the basics of the digital signage concept. Luckily for you, it can be broken down in to a few general categories;
Equipment
Content
Administration
Installation
Maintenance
General Marketing
Scheduling
The equipment category is self explanatory. It involves the selection of equipment, a decision which should be made based on your space, and on compatibility analysis. Content is also self explanatory in nature. This category involves deciding what content you will show on your screens. This category includes decisions like what mix of normal content to advertising will you run, and whether or not you will outsource the content creation. Administration involves the day-to-day operation of the digital signage solution, and is normally done by using specific software. available for purchase. Installation and maintenance go hand-in-hand, but are very important. Screen placement should be well-thought out and strategic to meet your goals for the project. Scheduling is perhaps the most important post-install task. Some firms have been timing the schedule according to consumer habits at different times of the day. For example, firms with menu boards built on digital signage can instantly change a creative between breakfast and lunch to offer something different and create an up-sell opportunity.