7 Key Elements of Digital Signage

Wall Mounted Display Digital Kiosk Touch Screen Display Outdoor LED Microtiles Tabletop digital sign

Why 7 elements? Follows logical flow of steps to plan and execute a project Adds structure to client/prospect discussions

What are the 7 key elements? Objective/Business Message/Content Solution Design Software Hardware Connectivity Support/Operations

1. Understand the Business Objective Similar to defining the objective of a static signage solution – Starting point in process; what is the purpose, pain point, challenge this is seeking to overcome? Objective drives the message, which impacts type of content created Digital signage must offer unique value proposition and achieve an objective The objective and content will determine the software and hardware needed, placement, etc.

1a. Measurement Most solutions include a mix of ROO and ROI ROI (Return on Investment ) – The value of the project defined by the amount of financial benefits gained, minus the amount of cost invested – Typically hard dollars spent and returned – Not always relevant to all clients such as a church or non-profit ROO (Return on Objective) – Way to measure success based on meeting objectives rather than hard dollars. – Increasing program adoption by X; Getting 2500 people to event

1b. Vendors and Revenue Who are the Vendors? – The companies you choose to assemble the appropriate digital signage system for the customer Revenue – The money earned by a digital signage system from the creation and management of the content and the hardware sold

2. Media, Advertising and Marketing What message are you trying to communicate, and to whom? Inform, direct, sell, and/or entertain Animation, static images, video Day-parting – Adjusting the message throughout the day Dwell time: How long viewers see the content

3. Design: Deployment, Purpose and Environment Link the hardware, software, and content into a total package that achieves the objective Ask the right questions – Location (indoor/outdoor, hot/cold) – Who will manage the content? – How many displays?

4. Software Creation, Control, Player, Scheduling, Design – Create and save as JPEG, MP4, etc… PowerPoint, Adobe After Effects, Scala Designer and Flypaper Manage – Add and manage content that was designed in another program Update/schedule content based on objective Free, subscription or license based-software Ex: Scala, Sign Channel, Magic Info Lite Design Manage

5. Hardware Display, brackets/mounts, hardware, media player and infrastructure such as cables Objective, content and environment will drive what hardware you choose

6. Connectivity Connecting the display and media player to the source of the content (typically the PC or Server) Common forms of connectivity: – Hard-wired (most reliable) – WiFi (wireless internet connection) – LAN (local area network) – Cellular (Android stick) – USB Drive (no internet connectivity)

7. Support/Operations Installation/Delivery Ongoing software updates Maintenance – Replace worn and outdated components Monitoring – Ensure system is up and running Warranty – Repair warranties on hardware vary based on manufacturer