Beginners Guide to Digital Signage

Digital signage is all around us you probably know more about them than you think and you have likely engaged with it in the past week. We’ve all found gate information at the airport, ordered food in fast-food restaurants, bought cinema tickets, used check-in kiosks at hotels and that’s all thanks to digital signage.
 

What is digital signage?

Digital signage is a category of signage which uses technologies such as LCD, LED and Projection to Display content, such as digital images, video, streaming media, and information that educate, engage, and inform nearby viewers.

Digital Signage takes a screen and uses it intelligently. In short, they’re a smarter way to communicate with the audience that’s physically in your business.

They can be used across a variety of customer touchpoints, and its applications are almost endless. A business can design and modify them to meet their unique needs.
 

Does Your Business Need Digital Signage? Yes!

Here are the top stats we’ve collected on why Digital Signage is such an important marketing tool for businesses today.

1. The brain processes images 60,000 times faster than it does text.
2. 1 in 5 people made an unplanned purchase after viewing digital signage content /advertising
3. Digital Signage near the checkout has been proven to increase sales, with 7 out of 10 customers upsold by a digital screen that caught their eye.
4. Digital Signage reduces perceived wait times by as much as 35%. Without it, consumers overestimate how long they’ve been waiting by 36%.
5. 59% of people who see Digital signage want to learn more about an advertised topic.
6. Forrester researcher Dr. James McQuivey estimates that one minute of video is equal to 1.8 million words.
7. 5% of customers find digital menus influential for the purchase of a product.

At its core, Digital Signage is effective because, if properly managed, it plays relevant and engaging content that helps audiences understand how a certain product or service makes their life better. The benefits of this type of signage are also vast and varied.
 

Identifying Your Needs

If you’ve got a clear understanding of the intent and the resources required to make your network a successful one, it’s time to get some digital displays and get your feet wet.  If you don’t, it’s far better to take a step back and think it through instead of falling into the trap that many people do: buying digital displays, hanging them up and spend months trying to figure out what to do with them.

Whatever your business, different parts play different roles. Someone in the waiting room should be exposed to different messaging than someone who is at the counter. That’s where the different types of Digital Signage come in. Let’s look at them now.
 

Types of Digital Signage

Digital Advertising Screens

This type plays full-screen messaging to present the viewer with a clear message. It can stay static on a single message (such as a daily special or weekend sale) or rotate through multiple messages. But the objective is clear – to get the consumer to view and digest or take action on a single message at a time.

These are typically placed by the entrance to a business and used to greet customers or show the queue. Like other types, they can also be split up into multiple zones so that while customers can see their name and appointment time, they can also see select messaging.

Interactive Digital Signs

Finally, there are interactive screens. Typically, the most expensive to implement, these let customers interact to find the specific information they’re looking for, whether it’s a wayfinding map in a mall or lobby, or a product information kiosk in a retail environment.

With interactive digital signage, customers don’t just watch the screen; they engage with it. The sign acts as a customer touchpoint and allows visitors to choose options, enter information, and control content.

Wayfinding Boards (Indoor & Outdoor)

While static maps don’t offer customization or real-time updates, digital wayfinding boards provide custom directions for visitors and offer business owners the ability to revise and alter information at any time.

What Are the Elements of Digital Signage?

The elements needed to create a digital sign can be put in two categories.

1. Hardware: This includes the physical materials needed to display and play a digital sign. It includes high-definition screens, mounting materials, media players, and wiring and internet access.
2. Software: Broadly speaking, digital Signage software is comprised of four primary functions:

• Content Creation
• Content Management and Distribution
• Device/Player Management
• Performance Measurement

Interested in Learning More About Digital Signage?

Contact isGroup – we’d love to talk with you about how we can help and how our products can play a role in growing your business and communicating with your customers.