What is Digital Signage?

The Impact of Digital Signage

Dynamic and digital content is the way to go in today’s digital age. Organisations and businesses can use interactive digital signage as an advertising tool to connect and engage with their target audience.

How many times have you walked the streets and then seen a digital billboard of a product? It catches your eye and makes you subconsciously think about that product because of how immersive the showcase was. It’s exactly what brands and businesses are banking on when they revolutionise the advertising industry with dynamic platforms and content.

Let’s explore what digital signage is and dive deeper into its incredible potential for your business.

What is Digital Signage?

Digital signage involves using digital displays and similar technologies to showcase dynamic content in public spaces, such as retail stores, corporate buildings, shopping malls, train stations, airports, and more.

The use of a digital screen is an essential element of digital signage displays. These screens can be LED, LCD, or OLED screens. Aside from the screen, digital signage also requires a content management system and media players to project targeted messages to an audience.

The interactive content and flexibility of digital signage make them the best alternative to traditional, static advertising platforms. Interactive digital signage is more engaging and attention-grabbing. Therefore, the primary purpose of using digital signage displays is to capture the attention of your target audience, allowing you to convey information about your products or services. The actual content of the digital signage varies depending on the purpose of the display.

Components of Digital Signage

Different components must be present and working together to deliver interactive digital signage. These components are the display screens, media players, and the content creation and management system.

Display Screens

Digital screens and displays play a key role in enabling digital signage to achieve its purpose. The interactive screens serve as a canvas for displaying the interactive content and information. Over the years, there have been various display technologies for digital screens, such as LED, LCD, and OLED.

• LCD or Liquid Crystal Display screens were among the first ones used for digital signage. It is a reliable and cost-effective option for digital signage displays, which uses liquid crystal pixels to filter light that displays the images on-screen. It is ideal for digital signage in areas with controlled lighting while offering improved colour accuracy.
• LED or Light Emitting Diode display screens are emerging as the best alternative to LCD screens because they are energy-efficient. They offer exceptional brightness as the screen consists of multiple tiny LED bulbs. It is ideal for high-contrast visuals and vibrant images. Therefore, LED is the go-to choice for outdoor installation.
• OLED display screens offer cutting-edge solutions as they offer exceptional quality colour schemes and contrast. They offer the most accurate colour representation on the screen. It is also ideal for wide viewing angles and immersive digital signage solutions.

Media Players

You need media players for your digital signage for the digital screens to work. It is responsible for the playback and synchronisation features of the interactive display content. It processes the content signal to ensure seamless delivery to the display screens.

There are two sub-elements for media players: hardware and software components. The hardware components refer to the computer systems and connectivity tools. On the other hand, the software components refer to the software players that allow you to control and content playback of the digital signage.

Content Management System

The content management system of digital signage solutions provides the tools and functionalities for content creation, scheduling content, and updating content within the digital signage network.

Content creation is a vital part of this process since this is where you will be creating the dynamic digital content. It involves using images, videos, and animations. It’s also how you pick the layouts, fonts, and colours for the digital content.

The next part involves scheduling and updating content, like digital signage software. It is critical to deliver targeted messages at the right time, for example, whether it is seasonal or evergreen content.

Applications of Digital Signage

Various industries have utilised digital signage for different purposes and applications. A digital signage project can be used to convey public information, product information, boost brand recognition, and deliver promotional messages.

This powerful tool makes use of projection screens to address an audience. The following are some of the best applications of digital signage currently available.

Advertising and Promotion

The most common digital signage application is advertising or promoting a product or service. Using digital signage is a game-changing way to boost your branding and showcase a product or service. This type of digital signage content is intended to drive sales and entice customers. The messages are tailored to suit the specific demographic and their preferences or buying behaviour.

Billboards are a typical example of outdoor installation or digital signage intended for advertising or marketing. You can also find them used in retail stores promoting discounts and sales. The promotional message can introduce a new product, offer a discount, or boost brand recall.

Information Dissemination

The next common application of digital display screens is to convey information or educate. The best example is using digital signage for wayfinding and directories in hospitals, transport systems, airports, and schools. Digital screens like map directories and directions make it easier for people to find information or learn about schedules.

Enhance Customer Experience

An interactive digital display is designed to engage customers and help them make informed decisions. The goal of content creation for digital signage would be to foster brand loyalty and create a personalised customer experience. These messages are tailored based on customer behaviour and preferences, data analytics, and location-based content.

Some examples of digital signage that boost customer experience include businesses displaying their special hours for an upcoming holiday, promoting an event in the local area, or taking customers on a virtual tour of a brand’s products or services.

Best Practices for Effective Digital Signage

Digital signage contains vital information suited for its purpose, whether advertising or informational. Regardless of the purpose, take note of these best practices to achieve the best results.

Identify Your Goals

The first and most critical step before you create digital signage content is to know your goals. Goals help provide a clear direction during content creation. Keep your goals specific, so you know what you are trying to achieve with the content, and you can target it for the right audience.

Identifying your goals also helps you to assess your resources and pick the right location for your installation. And finally, it allows you to set the KPIs you must keep track of to measure your performance.

Develop a Content Strategy

Once you’ve identified your actionable goals, developing a content strategy is next. Generally, there are two types of content: static and dynamic. But to make the most of the technical capabilities of electronic signage, choose dynamic content.

Dynamic content is more eye-catching, engaging, and interactive. You can manipulate it based on specific inputs, giving them more functionality.

You need a reliable content management system to ensure you can easily create, update or manage content for your digital signage.

Make Your Content Stand Out

Here are some guidelines to consider when designing your digital signage content for better success:

• Choose readable fonts and make the texts easily visible. Limit your design to three different types of fonts.
• Make the most of the contrast. It will make the text more visible and easier to read.
• Bright colours make your digital signage stand out. Choose a dominant colour and two other complementary colours.
• Consider image ratios based on whether your signage is vertically or horizontally configured.
• Make It Accessible

The Equality Act in the UK requires businesses to employ accessibility in creating digital content. Therefore, people with disabilities can benefit from your digital content.

Consider text size, font style, speech output, and interactive components of your digital signage.

Consider Location and Viewing Patterns

The location of the digital signage can impact your design choices. Whether the location is in a high-traffic area with a moving audience, you have to keep these factors in mind during content creation. It enables you to develop the content that would facilitate ease in absorbing information, ideally within 5 seconds.

Optimise content to keep it precise, clear, and complete. Avoid any noisy backgrounds and keep it simple so the message is clear and readily available.

Trends and Innovations in Digital Signage

The digital signage industry continues to evolve, especially as new trends and technologies emerge. In addition, changing consumer expectations also require creators and advertisers to be more creative and to adapt their approach to suit the audience’s needs.

The first and most noticeable trend in the digital signage market is the AR/VR integration. Equipping your digital content creation with these technologies makes it highly immersive and engaging for the audience. Tapping these technologies enhances storytelling capabilities and makes virtual environments possible.

The use of AI is another rising trend in the digital signage market. You can utilise AI algorithms to generate dynamic and engaging content to better target customer behaviour and preferences.

Another prevailing trend is the focus on personalisation. Digital signage can integrate various data sources, such as social media feeds and real-time weather updates, depending on the specific application of the signage.

The next trend is sustainability, which sees the digital signage solution moving toward energy-efficient display interactive screens. Switching to sustainable technologies is not only beneficial for the environment but also provides higher energy savings and a longer lifespan.

Key Takeaways

Digital signage has streamlined communication, marketing, and advertising for various industries. The trends of digital signage solutions are promising, so one can expect they will become more prevalent in the years to come.

If you’re a business, digital signage is worth a try to offer an immersive experience and tailored messaging that appeals to your target audience.

Discover Mediascape’s cutting-edge digital signage solutions and unlock the potential of this powerful tool for your business. Get a free quote today!