9 Tips for Successfully Implementing Your Digital Signage Project

Choosing software and hardware suited to the company’s needs is important when undertaking a digital signage project. Here’s a checklist of best practices for successfully executing your digital signage project:

 

• 1. Define the objectives and type of your digital signage project
• 2. Adapt content to the broadcasting context and target audience
• 3. Keep content fresh and updated over time
• 4. Choose the suitable locations for your digital signage screens
• 5. Select digital signage software that meets your needs
• 6. Decide between SaaS or On-Premise (licensed) digital signage solutions
• 7. Choose screens suited to your usage
• 8. Opt for players that match the scale of your project
• 9. Involve the right teams

 

 

1. Define the Objectives and Type of your Digital Signage Project

 

The first step in any digital signage project is to define its type and objectives. This will have a direct impact on the solution to be implemented. Keep in mind the following:

• The sector your company operates in
• The nature of your activities
• The targets you aim to reach through your communication,

 

There are four main types of digital signage projects, each with varying objectives:

 

Corporate

• Inform and engage employees: Communicate about company life, new hires, successes, and welcome visitors.
• Strengthen employer branding: Share CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) actions and inform about energy savings from internal initiatives.
• Direct and remind: Provide building signage, indicate room locations, and notify about meeting room availability.

 

Retail

• Convey and enhance brand image for your product or company: Create the desired brand experience, reinforce positioning, and elevate the in-store atmosphere.
• Promote and increase the visibility of your offers to boost sales: Highlight products, promotions, and clearance sales.
• Attract attention and entice customers into the store through window displays that catch the eye of passersby.

 

Public Spaces

• Improve customer experience and reduce perceived wait times: Entertain and inform through rich content in waiting areas (departure halls, museum queues, theme parks, etc.).
• Inform, guide, and alert: In high-traffic areas, guide travelers and provide real-time information, such as at train stations and airports.

 

Operations

• Provide real-time business information: Display tasks to be completed and track production (KPIs) on screens in real-time.
• Train staff: Broadcast operational instructions are on demand for less experienced or temporary staff.

 

 

2. Adapt Content to the Broadcasting Context and Target Audience

 

Content displayed on digital signage must be engaging and aligned with the set objectives.
Generally, focus on short-duration content, preferably without sound. However, it’s essential to adjust the duration and message depending on the location and the objectives. Always consider the potential viewer's attention span and emotional state before creating content.

For instance, content for window displays should be even shorter and more eye-catching since passersby have very limited time to engage. Conversely, content in waiting areas should be longer and richer, providing more information to the visitor.

Content can be informative and related to the company, its products, or services. Still, it can also be more general, such as weather updates, movie times, traffic reports, and information from employee committees. Mixing both types of content is important, as the variety will encourage viewers to keep watching.

 

 

Take full advantage of your digital signage solution by being inventive and personalizing your communication as much as possible. The possibilities are endless! For example, you can display wayfinding information, planned messages for visitor arrivals, employee birthdays, or even emergency alerts.

 

Since content is key, it’s critical to have a structured approach to content management:

• Who will create the content and editorial line?
• Who is responsible for updates?
• What budget is allocated?

 

 

 

3. Keep Content Fresh and Updated over Time

 

Content is often looped on digital signage screens. It’s essential to adjust the duration and rhythm so the content remains impactful and attention-grabbing.

 

More importantly, the content must be refreshed and updated regularly. If the same message remains for too long, customers or employees may lose interest and eventually stop noticing it. The frequency of content updates should align with the frequency of customer or employee visits.

 

Mixing internal informational content with recreational content is an effective and low-cost way to keep content fresh. Recreational content, such as news, weather, and traffic updates, can be automatically refreshed through RSS feeds, ensuring that your content is always relevant and up-to-date. Such content is particularly appreciated in employee break areas.

 

Another effective way to automate content updates is to link digital signage with your organization’s data. Indeed, it’s possible to integrate “rich” information from the company’s Information System directly into the content in an automatic and real-time manner, such as:

• KPIs,
• Stock levels,
• Promotions,
• Calendars,
• etc.

 

For example, in industrial settings, you can display your production indicators in real time, showing whether you are ahead of or behind schedule. The same applies in call centers or logistics loading docks. Once this “template” is created, everything is updated automatically without any user intervention.

 

 

 

4. Choose the Right Locations for your Digital Signage Screens

 

Your digital signage screens should be clearly visible without disrupting the environment. The screen size should not appear too small or too large for the audience, so it’s important to position the screen at an optimal distance from the target viewers (customers, employees, visitors).

 

There are various mounting options for digital signage screens:

• Wall mounts (close to the wall, adjustable tilt, etc.)
• Ceiling mounts
• Floor stands/columns.

 

Depending on your focal points, you'll need to determine which media are best suited for your digital signage screens.

Screen layout is a very important factor in the success of a digital signage project. For effective, high-impact communication, you need to determine the strategic locations for your digital signage screens. Several criteria need to be considered, such as brightness, environment, safety, and public accessibility.

 

 

5. Choose Digital Signage Software that Fits your Needs

 

The software is the cornerstone of any digital signage project. It will allow you to:

• Orchestrate the content,
• Meet the project’s functional needs,
• Keep your entire system operational.

 

Involve your IT Teams

Digital signage software must meet the needs of both users (Communication, Marketing) and the requirements of the IT and security departments. When selecting the software, it’s crucial to bring together the users and IT.

 

Consider scalability

Over time, your initial needs will evolve and expand. Therefore, it’s important to choose a solution offering features beyond your current requirements. This will prevent you from having to change your digital signage solution after just two years of use, for instance.

 

Ask about the software roadmap:

• What updates and features are planned?
• At what pace?
• Do the planned updates incorporate user feedback?

 

Ensure the Solution is User-Friendly.

The solution should be easy to use, intuitive, and allow for advanced features. From the start, consider involving multiple contributors in the use of the software. The chosen digital signage solution should enable the delegation of full or partial content management to local contributors (branch managers, site managers, and store managers).

 

Monitor and Control the Solution.

Ensure the software is robust and includes built-in Device Management capabilities for remote fleet management. Your IT team must be able to:

• Ensure in real-time that your fleet of screens and players is fully operational,
• Remotely manage any technical aspect of the fleet (software updates, reboot, etc.).

 

For example, it’s essential to remotely manage and schedule the powering on and off of screens from your software interface. There’s no need to keep screens on when no one is there to see them. Today, many solutions display a black screen at night because they cannot properly turn off the screens, which is counterproductive from an environmental perspective.

 

Consider the tools you already have in place.

Digital signage software allows you to broadcast content in real-time but also on a scheduled basis according to criteria such as:

• Dates,
• Times,
• Groups of screens,
• Location,
• etc.

 

As mentioned earlier, digital signage software should be able to integrate with your company’s Information System. This allows data sources to be incorporated, enabling real-time data display.

 

6. Decide between SaaS or On-Premise Digital Signage

 

When choosing your software, you must consider the model: SaaS or On-Premise?

The SaaS model is a subscription to a service hosted in the cloud. The advantage of SaaS is that the solution provider manages the server infrastructure, ensuring regular and controlled updates to the latest software versions.

 

The On-Premise model, on the other hand, involves purchasing perpetual licenses where the server software is installed on the company’s network. The benefit of this model for the company is that it allows them to manage the server and software version upgrades themselves.

 

However, you must ensure you have the time, organization, and skills required for digital signage software to manage it effectively. You may fall behind on updates, limiting access to new features and potentially causing security risks.

 

Both models have advantages depending on each company’s constraints, but SaaS is currently the growing model favored by most companies. However, it is essential to choose software that supports both models, as some IT departments may impose one or the other.

 

 

7. Choose Screens suited to the Usage

 

In a digital signage project, the necessary equipment includes:

• Local intelligence, often called a « player »,
• A screen.

 

Regarding screens, it’s important to purchase a professional-grade monitor, not a TV. A TV isn’t designed to run all day or for professional use. Only professional monitors are guaranteed for such usage. If you buy a TV for a digital signage project that fails after a few months, you won’t have any manufacturer’s warranty.

 

Next, the key selection criteria are the size and shape of the screen. This will depend on the chosen location, the viewing distance, and the desired effect. You might choose:

• An LED wall for a “Wow” effect in a flagship store or airport,
• Thin-bezel screens to create a menu board in a fast-food restaurant,
• A 50” screen in portrait mode for internal communication,
• An industrial screen for business use in a yogurt factory.

There are options for all needs, in every size and shape.

 

It’s also essential to choose a technology suited to the needs and constraints of the project:

• A shop window or outdoor screen will require increased brightness and high heat resistance,
• An industrial screen must withstand dust and sometimes impact.

All these factors are crucial to ensure the longevity of the project.

 

Screens can come in all forms: traditional screens, LEDs, shop windows, video walls, tablets, and kiosks. Recently, e-paper technology screens have emerged, offering extremely low energy consumption. They only consume electricity when the content is updated.

 

Finally, an important point that ties into this section and the next one is that opting for system-on-chip (SOC) screens is possible today. These screens have a built-in player, which allows for acquiring a single device, reducing the need for extra wiring and space. However, they offer less flexibility when it comes to choosing specific features.

 

8. Opt for Players that Match the Scale of your Project

 

The player’s performance must align with the type of content being displayed to ensure smooth playback. Specifically, you’ll need more processing power on the player side if:

• You are displaying high-definition content,
• You are using multi-zoning,
• You need to access significant data sources.

Therefore, it’s important to have a clear vision of the content you plan to display at any given time and any future requirements. Choosing a player that is too limited could restrict the growth of your project.

 

When making your selection, consider the following factors:

• Graphics and multimedia capabilities,
• Storage capacity,
• Memory,
• Power consumption.

 

Be cautious of getting locked into proprietary or brand-specific technologies. It’s better to choose standard and open platforms (such as Windows or Android), which will offer greater flexibility and long-term sustainability. This way, you’ll have the freedom to change screen and player brands as needed.

 

As mentioned earlier, opting for System-on-chip (SOC) screens with an integrated player is also possible. This solution provides an “all-in-one” system, reducing the need for additional storage or cable management, though it may offer less flexibility in terms of specific features.

 

 

9. Involve the right Teams within your Company

 

The IT Department

Your IT department will assist you in selecting the architecture that best fits your needs and constraints.

A digital signage project is as much an audiovisual project as it is an IT project. Therefore, it’s essential that the IT department be involved from the very beginning to ensure that all IT constraints, especially regarding security, are addressed.

Generally, your IT department is responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of all software and IT equipment connected to the Information System. They should be involved in the project and can guide you in making technical decisions throughout its course.

Make sure you have the option to choose between an On-Premise digital signage solution and a Cloud-based solution. Depending on the context, your IT department may prefer an internal installation within the company’s infrastructure. Alternatively, they might opt for full externalization with a SaaS solution from the provider or integrator. This decision will depend on company policies, technical requirements, and financial considerations.

 

The Communication Department

The communication department plays a key role in nearly every digital signage project. They are typically responsible for creating, managing, and distributing content, ensuring that it aligns with the brand’s identity and overall communication strategy (whether internal or external).

Additionally, they often manage the digital signage software directly, allowing for quick adjustments to content in real-time. Collaborating with other departments ensures effective cross-departmental communication and strengthens the overall communication strategy.

 

Your Operations Teams

In many digital signage projects, operations teams play a crucial role. Their industry-specific expertise helps identify specific needs and determine the most relevant information to display. For instance, in a factory, managers and operators can provide valuable insights into the essential information that should be displayed to optimize operational efficiency (production processes, key performance indicators, etc.).

Involving these teams from the start ensures that the displayed content meets real-world needs and contributes to improved productivity. Close collaboration with operations teams helps maximize the impact and relevance of your digital signage system.

 

Do you have more questions about implementing best practices to ensure the success of your digital signage project? Leave your contact details, and we will get back to you promptly!