Digital signage is an essential tool for modernizing your communication, whether it’s to capture attention in your retail locations or to enhance internal communication. You’ve made the decision to improve your interactions with customers or employees through digital signage screens. This is an excellent initiative, but to achieve results, it’s crucial to follow some best practices.

The reasons for this choice can be multiple: increasing your revenue through impactful communication on screens in your retail locations, or broadcasting updated internal information in real time. However, it’s important to understand the key factors that determine the success of your project.

Hardware and software: an indispensable duo

When discussing a digital signage strategy, it’s vital to consider two essential elements: hardware and software. These two components are inseparable and must be well-balanced to ensure the success of your communication.

Many companies make the mistake of neglecting one or the other, which can compromise the effectiveness of their digital signage campaign. If your content is outdated or irrelevant despite a great screen, or if the screen is poorly suited to its location, you risk failing to meet your objectives.

Digital signage hardware

Choosing the right hardware is a key element of your communication strategy. Depending on your needs, you may have to manage a wide range of displays, such as digital signage screens, totems, interactive kiosks, or even projectors.

Digital signage screens are increasingly popular due to their high visibility and adaptability, especially for outdoor environments. The high brightness of these screens ensures good readability, even in direct sunlight, which is essential for storefronts or semi-outdoor spaces.

A regular TV screen, on the other hand, won’t perform as well outdoors and may overheat quickly, drastically reducing its lifespan. It may also not support portrait orientation, as the manufacturer didn’t design it for that.

Manufacturers like Samsung, LG, or Sony offer screens specifically designed for intensive professional use, with models capable of running 16 to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Moreover, they adapt to ambient brightness to provide optimal visual comfort while saving energy.

If you have a limited budget, using smart TVs for indoor displays and light use can be a temporary solution. However, it’s important to ensure that the size and resolution of your screens are appropriate for the environment. Storefront screens typically start being relevant at 46" and 49" for visibility from afar. The most common sizes are 46/49" (or even 43"), 55", 65", 75", and 86". There may be differences depending on the manufacturers.

LED screens are also an expanding solution, allowing the creation of large display surfaces without size limits. This type of technology even allows for screens to be integrated onto curved surfaces, a real advantage for visually standing out.

Your communication strategy should include a digital signage solution capable of managing this diversity of screens and display supports.

Management tool and screen management: MDM

Once you’ve selected your screens, remote management becomes crucial. A good management tool, or MDM (Mobile Device Management), will allow you to manage all your screens regardless of their operating system. As mentioned earlier, each screen has its own operating system:

• Android AOSP (Android Open Source, with or without Google services like the Play Store)
• Tizen (Samsung)
• WebOS (LG)
• Android TV (TV box)
• Android (tablets, smartphones)

Others may have no operating system at all, or the screens are outdated, and you will need a player that can manage and control your digital signage campaign, such as:

• The Disign player (Disign OS, Raspberry Pi)
• Brightsign players with the Disign solution.

One often overlooked aspect is the daily management of screens: operating hours, energy consumption optimization, and remote management. These elements are essential to ensure the performance of your digital signage campaigns.

Some companies start with a simple USB stick, which is a limited and ineffective approach for long-term goals. Remote management allows for quick responsiveness and updates, which are indispensable for achieving your marketing objectives.

Content management and scheduling: CMS for digital signage

Once your screens are installed and properly managed, content management becomes the heart of your strategy. Your CMS (Content Management System) software should allow you to control what is displayed, when, and on which screen. Careful scheduling is essential to maximize the impact of your campaigns.

Targeting your personas through digital signage

The flexibility of your CMS solution should allow you to adapt content based on various criteria such as location, time of day, or even season. For instance, a restaurant can display its menus during meal times and show videos of dish presentations outside of these slots. For a business, internal communication can be highlighted in offices, while client reception areas will display promotional content.

One of the key advantages of our Disign solution is the ability to schedule your campaigns in advance. You can plan recurring content, such as weekly meeting announcements or special holiday offers, while automating updates.

Content automation

To facilitate content management, our Disign software integrates advanced automation tools. For example, you can synchronize your display with an Excel file or an API from your website, allowing for automatic updates of products, prices, or other information. This saves time while ensuring that your content is always up to date and relevant.

This automation is particularly beneficial for sectors like retail, where content needs frequent updates without requiring manual intervention with each change.

Creating relevant content tailored for screens

The success of your digital signage strategy relies on the quality and relevance of the content you display. It is crucial to adapt the resolutions of images and videos to the characteristics of the screens used. If you use low-quality visuals, the impact of your communication will be diminished. Conversely, overly large videos can slow down the player, creating a poor user experience.

Moreover, it’s essential to consider the brightness of your screens. For a storefront screen, overly dark content will be hard to read due to glare. Opt for lighter colors to take advantage of the high brightness of the screens.

In terms of typography, favor simple fonts that are large enough and have good contrast with the background to ensure readability. It’s also advisable to limit animations and transitions, which can distract or unnecessarily prolong the reading time, especially in contexts where the audience has little time to view the content, such as on an outdoor screen intended for motorists.

Utilizing display zones

An indispensable feature of digital signage software is the ability to divide the screen into different zones to display multiple contents. For example, in a waiting room, you can simultaneously display information about services, the weather, and news. However, in environments where viewing distance is significant, it is often better to opt for full-screen displays to maximize message impact.

To summarize:

• Use the correct screen resolutions and adapt your content to ensure good readability.
• Consider the brightness of your screens, especially for storefronts.
• Ensure that texts are clear, well-contrasted, and of sufficient size to be seen from a distance.
• Avoid unnecessary animations to maximize the effectiveness of your message.
• Use screen segmentation intelligently to display multiple relevant contents simultaneously.

The placement of your screens: a key factor

The placement of your digital signage screens is a determining factor for the visibility of your content. A poorly positioned, poorly tilted, or poorly lit screen can render your message ineffective. Indeed, even if a screen has a viewing angle of 178°, it is recommended that your target be within a direct viewing range.

The importance of visibility and interactivity

Digital signage is evolving towards a more interactive experience. By integrating touch screens, you can transform your audience's experience, making it more immersive and engaging. These interactive screens allow customers to view a product catalog or access additional information. At Disign, we offer solutions that integrate both interactive and passive screens for complete omnichannel management.

Conclusion: succeed in your digital signage strategy

Digital signage is a powerful tool for transforming your communication and capturing your audience's attention. However, its implementation and use should not be taken lightly. It is crucial to choose suitable hardware, utilize efficient software, and consider automated content management. The right combination of these elements will enable you to maximize the impact of your campaigns and successfully achieve your communication objectives.

At Disign, we are here to assist you at every stage of your project, providing tailored solutions that meet your specific needs. Whether you want to energize your storefronts, modernize your reception areas, or enhance internal communication in your offices, we have the solution that suits you.