Digital signage is one of the most effective ways for business owners to drive awareness and meaningful business results with their target audience.
By using this software, businesses can create custom content, manage digital signage content, and measure the success of their digital signage campaigns with whatever metrics mean the most to them.
In this blog, we'll outline how to choose the best digital signage software and discuss some key factors that we think should be a consideration for every business that chooses this type of advertising.
Regardless if a business is looking to increase customer satisfaction, increase branding, or measure engagement with said digital signage campaigns, this blog will help with many of those goals and more.
What are the benefits of using digital signage software for business?
There's no doubt that digital signage has become a powerful marketing tool. But regardless of how powerful it currently is, there are still businesses out there that have yet to realise its potential (although that is slowly changing!)
It can help any business drive traffic and conversions to its website or eCommerce store utilising brand awareness, but it is likely to be more effective when it can prompt the target audience to visit the physical store.
In fact, did you know that 80% of customers choose to enter stores after seeing digital signage? Those numbers are significant.
In addition, digital signage software can be used to manage customers' interactions with your business. A study back in 2020 found that 64% of digital signage users cite increased customer engagement as the main benefit of digital signage.
Again, this is another glaringly obvious statistic that conveys the effectiveness of digital signs for businesses.
Choosing a digital signage media player
Now that we've discussed some of the benefits that can be afforded a business when they use digital signage as part of their advertising strategy, it's time to turn our attention to choosing a digital signage media player.
In short, choosing the right digital media player is essential for success. There are a few things to take into consideration including the needs of the business and the features of the player itself.
We believe the four factors we have featured below should be at the forefront of the minds of every business owner once they have made the decision to choose digital signage as a form of advertising for their business.
Deployment & Setup
Once the digital signage software & player have been chosen, your next point of consideration will need to be deployment and setup.
When deploying any digital signage software solution, you will need to take into account the following:
Size
Case
Mount display
Theft protection
Remote management features
The latter two are more relevant to those businesses that are likely to have a remote management setup.
Remote management is a great way to keep an eye on digital screens from afar, without having to be physically present in an office.
This can be particularly useful for those businesses with high traffic volumes, or those that rely heavily on automation.
Digital signage software should also come with built-in theft protection features. If you're not using remote management capabilities, make sure the player comes complete with security measures such as password protection and encryption.
Remote Management
If there’s one key advantage to using digital signage as a form of advertising, it’s that it can be managed literally anywhere.
There’s no need to be sitting at your office at all times when needing to make a change. Digital signage software has reached a point in its evolution where managing your campaigns from wherever you are, and regardless of where the advertising screen is located, is a breeze.
Price & Availability
Despite its wide-ranging reach, digital signage advertising isn't nearly as costly as one might think. In fact, depending on the provider, this form of advertising can be cost-effective; especially in comparison to other avenues such as digital or traditional advertising.
Media Player Features
The quality of your media player, and its features, is an important consideration with digital signage advertising campaigns.
If you get something that is clunky, heavy, can’t be remotely managed, and is a tech nightmare, then it doesn’t bode well for a seamless & effective campaign.
Ideally, you want a media player that has the following features:
Lightweight
Quick and easy to install
Support for intended media types (4K, HD etc)
Operating system that supports a digital signage CMS (Android, Windows or Linux)
What digital display screen is best?
With regards to digital signage display screens, businesses may think that their only options are giant screens in Piccadilly Circus or those large screens found at airports.
Thankfully, these aren't the only options available. In fact, every business has a variety of display screens available to them regardless of their size. These include:
Tablets & iPads
Monitors
Non-smart TVs
Smart TVs
Self-serve kiosks
Pylons
Obviously, the best screen for a business is the one that will best suit its needs & requirements.
For example, a shopping centre may not need tablets or iPads, but they'll certainly benefit from a video wall or smart TV hanging from a wall.
An eye for the future
Finally, businesses need to think long-term about how many digital signage screens they will need in one or five years' time. Can the signage software they are considering meet, and possibly exceed their goals? If not, they may need to look elsewhere.
If they choose the wrong player and associated screens, they may run the risk of having to repurchase later which could be a financial disaster.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some key features to look for when choosing digital signage software?
There are a few key features to look for when selecting digital signage software. Some of the features businesses should consider include: support for video playback, event scheduling, and design customization.
Additionally, making sure the digital signage software chosen has a wide range of features that can support the business's needs is incredibly important.
How can I determine which type of digital signage screen will be best for my business?
This will depend on your business needs. Tablets and iPads may be the digital signage solution for your medium-sized business, but a larger-scale business may require video walls.
Furthermore, your needs may only match various capabilities of digital screens which include but not limited to:
Support for a variety of media formats
High screen display resolution
Advanced content scheduled
Remote screen monitoring
Mount display
It also depends on the sort of interaction you wish to have with your customers. Are you simply wanting them to visit your nearby store? Perhaps you want them to interact with your social media feed on your large video wall?
Or maybe you're wanting to create an immersive interactive digital experience like no other?
Once you have a solid understanding of the various factors, you can then begin researching the screens that are available to you.
Conclusion
Digital signage software is a great way to keep your customers informed and entertained while they are in your store or office.
While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, understanding the features available to you will help you make an informed decision about what software would be best for your business.
A business needs to consider what display screens they want to use and how they want to connect and interact with their prospects & customers.
The performance of the software will also need to be a consideration as to whether it too can meet the needs of the business.
No longer will businesses have to rely on traditional out-of-home media, or digital marketing channels, to advertise their business in places where their prospective customers are likely to be.
To find out more about how Doohly can provide your business with a variety of digital signage solutions, please get in touch with us.
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