What is Digital Signage? A guide to its benefits and applications

Once Upon a Time

The past 200 years+ advertisements and information were on printed posters, brochures and other printed materials. These communications are static and only moved with the newspaper or the distributor.

Because signage is dynamic, offering real-time advertising and visual communication on electronic displays, the medium for sharing information has changed! Many times people refer to Digital Signage as TV signage or TV signage on displays.

What is Digital Signage? A Brief Overview

Digital Signage refers to the use of electronic displays to communicate visual information dynamically. Unlike traditional signage, which is static and uses materials like tin, wood, or paper, digital signage allows for content to be easily updated and adapted in real-time.

With the aid of signage, you can more easily achieve your communication goals by which advertising success is measured:

Exposure to the advertising message by the target audience, influenced by the successful dissemination of the advertising media
Branding for the target audience
Recall of the advertising message by the target audience, directly exposed to the message
Support by the target audience, with a complementary view toward your product
Understanding of the message
Influence on customer behavior toward purchasing. Digital Signage is convincing

And Now Some Facts

Let’s now go over some statistics and how it can help organizations and businesses improve their bottom line:

Over 2/3 of business professionals report advertisements catch their attention first over other forms of media (Source: OTX/Seesaw)
63% of people say Digital Signage is eye catching (Source: OTX/Seesaw)
47% of viewers remember specific ads or messages on a digital sign (Source: Arbriton 2010)
19% increase in impulse purchase sales due to Digital Signage (Source: Arbriton 2010)
31.8% increase in overall sales volume due to Digital Signage (InfoTrends 2007)
35% decrease in waiting times at checkout due to Digital Signage (Source: Lavi Field Study)

The Development of Technologies

Digital Signage has evolved in the past two decades from a platform initially used exclusively by the larger companies (McDonald’s) and large government venues (airports, transportation hubs, etc.) into a common way to communicate with visitors and customers. The major turnaround, due to several trends, occurred in the last two to three years.

Frequently asked questions

What types of TVs can I use for signage?
Let’s now go over what you need to get started with DS. To get going, you can use an existing TV or purchase a new one. Don’t worry about the brand or if it is a “smart TV” or not. We recommend going with 43″ or larger; this will ensure maximum viewability of your digital sign display.
Where is Digital Signage being used today?
Signage is found today in stores, restaurants, corporate buildings, breakrooms, factory floors, supermarkets, hair salons, hotels, banks, elevators and airports. In essence, it can be found anywhere where transmitting information is essential, whether for advertising or news or the benefit of clientele.
Digital Signage is implemented in the store or public area by installing display monitors, enabling changing the content using remote management via digital signage software. The dynamic nature of the screen content and keeping it up-to-date is virtual without cost. Today, digital signs is considered to be a high investment-return technology in comparison to traditional printing options.
How do I get my information on a display?
Connected to the TV via HDMI will be a digital sign media player. This is a small form device commonly 4″ x 4″ x 1″ in size. Once attached to the TV, you will need to connect it to the Internet via WiFi. The signage media player is what will play your signage on the TV. Every 2 minutes it will check for updates in the cloud, download them, then play them.
What do I need to design my messages and templates?
To create your signage content and send it to the screen, you will need cloud-based signage software. Using signage software, you will design your content and set up a playlist when you want different information and templates to play.
What is cloud based signage?
Cloud based digital signage gives you the ability to remotely manage, update and control information that is being displayed on a digital sign from a computer or tablet. You can control an unlimited number of digital signs all from one location remotely. All that you need is access to a PC or MAC with an internet connection.
How to set up signage content?
Let’s now go over what you can design to display on DS. People often set-up slide shows of content to play and rotate through on the digital display for people looking to keep it simple. This type of digital signage is easy to set-up, and many times users can design their content using PowerPoint. Setting up signage like this is easy, and anyone can do it. The downfall to doing just slide shows is the information is static; in other words, boring.
How to maximize the effectiveness?
To make the most out of signage, it is recommended to display multiple information zones on the digital sign TV. An example of this would be displaying a slideshow in one section, a scrolling news ticker on the bottom, a video playing next to the slideshow and the weather forecast in the corner. This setup visually engages due to the various content zones, plus lets you display multiple messages all at once!
What should I use to design my content?
It is best to use an all-in-one cloud-based digital signage software to design, edit, update and manage your digital signage for efficiency. A good digital signage software allows users to set up their content and customize the layout easily.
Slideshows, videos, RSS tickers, animations, Instagram and Twitter, feeds, YouTube videos, text box zones and websites are examples of items you can display on a digital signage display.

What is Digital Signage?

Digital Signage Examples