Content drives absolutely everything we do. Whether you own a restaurant, retail store or any other type of business, you can use content to promote product and service offerings, attract customers or even communicate safety procedures in a post-COVID world.
Yet, despite so many possibilities, it's hard to share all this information with static content. Organizations want the ability to easily create and manage messaging throughout their entire facility, which is exactly why they need digital signage.
Digital signage is a powerful tool that can transform the way you run your business. From one screen in a lobby to thousands of screens across the country, digital signage can help support an agile workplace culture and connect your workforce at all times.
Here at Egyptian Workspace Partners, we believe every workplace should bring together people, place and technology to help people generate new ideas and keep moving forward.
In this article, we'll break down the basics of digital signage. We'll define what digital signage is and how it benefits your customers and employees. Then, we'll help you determine if it's a worthwhile investment and whether it's right for your business.
What is Digital Signage?
As its name implies, digital signage uses any display device (typically an LED or LCD screen) to share information digitally in place of static messaging. Digital signage is composed of three main elements:
- Display - A single screen or a large number of screens (i.e., video wall, room scheduling panels, mobile devices or desktop monitors) located across a network
- Software - The software application or content management system (CMS) used to create and manage content on your displays remotely (i.e., Appspace)
- Media player - A hardware unit connected to the software that sends digital assets across your network and plays digital content on all displays (i.e., BrightSign player)
All three of these elements are used to implement a reliable digital signage solution. You can either create a digital signage system with products from different manufacturing partners or even buy a complete digital signage package from a single manufacturer.
What are the Benefits of Digital Signage?
Benefits of Digital Signage for Customers
Organizations use digital signage as a convenient way to engage with customers and present real-time information through attention-grabbing content. When it comes to customers, digital signage can help businesses:
- Present their message at scale, targeting large groups of customers, a specific target audience or a combination of both
- Create and deploy engaging content at any time of day, a certain day of the week or even once a month, allowing for more timely and relevant information
- Spend less money on static or print advertising, which can be especially beneficial when trying to reach large audiences
- Take control of the company brand and culture, and make sure all messaging and branding is consistent across all displays and devices
Benefits of Digital Signage for Internal Communications
You can also use digital signage to connect your team, whether they work in the same building or across locations. It can help you increase engagement and productivity, reduce turnover, attract new team members and cultivate a workspace that supports employee wellbeing.
By using digital signage within your organization, you'll be able to deliver clear, consistent messaging to your employees, keep them up to date with important company news and:
- Achieve company and team goals by displaying real-time performance metrics
- Ensure a safe work environment (and protect employees) with easy-to-read emergency alerts, evacuation instructions and workplace safety tips
- Foster a collaborative workplace culture with digital displays that support videoconferencing, even when remote teams are miles apart
- Recognize individual achievement and milestones among team members, like awards, work anniversaries and birthdays
- Optimize office real estate with digital room scheduling systems so employees can easily book a private space to focus or a conference room for continuous training
Is Digital Signage Worth the Investment?
Ultimately, your return on investment (ROI) will depend on your business's metrics. Your general cost savings are realized through the ability to create and broadcast your messaging in less time, as well as spending less money on print marketing materials.
In addition, you'll be able to generate new revenue streams, increase and speed up transactional sales, enable more consistent brand management and update customers on the latest company news, products and services.
Is Digital Signage the Best Fit for Your Business?
If you're a business owner, the general answer is yes! Digital signage is used by all kinds of businesses, both big and small, across various industries, including corporate, healthcare, education, government, retail, restaurants and entertainment.
With digital signage, the opportunities for engaging your customers (and employees) are seemingly endless. From wayfinding kiosks and digital billboards to video walls and menu boards, digital signage comes in all shapes and sizes to best suit your business needs.
Additionally, digital signage unleashes your business's creative side and proves you're not afraid to be innovative or think outside the box, which can help you stand apart from the competition and set your business up for growth, now and for years to come.