Digital Signage Challenges: 4 Problems to Avoid

Digital signage has the potential to produce some undeniably cool retail experiences. Using it, however, isn’t something you should rush into – especially if your budget isn’t limitless. Although the technology can revolutionize your relationships with employees and customers, mistakes result in higher costs and disappointing results. Let’s explore some common digital signage challenges below and their solutions:

Poor Planning

Maybe you’ve seen a statistic like 42 percent of shoppers would prefer to shop at a store with video displays. Although the market has impressive growth potential, you need clear goals for the technology before you roll out digital signs. After all, poor planning is one of the most common challenges of digital signage.

If there are workflow bottlenecks to getting content approved, you miss out on marketing opportunities because of ineffective signage. Similarly, undertrained employees create subpar content. Indeed, many companies invest in a more complex solution than they require. Thus, purchase user-friendly and train employees adequately to solve this problem.

If you want your digital signs to provide a competitive advantage, you need a consistent rotation of captivating content. In some cases, businesses do not post content consistently or the content that is displayed does little to achieve their goals. It’s important to plan out how you want to leverage this technology in advance, developing proper workflows and a content plan.

You also need to nail your target audience. Do your visitors want wayfinding information to navigate your building, or are they interested in discounts and sales? By defining your audience, you are more likely to display relevant and compelling content. A clear vision for your project will also help you determine how to measure ROI for your digital signage.

Finding the Right Hardware and Software

A digital signage system consists of both hardware and software, each with different roles. There are many options available in the market, so take the time to identify the best solutions for your business.

When you choose digital signage hardware, consider the content you will play. For example, a large display is ideal if you want passersby to see your dynamic content from a distance. In comparison, a smaller screen works well for touchscreen kiosks as it provides personal and immersive experiences. In short, ensure that the size of the screen fits the wall space. Also, consider the type of screen, with options including LED, LCD, and OLED displays when tackling this digital signage challenge.

In terms of software, we recommend a cloud-based, easy-to-use content management system (CMS) that provides scalability and flexibility. If you install multiple displays, ensure the platform supports multi-screen content management. We’ve installed systems that manage hundreds of screens in one or different locations.

Poor Location

Correct placement is the secret to effective digital signage. In many cases, business owners place digital screens too high or too low and miss out on audience engagement. Other advertisers situate digital screens in low-traffic areas or locations where people don’t spend much time. If you don’t place your digital signage in an effective area, you’re missing out on your investment.

First, you want a central location with high foot traffic and lingering crowds, like a waiting room in a healthcare facility. Other suitable locations include checkout lines, ticket booths, lobbies, employee break rooms, and elevators. If you use digital signs to promote merchandise, place them close to the products.

Second, set the screens at eye level or slightly above eye level to grab shoppers’ attention. In addition to height, consider the distance between the screen and the viewer. Images and fonts should be large enough for a viewer at the farthest distance. Also, keep in mind that sunlight can interrupt visibility. It helps to ensure that outdoor digital signage screens are bright enough or have an anti-glare coating or anti-reflective technology.

All About the Content

We touched on it a bit earlier, but when it comes to digital signage – content is king. In fact, you could argue the biggest benefit of digital signage over static signage is that the content changes frequently. Even if content plays on a loop, customers are likely to look at the screen even if they have seen a particular message before.

Viewers engage with refreshing and new content on a consistent basis. Indeed, many companies get comfortable with running a few stale slides for months on end. As a result, frequent guests rarely give their signage a second glance. A CMS with many content sources is the difference between smart signage and ineffective digital signs. Look for one that can display news, videos, KPI dashboards, emergency alerts, social media posts, and more on your digital signage.

Localizing content will improve the effectiveness of your digital signage as well. However, many advertisers struggle with providing localized messaging across multiple locations. Often, large companies deploy digital signage content from the central hub with little regard for an audience’s specific needs in a particular location. Catering your content stream to local demographics is a far more effective strategy. A popular option is to delegate content creation at the local level or regional level.

How often you update content may depend on how large your company is, how frequently you offer sales and other promotable deals, and other factors. But you need to have a plan in place for producing content when you need it.

In Conclusion

As demonstrated above, deploying digital signage is not without its challenges. However, you can mitigate these by partnering with a reliable digital signage provider and user-friendly software. If you’re interested in how Livewire can help provide digital signage solutions to your business, please contact us today!