By digital signage content we are referring to the messages broadcasted by the digital signage display units deployed for an ad campaign. The content thus refers to everything that is specifically included and displayed on the screens of a digital signage display system. This content may include text, video, static (still) images, animations, audio output (song, voice over sound effects etc) and interactivity.
Research in the last decade has indicated without refute that the success of a digital signage advertising campaign relies heavily and is dependent on the quality of the content an advertiser develops and deploys through the display unit. Poor content results in poor results, garbage-in-garbage-out style. Good content quality makes the desired impact on the audience and the sales volume is indicative of an improving market performance.
The digital signage technology has now reached near-absolute sophistication; the hardware is exotically progressive and the advertising techniques very efficient. In most cases the advertising content featured by most companies is the one thing holding back maximal benefits from such deployment campaigns. The content will fail to attain the desired objectives if it does not exploit the full potential of the digital signage technology and only comes out similar to TV ads or billboards. If the content were more enriched, engaging, and captivating, results would be totally different. Such ideal content can be developed by a specialist advertising agency or if the organisation/company has a good team, by the in-house advertising department.
Today, we have an assortment of different software solutions that can be used to develop ideal content for the digital signage systems. It is advisable to avoid proprietary software since when the same software is used to run other digital signage installations the network lacks in the necessary management and control flexibility. Proprietary software that comes with a system installation requirement always conflicts with any other open-source software a business owner may wish to use later on. The best way is to use an open source software from the word go.
Once you have developed and deployed your content it is also advisable to update it regularly so as to ensure the correct message is being displayed at all times. The message that is appropriate for summer might not appeal in winter. A message that is relevant in the morning might not be relevant during the evening. The idea is to time your message to coincide with time and seasons it is most appropriate for.
Updating digital signage content can either be done manually or using a scheduling system data feed. The data feed may be purchased from such content providers as Canadian Press, AHN, Thomson Reuters etc. A company can also develop its own data feed for its digital signage installations.
