ChannelLife New Zealand - Industry insider news for technology resellers
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Mon, 1st Mar 2010
FYI, this story is more than a year old

Whether you are a multinational company or a SME, there is a growing trend to communicate with customers with real-time information, and more and more New Zealand businesses are implementing their own digital signage networks. The advantages of digital signage include the ability to update content rapidly, and the opportunity to deliver specific messages to a targeted audience in the right locations at the right time. The true advantage of digital signage comes in always delivering content that is fresh and relevant to the target audience, which can change by location or time of day, and this content can be updated within minutes. Through external data integration, it is also possible to update content automatically, without having to re-create content each time. To create a successful digital signage network, you need to firstly have a good under-standing of your potential audience, and what influences them. You can then start to think about what kind of system will work in the environment. Never choose a solution based on technology – rather choose a solution based on what your chosen partner can provide. Different levels of functionality is another area that needs some thought; this will depend purely on what you want to achieve from your digital signage. Does your client need one screen or 10? Are they playing the same content on each or does each screen need to play different messages or promotions? You should be able to offer a range of products from a low-end, low-functionality, low-cost media player to a PC capable of running multiple channels of content. If you have a client with large foot traffic, then potentially airtime can be sold to third-party sponsors. Some examples of this would be a hotel lobby, cinema foyer or busy retail store. As a signage partner you should be able to help source sponsors, which can go a long way to paying for the setup and ongoing fees of the network. The implementation of a digital signage network can be a daunting process, and the most important part of this process is choosing the right partner. We see companies making the mistake of selecting a supplier based solely on their technical abilities, and there needs to be so much more. To implement a successful system, you need to think about some, if not all of the following points:

  • Communicate with customers
  • Communicate with employees
  • Improve corporate image
  • Uplift in sales and how to measure this
  • Promotions
  • Timing of promotions
  • Content creation
  • Content approval process
  • Content delivery: music, news, sport, etc.
  • RSS feeds: news, weather, etc.
  • Relevance of content
  • Reduce perceived queue time
  • Brand consistency
  • Research
  • Location of screens
  • Hardware choices
  • Customer Interaction.   After discussing your client’s requirements and expectations (and of course budget), you should be able to suggest the right solution for their business. The ongoing management of the network is just as important as setting it up in the first place. A good place to start is to register with the various websites dedicated to this industry (www.akatv.com, www.digitalsignagetoday.com, www.dailydooh.com). These will give you an insight into the industry and offer some sound advice.