7 Common Corporate Digital Signage Mistakes
Creating the right messaging for employees, customers, or any other important stakeholders, is difficult. While digital signage is a valuable tool for corporate entities to communicate, there are some common mistakes that cause confusion, or less than optimal viewing and editing experiences.
1. Poor Quality Images or Video
Catching digital signage viewers is the key to any successful digital deployment. Even a video with excellent messaging and execution can be ruined due to poor quality. Ideally, videos and images should be uploaded in 1080p or better. Lower resolutions will cause videos and images to look fuzzy, even on the best screens.
Videos that slow, cut off or need to refresh can also ruin digital signage content. Set timing to the end of the video and make sure videos are saved correctly for dynamic digital content.
2. Outdated Content
Content rarely needs to be updated for some users. This is common for digital signage users who are displaying static content, like workplace safety rules, or company policies. Corporate digital signage users typically update content regularly throughout the year. It’s important that events, deadlines, and company information are kept up to date, otherwise digital messaging loses its effectiveness. Arreya digital signage software integrates to programs like Google Slides and Google Sheets to automate updates. Users can make an update to their document, and the update will be reflected on screen without making any edits to the presentation itself.
An easy way to generate fresh content is divide the work load. Multiple content managers can schedule and update different content on the same presentation.
3. Too Much to Look at
Corporations need to communicate massive amounts of information quickly. It’s easy to overload powerpoint slides, employee handbooks, and digital signage with too much content. If there are too many things to read or look at on one page, viewers are often overwhelmed and miss the message.
Summarize information into a quick, easy to read sentence or graphic. Viewers are more likely to take in information if they don’t have to read a paragraph.
The basics of good copy is a 4 part hierarchy.
- Headline
- Subheading
- Body copy
- Images with captions
4. Grammatical Mistakes
Grammar and spelling may seem insignificant, but they play an important role in conveying professionalism. It’s easy to make grammatical mistakes, but fortunately, it’s pretty easy to fix them within digital signage creative studios. Many digital signage software editors have built in spell check to help minimize mistakes. LEARN MORE about common digital signage grammatical errors.
5. Lack of Audience Consideration
It’s important to remember who will be viewing your digital signage content while creating presentations. Messaging will be a lot different depending on whether your audience consists of employees, potential customers, shareholders, or a combination of stakeholders. In addition, colors, imaging, and vocabulary are all factors to consider.
It’s also important to consider whether or not your digital signage is publicly accessible. If it is publically accessible, or if there is a concern that people will try to inappropriately alter content, it’s advisable to have some sort of way to lock down your device. Devices managed in the Google Admin Console can be placed in kiosk mode. Kiosk mode prevents devices from being tampered with and prevents web browser access for unauthorized users.
6. Inadequate Hardware
Inadequate hardware leads to a poor viewing experience no matter how well digital signage content is designed, planned, and scheduled. If digital signage is going to be outside, waterproof and weather resistant devices are recommended. However, these devices are typically heavier and more expensive than their indoor counterparts.
Screen resolution is another important consideration. If you plan on uploading high definition images and videos, 1080p, 4k, or even 8k resolution screens would be best. While these screens are more expensive, their image quality is superior.
LEARN MORE about digital signage displays.
7. Inputting Everything Manually
Many corporate digital signage users display calendars, menus, events, and other content that changes frequently. Inputting all of those updates manually is tedious and time consuming. Earlier, we mentioned that Arreya digital signage software integrates with tools like iCal, Calendly, Google Calendar, Google Slides, and Google sheets to automate data entry and changes. Users simply make a change to their original document, like a date in Google Calendar for instance, and the changes take effect immediately on screen, no additional steps required.
Effective Corporate Digital Signage
Digital signage is at its most effective when assets are uploaded with the highest possible resolution, content is up to date, and the audience is taken into consideration while the content is being designed. Grammar and spelling are important too, especially for corporations with public facing digital signage. Misspellings and grammatical errors make messaging look unprofessional and careless. If possible, adding automation into digital signage is ideal, because it drastically reduces the amount of time it takes to make updates. These recommendations will help you present professional, effective digital signage content without spending countless hours.
