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Digital Signage Monitors vs. TV – What Are the Differences?

That old adage about using the right tool for the job definitely applies in digital signage – with made-for-purpose commercial displays a wiser choice for most jobs than TVs that may look similar, but are very different inside.

Using flat panel TVs for commercial purposes will almost certainly save on upfront costs, and then cost much more in the long run because of the need for repairs and replacements, and the inability to manage the screens remotely.

While large-format flat panel televisions are sleek and carry some of the same attributes as commercial digital signage displays – like Ultra HD 4K resolution and such technologies as HDR – they’re not engineered for commercial applications.

Here are the big differences

Engineering

TVs are designed to operate for relatively casual use, running a few hours daily. They aren’t engineered to run for 16 hours a day, or even 24/7. They also aren’t engineered to change their orientation and be used in portrait (vertical) mode – a common format in digital signage and advertising.

Management

TVs are built for home use and have audio/video connectors designed to hook up with cable TV and streaming services. They don’t have or need connectors that allow for remote management. Commercial digital signage displays, by comparison, come with connectors – such as RS-232 – that allow technical people to remotely access, monitor and troubleshoot issues.

Tampering

It seems trivial, but a huge problem with using TVs as commercial displays is remote controls accidentally or willfully shutting screens off. Commercial screens can block remote control signals and have routines to force screens back on if shut off.

Brightness

TVs are designed for homes, and don’t need or have the brightness levels required to cut through the ambient light and glare of commercial environments. While there are entry-level digital signage displays that have the same brightness as TVs, they can also be as much as 8X brighter, depending on need for light conditions, window installation or even outdoor signage.

Warranty, Wear and Tear

Televisions do not, typically, carry warranties that consider heavy commercial use. A TV warranty tends to be one year, and limited, versus three years for many to most commercial displays. Network operators who use TVs instead of more costly commercial displays tend to either not understand the implications and risks or make the calculation that they’ll have to replace a percentage of their screens over time.

What to expect when using TVs versus Commercial Digital Displays

Here’s what can play out when a digital signage network operator decides to go with TVs versus commercial display panels.

Prices vary by manufacturer and specs, but let’s say an operator saves $500 by choosing a TV over a same-sized commercial display panel. That’s significant, for sure. But while a commercial display is rated for, on average, five years of duty, a TV will be lucky to get three. So that $500 saving is wiped out by the need to reinvest in a new screen two years earlier. Add on that the likelihood, over that three years, that a maintenance technician will need to go on site at least once to troubleshoot a darkened screen (because there are no remote management tools in place). That service call will cost at minimum $150 an hour, and take two or three hours because of travel and time on site.

Digital signage solutions providers regularly field customer questions, and get objections, when they quote projects that use commercial displays. More familiar with Best Buy and Walmart prices, their sticker shock is understandable. It may seem like the service provider is trying to make extra money on a project by selling more expensive equipment, but they’re actually trying to save money for all concerned. They don’t want unhappy customers, and they don’t want the grief.

Think of commercial digital signage displays as tools. Professional tradespeople tend to have power tools and devices that look very similar to what many of us have on basement and garage workbenches. But anyone paying attention knows they’re more powerful, rugged and built to last. It’s the same thing here. Commercial displays are built for the job and built to last. And a digital signage project is nothing if the screen isn’t reliably on and looking good.

Outdoor Digital Display Signage: what you need to know

Marketers naturally want to get their messages in the places where people will be, which is why we all see more and more digital signage showing up on city sidewalks and public plazas.

But using an outdoor screen presents a lot of challenges – notably the impact of sunlight and harsh winter weather. Selecting and using the wrong panel can result in digital signage that’s either hard to see, or offline, because it wasn’t properly protected from the elements.
At ITESMEDIA, we’ve worked for years with everyone from media companies to city governments to specify, design, procure, deploy and manage smart outdoor display panels that are built to last. We have the City of Montreal – with its sultry summers and snow-filled, cold winters – as our working lab.

Questions to ask for Outdoor Signage

Our engineers have worked through the issues faced by anyone wanting to use dynamic signage outside and in environments that are anything but controlled. End-users need to ask several key questions of any company that’s being considered to help develop a solution:

How does the display handle glare from direct sunlight?
How does the display handle the “thermal load” from direct sunlight – all the heat that tries to bake the electronics on a mid-July afternoon?
How do the cooling fans deal with dust and debris from the streets?
How does the sign stay dry in driving rains?
And finally, how long will the sign and overall unit last?

End-users don’t so much need the deep technical answers for all these questions, but they do need assurance that the vendor has indeed thought about these things and can provide solid responses.

Future-proofing is the other key consideration – ensuring that the engineering design of the sign and its enclosure can be upgraded, modified or supplemented with extra technologies. That’s important because these outdoor panels are far more expensive than their indoor counterparts, and the time needed to realize a return on the investment is therefore longer.

So why put dynamic signage outside?

The most common application is advertising – with media companies replacing their street-level posters (usually plastic poster prints illuminated by rear lighting) with digital, dynamic signage that can be updated on the fly and enables full motion-graphic and video.

More and more governments, medical and educational organizations, and large private businesses are using digital signage displays in their public areas and building campuses to help people find their way around. Daylight-readable directories and mapping – at decision points like main gates and plazas – guide people to where they want and need to be. Unlike printed maps and directories, dynamic signage allows people to look up what they need via touchscreens, and even take information away, like walking directions, on their smartphones.

The Next Big Demand for Outdoor Signs

The next big demand for signs in outdoor spaces is emerging in the so-called Smart City movement. An outdoor display panel will not only be a screen but can have sensors that monitor things like street-level temperatures, crowd movements, dangerous gases and noise. What’s on the screen may be more about making a street, plaza or area “work” better.

ITESMEDIA is working with the City of Montreal on a smart cities initiative that has received global attention. All through the busy central district of the old city, dynamic signage at key intersections informs motorists of available parking lots – even updating by the minute the number of empty spots.

Each of the signs (some have several displays stacked) is connected to the cloud via a wireless network and gets updates from a central ITESMEDIA server. In addition to wireless the signs may be connected via LTE and Fiber. That server is getting fresh data, by the minute, from the parking lost management systems to connected garages in the area.

Our custom solution was designed to make the central district smarter – getting motorists off crowded streets quicker, reducing frustration and improving air quality by reducing overall traffic and idling.

Large flat panel displays are now very common in our business and personal lives – so much so that it would be easy to assume they’re all the same. But TVs and digital signage displays are built for very different needs and demands, and when a screen goes outdoor, the difference is dramatic.

Internal Communications Basics for Business Success

For any business, sharing information with customers and other stakeholders is as important as the product or service it sells. For years, business communications prioritized external stakeholders, like prospects and customers, but an increasing number of companies are focusing their efforts on a long-ignored internal stakeholder: their employees.

Internal communications is an essential business function whose purpose is to make sure that all parties within an organization can send and receive information timely and effectively. Internal communications is the grease in the business machine, ensuring that all of the parts run as smoothly as possible. For decades, internal communications was often an HR responsibility. Today, departments that were once dedicated solely to external communications and customer marketing are evolving to add internal communications to the mix.

Figuring out how to strengthen your company’s internal communications function can be daunting. Here are the three foundational steps to add internal communications to your business.

Draft an Internal Communications Plan

A goal is just a dream until you write it down. Then it becomes a plan. To create an internal communications plan, ask yourself the following questions: what core messages do you need to communicate? How often should they be communicated? And how should employees receive that information? The answers will help you determine where your communications team should focus its efforts and how it will measure its success. Strategizing the best way to communicate within your organization is essential to find what will work best in your particular situation.

Like a human being, a company has to have an internal communication mechanism, a “nervous system”, to coordinate its actions.
Bill Gates

Determine the Best Internal Communications Tools for You

There is a vast and growing range of internal communications tools out there. The best tools for your company will depend on a multitude of factors, including size (e.g. number of employees, number of sites, etc.), type of company (e.g. manufacturing versus traditional corporate environment), and the types of core messages you need to send. ITESMEDIA recently conducted a survey of Canadian communications professionals who shared the six tools they use the most to communicate effectively within their organizations:

Email

Email is the gold standard of internal communications today. Senders can target their messages to certain recipients and receive written feedback relatively quickly. However, not all employees have regular access to email, and massive email volumes risk turning messages into white noise, allowing important information to be easily overlooked.

Telephone

Telephone calls provide instantaneous transmission of information and near-instant receipt of feedback. However, both parties must have access to a phone, and unless another tool is involved, there is no record of the conversation or exchange.

Face-to-face

Face-to-face communication minimizes misunderstandings and is the most effective in terms of accurately transmitting a message and receiving feedback. However, it is the most time-consuming method, and it can be difficult to get all of the necessary parties in front of each other.

Chat programs

Chatting is ideally suited to office contexts. It provides a written record of all communications and is useful for fast exchanges and answering urgent questions. However, like email, employees without device access, such as factory floor workers, are unable to utilize this tool effectively.

Traditional signage

Signage is a great tool for providing information that doesn’t change often, like safety information. Updating it can be challenging and costly, and depending on the location or medium used, the intended audience might not even see it.

Digital signage

Dynamic digital signage is the most recent addition to the internal communications toolbox. Digital signage is easy to update and automate, can provide information in real time, and catches viewers’ attention. It may represent an upfront investment, and like traditional signage, it can be difficult to know whether the target audience has seen or understood the message. However feedback from users of digital signage software and displays report seeing an increase in employee engagement, awareness and discussion around topics shared via digital screens. Overall, it helps everyone everywhere be in the know.

Do your employees spend a lot of time at their desks? Do they all go to the same location to clock in? Do they log into an intranet or portal every day to access their work? Your choice of tools should be based how your organization operates to help your employees work better.

Put the Plan Into Action

You’ve drafted your plan and found the best tools for the job. Now, put them to use! Track your messaging and your employees’ responses. Have a feedback mechanism in place to make sure your plan is working, and if it isn’t, don’t be afraid to change tacks.

Reap the Benefits of Effective Internal Communications

A successfully implemented internal communications plan can have a massively positive effect on your organization. Many business experts believe that one of the biggest competitive advantages companies can gain (that is both sustainable and difficult to replicate) is a happy and empowered workforce. Internal communications has been proven to increase employee engagement and improve motivation, two major factors of employee satisfaction. Employees who know what is going on throughout the organization can also collaborate better, and according to Frost & Sullivan, increased collaboration boosts profitability, customer satisfaction, productivity, and overall organizational performance (cited in an internal communications report by Melcrum Inc.).

ITESMEDIA is at the forefront of innovative internal communications solutions. To learn more about the services we offer, visit our website.

Five Types of Messages You Can Broadcast to Improve Internal Communications

Are you satisfied with your company’s internal communications? What measures have you taken to make them better? Few companies have bragging rights when it comes to internal communications, which can be a real challenge and keep your business from running smoothly.

According to the State of the Sector 2018 report, an employee engagement and internal communications survey conducted annually by Gatehouse, face-to-face communications are the most effective way to communicate within an organization. Digital channels, such as digital signage and email, follow close behind in effectiveness, but are often easier and cheaper to use.

Dynamic digital signage is gradually proving its worth to companies and is being used more and more to broadcast messages. According to the same Gatehouse survey, 64% of companies in the North America now use digital displays to conduct internal communications.

Email and other digital channels such as an intranet and instant messaging are very popular methods for companies to share information. However, since many employees, especially in a factory or warehouse setting, do not have regular access to a computer, these digital channels can be rendered next to useless. Digital signage, on the other hand, can reach employees no matter where they are working and have a significant impact. Read on to learn more about five types of messages you can broadcast on digital displays to improve your internal communications.

ARCELORMITTAL CASE STUDY WATCH FULL VIDEO NOW

1. Share Performance Indicators

Most businesses have databases that provide numerous real-time performance indicators. Sharing these kinds of data can be an effective way to increase employee engagement and motivation. A digital display network can be used to automatically broadcast these indicators company-wide. For example, manufacturing companies can share production goals and real-time production numbers with workers on the factory floor, while a real estate brokerage can display how many closings their agents have made.

4 KPIs your Employees Need to Know

In the example below, the chart data in the main zone and the number of days without accidents in the secondary zone are updated automatically by interfacing with the customer’s databases. In addition, events, such as upcoming trainings, can be broadcast automatically by integrating a calendar.

2. Highlight Employee Achievements

We know the value of positive reinforcement, but until now, we’ve lacked an appropriate means to display employee news and achievements in a way that has a positive effect on the entire organization. Digital signage is the perfect medium for showcasing employee successes. Has an employee recently pushed her limits during a sporting event? Has another exceeded all expectations on a special project? Has a colleague set himself apart by receiving a special certification? These are just a few examples of special accomplishments that deserve to be displayed on your screen network. Motivating employees by highlighting their achievements will have a significant positive impact on productivity, performance, and retention.

3. Play Educational Content

An interesting benefit of installing digital displays is the ability to add educational and prevention content into the display lineup. It’s an easy way to share how a new machine works, introduce new safety procedures, broadcast EHS reminders, and conduct dynamic training using a medium that can be viewed at any time of day. Using digital displays increases the chances that all your employees will see the information needed to keep operations running smoothly. Since the screens catch viewers’ attention and the content is played on a loop throughout the day, you maximize the likelihood that the information will be transmitted.

5 Ways to Improve OHS with Digital Signage

4. Broadcast Administrative and HR Messages

Instead of sharing administrative information by sending a mass email, why not display it on a screen? Screens can be used to notify employees about upcoming meetings, holidays, or policy changes. Management can also use them to wish employees a happy birthday or invite them to a social event.

5. Instill Company Culture

Publishing messages about the company’s values and mission can help improve the atmosphere in the workplace and ensure that employees are all on the same page. It can also instill customer confidence and loyalty in a company or organization.

Dynamic digital signage can be used in a variety of ways to improve your company’s internal communications. Use digital displays to:

Broadcast customized messages to a specific place and audience,
Provide employees with educational and training materials,
Recognize the accomplishments of engaged employees, and
Promote the company’s important values.

Are your current internal communications methods up to snuff? In the new era of smartphones, tablets, and smart watches, companies that avoid going digital will be left in the dust. How does your company effectively use internal communications tools? We want to know! If you would like to learn more about how ITESMEDIA can help you implement a digital signage solution, please get in touch.

4 KPIs your Employees Need to Know

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are essential metrics companies use to measure how they’re doing. KPIs help decision makers ensure their choices are informed. Most companies have invested in complex and extremely costly databases with KPI dashboards to keep tabs on their performance. These KPIs are frequently only available to decision makers and the management team. Couldn’t sharing them with employees and customers also be beneficial? Read on to learn about which types of KPIs are best shared for maximum benefit.

5 types of messages you should communicate now to improve your internal communications

4 KPIs your Employees Need to Know

Indicator #1: Production Indicators

KPIs are often used to monitor production and can be useful for motivating employees. These KPIs include quantity produced, reject ratio, production targets, and downtime, among others.

Sharing the quantity produced in the above example with the product 2 team may motivate them to continue their good work. Highlighting good performance is obviously important. Plus, sharing this information might also motivate the product 4 team to work harder to achieve better results or determine what occurred in January to cause a slump in production.

Indicator #2: Quality Control Indicators

Quality control indicators are also information that is worth displaying and communicating to a company’s various departments. These metrics are very diverse and range from cost of quality to percentage of compliant products and number of defects.

Displaying this data promotes transparency between management and employees. Providing easy access to information often has a beneficial effect on employees. To perform at a high level, workers needs to feel like they are part of the team. Displaying data that was formerly reserved for managers is an effective way to promote engagement and better performance.

Indicator #3: Project Progress Indicators

All departments in a company can benefit from knowing the progress of ongoing projects. This allows all employees, whether on the production floor or in the offices, to have a common vision of the work done. This overview is motivating since it reflects globally the situation according to the tasks performed by the different departments.

Indicator #4: Shipment Indicators

A diverse array of companies deal with shipping. Many employees would likely be interested in knowing how many products have shipped, the number of on-time and complete shipments, etc. during a given month compared to previous months and during the same month the previous year. The ultimate goal of displaying these KPIs is to show employees how their work translates into measurable results.

Production, quality control, project progress, and shipments are four KPI categories all of your employees should know. Want to go a step further? Keep reading to learn about a few bonus points you can think about!

Keep Your Customers Informed

Why not share some of your best data with your customers, too? Your customers would probably be interested in hearing that your shipments increased over the past few months, indicating that your business is doing well, or that you have a particularly low defect rate. You can share this information with customers and suppliers in your waiting or conference rooms.

Dynamic Digital Signage for Communicating KPIs

Email is the most commonly used method for communicating with employees and is increasingly common for communicating with customers.

That said, some employees do not have regular access to email throughout the work day, particularly in fields like manufacturing where most workers are on the floor and not looking at email. Thankfully, there is a cutting-edge solution to help communicate KPIs to all of your employees: dynamic digital signage.

For manufacturing companies, dynamic digital signage is an interesting solution for communicating effectively with employees on the floor. A screen placed in a strategic location, for example, can be used to broadcast KPIs that are specific to a department or task.

In addition to KPIs, dynamic digital displays can be used to show several other types of messages. Want to learn more? Check out our article on 5 types of messages you need to share with your employees.

To find out even more, check out 5 good reasons why you should use digital signage in a factory.

5 Ways to Improve OHS with Digital Signage

Occupational health and safety (OHS) is a major issue that can cost businesses a lot of money. According to the IRSST, which studies occupational health and safety, OHS costs businesses around $3.2 billion[1] a year in Quebec alone. The IRSST also calculated that the average cost for an occupational injury is $34,869.[2] This includes:

Medical expenses: medical care and rehabilitation fees, training time for other employees, medical exams
Funeral expenses: the cost of a funeral in the event of a fatality
Salary expenses: hours not worked or that weren’t productive but were paid as salaries and employee benefits by the employer on the day of the accident
Lost productivity: the value of the work that is not done by the injured worker
Administrative expenses: the cost of turnover (recruiting, training, etc.)
Human costs: loss in quality of life for the worker and his or her family, friends, and other members of the community; potential years of life lost (fatality)

Businesses must also consider the potential increase in their insurance premiums following a fatality or serious injury.

Knowing how expensive they are, businesses must take the necessary steps to prevent occupational injuries. A prevention plan that informs workers of the risks associated with their work and training to give them the skills and knowledge required to safely carry it out are essential. To that end, dynamic digital signage is a solution that allows companies to:

Inform employees of risks and dangers
Share OHS best practices
Ask employees to be vigilant
Share statistics on accidents that have occurred
Display messages numerous times

5 types of messages you should communicate now to improve your internal communications

4 KPIs your Employees Need to Know

1. Informing Employees of Risks and Dangers

A major way to improve OHS is to inform employees of risks and dangers in the workplace. For example, if a factory’s ambient noise levels are high, they can permanently damage hearing if those exposed do not wear proper protection. The image below is a concrete example of what could be displayed on a screen to inform employees about potential consequences if necessary precautions aren’t taken.

2. Sharing OHS Best Practices

It is important for employees to be informed, but companies should also tell them, or rather remind them, about good OHS practices. For example, employees should wear personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times.

Take a look at a concrete example of what could be displayed on a screen to remind employees of OHS best practices.

3. Asking Employees to Be Vigilant

One of the advantages of digital signage is the ability to change a message quickly, making it possible to quickly draw attention to a near accident and ensure employees remain vigilant. It is also possible to inform employees of temporary dangerous conditions. For example, Caution, the building entrance is icy!

4. Sharing Statistics

Digital displays are an effective way to share statistics about accidents that have occurred at work. For example:

Number of days without minor/major incidents
Months with the most accidents
Number of heat strokes in August

The following screenshot represents a concrete example of what the screen at your company could look like when sharing statistics.

5. Repeating Information

We tend to forget things quickly, which is why we often benefit from repeated exposure. Digital signage is an efficient communication tool that can repeat the important OHS information described above. Moreover, an important advantage of this tool is the ability to automate safety messages according to the time of day, work shift, or the location of the screen. This ensures that the right message is delivered to the right audience.

Digital signage is a tool that can be used to take your OHS prevention strategy to the next level and help your company avoid the consequences of an unfortunate accident. To learn more about how digital signage can be implemented at your company, check out the following articles:

[1] Rapport R-922 de l’IRSST

[2] Rapport R-922 de l’IRSST

Everything You Wanted to Know About Digital Signage but Didn’t Think to Ask

Keeping up to date with the newest marketing tech can be a struggle for any business owner. The space changes so quickly, so how can you know if the latest cutting-edge solution is right for you? Dynamic digital signage is one such solution. Understanding the ins and outs will help you make the most informed decision about whether it’s a product that works for your business. Below, we address some of the general aspects of dynamic digital signage to help point you in the right direction.

What is a digital signage content strategy and why make one?

What Can Dynamic Digital Signage Be Used For?

Digital signage has a variety of uses that can be broken down into three main categories:

Communicating with Employees

“Since we’ve started using digital signage, we no longer hear our employees say, ‘I didn’t know.'”

Workplace communication can be tough. To help facilitate communication, companies can use digital displays and screensavers to broadcast important information to their employees, such as company messages, performance indicators, safety reminders, and more. These messages can serve a variety of purposes: they can be informative, educational, motivational, or simply entertaining. Some companies even broadcast information to help prevent workplace accidents. Louis-Philippe Péloquin, Director of Communications at ArcelorMittal, said that since installing digital signage, they “no longer hear [their] employees say, ‘I didn’t know.'” Improved communications can lead to increased motivation, higher productivity, and improved safety.

Communicating with Customers

“McDonald’s restaurants now display their menus digitally, but they still sell the same Big Mac.”

Businesses large and small are communicating with their customers in new ways. Many companies are seeking solutions to reach their customers differently. Digital displays paired with dynamic content management software are an innovative way to increase awareness about a product or service and can be updated in real time. Digital signage is also four times as likely to attract a customer’s attention than a traditional display. For example, large multinationals like McDonald’s use digital signage to display and update their menus. Some RE/MAX, Coldwell Banker, and Century 21 real estate brokerages, on the other hand, use it to promote the properties they have for sale, both in displays outside their offices and within their offices themselves. Digital displays are sleek and tech forward, and brokerages can use them to elevate the perception of their brand among both customers and employees by sharing office data: sales figures, active listings, properties in escrow, testimonials, and more. Learn more about how one real estate agency owner, Claude Allard, radically changed his business with digital signage solutions in our full case study.

Communicating with Users

These days, engagement is the buzzword on every marketer’s lips. Users expect to be engaged, whether they are waiting for the bus, navigating an unfamiliar city, or visiting the doctor. Digital signage is a means for connecting and engaging with users in a meaningful way. For example, the City of Montréal makes driving easier by using digital signage to let drivers know about road work and available parking spaces throughout the city. McGill University Health Centre uses digital screens and terminals to help visitors find their way around the hospital. And several municipalities use digital signage to inform public transportation users about delays, schedule or route changes, and general information like the weather and news.

The Most Popular Industries Using Digital Signage

The Digital Signage Ecosystem

While relatively simple, dynamic digital signage requires specific hardware and software components to work properly. The diagram above shows how all these components communicate with each other. Let’s take a closer look at the basic digital signage components.

Software is the heart of the digital signage ecosystem. You might not be able to touch it, but it’s what controls and sends content where you want, when you want it.

Digital Signage Software

In the digital signage ecosystem, software is the core. It may be intangible, but it’s what controls and sends content to the desired screens according to a predetermined schedule. For the past several years, this software has often been Cloud-based and accessible from any internet-connected platform. It has undeniable advantages, but when it comes to the important elements of reliability and security, some software comes up short. Buyers should make sure that their providers use a solid and secure infrastructure, such as Microsoft Azure. If you’re unsure of how to choose the best software for you, check out our article about buying the right software.

At ITESMEDIA, we’ve developed our own proprietary digital signage software called ITESLIVE. It allows for automated communications management and even allows you to connect directly to your own databases to update information like KPIs or projections seamlessly and dynamically. Allow us to convince you: schedule a free online demo today.

Digital Displays: Not Your Ordinary TV

Displays are where your content is dynamically shown. Displays look like televisions but have features that make them suitable for commercial use, such as extended service lives, waterproofing, and increased brightness. Digital displays can be used on their own or can be put together to create video walls of any size. The screensaver of a computer can also be used to display content. Finally, digital LED panels, like those that show the number of available parking spaces in a given location, are yet another example of a type of digital display.

Interactive Displays

Interactive displays take it up a notch: like digital displays, they are screens that display content but also integrate an advanced tactile interface to provide users with a dynamic, interactive experience. They can be used anywhere, from shopping centers to help visitors locate a particular store, to real estate offices to show potential buyers the features of various properties. Even tablets, which have become increasingly popular in the past few years, can use used to deliver and display interactive digital content.

Media Player

The media player is the link between the digital signage software and your screens. It is what allows you to display the content created in your content manager on your entire network of screens. It’s generally quite small and has the same basic functionality as a computer. It can connect to the internet via an Ethernet cable, Wi-Fi, or even a cellular LTE network and plugs into your screens using an HDMI cable.

Another alternative technology that has been developed recently and that is being used more frequently is called SoC, which stands for system on chip. This system is less expensive than an external media player but doesn’t always offer the right level of performance. It can also be more expensive to perform maintenance on the signage if there’s an issue. We can help you determine whether a media player or SoC technology is right for you.

All You Need to Know About Content Strategy

Most digital signage providers will tell you that developing content strategy is an essential step in a successful digital signage project. They are right! However, the content strategy is often misunderstood by customers, but also, by suppliers.

Let us set the record straight and share with you the important elements of content strategy to consider when planning your digital signage project.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Digital Signage but Didn’t Think to Ask

What is Content Strategy?

First, it’s important to understand the role of content strategy in digital signage: it’s the result of the analysis of your company’s communication goals. The content strategy is developed to effectively meet the diverse needs of a company. Concretely, the process involves determining how the content will be displayed on the screens; what kind of content will be displayed in the different parts of the screen depending on the location of the screen, the target audience and the time of day.

Moreover, it is at this stage of your digital signage project that you will decide on the ideal location to install your screens. Remember that the installation of screens outside the establishment serves a completely different purpose than the installation of screens inside.

How does outdoor digital signage survive Québec’s winter ?

Developing a content strategy is a crucial step in planning a digital signage project. The strategy will provide a guideline to your messages: what to publish, to whom, when, where to install the monitors, etc. The strategy will also allow you to determine the font size of the text. Make sure the messages you broadcast are easily readable from where the screens are installed.

If you want to set up your digital signage project without a content strategy, you will not be as successful as you expect. Think about it, how do you capture attention and engage a target audience if the messages you broadcast are inappropriate, inadapted, or worse, uninteresting? Depending on the industry and the sociodemographic profile of the employees, their interest varies greatly. You will lose time and resources in communicating messages that are not personalized and do not have a target audience.

A good content strategy will allow you to establish the specific content you want to broadcast on a particular screen in order to trigger a change in behaviour in a particular group of employees.

This is why this step requires a great deal of thinking. It is best to write the messages first, and post the content later. Knowing the target audience of each screen installed in different locations of the company will allow you to broadcast the right messages to those concerned.

How to Develop a Content Strategy?

Developing a content strategy, as mentioned previously, requires a great deal of thinking. The majority of our customers do not know where to start or which direction to take to begin with their project. That’s why we suggest you get help from content strategy experts to support you. They will help you analyze the communication needs of your company.

That being said, you can already begin the reflection process on your own before getting help from an expert. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help guide your thinking process:

What are the important messages you would like to communicate?
What kind of information would capture the attention of my target audience?
Where would be the best location to install screens based on the movements of the target audience?
How much time is needed to understand the content?
What performance indicators could be used to motivate the target audience?

What Content is Interesting to Broadcast?

Depending on the location of the screen and the target audience, it is possible to broadcast several types of content. Here are some examples of interesting content according to the location:

At reception areas or in waiting rooms, you can capture the attention of clients with the following content:

Capsules “Did you know …”?
Real-time statistics on health and safety at work
A corporate video
A calendar of upcoming public events
Current projects and mandates
News and weather forecasts

In office spaces, a cafeteria or an employee lounge, you can motivate employees with the following content:

Educational videos to perfect knowledge
Real-time statistics on health and safety at work
Key performance indicators
Birthdays of employees
Ongoing projects
Special Mentions
Upcoming social events

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In conclusion, it is essential to develop a content strategy before diving head first in a digital signage project. You can determine the strategy yourself, but make sure you still get the advice of an expert in order to achieve the best results.

With a good content strategy, your digital signage project will be successful!

How EBI has improved internal communications

Project Description

The waste management and recycling company EBI has decided to implement a digital signage network in order to improve its internal communications. As Caroline Ouellet, the company’s occupational health and safety manager, said: “It was very difficult to reach employees,” She also says that employees are often outdoors and spend very little time in the company’s offices. Management needed a dynamic way to communicate with them.

The objectives of the project

Efficiently communicate important messages from different departments of the company;
Share prevention messages on occupational health and safety;
Communicate performance indicators in real time.

Sujet: Caroline Ouellet, Responsable santé et sécurité au travail, EBI

Video Transcription

At EBI, we have been thinking about this project for 2 years.

When I arrived at the health and safety department, I discussed with the director of operations and we immediately established that it was very difficult to communicate with employees.

We put a digital screen at the entrance of the cafeteria, next to the punch machine.

This way, employees notice the screen when they come in to work.

At EBI, we decided to automate certain sections of our digital display like employees’ birthdays.

We also automated complaints from customers, as well as our health and security projects.

We can see the evolution of our health and security projects in the form of a graph.

Job offers are also displayed automatically on the screens. Several components are automated.

Statistics on injuries, first aid and car accidents are presented graphically.

Actually, we haven’t finished compiling all the data in order to analyze the profitability of the project.

However, I know that I can now communicate 50 times more prevention messages on health and safety than before.

So, if we manage to prevent one accident, we will have make this project profitable.

At first, I decided to manage the whole project. Now, the human resources department is also involved in the broadcast of messages. They have access to the ITESLIVE software.

The ITESLIVE software is very easy to use. I just log in the to interface and choose which screen I want to modify.

Then, I just add new content. I only need fifteen minutes a week to prepare and post my messages.

At the beginning of the project, we decided to meet with several digital signage suppliers.

We finally selected ITESMEDIA because they offered the possibility to automate messages. We were really interested in how fast it was to modify content and in the flexibility of the software.

Cost wise, we didn’t have to pay for each template. Rather, they offered a global package that included content strategy and great technical support.

For all these reasons, we chose ITESMEDIA.

Why ArcelorMittal uses dynamic digital signage?

Digital signage is increasingly used to contribute to the internal communication process in manufacturing companies. It is a fast and flexible communication tool because the content of the screens is easily modifiable. It is possible to easily adapt the messages according to the time of day, the shift or the location of the screen.

How does dynamic digital signage help ArcelorMittal?

The goal at ArcelorMittal was to improve their internal communication process to reduce workplace accidents and increase employee engagement. The company uses dynamic digital signage for:

Do prevention in occupational health and safety
Communicate performance indicators in real time
Communicating important messages

The video here below shows ArcelorMittal’s digital signage project: