When learning something new, it can be easy to miss the big picture. Trying to understand even the littlest details can be challenging, but with the right tools and guidance, your project will be successful.
Managing MagicINFO as your digital signage solution is the perfect example to illustrate this. At first glance, when starting your signage project, there are many things to take into account such as what makes a successful digital signage project. Here at MagicInfo Services by ScreenCom we often say that MagicINFO is a versatile solution, but even though that mostly brings advantages, for someone who is just starting it can be quite overwhelming. Today's blog post is all about understanding MagicINFO as a whole. Here's what will be covered:
You might be wondering what a holistic approach means. Well, to put it simply, it is an approach that can be implemented in any domain or project because it puts the focus on creating a strategy that deals with all the important aspects of a project. So a holistic approach to MagicINFO would mean not only thinking about all the things that you want to achieve with MagicINFO but also about what needs to be done to maintain the signage environment running smoothly.
Let's start from the beginning. You have a project idea and would like to involve the team, get them excited about it, and maybe even receive support to help you implement the project. We're not going to talk too much about all the steps that need to be taken when getting started with digital signage, but if you're interested, check out this blog in which we explain how to successfully introduce digital signage into your business.
What gets a lot of attention when it comes to MagicINFO is the Web Author. Why? Because here you'll be creating all sorts of content for your devices. You can create a new item from scratch or you can create digital signage content using the templates option. This feature is useful when you have a clear branding strategy as it can save you time by always having a template that is in line with your brand.
This brings me to my next point: creating a content strategy. No matter what you're using your displays for, it is always better to have a clear strategy in mind when designing your digital signage content. Think about who is your target audience, where and when you'd want them to see certain content on the displays. For more information about this topic, check out our free ebook Level up your content strategy in 5 steps.
Moving on, another important thing to keep in mind when managing MagicINFO is to personalize the device and user settings. Now, this is dependent on the circumstances of your business and team. Does the company have multiple offices around the world? Then setting different levels of access for the devices is very important. You can set up a display hierarchy where each team manages only the display(s) corresponding to their location.
Another thing to consider is restricting user access which can be done by assigning user roles in MagicINFO. This is because security is a hotly debated topic in the digital signage industry. No one wants their installation to get hacked, especially when the hackers happen to be young children with too much imagination. Ideally, you should only give people access to what they need. For example, the IT department in your team should have access to server settings, but that is not necessary for the marketing team.
You can keep track of all the displays connected to your MagicINFO environment right in the dashboard. There you'll see things such as how many displays are connected or disconnected and information about the devices' health, but also you can see any errors that might occur.
To prevent strange errors from happening such as having your digital signage display malfunction it is better to make use of the Advanced Backup Play feature to set a display as a backup or main screen based on the importance of the content. Thanks to this feature, the backup display can play content as well as the original content (toggle) depending on the settings. This way, even if a display malfunction occurs, the backup will take over the information. Hence, the right data will always be published.
In addition to all the things covered so far, a really useful thing to do with MagicINFO is to consider integrating the solution with other available add-ons. For instance, if you'd like to increase customer engagement, our YoYo add-on can be quite useful. Using a proximity sensor, YoYo can be connected to the server and used to trigger content on the display. If you're still wondering how to implement this, consider checking out the YouTube video below. If you've enjoyed it, consider subscribing to our YouTube channel, MagicInfo Services. We regularly upload content showing you how to use different features available with MagicINFO.
Another useful add-on is MeetingPoint, which allows you to manage calendars with ease in the company so the team can effortlessly manage meeting room availability. MeetingPoint can only support public *ics. files, meaning your employees' agendas need to be publicly reachable via an URL. Most calendar managing tools like Outlook and Google Calendar are compatible with this add-on.
Finally, a holistic approach to managing MagicINFO is not complete without thinking about the future. Businesses are constantly evolving and changing and it is important to keep up with the latest trends and think about whether they could be incorporated into your signage project or in future projects. You can stay informed about best practices and industry trends but also learn about different MagicINFO features by subscribing to our monthly newsletter. All you have to do is click on the blue box to your right and fill in your email address.
Approaching a project with a holistic mindset is worth it as it makes you think about all the things that need to be taken into consideration when starting a digital signage project. From creating your content strategy to managing user and device settings, every project is unique. What's important is that in the end, all the little details fit into a bigger picture.
You have reached the end of today's blog. For more information on how to use digital signage and MagicINFO to level up your project schedule a meeting with one of our MagicINFO experts.